Long time KRTH 101 weekend personalities Dave Randall and Sylvia Aimerito have confirmed they have been let go by the station as of yesterday. Both say they received a phone call and were told that KRTH is going in a different direction. Very sad to hear but not surprising. Their pictures have been taken off the KRTH website, along with that of Bruce Chandler as well. Can anyone elaborate? Rumors of this weekend purged were posted here in the past month. Whos next?
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Krth 101 personality changes - weekends purged?
- Thread starter krth101
- Start date
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Thomps2525
Guest
Christian Wheel was also fired. For three years he hosted the Saturday afternoon "Let's Talk Tech" program on KFWB and he had done weekends and fill-in on KRTH since 2010. If KRTH is going in a "different direction" and four weekenders have been fired, does that mean that the station might run jockless on Saturdays and Sundays? It's unthinkable to me that a station would fire DJs to save money.....but I suppose it's possible.
(Yes, that was sarcasm.)
(Yes, that was sarcasm.)
Music speaking maybe they are doing national syndication with DJ'S? Also Skywalker, and Charlie tuna are still on weekends, unless they got let go of.
I don't think music wise they can't really move the format in a different direction. It's successful as is, unless they move into the 90's?
I don't think music wise they can't really move the format in a different direction. It's successful as is, unless they move into the 90's?
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Thomps2525
Guest
KRTH has hired Greg Simms to work weekends. He'll start on September 27. He jocked at KFMB-FM in San Diego from 1989 to 2009 and he also does voiceovers. He's voiced commercials for Coca-Cola, Hewlett-Packard, Hampton Inn, Wells Fargo Bank and other companies.
But did KRTH really need to fire four other DJs?
But did KRTH really need to fire four other DJs?
CBS doesn't do national syndication with DJs. Although if they did, they have quite an incredible stable of extremely well known DJs in New York, Chicago, Detroit, and Phoenix, in addition to the legends in LA.
What was the deal with Brian Roberts, did he not audition well? I always thought he was a strong Jock.
K
K.M. Richards
Guest
Blade and Snakeskin are already in the building, so to speak. (KRTH is at the Wilshire facility, they're at Venice/Fairfax.)
Richard does the "flashback lunch" on Jack; Snakeskin programs the music on Jack and KROQ-2 and voicetracks middays on the latter.
Jed is doing a weekend show on KCSN at Cal State Northridge and hosts a syndicated program "Out Of Order" which runs on KROQ. Freddy says Mr. Gould has lost his interest in doing commercial radio.
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Thomps2525
Guest
I turned on KRTH today and heard Billy Idol's White Wedding. I also hear Depeche Mode and Modern English and often I have to look at the radio display to make sure I'm not listening to KROQ. KRTH has no real identity anymore. It's a combination of KLOS, KSWD, KCBS-FM, the old KCMG and the old KIBB.
And am I the only one who thinks "Freddy Snakeskin" and "Jed the Fish" sound like villains from the 1961-62 animated Dick Tracy tv series?
And am I the only one who thinks "Freddy Snakeskin" and "Jed the Fish" sound like villains from the 1961-62 animated Dick Tracy tv series?
It really reflects the changes radio was going through 25 years ago.
oldies76
Star Participant
That's a no-brainer! Could have told you that 10 years ago. It's only gotten worse. Someday, they will regret it.
Yet somehow, it's attracting more listeners now than 10 years ago.
chrocket87
Star Participant
I think they should go jockless on weekends. Think about how many more times they can play "Hotel California" if they didn't have annoying dj chatter taking up time.
K
K.M. Richards
Guest
The question of "identity" is not yours to determine and it cannot be properly answered by anyone who misses the old KRTH, because that invites comparison rather than a fresh look.
What KRTH's identity is belongs to the listeners to decide -- the local ones, not the ones listening via the stream in Colorado. It all goes back to the basic programming "rules" that have been debated here ad nauseum: You get a group of radio listeners in the target demographic, put them in an auditorium, play them the hooks from songs that potentially appeal to that demo, and then take the songs that tested the highest on the air. If that process creates a New Wave/Classic Rock/Rhythmic Gold format, then so be it. (Now you know why the term "Classic Hits" was coined and why that format sounds different in every market.)
The station has the identity its listeners have created for it. That's why the ratings are up.
Yes, Steve, I believe you are the only one. (With apologies to Melissa Etheridge.)
