Often I’m reminded of how unique and rare WGMD radio is in the broadcast universe. In recent weeks many large companies have conducted the latest round of staff purges. One of the saddest was at a news/talk station in Washington. The station’s ratings weren’t what parent company Citadel wanted and apparently nobody at corporate blames previous blood lettings for the decline. The nation’s capitol has dozens of radio stations but in a one industry town there is very little radio coverage of the daily business of the country.

My first broadcast paycheck came from a small radio station in the little town of Wellsville, New York. The station was housed in a pole barn and across from a rail yard. Back in 1986 the industry was already through its first major round of downsizing, which came as Wall Street discovered in the early 80s that broadcast properties could return 40 cents on the dollar. As competition from cable and later the internet mushroomed the goal of achieving a 40 percent return required whittling away at the product. I’ve been on the receiving end of the whittling and it wasn’t personal. In 1989 a small radio station told me I was getting the hatchet and had 3 weeks to search for a new line of work. Minutes after I was notified I received a telephone call offering me a job at one of the best radio station’s in the country. Sometimes we get lucky. The station that hired me that day had an enormous staff and news cruisers and a mobile studio. These were expensive to maintain but the station was number one in its market, a rarity for AM radio, and had a wide lead over the competition. It was only years later and after two ownership changes and after repeated cuts that ratings plummeted.

A few weeks ago two television stations in my former hometown of Syracuse suffered another round of layoffs. Profit margins must be down to 30 cents on the dollar. At one of the stations 13 people were fired and not long afterward management rented the city’s convention center and tossed a party for the station’s weather cat. I’m told this morning the story was at the top of the newscast. It’s actually the third weather cat. This all got started a little more than ten years ago when a cat started showing up at the station’s outdoor weather set. Apparently it was attracted by the lights. The lack wit doing the weather made a couple of jokes about the “weather cat”. The promotions department then got involved and a contest was created to try and find a name for the cat. “Doppler” was the winner. Shortly thereafter the stray cat was found in the street, crushed by a passing motorist. Then it dawned on station management that strays made poor mascots. A staffer was detailed to the ASPCA and returned with a reasonable facsimile. “Doppler” number two was provided with an office and while shy could still be carried to the set each day. When number two was called home to kitty heaven another trip to the pound occurred and the Chief Meteorologist had it written into his contract that he would be the only member of the staff handing the cat, however. Cat number three has anxiety issues. A pet psychiatrist has been hired and now each day leashes “Doppler” and walks it a few more feet in the direction of the weather set.

The party must have done skittish kitty wonders! As for the TV station it still wallows in the ratings basement and the weather forecasting is about the same as it was ten to twelve years ago. Fewer stories are getting covered, unless of course you consider the stories about the weather cat, and the public must not notice the overall decline in quality. Or perhaps management is deluded and blames competition from cable and the internet for declines in local TV viewing. Because after all it wouldn’t be the geniuses making decisions about renting convention halls for parties for stray cats. The place must have been packed by people not interested in rising gas and food prices. Not interested in government spending and not interested in any efforts to reduce street crime. Thousands, I’m sure, set alarms to rise early this morning to see coverage of a cat’s birthday party. Oh, and can we slash another 13 jobs before Christmas? Kitty wants a lot of presents.

This entry was posted on Sunday, June 22nd, 2008 at 12:08 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.