Peak lets go of three
Don @ IdahoRadioNews | August 29, 2009
Peak Broadcasting continues its roller coaster ride of staff changes. This time, the company has parted ways with Brian Holmes, Ray Amaya and Sean Chaney of KIDO/580. Dave Burnett remains on staff.
UPDATE: I screwed this up. Big time. Kevin Miller – new morning host on KIDO is NOT a syndicated personality. I was a little too quick to scan his online bio. He is helming a new locally based show.
Three notes: First, this leaves the two KIDOs without any regularly scheduled local programming. Let that soak in for a moment. KIDO-AM does not have a local morning show any longer. This leaves Boise AM radio with just one local morning show – and three shows overall (all airing on Citadel stations – two on KBOI and one on KTIK).
The morning slot is being filled by syndicated conservative host Kevin Miller, who will be heard on KIDO from 5am-9am, and on KFXD from 5:30am-7am – the timeslots formerly held by AM Idaho.
Second, all three of these guys have been noted for their work ethic and dedication. I don’t know Sean or Ray personally – but have always heard such great things about them. I worked with Brian for years at KTVB – and he is not only one of the nicest guys in the media game, but his work as a journalist was always exceptional (his story years ago on a local kid who had 867-5309 as his phone number is still one of my favorites).
Third, it makes you wonder what becomes of these job postings…
Wow…What a stupid move on the part of Peak. I am in shock. (but maybe not too surprised) As a regular listener I guess the management (if you want to call it that) has made the decision to de-market their station and give back whatever ratings they had worked so hard over the years to aquire. It will take YEARS to bring back listeners to the station once the changes have been made and a “satellilte” takes over.
It would seem that these broadcasting properties are being prepared for what is called “mothballing” For the uninformed, that is where you take resources and place them in suspended annimation… Like those huge fleets of military and commercial aircraft in the desert wrapped in plastic…in complete working order and in more or less perfect shape…just sitting there ready for someone or the occasion to make the decision to put them back into use……
I guess for AM mornings radio sake, its going to be a simple choice….KBOI in the morning… I am at a loss to single out any other station that has such a powerful morning crew with a strong LOCAL presence, LOCAL NEWS and the resources to touch LOCAL peoples lives.
I can only surmise that the financial picuture of this particular firm is in complete dire straits. Yes, we have all been seeing the writing on the wall for sometime now…. has it reached complete or near critical mass?
From my perspective its like a farmer who is forced to feed his spring seed stock to his livestock in the fall because he has no funds to feed his cattle….Come spring there will be no seed to start the much needed crop for the future….I dont think I need to explain the dire consequences of this agriculutural situtuation….
What a truly sad state of affairs both for the firm and for the listeners of the Treasure Valley. There are no winners with this decision hanging over Treasure Valley radio. While its very easy for an outsider like myself to pass judgement upon this situation, I think its fair to say that I would not want to be an existing employee within that firm right now. Nor would I want to be an owner. Not only for the job insecurity but also for the fact that I would be wondering how long the lights would be on….Anyone smarter and more informed than myself care to speculate on the financing issue that is looming over the Peak Picture?
So what is the good news in all this? Very simple…. There are some very talented and dedicated radio broadcasters who are now available for employment. Hurry potential employers as the supply of these hard working guys is going to dry up soon… soon Peak wont have anyone to let go. I know everyone is hurting out there…Dont let them have to take night jobs and Mickey D’s to pay the price for someone else’s poor judgement and decision making “skills”.
Let Peak’s situation be to your advantage- HIRE THEM….. they are local, seasoned and ready to go to work for you with the same loyalty and conviction that they once held for their previous employer. They will bring with them an existing audience…you can’t get that by hiring an out of market talent from a trade publication.
How many total does this leave on-air on all their stations now?
I hope Andrew Paul at KBOI reads this. Here are your next additions to the 670 staff:
I served on the KIDO news team from 1996 until 2003, holding morning newscaster, News Director and Program Director positions when we parted ways. Ray and Sean are two of the most unique assets to any radio station: dedicated and loyal to a fault. Sean and I worked more as a brother or father and son team than co-workers. It was like we could read each other’s minds. I never worried whether we would have enough compelling stories and audio cuts when I arrived at 4am. I just had to add what was new that morning. Sean had the rest expertly covered.
