COCHRAN OUT AT CC BOISE
Don Day | March 8, 2007Jeff Cochran is leaving Clear Channel Boise to take a similar position with Clear Channel in Salt Lake City. His last day in the Park Blvd. studios will be March 14th.
Cochran spent about five years with the Boise radio group.
Update: Obviously I meant March 14th… not January. Grr.
January?
Retroactive? :-)
buh-bye! Don’t let the door…yada-yada…
I guess thats really too bad. Now, there won’t be anything to talk about…He was the topic of so much cyberprint space here on this blog site Oh, wait a minute, that’s a good thing isn’t it.
Maybe we can have our IRN Salt Lake City Bureau Chief (anyone down there want the job) keep up abreast of his latest movements-just for old time sake anyway.
I wonder what this will do to the open Promotion Director position there at CC? With a new owner group, this change…how long with the stations have to go without a promotion director? I bet the program directors just LOVE having to add promotional duties to everything else they have to do too. At least with Cochran gone, they might have some more freedom to do it!!
Ding Dong the witch is dead…
I was asked yesterday (March 8th) to post something about Cochran leaving Clear Channel. Something that an insider and former employee who was fired by Cochran could only write. They wanted something nasty and vicious!
Bottomline … I have no comment. Former CCers who stay in touch know how I feel. My life is SO MUCH BETTER without him in it.
For those in Salt Lake … we pray for you!!!
Best news for Boise radio since Linda Johnson left. There was a wicked witch.
sometimes….no comment is necessary.
wait…did i just make a comment?
but….here’s one for ya…who would you RATHER have OM-ing?? The former Mr. Brad Chambers OR Cochran? Please don’t tell me that time has clouded your memory. Vote on past abuse/insults/overstated (and none deserved)ego equally. Thank you very much.
I’ll take “a fifth by noon” Paul Walker for a thousand please Alex.
/Just Keeeding.
//sort of
As for the promotions department..
Ben, the promotions assistant left at the same time as Casey. But they have a posting for “sales/promotions assistant.” I know the sales assistant is a seperate position, I wonder if he is leaving as well??
…dreamin..i was only dreamin….HOLY CRAP !!! It came true…
a former fireeee!!!
Paul Walker was the best OM we had… He is the only one that would let the PD do their job… Mostly because he didn’t understand what they were doing… It must have been the vodka lunches he was having…
LOL!!!!!!! Jack, remember those good ole times?
Used to work with Jeff many years ago. Quality individual. Don’t understand all the vitriol.
maybe you weren’t one of the many fired by him, dave. that changes perspective a bit.
Shutupdummy ….. GOOD STUFF!!!
Paul Walker was the best OM at CC. He left everyone alone. We did our thing and got the numbers. However, it was a bit strange on September 11th when he left for a 2 hour lunch at 11am!!! 3 1/2 hours into an attack on America and he had to go home and have lunch?!?!?! He told ALL 6 stations to run Rush so that the Treasure Valley could get his side of the story … then left for lunch!!!!!!!!!! 3 of us pulled Rush off our stations and inserted ABC News. He got back and said we did good!!!!
When he was working the oldies station in Eugene Oregon, his GM sent him to Boise twice to stay in a hotel room, listen to Kool 104.3 and figure out why it was so successful, steal the ideas and make Eugene the same. He never got it done. So when he came to town and became an insider, he simple told me he was going to be hands off and he was. WOW!!!! An OM who’s word his good!!!
The only bad thing about Cochran leaving on his own is the party that has been planned for when he got canned won’t be as fun.They called him “Flipper”….
Ken, I prefer the term “let go.” :)
sorry, jac, i should be more aware of other “let go people’s” feelings. that wasn’t very p.c. of me. go ahead and slap me.
no, really.
This guy was a micro-manager to the nth degree. Also he will look right at you and lie. He is just out to cover his own fanny. Bye-bye now.
note: sung to Mel Brooks
“Springtime, for HITLER, in Salt Lake”
I say, let the Mo’s hav’im! Once he gets there, he can start a new trend; Dysfunctional Family Home Evening.
We actually worked for Jeff for the last 5 years and we enjoyed working for him and want to thank him for all the support over the years. Jeff, we wish you all the best in Salt Lake City.
