Who Will Fill Charly's Shoes?

With the untimely passing of WOWO's Charly Butcher, WOWO's parent, Federated Media is facing more than just an employment quandary. 

It's hard to replace a legend, and it's even more difficult to replace someone who worked as hard at and who was as committed to his craft than Mr. Butcher. 

The people who operate FedMed don't handle change very well unless they're the ones making the change. The sudden loss of a beloved air personality has, according to people on the inside, created a debate about where Charly's replacement will come from. 

Here are FedMed's options, so the Maven has been told:

Promote from within the FedMed organization. Most likely the candidate would be someone from the South Bend cluster's News/Talk operation. There are more than a few talented individuals there.  

Conduct a nationwide search for an up-and-coming morning talent (hopefully more effective than their recent hire for K-105 mornings...more on that in an upcoming issue). One of the pitfalls of a nationwide search would be hiring another Gregg "Hacksaw" Henson. Henson is best remembered for triggering an advertiser revolt by firing Pat Miller, taking over his show, threatening the lives (on air) of several local right-to-life leaders and his attempt to kill WOWO's popular and enduring Penny Pitch charity. 

One more option would be to reach out to former FedMed employees who have moved onward and upward. Ryan Wrecker, now at KMOX, would be an example, as well as other FedMed alumni who still call Fort Wayne home, but now toil in other careers. 

If you're interested, here's what Charly's job entails: (thanks to Indiana Radio Watch, from their weekly column - used with permission):

Federated Media in Fort Wayne is looking for an experienced, multi-faceted News-Talk host for WOWO 1190AM/107.5FM’s morning show.

You’ll host “Fort Wayne’s Morning News” (FWMN) which airs 5A to 9A. It is a fast-paced presentation of the day’s top news, traffic, weather, sports, business news and farm news. It also airs live on MYTV from 5:30A-7:00A. Our morning host will work with a wide rolodex of local, state and national newsmakers ranging from local mayors, police chiefs, sheriffs and fire officials to Indiana’s Governor, Senators and Congressmen.

The Morning-Drive host is responsible for, but not limited to:

• Hosting FWMN from 5a-9a
• Prepping content for FWMN
• Reporting and following live breaking news events
• Reporting and researching local news events
• Monitoring sources for breaking news on-air and online
• Interacting with the Fort Wayne community both online and in person
• Audio editing and logging
• Appearing at local events and monthly remotes
• Booking and calling guests on occasion

Ideal candidates will have experience working in a daily newsroom environment and hosting experience. They will be able to work well with others and have a good understanding of local issues, politics and economics. They’ll need to be a morning person as our morning host shift can start as early as 4A and they must be comfortable on live television. The ideal candidate must be savvy with social media and able to inform and entertain online and on-air while also being fair and balanced. Most importantly, our ideal candidate will have the desire to learn the heartbeat of WOWOland and share it with our listeners.

If you’re interested in joining our team, please send a cover letter and resume, as well as a link to your digital portfolio/demo, to WOWO News/Program Director Kayla Blakeslee at kblakeslee@wowo.com.