Ray also knew exactly what to do at any time. When I took over programming, KIDO had recently switched to automation and had a lot of bugs and train wrecks. The listeners we still had knew it and told me so in every call I took. That information coupled with critical listening 24 hours a day, also with Ray’s skill and knowledge, made the many many tweaks needed to bring KIDO back to a competitive sound–and news talk ratings dominance.
Thank you for your service during those days, Sean and Ray. I look forward to hearing the results of your work on KBOI where I started in Boise radio in 1977!
– Robin Lee
While three more great talents get shown to the door Peak in the last two weeks has hired Amanda White and Beth Katlin from Citadel at what is rumored in the halls at 100k each. Tell me this was a fair trade! Two MORE Citadel sales people for the Heart and soul of the valley’s last great line up. Tell us Kevin. What exactly are the news guns going to sell? I hide my head in shame. Welcome to Peak..the new Citadel. My how the future has changed in just a few short years and it is not the economy killing the company.
I love Ray like a Brother. He is truly an awesome and wonderful guy.
I learned an awful lot about being “a radio guy” from Ray. When I was learning how to be a board operator at KIDO, he was on of THE GUYS that would spend extra time with me to help me learn about the operations of what happens inside the radio station when the microphones were turned off.
I know he’ll be back somewhere real soon. He’s too good of a class act.
As a Peak employee, I call Bull $h!t!!!!!!!!! Ray Amaya is hands down thee best producer in town!!! Sorry but that’s what it is! Brian is one hell of a journalist, the best this radio town has seen! And quite honestly, Sean is one of thee hardest working guys I have ever met in radio! YAY TEAM!!!! WAIT!!!! I GOT A GOOD ONE FOR PEAK!!! GO TEAM, SAVE MONEY!!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!
Honestly, I have worked with these guys for four years and from the bottom of my cold black heart THANK YOU!!!! YOU MADE RADIO FUN!!! I LOVE YOU GUYS!!!!
I worked with Ray 2 times now… He started 3 weeks after I did at KIDO, the first time I was there in 1993. I stayed almost 6 years, and he continued on. I came back in 2007, Ray was still there, as loyal as ever. Our show ended, and Ray continued on.
I consider Ray a very good friend! He helped me immensly on my return 2 years ago, and he was so kind to me. He didn’t have to help me as much as he did, he had his own stuff to do. But, there he was! Ray, if you get a chance to read this, THANK YOU!
I also worked with Sean twice. He had a somewhat strange sense of humor, which I get, and like. Sorry to see Brian go, was definately a pleasuer to work with.
I still say, local is always more interesting than syndicated. Very odd changes, very odd indeed…
Another reason NOT to listen to KIDO. Syndication is not only cheap, its a cheat. It says that management has given up trying to provide a quality product AND that they really don’t know how to program a station that gives listeners reason to tune in – especially in the most important day part.
I can remember the last time I was here in 1992, before consolidation. Station owners and managers invested in the community, making the programming relevant to the community. If there was syndicated programming it was placed in the day parts where it made sense – overnights and some parts of the weekends.
Corporate investing has gone the direction, it seems, of putting the cheapest programming possible on the air, and working to get the least bang for the buck. Sad…very sad.
100K??? EACH??? That sounds WAY too good to be true in this market! Who WOULDN’T turn down an offer like that? Well, if it’s true and there’s suddenly an influx of cash over there, I hope all the full timers got their 10% back first. I didn’t get to work with them for very long, but best of luck to Amanda and Beth-Ann. Thanks for the beer B-A!
Ok, so back to the people who now will be making $326 a week on unemployment. For what it’s worth, I worked with Sean and Ray for many years. As Robin mentioned, I can also vouch for their work ethic and skills. I didn’t work with Brian directly or for as long, but only heard good things about his performance. If anyone has a place for three more refugees, act now while supplies last!