PS-No need for any posts about sucking up, today is his last day.
Brad Chambers OR Jeff Cochran??…
Now, That’s a question??…
I know and love many of you on this site. Some, I’ve never met but respect what you’ve said. And some…well…I wish you good luck in life. I also know how it feels to get fired/let go. I held a grudge for awhile after leaving KF95. Turned out to be the best thing that could have happened, and now the guy who fired me is a co-worker. Donsdad, Janice, and now Curt Caldwell…please excuse me if I’m mistaken, but I didn’t think any of you had worked with Jeff. I hope you’re not just offering opinions simply based on what you’ve heard or what you’ve read here. Did he change his mind a lot? Yes. Did it piss some people off? Yes. Did he want these stations to succeed with the excitement of a schoolboy? Yes. Jeff and I had some problems in the beginning, mainly because I didn’t get to work with some of you anymore. He and I had a very “lively” discussion about that, but also came to respect each other because of it. There was never any retribution for me disagreeing with him. In the years since then, he has treated me fairly, and (gasp) actually acknowledged the work that I do…something many of us never experienced during the previous “administration.” Imagine…a MANAGER taking PRODUCTION guys to lunch…just because!!! I know there are others who feel the same, but they can speak for themselves if they choose. And I don’t intend this to spark a debate, I just wanted you to know that there is always another side to the story.
Tom, I do miss the old Amity days and no, I have not ever worked for Jeff. My comment was more directed at Linda then Cochran. That said, he has fired and mistreated quite a few of my/our friends. So the comment is not entirely unjustified. YOU Mr. Harleycrasher are a survivor and a superstar.
Being DonsDad (and son) makes me David R. Day
some folks he took to lunch…others to the cleaners. go figure.
another day.
another chapter. we live and learn, and if we learn properly, we should be all the better for it. I am.
as always, Tommy, you’re a gentleman and ….well, a gentleman….ok…and a scholar.
Tommy, I’m not quite sure what you’re getting at. I double checked this string and I’ve only posted once here. My post is pretty benign, I thought. Anytime a Program Director doesn’t have to answer to someone above him/her and make ‘the buck stops here’ decisions, that gives them more freedom – in my opinion. It’s more work (hence the sarcasm about LOVING the new tasks), but more freedom too. I never even met Mr. Cochran…so I have no opinion on him one way or the other. I promise, I wasn’t trying to be snarky or mean! (Please refer to the string on CC being sold for those remarks…) ;)
…and when did you get the nickname of Mr. Harleycrasher??!?! What have you been up to lately?
Tommy, I appreciate what you say and how you feel. But I’m not naive here. Cochran took a blow torch to a ton of quality talent in this town. Talent that we’ve been fortunate to have here in southern Idaho. Upsetting their careers, and their families. For some it was quite a bitter pill. And for what? Just listen to the Airwaves. Heck, all the stations sold anyway.
And no, I have not worked for him. I wouldn’t let him work for me! Because I know a boatload who have worked for him, and they all have very similar stories to tell.
I will not repeat those stories here. But I do have an opinion. It’s an opinion based off of the results of his stay here. I can’t help but think that he must have felt threatened by many people. Especially the people who were very talented.
Alright, so there is QUITE a bit of discussion here.
Let’s see if a bit of investigative work will sort out the mystery once and for all.
Don…we leave this up to you, as you seem to be extremely “in the know” and dare we say it–detail oriented.
THE CHALLENGE:
In the 5 years that Cochran “influenced” Boise radio, how many on-air talents did he fire (or pressure to leave)…including in-state as well as out-of-state, syndicated, and voice trackers?
Please create a list and let’s have others add to it.
I think we should give a prize for the person with the closest guess. Sorta’ like the old “jelly beans in the jar contest”.
Of course, others are welcome to contribute to the list to see if we can’t come up with an actual total…
Well, what are you waiting for…Git ‘er done!
Last footnote…did anyone remind Jeff to check his brake lines before the drive to SLC?
Heh, heh, heh….
It would be interesting to compare Journal and Citadel for the same period.
“Private Dick” …. I’m in on the “jelly beans in the jar” contest. I know of 19. Not sure how many bodies in Montana.
