After John passed away, I was compelled to write the "powers that be" at Clear Chanenl...below is the content of my email, and the content of their response.
My letter:
So now that John McCormack is dead and gone. I wonder what your plans for this classic Memphis station are? I’m truly wondering why the core cancer at the center of the decline of this station, Tim Spencer, is still standing?
If you look at the steady decline to this station, and the other clear channel affiliates…you can track it back almost to the day Mr. Spencer became programming and then operations manager.
- Fire Bev Hart….nope that wasn’t the fix.
- Run off Drake and Zeke….didn’t really help.
- Mike Fleming and Ben Ferguson…gone…but ratings still decline.
- Fire Luca Lindner…for what?
- Re-hire Jennifer Reed…only to be left hanging by her….everyone saw that coming…except Mr. Spencer
- Terminate Dennis Phillipi, and kill the afternoon show that was leading it’s ratings slot….why? So you can start auto tracking your mid-day and afternoon shows…..like we wouldn’t notice?
So there ends up with Ric Chetter and John McCormack in the mornings. A positive move. They truly generate a listener-ship, and are tracking well….UNTIL….Mr. Spencer decides there is too much talk, not enough music…and thus begins the ratings decline for the morning show. His answer? Un-do the lack of interaction with the listener…no…dump Mr. Chetter, who by the was the only person that could do Mr. Spencer’s job (a threat to Mr. Spencer?), bring in a Northern syndicated show (which blows)..and pair himself with the #1 radio personality in Memphis in the afternoons (recorded). Why?
When a manager fixes something, that isn’t broken, to bolster his own position, I have to wonder what he’s really up to. By making this last change, he eliminated the one person in the building that could replace him, and hitched his wagon to the one remaining star, all at the same time.
I have news for you…the common denominator in all this is Mr. Tim Spencer. Tim has never tracked well with the public, he comes across smug, arrogant, and detached. When Bev left the morning show, ratings continued down. When Tim left, and Ric came on…ratings went up, until Tim “fixed” the programming.
I just don’t understand how the station can continue to decline, and the man in charge is not held accountable, while the few shining rays of hope you have, are allowed to be let go, or encouraged to leave. Seems like very bad upper-management.
Memphis is a unique market. Not just in radio, but in all business. Several others have tried to pipe in shows from other markets, and it just doesn’t work here. I don’t know if you have access to the Rock103 Facebook page, but I could not find ONE comment that was a positive toward the removal of the morning show, or towards the new show that replaced it. Not ONE! There were some “I’ll give it a shot”….but since then, not one “I like it”…..NOT ONE!!! Isn’t that amazing? No one said, hey, moving John to afternoons, and ending the Bad Dog and Ric show was a good idea. None. If you take a look at the hundreds of comments made, it is likely 98% were negative, and 2% indifferent.
Mr. Spencer is a bad manager, and a worse on-air talent. He has attempted to cover this up by sacrificing other talent and personnel in order to improve the station, and each time it has failed, save one. Partnering Ric and John, which he then began to undermine to the point of failure.
I’m also curious, with the Urban stations in equal decline…why are there personnel changes over there? Or is Mr. Spencer not manager enough to handle the out-cry that would come from the Urban community.
With the long years of decline, surely corporate can see Mr. Spencer has killed a long standing Memphis tradition in Rock103.
Clear Channel is quickly heading to becoming equal to Flinn Broadcasting in Memphis. Canned talent, lame shows, and no followers.
All you need to do now to complete the kill is change to a country format, and use such catchy on-air names are “Toad Spencer”, and “Leslie Lizard”….to complete the transformation.
Rick Cail
Former Listener and Fan
And their response:
Rick Cail:
Thank you for your email and comments related to programming issues at our Memphis radio station group.
While I agree with you that change is difficult to accept ,especially in light of recent events at Rock 103, I would urge you to give any and all changes to the programming there a real chance to succeed.
We know that it takes time for any new show, personality, format to be accepted and we appreciate your consideration and opinions going forward .
George C. Toulas
Sent from my iPad
So, despite the hundreds of comments on Facebook about the dislike for the new show, the hundreds of requests for the return of Ric Chetter, and the fact that since Mr. Tim Spencer has taken charge of the station..it has done nothing but decline...the powers that be think everything is fine.Farewell Rock103.....I guess Bad Dog wasn't the only Memphis landmark that passed away this month.
Well said Big R. I too am wondering why and don't see FBHW as an answer. I am glad I have a massive Itunes library because if I am going to listen to a canned broadcast it might as well be my own.
ReplyDeleteRIP Rock 103