Get Well Soon WFFT

This is how you do it. Technical issues happen, and WFFT Local has done the right thing to let their viewers know what's going on. 

So, why isn't the Maven jumping up and down and frothing at the mouth? Easy, WFFT is doing the right thing by letting viewers know there's a tech issue, and they're working on it.

Contrast this to Federated Media. That operation seems to evaporate into thin air during typical Indiana-style thunderstorms. Advertisers and listeners have been assured that FedMed has spent the required oodles of cash to keep their menagerie of stations on the air during severe weather. Perhaps something a little more robust than the artist illustration seen here.....

However, after the winds and rain and lightening, usually FedMed is silent, at a rate that seems to be increasing over the past few years. Since workers at FedMed have been warned about talking to anyone outside of the "FedMed family" about internal issues, only the suits in Mishawaka and maybe a few NSA analysts know the real reason that FedMed takes a dump when it rains.

No Christmas Bonuses in Elkhart?

Federated Media folk in Elkhart/South Bend may not be getting that Christmas bonus this year. Instead, Federated Media/Pathfinder Communications will be sending $46,000 to the FCC. 

Here's what happened: Those ugly tones we hear on the radio and TV during weather and other emergencies are considered "sacred" to the FCC, as they are to only be used in a real emergency or life-threatening situation. It's called the Emergency Alert System, or EAS.

Recently, the FCC has fined radio and TV stations for including those "alert tones" in advertising and promotional announcements. One would think that those stations would not want to mislead their listeners/viewers, but, the almighty dollar is a very strong motivator. 

Well, WTRC-FM, a FedMed/Pathfinder station licensed to Niles, Michigan and serving the South Bend/Elkhart market got caught including those tones in an advertisement, and has agreed to pay the FCC $46,000 for their actions. While the language of the FCC document calls it a "consent decree" as opposed to a "fine", it's appears to be the equivalent of a plea bargain. 

Read for yourself here:

http://transition.fcc.gov/Daily_Releases/Daily_Business/2014/db1210/DA-14-1656A1.pdf

This sure takes the heat of the kids in the WOWO news room, eh?

Dead Air Does Not Save Lives

Another severe storm, and the Federated Media cluster goes dark, poof, off the air. 
Oh, the transmitters are on the air, but with no power at the Maples Road studios, all those listeners that might be craving lifesaving 'information,' all they get to hear is dead air.  
The Maven would like to suggest:

But, since you guys are the media experts, the Maven won't dare to question where you spend your money. 

Let The FedMed iPads Come To Life!

The Maven is not getting enough hate mail from the Maples Road area, so, let the FedMed, (traded out), iPads come to life!

OK, help me out here. Why is it important to note that the murder victim is Haitian? If the little girl we're Caucasian, Creole, or any other race, would it really matter? 

And, then there's the third paragraph:

Looks like were missing a word and some punctuation....but, that's par for the course.  

How To Read A Radio Help Wanted Ad

You too, can join the glamorous world of radio. But, you have to know how to read between the lines to find the true qualifications that the employer desires of the applicant.

Follow along, as the Maven breaks down the typical Help Wanted Ad into easy-to-understand, bite-size morsels.

This ad was posted on allaccess.com on Friday.

Let's start at the beginning: 

The ad says: "Can you entertain? Can you work phones".
What this means: Can you show up for work, read the liners and manage to answer the request line at least once an hour?

The ad says: "Can you read your listeners and then relate in a way that makes them feel you're just like them?"
What the ad means: Can you read, write, speak and understand English and not treat your listeners like complete idiots?

The ad says: "..........we're looking for our next on-air star".
What the ad means: we fired the last guy because he made way too much money. 

The ad says: "Great staff, just looking for a Great team player!!"
What the ad means: You will be the lowest in seniority and don't gripe when you get stuck working all the weekends and holidays. 

The ad says: "...must have 2 years on-air experience, have excellent production skills, and a passion for great radio"
What the ad means: working the intercom headset at McDonald's drive through is not considered experience; you'll need production skills since you will be doing most of the commercials yourself, and passion means that you'll be paid less than the guy at the McDonald's drive through.

The ad says: "....do country with a CHR flair"
What the ad means: can you talk over record intros without stepping on the vocals?

The ad says: "send package to....."
What the ad means: the program director doesn't know how to open his email and needs an excuse to leave the building and go to the Post Office.

The ad says: "Do not e-mail your packages"
What the ad means: We just told you to mail your package. Now we're telling you you're an idiot for even considering using e-mail. Take note, this is how you will be treated if you work here, stupid. 

The ad says: "......Equal Opportunity Employer." 
What the ad means: We're required to say that, but we will fire anyone, regardless of race, creed, national origin......

Still considering a position in radio? Didn't think so. 

