Acceptable registrations in the queue through March 16 at 11:00a ET have now been activated. Enjoy! -M.W.

Terms of Use have been amended effective October 6, 2019. Make sure you are aware of the new rules! Please visit this thread for details: https://www.mibuzzboard.com/phpBB3/view ... 16&t=48619

Worst firings in broadcasting

Topics of general interest that just don't fit anywhere else.
radioandtventhusiast
Posts: 1233
Joined: Wed Nov 20, 2019 4:08 pm
Location: Toledo, OH

Worst firings in broadcasting

Post by radioandtventhusiast » Fri Jun 24, 2022 4:54 pm

What do you think are some of the worst firings in broadcasting history? Think of the times when a radio or TV station got rid of a highly rated show or beloved personality and replaced them with a syndicated program, cheaper talent or just a total stranger to a new viewing audience.



MotorCityRadioFreak
Posts: 6408
Joined: Wed Jul 29, 2020 6:26 am
Location: Warren, MI

Re: Worst firings in broadcasting

Post by MotorCityRadioFreak » Sat Jun 25, 2022 3:02 am

I would have to say when Ernie Harwell was forced to retire from WJR. Then, they realized they made a mistake and brought him back.


They/them, non-binary and proud.

Remember that “2000 Mules” was concocted by a circus of elephants.
The right needs to stop worry about what’s between people’s legs. Instead, they should focus on what’s between their ears.
Audacity sucks.

User avatar
MWmetalhead
Site Admin
Posts: 11870
Joined: Sun Oct 31, 2004 11:23 am

Re: Worst firings in broadcasting

Post by MWmetalhead » Sat Jun 25, 2022 7:18 am

Bingo.

Nothing else comes even close to that one.*

(*assumes Dave Strader left the Red Wings / WKBD / PASS Sports of his own accord. I never found the story as to why he left Detroit. Was it by choice?)

Also, why did Larry Oosterman, who was a terrific broadcaster, disappear from our cable airwaves in the mid 90s?

Dishonorable mentions:
- The Detroit Lions firing Mark Champion
- The Detroit Lions firing Jim Brandstatter
- WXYZ not offering to renew the contact of investigative reporter, Steve Wilson
- Fox 2 firing Scott Lewis
- WDFN firing nearly its entire airstaff on Inauguration Day in 2009
- WWJ firing Jane Bower
- WCSX firing Steve Kostan
- WJLB firing Reggie Reg
- WKQI firing Beau Daniels
- WCSX firing Doug Podell
- WNIC firing Kevin O'Neill
- WRIF firing Ann Carlini
- WYCD: various
- WDVD: Scott Vertical
- CIMX: Cristina
- WMGC: Gello

For simplicity's sake, "firing" as used above may also mean allowing talent contracts to expire.

I'm sure there are some rather disgusting firings or non-renewals that I am overlooking.



User avatar
Robert Faygo
Posts: 728
Joined: Sun Dec 20, 2020 5:26 pm
Location: Van Down By The River
Contact:

Re: Worst firings in broadcasting

Post by Robert Faygo » Sat Jun 25, 2022 9:47 am

Strader left Detroit voluntarily for ESPN.

ESPN had an unfortunate opening in their coverage of the NHL following the death of Tom Mees and they offered Strader a chance to add to his play-by-by chops by covering college basketball too.


Wellllll... la de frickin da

Bobbert
Posts: 3932
Joined: Wed Nov 07, 2018 11:13 pm

Re: Worst firings in broadcasting

Post by Bobbert » Sat Jun 25, 2022 11:48 am

David Newman getting fired by WXYZ in 1983.

The whole on-air staff at classical music station WQRS getting fired in November 1997 when 105.1 changed to rock.



radioandtventhusiast
Posts: 1233
Joined: Wed Nov 20, 2019 4:08 pm
Location: Toledo, OH

Re: Worst firings in broadcasting

Post by radioandtventhusiast » Sat Jun 25, 2022 1:33 pm

I will agree on Harwell, Kostan and Podell. I'll also add getting rid of Pasman from the Sunday Night Blues Show as well.

