And away they go.
Even as the recession begins to ease, the budget ax is continuing to fall at San Diego radio stations. The latest to get sacked: the high-rated and high-profile "Dave, Shelly & Chainsaw" show at KGB.
They follow on the heels of Star 94.1's Jeff and Jer, who became unemployed last summer, and Mikey, who just left Rock 105.3's morning show. Although there's always the possibility that there are hidden things going on behind the scenes, the main motivation behind the cutbacks appears to be a simple one: The radio stations want to save money.
In particular, Clear Channel ---- which owns all of the stations mentioned above ---- is on a cost-cutting binge. On the local front, it has clearly decided that top-rated morning shows cost too much (annual salaries can run into the millions of dollars) and aren't worth the price.
The brass at KGB essentially said as much in a note on its site about this week's departure of "Dave, Shelly & Chainsaw" from the airwaves. Despite offering the team a "very lucrative, multi-year offer," it said, the station couldn't persuade the show's team to stay at KGB.
Dave Rickards, Shelly Dunn and Cookie "Chainsaw" Randolph aren't talking, as far as I can tell. But their loss is clearly being felt: The show's cancellation was big news across the county earlier this week, and created plenty of buzz on the Internet. The trio, after all, had mastered the art of hosting a talk-oriented radio morning show. Locally, only Jeff and Jer have been as good at blending current-events chatter with tidbits about their own lives and loves.
Marriages, children, divorces, deaths in the family: They were all fodder for on-air discussions and helped turn all these hosts into major ----- and wealthy ---- local celebrities. So what's next for all these jobless folks? If they want to stay in San Diego, they'll need to find stations that match their style (Rickards, Dunn and Randolph wouldn't be a good fit on mild-mannered KyXy or soft-jazz KIFM, for example) and can afford them.
This will be a challenge, especially since Clear Channel is so dominant here and doesn't want to pay them what they want to make. The future of three more major stations ---- 91X, Z90 and Magic 92.5 ---- is up in the air, so they're out. (More on that below.) Several other FM stations don't have huge budgets. That leaves just a few options, such as rock stations FM 94/9 and Sophie@103.7.
For now, Jeff and Jer ---- Jerry Cezak and Jeff Detrow ---- are appearing in annoying radio commercials on at least a couple of local stations. They've also broadcast online shows out of a garage.
Mikey ---- Mikey Esparza ---- has promised that he'll return to the airwaves soon, although his options on the local dial are severely limited. (His sidekicks are holding down the fort at Rock 105.3 in the morning, and it looks like they'll do so permanently.).
As for "DS&C's" future, who knows? So who's in the catbird seat during all this show shuffling? It seems likely that the remaining local shows on the dial will gain listeners. On the other hand, it also appears certain that there will be more out-of-town morning shows on the air, such as the one now airing on Channel 933.
Nationally distributed shows, such as Ryan Seacrest's show on Star 94.1, are appealing for a very simple reason: They're cheaper to put on the air. If they're the future, that's a shame.
Another cutback made the news this week: FM 94/9 afternoon disc jockey Mike Halloran, a longtime veteran of San Diego's alternative-rock radio scene, is out of a job. The station decided not to renew his contract.
The local job market will be a tough one for Halloran. There's only one other alternative-rock station, 91X (where he used to work). And
it has its own problems. Big ones. Local company Finest City Broadcasting ---- which operates 91X, Z90 and Magic 92.5 ---- is selling its assets, apparently because of a default on a loan.
The company is not technically selling the stations, because it doesn't own them. Their transmitters are all in Mexico, and they are owned by Mexicans who lease management rights to Finest City Broadcasting. Apparently, those who buy the assets will also be able to run the three stations. Magic 92.5, in particular, does very well in the ratings with an R&B format that is especially popular among Latino listeners.
Who will put up the cash? Clear Channel can't do it, because then it would run too many stations that reach the San Diego market. (The
legal limit is eight; Clear Channel used to go over the limit by assuming that Mexico-based stations ---- such as these three ---- didn't count. But then the FCC told the company to get real.) One possibility: The company that runs 105.7 The Walrus, which is also broadcast from Mexico.
Randy Dotinga is still live and local after all these years. E-mail him at NCTimesRadio@aol.com.