Pat Miller Returns, but only Pat Miller

Today is the day that Pat Miller returns to the WOWO 1190 (and now on 92.-3fm) in his familiar 3 to 6 pm time slot. 

Hooray. 

Mr. Miller is a true Fort Wayne treasure, and his return to the airwaves, from which he was once banished, is cause for celebration. It is also a moment for us to reflect. 

While Mr. Miller represents a specific political viewpoint, no one can fault him for always treating his listeners, callers and advertisers with anything but respect. His ability to talk about the local community is remarkable. One only has to go back a year and recall his broadcasts about Aliahana Lemmon and how that story affected the community. There is no doubt that Mr. Miller's heart was in his work those days, and his questions, frustrations, and grief mirrored what most of Fort Wayne was feeling at the time. 

While we all celebrate, we also must remember those who will not be returning to their jobs at WOWO and the other Federated Media properties. The backlash of Mr. Miller's removal, his replacement by a hate-filled, megalomaniac, bent on destroying WOWO, as well as the resulting advertiser and listener fallout, cost at least 12 employees their jobs. 

While no one will shed a tear for Gregg 'hacksaw' Henson and the empty-suited idiots who hired him, the others who are not returning deserve to be remembered. Steve Brelsford, a dedicated and gifted production person of 34 years lost his job through no actions of his own. The skilled Zack Skyler, who toiled at the WMEE microphone doing mornings, afternoons and anything else his bosses asked was also let go. There are others, who's names you won't recognize, they, too need to be remembered. 

So, as we celebrate Mr. Miller's return, for more than a few, it's a hollow victory at best. 

The New WOWO News Director is WHO?

We managed to dodge the great Mayan apocalypse. We sidestepped the “blizzard of 2012” but it looks as if Fort Wayne is going to suffer a direct hit. 

This morning, Allaccess.com, the radio industry’s premier news conduit featured this headline and story:

WOWO Names Kayla Blakeslee News Director

http://www.allaccess.com/net-news/archive/story/113649/wowo-names-kayla-blakeslee-news-director

Yes, Fort Wayne, the woman who once used the word “guys” 12 times in a five minute newscast; who believes that Berry Street intersects with Wayne, who's idea of "out there" includes Fairfield Avenue and who once convicted a man of murder even before a jury was selected…..has been named “news director” of WOWO 1190 (and now on 92.3fm). 

Back in the day, news directors were powerful people in the radio business. As an equal to the program director, sales manager, office manager, director of engineering, the news director hired and fired talent, prepared budgets, set the tone for on air presentation and was usually a seasoned market veteran. Reading the story from Allaccess.com, you’ll note that Ryan Wrecker, identified as WOWO’s program director, appears to be Kayla’s boss. Mr. Wrecker is quoted as saying: 

"KAYLA has emerged as an afternoon leader by generating stories, anchoring newscasts and managing traffic for our television partners at 21 ALIVE," WOWO PD RYAN WRECKER said. "Her dedication to the station and community -- and as a respected member of the FT. WAYNE community -- has already created a solid working foundation on which to build on."

Sounds like that quote came directly from her annual employee review, perhaps written by the last WOWO News Director, Dave Wheaton, who now does something like sort the mail at a TV station, that according to his bartender.  

So, before we all get our bowels in an uproar about a giggly, inexperienced market outsider taking over the position once held by the likes of Victor Locke, Jerry Hoffman, Glenn Richards, Dugan Fry, Curt Miller and others, keep in mind that Kayla’s promotion basically means that she gets to open the press releases, organize news feeds and gets to work when other news people are sick, too hung-over, or just don’t feel like coming to work. She will not set station policy, nor will she hire and fire, compile and present budgets to the GM and the Maven is pretty sure this title is in lieu of a pay raise. That’s just how the industry is moving. No word on whether Kayla’s voice will continue to be heard on commercials on other Fed Med stations. 

On a related note, Mr. Wrecker, while singing the praises of his new news director might also want to, himself, become familiar with the names of certain outlaying communities, understand that snow plows can not combat high winds, and that in Indiana a road named 400 S is pronounced “400 South”, not “400 S”.  Rookie mistake. 

Nicely Played

Just when you thought Fort Wayne radio had hit the bottom of creativity and imagination, this comes along.

At first blush, this would appear to be a kind, compassionate and generous offer to the recently fired employees of Federated Media. At a time when the economy is questionable, it would seem that the Oasis Radio Group was in a position to give the ex-FedMed employees a ray of hope.

In truth, this is not what it seems. In reality, it's a well done publicity stunt offering Oasis Radio Group an opportunity to stick their thumb in the eye of a competitor and their former employees. Most, if not all,  of the ex FedMed employees signed employment contracts when they were hired (a standard practice) which include non compete clauses. There is little chance that FedMed would ever waive those clauses, and an even more remote chance that any of the ex FedMed employees would risk a long, expensive court battle to take a position with Oasis.