In Toledo, I'll add the recent "retirement" of Cliff Smithers from K100, Ron Finn from WRQN, Norm Wamer from the Ticket, Amy Davis from K100, as well as longtime Cumulus news director London Mitchell, Cumulus firing many employees in 2008, including several longtimers, and iHeart firing lots of staff in Toledo throughout 2020, cutting their local on-air staff to less than 10, and Kiss FM getting rid of their popular local Morning Rush and replacing it with Mojo in the Morning.

I'm not sure if Greater Media not renewing Drew and Mike would be the worst, as they likely only had a dozen years left if Mike hadn't passed a few years later, and Dave and Chuck were a bit younger and could carry WRIF in mornings for 30 years. I know many D&M fans were upset and sad over the contract not being renewed.



Realist
Posts: 979
Joined: Wed Dec 13, 2006 10:36 pm
Location: Northern Michigan

Re: Worst firings in broadcasting

Post by Realist » Sat Jun 25, 2022 7:42 pm

Larry Oosterman has stated in a interview a few years back that he got backstabbed by either Frank Beckman or Jim Price over his drinking problems then, going so far as saying that they were only alive because murder was illegal. He’s now calling football games somewhere down south.



User avatar
Robert Faygo
Posts: 728
Joined: Sun Dec 20, 2020 5:26 pm
Location: Van Down By The River
Contact:

Re: Worst firings in broadcasting

Post by Robert Faygo » Sat Jun 25, 2022 9:17 pm

Realist wrote:
Sat Jun 25, 2022 7:42 pm
Larry Oosterman has stated in a interview a few years back that he got backstabbed by either Frank Beckman or Jim Price over his drinking problems then, going so far as saying that they were only alive because murder was illegal. He’s now calling football games somewhere down south.
You're thinking of Lary Sorenson when he was let go from doing color commentary on the Tigers broadcasts on WJR and replaced by Jim Price. Beckmann was doing play-by-play then.

Larry Osterman was primarily known for his TV work with the Tigers telecasts on Ch 2, Ch 4, and then PASS.


Wellllll... la de frickin da

CurlyHoward
Posts: 470
Joined: Mon Jun 03, 2019 12:50 pm

Re: Worst firings in broadcasting

Post by CurlyHoward » Sat Jun 25, 2022 10:25 pm

radioandtventhusiast wrote:
Sat Jun 25, 2022 1:33 pm

In Toledo, I'll add the recent "retirement" of Cliff Smithers from K100, Ron Finn from WRQN, Norm Wamer from the Ticket, Amy Davis from K100, as well as longtime Cumulus news director London Mitchell, Cumulus firing many employees in 2008, including several longtimers, and iHeart firing lots of staff in Toledo throughout 2020, cutting their local on-air staff to less than 10, and Kiss FM getting rid of their popular local Morning Rush and replacing it with Mojo in the Morning.
others from T-town on the TV side:
WTOL quietly firing Melissa Voetsch while she was recovering from a life-threatening heart ailment
WTOL firing several on-air personnel for playing Cards Against Humanity in the studio while stuck working over the holidays in 2015
WUPW axing its entire news operation including the good anchor tandem of Shaun Hegarty and Laura Emerson when its operations were folded into WTOL in 2011
WNWO letting its entire news operation with the exception of two meteorologists go at the end of the year in 2016 so Sinclair could pipe in news from South Bend



radioandtventhusiast
Posts: 1233
Joined: Wed Nov 20, 2019 4:08 pm
Location: Toledo, OH

Re: Worst firings in broadcasting

Post by radioandtventhusiast » Sun Jun 26, 2022 3:17 pm

CurlyHoward wrote:
Sat Jun 25, 2022 10:25 pm
radioandtventhusiast wrote:
Sat Jun 25, 2022 1:33 pm

In Toledo, I'll add the recent "retirement" of Cliff Smithers from K100, Ron Finn from WRQN, Norm Wamer from the Ticket, Amy Davis from K100, as well as longtime Cumulus news director London Mitchell, Cumulus firing many employees in 2008, including several longtimers, and iHeart firing lots of staff in Toledo throughout 2020, cutting their local on-air staff to less than 10, and Kiss FM getting rid of their popular local Morning Rush and replacing it with Mojo in the Morning.
others from T-town on the TV side:
WTOL quietly firing Melissa Voetsch while she was recovering from a life-threatening heart ailment
WTOL firing several on-air personnel for playing Cards Against Humanity in the studio while stuck working over the holidays in 2015
WUPW axing its entire news operation including the good anchor tandem of Shaun Hegarty and Laura Emerson when its operations were folded into WTOL in 2011
WNWO letting its entire news operation with the exception of two meteorologists go at the end of the year in 2016 so Sinclair could pipe in news from South Bend
I met Melissa a few times. Very sweet lady and its a shame WTOL treated her that way.