It is nice that Kate and Mike liked him – too bad it doesn’t always go both ways. He talked some trash about everyone in that building. You weren’t as special as you might think.
DonsDad… now why do you have to go name calling on Tommy? Just because he dumped Dave Stone’s bike… Count it as another life lesson for Stone.
Anyone been to get a tattoo from Dave Stone lately?
Now back to our regularly scheduled bashing of management.
From UTRadioGuide:
March 15, 2007: New Clear Channel O.M.
1:30 PM – Radio and Records reports Jeff Cochran has been named as the new operations manager for Clear Channel – Salt Lake City. Cochran has been O.M. for the company’s Boise cluster. Cochran is replacing Bill Betts who, the magazine reports, retired last December.
Similar report from All Access…
“Jeff Cochran New CC/SLC OM
CLEAR CHANNEL/BOISE OM JEFF COCHRAN has assumed OM duties for the company’s SALT LAKE CITY cluster as of today (3/19).
JEFF will work closely with CC/SLC VP/Market Mgr. STU STANEK and the programmers at Hot AC KMJY, Oldies KODJ, AC KOSY, Classic Hits KXRV, Top 40 KZHT, and News KNRS-A. No word on COCHRAN’s replacement in BOISE.”
Alright,
Time to figure out the JEFF COCHRAN body count…Either fired by or driven out …Local or an out-of-state voice tracker or syndicated.
Get your calculators out and lets see what we’ve got…
(Please cut and paste this starter list and add wherever you know of any additional)
KIDO
John Duane
Chris Kelly
KOOL
Big Jack
Bryan Michaels
Greg Williamson
KISS-FM
Rick Dees
MOJO
Athena
Smooch
Hoss
Brad
Misty
Micky
Kid Craddick
Lackey
Cabana Boy Geoff
570AM (?)
Mitch
LITE 108
Bill Lee
Laura
19 and counting…!
[Portion of comment removed for rules violation]
20. Jackie was “let go” at Kiss and returned to us at the X.
Don’t foprget me…He let me go at KIDO as well. I had been hosting an afternoon drive talk show.
I love it! Private Dick gets edited more than I do! Go Private Dick!
The “Death by Jeff” list continues…
20. Ian (Former KISS-FM)
21. Doug Raper (former KIDO)
Anyone else…Beuller…Beuller…?!?!
the first two let go by cochrane…steve shannon and me…i think. do we get an award for leading the pack?
Don’t forget Gemma, the girl before Gemma (KIDO), Casey Fisher, Her assistant Ben, Matty on Kiss, Rockin Robin on Kool and KFXD, Tom Overlee on KFXD, and there are several other VT folks that were there for a minute and then he let them go. Weren’t Tracy and Margo part of his early regime? Has anyone warned SLC yet? Who is game for posting a billboard downthere right outside the CC offices?
Wait a minute…Didn’t Casey and Ben leave of their own accord? Where they pressured to leave or did they go on their own? If they were pressured, then we can pin that on him. If not, then it’s not fair to add them to the list.
Ken Bass … WINNER, WINNER, WINNER. You and Steve where the first but who was the first betwix the two of you?. “I’d like Steve -or- Ken for $1,000 Alex.”
Jim Smith aka/Gary Gowen, Mix 106 #22 – Best thing that ever happened to me.
for the record, tracy and margo left the day cochrane arrived…of their own accord. they had already cut the deal with khits. steve shannon was first to go….i was a few days later. cochrane was only there for a couple of weeks before the axe fell. i left 108 the day mike and kate came in to 106. tracy and margo also had a producer, dave, who was left over after their departure….and i think he was canned just before or after me. not sure on that one….it was all an ugly blur!
as you alluded to, mr. jim smith, ol’ pal,…we’re the better for it!
Private- Jackie, not Ian.
And yeah, Ben left of his own accord, and as far as I know Casey as well.
do board ops count???
Kristin Raper
John Mitchell
and Tim Davis KISS FM Afternoons for a while
Jeff doesn’t refer to them as Board ops, he prefers the term “Primates”, and I quote “Any trained primate can run a board, go get a new one!”. I have it on pretty good conscience that Casey and Ben did leave on 25% their own accord, 50% sick of Jeff’s doody, 25% sick of CC’s doody. Thats right, doody.