Not as long as the numbers keep going up ... and as long as they keep updating the format to keep pace with the passing of time, the numbers will remain viable for a very long time.
Dismantled long ago, Scott. It's the 21st Century now.
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As long as I have a posting window open:
I have been advised off-line that I misspoke earlier. Edwin "Jed the Fish" Gould parted company with Westwood One a while back and no longer hosts the syndicated program I referenced in post #9. He does still host a one hour show, "Fresh Catch", Saturday afternoons at 3:00 on KCSN.
It has also been tactfully suggested to me that Freddy Snakeskin is not Jed's official spokesperson. However, absent any word from Jed himself, I report what I hear and wait to be proven wrong later.
I find it rather amusing that no matter what the specific topic is, whenever KRTH is discussed here, it tails off in 2 predictable directions. The long time loyal listeners lament what's happened to the station and long for the way it used to be. The pros talk about ratings. This latest, specific topic wasn't intended to do anything but ask why 4 top notch broadcasters were dismissed so quickly. What were the reasons behind the purge? Was it the further evolution of the station? The format has been going through ongoing change for over a year now, yet this was a bold move. Weekend ratings were good. This move begs the question, where is KRTH headed? Were these weekend personalities let go because of money? Were they clearing space for Scott Shannons syndicated show? *Or were Sylvia, Dave and Bruce too closely aligned with the previous administration? And if that's at all true, what does the future hold for tuna, Carson and shotgun? It would seem they don't fit either if that's the rationale.
It is no secret that the fans here are disappointed with the path KRTH has taken. The pros seem to applaud the change. There is no sense debating this. The numbers indicate that the format change has worked - for now. I would simply caution all not to applaud KRTHs initial success so quickly. It is far too early to consider this incarnation of KRTH its golden era. It is a 12 month sample. And to compare it to the stations 40 year history is at best premature. Let's see how these 80s songs, tight playlist and seeming de emphasis of personality play out.*
It is no secret that the fans here are disappointed with the path KRTH has taken. The pros seem to applaud the change. There is no sense debating this. The numbers indicate that the format change has worked - for now. I would simply caution all not to applaud KRTHs initial success so quickly. It is far too early to consider this incarnation of KRTH its golden era. It is a 12 month sample. And to compare it to the stations 40 year history is at best premature. Let's see how these 80s songs, tight playlist and seeming de emphasis of personality play out.*
T
Thomps2525
Guest
You raise an interesting question---and I know you're not the question-raiser you used to be. Shotgun Tom is a high-energy afternoon jock in the Don Steele and Jack Armstrong tradition. Jim Carson has worked in Los Angeles radio since 1965. Charlie, who has an excellent sense of humor and the best "hit-the-post" timing of anyone in the business, has been on the air here since 1967. Would Chris Ebbott get rid of any or all of those legendary jocks in an attempt to create a 21st-century KRTH that has little connection with the 20th-century KRTH except for the jingles? Does updating the playlist have to lead to an updating of the DJ lineup? Don't people listen to KRTH for the music and not for the DJs? (Robert W. Morgan was the obvious exception.) At almost every radio station, aren't the weekenders pretty much interchangeable? Will Greg Simms turn out to be infinitely more popular than Bruce Chandler?
As long as KRTH is "modernizing," why don't they add more hits from the early 1990s? More Than Words, Rhythm Of My Heart, I Wanna Be Rich, Don't Wanna Fall In Love, I Love Your Smile, I've Been Thinking About You and dozens of other songs would fit well with the current playlist.
As long as KRTH is "modernizing," why don't they add more hits from the early 1990s? More Than Words, Rhythm Of My Heart, I Wanna Be Rich, Don't Wanna Fall In Love, I Love Your Smile, I've Been Thinking About You and dozens of other songs would fit well with the current playlist.
oldies76
Star Participant
KRTH was unique back then because of the programming styles used (that are no longer used today). Today, it sounds like any other bland classic hits radio station, throwing out the corporate bag of "hits". Not my cup of tea.
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You've had this question answered multiple times by multiple people. You've been asked to come up with examples of "huge playlist" stations, and none of them are in major markets getting top ratings. That answer doesn't satisfy you.
Meanwhile it makes no sense to have complaints about a station in a market where you no longer live. Especially when there is a station that does what you want where you currently live. You seem to want to force your personal taste on your former town. For what reason?
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