Hello 2010.
The first week of the new year is here and it seems in broadcasting, any new year ushers in change. At least that’s the way it’s been in the last few years.
For the past year, my morning commute has been greeted by the “end” of the Deminski and Doyle show on 94.7, Detroit’s long-established classic rock station. Unfortunately, the last half hour had very little “D and D” content. It consisted of an extended sports report, many commercials, and sometimes a single classic rock song – one, unfortunately, that I may have heard 1,000 times too many.
And with the four-letter word "LOSE" that seems to be a frequent one in news about any Detroit sports team, I would rather not wake up to that kind of information either.
This morning, however, literally was “the end” of the show as it was announced (despite a supposed multi-year contract), that today was D and D's last show per a mutual decision. Within hours of the announcement, all traces of Deminski and Doyle had been removed from the WCSX website, official statements had been made, and life carried on for the rest of us.
All efforts to fit them into the format from cutting the show by an hour, to injecting various forms of content into the show – had apparently failed – or at least did not work as quickly as it was felt was needed -- on a classic rock station.
“We do a talk show and this is a classic rock station…” Deminski said during their final hour during which they were allowed to say goodbye.
Flipping over to sister station, the legendary WRIF (101.1) “Drew and Mike” continued to chat as they routinely do past the top of the hour.
For “D and D” it was a quick and clean ending rather the disappearing act that is so common.
The fact is talk shows of any kind take time to develop an audience. Given the tendency of the station to constantly “tweak” the content., rather than let D and D “do their thing” it is no surprise that the ratings were inconsistent.
Yet their departure is amicable.
A radio duo sits on the sidelines for a year as the result of a no-compete clause in a prior contract. With much fanfare, they return in the midst of a station-sponsored New Years bash, being on the air the minute they were legally allowed. A year later they are saying their goodbyes. And life does go on.
My prediction is we haven’t seen the end of the “changes” either, as other major broadcast companies continue to struggle operating on shoestring budgets, one of which only days ago filed for bankruptcy.
Doom and gloom, however, is not what I write about though – just change, which is constant. It always has been. If you you don’t like it, wait another few weeks or months or year and whatever happened the next year will be the polar opposite of the past.
Best wishes to all concerned. "The best" always land in a better position .
The first week of the new year is here and it seems in broadcasting, any new year ushers in change. At least that’s the way it’s been in the last few years.
For the past year, my morning commute has been greeted by the “end” of the Deminski and Doyle show on 94.7, Detroit’s long-established classic rock station. Unfortunately, the last half hour had very little “D and D” content. It consisted of an extended sports report, many commercials, and sometimes a single classic rock song – one, unfortunately, that I may have heard 1,000 times too many.
And with the four-letter word "LOSE" that seems to be a frequent one in news about any Detroit sports team, I would rather not wake up to that kind of information either.
This morning, however, literally was “the end” of the show as it was announced (despite a supposed multi-year contract), that today was D and D's last show per a mutual decision. Within hours of the announcement, all traces of Deminski and Doyle had been removed from the WCSX website, official statements had been made, and life carried on for the rest of us.
All efforts to fit them into the format from cutting the show by an hour, to injecting various forms of content into the show – had apparently failed – or at least did not work as quickly as it was felt was needed -- on a classic rock station.
“We do a talk show and this is a classic rock station…” Deminski said during their final hour during which they were allowed to say goodbye.
Flipping over to sister station, the legendary WRIF (101.1) “Drew and Mike” continued to chat as they routinely do past the top of the hour.
For “D and D” it was a quick and clean ending rather the disappearing act that is so common.
The fact is talk shows of any kind take time to develop an audience. Given the tendency of the station to constantly “tweak” the content., rather than let D and D “do their thing” it is no surprise that the ratings were inconsistent.
Yet their departure is amicable.
A radio duo sits on the sidelines for a year as the result of a no-compete clause in a prior contract. With much fanfare, they return in the midst of a station-sponsored New Years bash, being on the air the minute they were legally allowed. A year later they are saying their goodbyes. And life does go on.
My prediction is we haven’t seen the end of the “changes” either, as other major broadcast companies continue to struggle operating on shoestring budgets, one of which only days ago filed for bankruptcy.
Doom and gloom, however, is not what I write about though – just change, which is constant. It always has been. If you you don’t like it, wait another few weeks or months or year and whatever happened the next year will be the polar opposite of the past.
Best wishes to all concerned. "The best" always land in a better position .