The non compete is a pesky little piece of legalese generally stating that if the employee leaves the employer, for any reason, the employee agrees (is forced to agree) to not work for a "competing" media facility for a specified time (usually a year) within the same "market area". Crafty lawyers have had marginal success challenging non competes by simply having the new employer specify a slightly different job title (air talent vs, disc jockey. or music director vs programming coordinator). Not to be out done, those contracts, for some time now, contain an additional "trade secrets" clause stating that the employee, in the course of their regular duties, would have access to inside information that could damage the employer if the employee were to become employed by a competitor. Courts have, time and time again, upheld both the non compete and trade secret provisions. 

So you may admire Oasis Radio Group, but not for the reason you think. They deserve to be applauded for having the business sense of taking advantage of a competitor's weaknesses and using that to enhance their image. That's how the game is played. 

WOWO/FedMed's Big Hatchet Job

The unceremonious dumping of Gregg Henson and his assistant, Brian whats-his-name, was not unexpected. FedMed needed someone to blame for killing what little credibility the iconic WOWO once had. At this point, the Maven was sure the bleeding would stop and attention would be turned to WOWO's turd of a newsroom with all it's warts and foibles. A quick fix there would begin to repair the damage to both audience and advertisers. The announcement of Mr. Zimmerman taking the programming reins was also welcomed by current and former FedMed staffers. The road to recovery was clear.

Not so fast. On Monday, according to a reputable local blogger, social media, media reports and our own insider(s) on Maples Road, 12 Federated Media employees were escorted off the property with only what they could carry in a cardboard box. Among the casualties were Chief Operating Officer Mark DePrez, highly regarded WMEE mid day talent Zack Skyler and Production Wizard Steve Brelsford. Other casualties included DePrez's wife who reportedly held some sort of sales position, assorted other sales people and some part timers. A News~Sentinel story reports that WOWO/FedMed has no plans to fill the vacant positions.

What does all this mean? Are some of these dismissals the direct result of the hiring and firing of Gregg Henson? Probably not. Are some of these firings the result to poor hiring decisions and the resulting fall out? Maybe. The Maven believes that the folks in Elkhart who call the shots are tired of losing money running radio stations that, according to many industry analysts, no one will be listening to in 20 years. This may be Federated Media/Pathfinder Communicaitons/Fallen Timbers/Talking Stick, etc's one and only chance to preserve some of Grandpa Jack Dille's fortune for the current generation to spend foolishly. What we're seeing may be a purging of "excess" costs (generated by those 12 poor souls tossed over the side), and a further pruning of expenses in an effort to make the financials look even more attractive to a large radio ownership group(s).

While many people in Fort Wayne like to bitch and moan about the present state of local radio, just wait until the likes of WOWO, K105, the Bear and others are swallowed up by a large corporate operator who will pipe in programming from a far away central location with advertising sales handled via a call center backed up by a corporate website. That's how it works these days, and one has to assume, local radio's days are numbered in Fort Wayne. It's just a matter of time.  

WOWO Gets A Woody!

Well, the antagonistic, in-your-face angle didn't work, so now WOWO tries again. 

According to the industry-respected Allaccess.com, WOWO's new Operations Manager is Bill "Woody" Zimmerman, replacing the recently bounced Gregg ‘Hacksaw’ Henson. According to the Allaccess.com story, "Market Manager Jim Allgeier said, "Woody's sense of urgency, organizational skills, attention to detail and work ethic make him uniquely qualified to take on the complex job of programming a News/Talk station." The article goes on to mention that Mr. Zimmerman is a local, and has held numerous positions within Federated Media so he should be accustomed to dealing with the quirks and expectations of the company and the attached executive egos that come with the territory.

A couple of ex-FedMed employees are viewing this development in a very positive way, telling the Maven that if anyone can help rescue the damaged credibility and reputation of this iconic media institution, Woody is the guy. The Maven will wait and see.

The first thing Mr. Zimmerman can do is to clean up the newsroom operation. It’s an embarrassment and has done just as much to trash the WOWO good name as Mr. Henson did while threatening listeners by name on the air. The news writing is sophomoric, childish, and at times, inaccurate and confused. The presentation sounds like high school kids trying to be cute.

Woody has his work cut out for him and we wish him well, it's a tall order. The Maven hopes that the “sense of urgency” is real, and not just another positioning statement. WOWO could use the help, not more slogans and fixes.

Hacksaw Henson Leaves WOWO....

According to numerous reports, Gregg Henson, Program Manager for WOWO 1190 has left the building. Word is that Friday was his last day. His assistant, Brian somebody, apparently was also released. 