Wow. Thanks for the love from all of you, especially Robin. Nicely worded my old friend. For what its worth, I was pretty well done with that place anyway. Not pissed at anyone and I kinda have a plan. However, I ask you: what other news guy do you know who grabs his skateboard to run down & cover an officer involved shooting? Me. I own that one.
That’s why you’ll always be my hero!
I remember that day very well. There was no news car, so what is a guy to do??? Good luck to all three of you, I know how hard it is to find something in this market.
I remember the very first time I was left alone in a studio, back when KIDO was all live, Ray had given me a quick course and asked me if I thought I was ready to handle my own spot block.
“No!” I said just knowing I was going to cause the whole station to blow up. But he encouraged me to take it anyway. I learned a lot from him. I learned that it was the little things and the details that made radio worth listening to..things that for the most part in this age of automation that will be lost for good, like knowing how the hosts think and anticipating their next move, why the hours looking for just the right sound effect to go with a segment was important, and how the behind the scenes guy is just as important to the product as the hosts are. Ray always did it with patience and a smile. He taught me Radio isn’t just a job..it’s RADIO..and there is no finer medium.
As for Sean, If there was one person who helped me get through one of the lowest points of my life it was him. After I left the market higher ups viewed us as the Abbott and Costello of radio news, (I’m not sure which was which) If there was ever a dysfunctional conversation on what was the news of the day..it was our afternoon pow wows, but I also knew that if I needed to know something, Sean was just a phone call away. Three words Sean …”It’s a blockage!”
I am a better person for having worked with both of you.
Miller’s show isn’t syndicated, he’s moved to Boise. I called the program manager and started to comment about “out of staters”, when the pm informed me that Mr. Miller did live in Boise. I told him I was aware that he had just moved to Boise and that still made him an Out of Stater. How can you have someone be leading discussions (although I doubt he’s going to get many phone calls at 5 am) on state and local politics when he knows nothing about the issues. He talked about Rammel (sp?) and the wolf hunt. His knowledge of the background of both topics was embarassing. I will only be listening to his program on more time, and that will be to get the names of the show’s advertisers. Then I will let my displeasure be known.
All three were so great to work with! Along with Ray and Sean, we were in the business for 16 – 19 – 22 -25 years?? Peak is changing the business by getting rid of the really talented people. I do believe this is going to hurt them in the long run. They were so full of “Being in the community…city…county..BSU..Etc”. Adding to the overall balance for the city etc..etc.. They seem to be doing just the opposite. I am very glad that I am not among the “chosen ones” still there. They should have just bought Citadel and called it good instead of breaking so many lives and dreams. Does Kevin ever think of this?
Commenting on ‘luckys’ post of – While three more great talents get shown to the door Peak in the last two weeks has hired Amanda White and Beth Katlin from Citadel at what is rumored in the halls at 100k each. Tell me this was a fair trade!
Well…sales people are paid on COMMISSION. Plain and simple…there may be some guarantee in there BUT they get paid on what they sell.
Look back a few weeks and notice that Peaks “top” sales guy was wooed to Citadel. “Supposedly” he got a good chunk of change…including some accounts that belonged to ‘other’ citadel employees. Oh yeah…he got an office too. “Rumor” is that he got a good guarantee and commission package too. Well of course he did…why would you leave Peak for Citadel unless the $$ were higher!??!?!?
Now…back to the the two gals that left Citadel. They were the last two sales peeps from the KG era. Beth was the ’senior’ person…having worked for that company 14 years. Mandy been there a long time too. Both were ‘killin’ it in the billing…
OK…now that there is a PRIME opening at Peak, since their #1 guy left, they need some good people and looks like they got them. The accounts that belonged to the dude that left Peak are now probably in the hands of these two ladies. It is possible that the accounts were re-distributed as well between Cliff, Randy, Lucas, Darla…hard to say…but suffice to say that I’m sure that they were pretty good lists…otherwise these gals would not leave.
So strange that after KG and the Mike’s left…most all of the Citadel sales staff is at Peak…Citadel has not had a great run with GM’s after KG…and even the DOS was turned down for the Citadel GM job…where is he at? Oh yeah…at Impact…kicking ass over there.