Regarding the WUPW merger, Laura moved to Paducah before the merger was even announced. Shaun just did the newscasts solo until the merger was completed. I remember watching the final few minutes of the last newscast and they did full credits at the end. By the next day, it felt like a totally different station with everything WTOL related. Shaun's now actually been on 13 longer than he ever was on 36. I thought WUPW'S newscasts in the LIN Media days were very underrated.

WNWO dumping much of their Toledo staff was tough. While their newscasts weren't all that popular in Toledo, I thought they had a great on-air staff. Laura, Jim Blue and Norm Van Ness were all great on the air and I liked Norm's sense of humor too. I don't know if the South Bend staff have ever set foot in Toledo.



CurlyHoward
Posts: 470
Joined: Mon Jun 03, 2019 12:50 pm

Re: Worst firings in broadcasting

Post by CurlyHoward » Sun Jun 26, 2022 4:50 pm

Those WUPW newscasts were low budget compared to 11 and 13 (which was still owned by the network then) but they did a solid job. also appreciated that they aired at 4 and 10 pm instead of 5, 6 and 11 like the other channels.

WNWO had been mismanaged into the ground for many years but in the last couple of years right before Sinclair pulled the plug they'd built a pretty good operation. Anthony Bellino whose radio show is now syndicated throughout much of Michigan was also good on sports.



radioandtventhusiast
Posts: 1233
Joined: Wed Nov 20, 2019 4:08 pm
Location: Toledo, OH

Re: Worst firings in broadcasting

Post by radioandtventhusiast » Sun Jun 26, 2022 7:01 pm

CurlyHoward wrote:
Sun Jun 26, 2022 4:50 pm
Those WUPW newscasts were low budget compared to 11 and 13 (which was still owned by the network then) but they did a solid job. also appreciated that they aired at 4 and 10 pm instead of 5, 6 and 11 like the other channels.

WNWO had been mismanaged into the ground for many years but in the last couple of years right before Sinclair pulled the plug they'd built a pretty good operation. Anthony Bellino whose radio show is now syndicated throughout much of Michigan was also good on sports.
WNWO started to become good by 2014 and continued to be good until the 2017 move to South Bend.



User avatar
Bull Shannon
Posts: 167
Joined: Fri Dec 17, 2004 11:31 pm

Re: Worst firings in broadcasting

Post by Bull Shannon » Mon Jun 27, 2022 10:05 am

What about when WOOD-TV unceremoniously gave Suzanne Geha the boot?



User avatar
moldyoldie
Posts: 1637
Joined: Sat Dec 04, 2004 1:04 am
Location: On that thar' interweb jobber

Re: Worst firings in broadcasting

Post by moldyoldie » Tue Jun 28, 2022 11:58 am

Another notable firing, at least for me, was midday music host Martin Bandyke by WDET in favor of more "traditional" NPR programming. His was the only local music program I'd listen to outside of the classical music genre.


"The primary purpose of a liberal education is to make one's mind a pleasant place in which to spend one's leisure."
- Sydney J. Harris

Deleted User 15783

Re: Worst firings in broadcasting

Post by Deleted User 15783 » Thu Jun 30, 2022 6:31 pm

I hadn't really thought about it until I just seen moldyoldie mention WDET.

I really missed Larry McDaniel "The Arkansas Traveler". Arkansas Traveler was one of the longest running bluegrass shows in the country and the only show of its kind in southeast Michigan.

Even though The Arkansas Traveler was at an all-time high for both ratings and fund-raising dollars, WDET leadership felt the show sounded too different from their other offerings and therefore eliminated it from the broadcast schedule.

Another show WDET dropped because it sounded too different from their other offerings was Matt Watroba's "Folks Like Us".

A third show I really liked on WDET was Robert Jones "Blues From The Lowlands". I can't say for sure if Jones was dropped, or if he decided to leave on his own.

I enjoyed all 3 of those.
I probably have a couple dozen cd's of artists I had never heard of before Robert Jones played them.



Post Reply Previous topicNext topic