Gregg Henson's short stint as a WOWO talk show host began with the rather abrupt dumping of the highly popular Pat Miller, and culminated with Henson's removal from the air in early June after reportedly threatening the lives of five listeners on air and in social media, by name after they complained about Pat Miller's departure. Advertisers, who are the only voice that media will listen to, reportedly either cancelled their advertising, or asked to have their ad dollars placed with other FedMed properties. Henson also contacted the Maven, and others, with instructions to never listen to WOWO nor to comment publicly about the station, or he "would unleash the lawyers". The Maven's attorney was not amused. 

At any rate, now that Fort Wayne's long radio nightmare is over, a few troubling questions still remain. 

First, why was this hot-headed, vengeance driven troublemaker hired in the first place? This is not the radio industry of the 60's and 70's when all that station managers had to rely on was a nicely edited tape and a reasonably clear resume with a minimum of Liquid Paper dribbles on it's face. This is the age of technology, and if someone, anyone within Federated Media would have bothered to Google Mr. Henson's name, could they not have avoided this costly journey down a path from which their credibility may not easily recover? One must remember, the industry geniuses at 2915 Maples Road operate in mysterious ways. 

Another question: How long until WOWO's news operation undergoes an overhaul to restore credibility to it's content and presentation? Currently it's a newsroom run by a publicity-seeking cellphone abuser presiding over newscasts written using the Urban Dictionary as a guide, delivered by seemingly bright, perky and clueless females who are more concerned with Justin Bieber's inseam measurement than with who the Premier of Israel is. It was a very telling moment on Friday when the confused newscaster-ette said "WOWO news this hour is brought to you by ............ er ................no one". Hey, it's the truth.

And the last question, who's voice will we hear on Monday at 3pm? You might be surprised. 

WOWO Getting Closer....

Casey Hendrickson is this week's guest host on WOWO's afternoon show. And from what the Maven heard, Casey had a great day. Of course, it helps that Casey is the morning man on a FedMed sister station in the South Bend market, but he did the best, to date, of any of the others trying out for the position. 
Mr. Hendrickson sounded engaging and conversational, treated callers with respect, and did his homework about the hot topics of the day.
If WOWO decides to hire Mr. Hendrickson for the gig, it's a wise move. Obviously they will have someone who they believe will do a good job, plus, since he's already a FedMed employee there's a cost-savings to them as well. Thanks to technology, there is no reason why Casey can't conclude his South Bend morning show, take a long lunch, and then go back into the same studio and perform on WOWO in the afternoon, all for a cost far less than hiring another full time employee. Smart move. 
In spite of Gregg "the hacksaw" Henson's admonishment to me to not listen to "his g*d-damn radio station" .... I think I'll be back tomorrow. 
Casey Hendrickson just might be the one to lead WOWO afternoons back to respectable numbers and revenue. 

A Personnel Change OR Radio Slight-of-Hand?

By now, most of the free world and parts of Arkansas are aware that WOWO’s 3-6pm talk show hosted by Gregg Henson has been replaced by the syndicated Sean Hannity program. Is it temporary? Is it permanent? Only those folks on Maples Road and, to a certain extent, the folks at 245 Edison Road in Mishawaka know for sure.

Because the Maven is a suspicious person by nature, I would ask you to consider two possible scenarios.

First, is the most obvious: WOWO demoted Pat Miller to a weekend show because they wanted to broaden the type of issues discussed during the daily 3-6 program, and either Mr. Miller refused, or WOWO management thought him incapable of the task. Mr. Henson, then, took over the show and had difficulties of his own with WOWO’s conservative core audience. His bullying tactics and naming private citizens to his enemies list on the air triggered an advertiser revolt. So, Henson is off, Hannity is on.

The second scenario is this: In light of the recent gutting of 92.3 The Fort and Froggy 106.7 and replacing them with simulcasts of other existing programming on their other existing local stations WOWO’s ownership sees further opportunity to slash expenses and remain financially solvent. This is accomplished by eliminating Mr. Miller and the subsequent costs related to his program. So, what was the Gregg Henson drama/fiasco about? The people on Maples Road are sly operators. If Mr. Henson’s anti-conservative bullying tactics, near libelous antics and subsequent advertiser revolt were so egregious, he would no longer be in the building. In a nutshell, it was all bad radio theatre. Now, WOWO can move Sean Hannity into the 3-6pm slot, effectively crushing rival Pat White on WGL 1250, and saving the money associated with paying Mr. Miller. You’ll also notice that Mr. Miller’s weekend job has been eliminated, too.

As much as we might like to demonize Gregg Henson (and, trust me, there’s a lot to demonize there) Mr. Henson may soon be sporting “employee of the month” honors for his efforts to help WOWO remain solvent and somewhat relevant to the community.

And, then again, you may have your own theories.