I remember when Bob Rosenthal (sp) left Citadel for Journal…some…not all…of the sales staff went with. No different than a head coach and the assistants in football. You need to build a team. KG built that team at citadel and there was a period of 31 months in a row that they met or beat their sales goals. KG has assembled that team again at Peak. If memory serves me right…Peak leads in the Miller Kaplans too. That used to be Citadel stuff. Citadel had at one time 49 percent of the revenue! Not bad.
I highly doubt that those Peak people were let go to pay some sales people…maybe someone needs to look at the ratings of the station and see if the ratings were worth the salaries? Jason is no dummy when it comes to programming…plus remember that Peak lost Rush.
Back to lurking now
Have this conversation about “team-building” with the promotions people at Peak who make minimum wage.
Jac, isn’t minimum wage is all anyone in radio in Boise can really ask for?
Banner hangers make minimum wage….they don’t carry account lists. If a banner hanger is upset at the wage…they should find another job…
Was once told this…If you want a good salary and lots of perks and bonuses…go get yourself a morning show gig…if you want to boss people around and run the show…get yourself a GM gig. Other than that…you take what you can get. The days of 50K afternoon guys are gone. You need to immerse yourself in the community and do some great things for clients…work on getting the endorsements…that is where the money will come from now.
Wow…I sure hope I never have you as a boss.
I don’t understand how you can understand your station if you’ve never done that job. The “banner hangers” in most cases work harder than everyone else at a station, and we all have to start somewhere.
And you think that these people couldn’t be sales people? Maybe some people are different than you and don’t want a job where they do what you do. Have some respect for others.
Well I just had to add my two cents….first of all Ray Amaya you rock and you always have! Ray, maybe it’s time for you to get a job at NASA! The International Space Station is about done, I’m sure they could use a decent radio station and a nice, cool, competent producer to run it!
Here’s my other cent:
BANNER HANGERS!!!!!! I am so offended! In my dark and sinister past I spent years and years in radio. I’ve done what everyone used to do… I started at the bottom and worked every job to learn the craft of radio. I started as a true “dj” in a tiny little market doing a program called “The Teen Show”…this was WAY back when small town stations in places like Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho didn’t play that long haired rock and roll crap…but they’d throw the high school kids a bone and play it for a couple of hours just to keep the kids off the streets (and oddly in their cars, running up and down the streets, “dragging Main”, but I digress), From there I became a copywriter, I answered phones, I did a live “swap shop” show, (OMG that was SO strange, the calls still give me shudders), I’ve done every shift from over nights to morning drive, I was a Production Director AND a Program Director, I was a Street Lizard (sales) and in between all that I hung my share of banners and worked my ass off for every station. In all of that I was always baffled as to why in small markets and mid markets the people who actually provide the product that the sales people sell, get paid the least and take the brunt of any management fallout.
Selling is not easy, and I admire anyone who does it and can make a living, especially in this economy. However, I still don’t understand how anyone can justify paying their air talent, copywriters, producers, etc barely a living wage when those are the people who make the radio part of radio actually work, so the sales people have something to sell.
As a Program Director in Bend I was furious every time the GM/owner would pamper the sales staff and take them on special little junkets and golfing and whatever, but when I asked for 25 cents an hour more for my air talent I’d get my butt chewed off. Just what did he think the sales people were selling out there!? In Bend at the time, it was a battle between the two big stations as to just who could be more local. I had my morning team out and about ALL the time, the rest of the staff as well. We did remotes with an actual marti system so we could interview the people who came down for the event, we’d interview the store owners, we made it an event….we certainly NEVER would have a sales person phone in the remote via their cell phone! (I was never more shocked then when I saw that recently….and I wasn’t surprised that very little traffic was generated).
The “banner hangers”, the air talent, the copywriters, the receptionists, the producers, the engineers…they make radio happen….they give the sales people something to sell. They deserve respect. And for what it’s worth, the banner hangers do in fact work their asses off and sometimes have a really crappy job, but they hang that banner, pass out those buttons, slap rumper stickers on willing rumps (hmmmm, is that still done?…ah the past)….they smile, smile, smile, and never let anyone forget what station is handing out the goodies. Without them and all the other unknowns, the sales people got nothin.
