Longtime Kansas City rock voice Phil Jay has apparently quit his Sunday night '50s music deejay job at the former Oldies 95, KCMO. For years, notably in the 1970s, Jay was popular morning deejay and funny-man at WHB 710. He was pretty much the very last of the Top 40 jocks who were part of Kansas City's radio history.
This sad announcement was left today on the radio deejay's message board:
...I discovered this morning that my longtime friend Don Daniels had been fired....Therefore I am quitting too. I should point out from the start that I never applied for the job in the first place. A few years back Chris Hoffman came to me and told me of a show he had implemented in Denver that was very successful. He wanted to try it here on Sunday nights and said I would be the ideal host...I turned him down twice. I was retired, and was successfully running my own party dj service, Phil Jay productions. He finally talked me into it with healthy incentive bonuses...Another comment from the anonymous message room in reaction....
Over the next two years I received several bonuses as I brought the ratings up considerably. However, when Entercom sold the station, my bonuses were dropped. I considered quitting immediately but stayed thinking things would change after a while..They didn't....Then my buddy Don Daniels took over as PD....I decided to stay a little longer because of Don....Daniels is not only a top notch programmer but one of the finest human beings you'll ever meet. I promised my wife however that if Don ever left, I would leave too.
Well, that day has come...Without Daniels, there is no way I'll continue making money for that company while being paid the absurd wage they're paying me........Good luck to all of you.........Your buddy always, Phil Jay...
Well, that is to bad. I hate to see one of the greatest talents in radio leave the business, but that is what the American people want.Americans want their listening opportunities controlled by giant companies who own numerous stations that could care less about the listener. American radio has become a giant talentless ipod with commercials because the American people are content to put up with it.
The American public has put up with a runaway government that is no longer responsive to the people. They have allowed the FCC to change rules so that there are now only a handful of stations in a city. Witness the Kansas City Cumulus cluster. SIX radio stations under one roof. Entercom Kansas City, EIGHT stations. And you thought you had a choice? FOURTEEN radio stations controlled by two companies.
Your United States Federal government is looking out for who? The people with the money and that's not you or me. Remember this when you go to the polls next month. And remember, it's not the President we elect that's going to change anything. It's those thieves we keep sending to Congress that allow the thieves like themselves into the FCC.
More bloodletting at Cumulus broadcasting according to the radio message room...from another anonymous author
I understand Moffitt and Frankie are out,and that the Fox may relaunch Bob and Tom (geez) I also understand, in addition to Don Daniels(one of the FINEST INDIVIDUALS I have had the pleasure to work with) being let go, Kimberly Justice out as newscaster on Dick Wilson's morning show on KCMO FM.
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16 and counting at cumulus. All part timers are out as well...they don't count in the number of firings.
This round of layoffs at Cumulus, whose popular KCMO-FM (the former OLDIES 95) follows by just a week when the axe fell at troubled Entercom Broadcasting, owner of The Rock, KMBZ, and other stations.
In Kansas City, Cumulus owns THE FOX, Talk Radio710 (KCMO-AM), 94-9 KCMO (oldies), and JACK FM--which is already pretty much automated rock radio.
When I went to KCMO FM's website to grab a quick pix of Phil Jay for this story... the site was down, as was KCMO-AM's.
Can we expect bloodletting at KCMO AM, where Chris Stigall does morning talk, supported only by a news and traffic reporter, plus weekly guest shots from the Star's Hearne Christopher, KMBC's Kris Ketz and daily reports by weatherman Joel Nichols? Just a few weeks ago, TalkRadio710 dismissed Stigall's able morning producer.
And the FOX website is not DOWN, but it shows only the Chiefs Radio Network. Jack FM's site is still up.
Radio people aren't happy about this because all news affecting radio has been bad the last couple of years...as it cuts costs to reflect falling advertising and consolidations. As listeners, we can expect radio will never again be what it was when we grew up. It is only a matter of time before most stations will just be automated music services. Now staffs at TV stations are wondering that as radio has had cuts, and the Star has had cuts, that affiliate TV will be next. The rumor mill has it that after the November ratings sweeps, and the election commercial revenue ends with election day, local TV will start trimming as well.
Should you wish to write the FCC, do so HERE on the FCC Consumer website
Click here for links to ALL KC radio station websites.
1 comment:
As a kid WHB was the only radio we could pick up. Listened to Phil every night for a looong time. He taught me how to listen to music the girl's liked. Spent a lot of time hearing it in the backseat since all the other guys only listened to KY-102. That made me popular with the gals.
Also learned how to "sound" on the radio and found a job in it. Didn't realize dj pay sucked. Phil got me into radio and I just have one thing to say to him, "Asshole"
Just joking Phil, thanks.
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