Posted by chicagomedia.org on March 01, 2008 at 07:16:12:
In Reply to: Citadel CEO releases disappointments posted by chicagomedia.org on February 29, 2008 at 16:25:55:
WOW, we called it.
7:42 PM CST, February 29, 2008
In what staffers referred to as a "bloodbath'' Friday, WLS-AM 890 fired a number of staffers, including several news veterans, as owner Citadel Broadcasting slashed costs nationwide during one of the biggest advertising downturns in radio history.
Among those let go were station news director and longtime Chicago radio news journalist Jennifer Keiper and longtime City Hall reporter Bill Cameron, sources said. Also among the group let go were news reporter David Jennings, a producer on the Don Wade & Roma morning show and various ad sales and support staff. Saturday morning host, Jake Hartford, was also shown the door, sources said.
Morning news anchor John Dempsey and afternoon news anchor Jim Johnson on Roe Conn's show were among those spared, sources said.
But stunned staffers were unclear late Friday what the station's commitment to local news would be going forward.
Sources said that the station would now have to rely on more national news from Citadel's network group ABC News. WLS, an iconic Chicago station with a long history of local news coverage, is one of a dwindling number of stations still covering local news in a significant way. Cameron, who has reported on everything from plane crashes to the 1980s City Council Wars to the John Wayne Gacy murders over the years, had joined WLS in 2000 shortly after his longtime employer, former all-news station WMAQ-AM, changed formats.
"It doesn't make sense,'' said one staffer, who said that many stations are turning to more local programming to keep audiences in an era when digital music players and satellite radio are stealing listeners.
But on Friday, Citadel, which bought former WLS owner ABC Radio last year, took drastic steps as a turnaround in radio advertising shows no sign of appearing. Citadel announced a wider fourth quarter loss than expected, sending its share price to a record low on the New York Stock Exchange.
"The time for talk is over, and it's time for the walk," Chief Executive Officer Farid Suleman said on a conference call. "We have our work cut out in a lot of markets."
Suleman said that Citadel, which owns 223 stations, would begin reorganizing its operations in major markets such as New York and Chicago, including management and station format changes. It's unclear what that means for management at WLS. Station manager John Gallagher didn't return calls for comment.
WLS was tied for 7th in the most recent quarterly ratings period among all listeners, according to Arbitron Inc. For the past several years, WLS's news/talk format has included a mix of local and syndicated programming, including Rush Limbaugh's show. There have been persistent rumors that Citadel, which signed Don Imus to a new contract last fall, is considering bringing the controversial talk show host's show to WLS sometime before the end of the year.