I still think radio as us old timers knew it, is gone. I’m not sure anyone really cares if there is a “local” station anymore. If i don’t like the music I’ll just plug myself into my ipod. It’s sad, but I believe it’s only a matter of time before every station is just one juke box crankin out the tunes with disembodied voices announcing the titles and artists. As for talk radio, well it’s all very one sided, it’s scary, and it’s just sad. What a way to start your morning listening to someone rant and rave. That makes me want to just whistle a happy tune and skip to work!
Banner hangers unite….next time someone disses you, let THEM hang the damn banner, pick up the trash left behind around the booth, be the first to arrive and the last to leave…and then watch the sales person get the pat on the back for a “job well done”!!!!! And the best part, let that disrespectful person see how it feels as he/she watches everyone else head for a congratulatory beer while you deflate the giant mascot, stuff it back into it’s box and haul the equipment back to the station. Yeah, you deserve your minimum wage banner hanger…after all what did you do all day that required ANY actual thinking!
Banner Hangers you are the best, I was proud to be you and proud to work WITH you.
Sweet…finally someone stirs the pot a bit.
We all think that we need to make the HUGE bucks…but…driving the station van to an event and hanging a few banners, then standing next to the tent texting your friends is not worth 100K a year. That is called station pay. Last time I was there…you were LUCKY to get your 10 an hour.
I am not talking about promotions directors…who are actually the ones doing the leg work putting everything together…sometimes the Promo dir is also a banner hanger. Some Promo dirs are just “followers” of what others tell them to do. Again the salary reflects that.
A Remote Tech…is PAID from the station…money is charged to the client…to set up your inflatable….and hang some banners…and hopefully the tent goes up too. Let’s see…talent gets 50 an hour for 2 hours to talk cars. Not bad…25 bucks each time they open the mic. The Remote tech struggles in the wind and or heat with the Tookie bird…and gets an 25 an hour for 3 hours…extra hour to cover set up and tear down. remote tech makes 75…talent 100. Still not bad money. There were many months that the remote techs made MORE than the jocks in the building…from doing JUST set ups :)
Since everyone loves “banner hanger”…I described the job for what it is…you head to the fair with roller banner in tow and some tape. You tear off banners and tape them. Thus “banner hanger”. Usually hire someones kid to do this while the PROMO people do their job.
And to the person who would not want me as a boss…I HAVE been there and DONE that…every overnight / weekend / fill in/ van driver / banner hanger / toilet cleaner / station van fixer / am drive / pm drive / apd / pd / blah blah blah. I have not asked someone to do a job that i have not done myself…All I asked of my employees is that the do an honest days work…show up…and do it right. If you want to slack off…then do that on someone else’s time…not the stations.
As for being pissed that the GM takes care of the sales people better than programming…remember that most GM’s are from the sales side…doesn’t mean that they hated programming…BUT…I fought the same battles to be able to pay BANNER hangers while the rest of my staff were doing the things that THEY needed to be doing…
Sales people work on commission. I know that at least ONE of those sales people that went to Peak sold over a Million for the company…10 percent IF YOU GET THAT in commission is pretty good…You do know that if they did not make goal on ALL of the stations 5 or 6…that the overall commission would be less!!!??? Say that they are at 110 percent on 5 of 6…and 99 percent on another…too bad so sad…you will get LOWER commission on all of your sales….
As to where the $$ is going? Over the years I have heard that the local groups need to return 35-40 percent back to corporate!! Sales people get commission…programming people are salary…fixed costs…what do you do to cut costs? well…cut the fixed costs…then you start shaving percentages from sales people…even cutting commissions when the account goes past 30 days. I am guessing that the folks at Impact have it different…because they are NOT part of a huge chain. Darryl is proably able to have higher wages costs because he is not so highly leveraged…and having to return a huge percantage to the corporate folks.
Going out for “beers” after an event…we took everyone out…all were invited and either the PD…the sales people paid or the GM…which he did MANY times…with many large bills…everyone was invited. One PD that I worked for in Boise even took the staff to Steelhead games and paid for the suite with food and beverages…station movie getaways with just staff…etc etc.