Ottawa Radio

[YOW]

The radio landscape in Ottawa has changed once more.
Gone are Cub Carson, Melanie Adams, Milky (John Mielke), Codi Jeffereys, Darryl Kornicky from 939 BOB FM.
Promotions/Marketing Manager JR Ello from MAJIC 100 and long time CFRA news director Steve Winogron were also relieved of their duties yesterday.

[drmusic]

Also reportedly let go by Bell yesterday were eTalk host Tanya Kim and a host from The Movie Network.

[Rocky]

Sorry to see Milky and a bunch of others thrown to the curb yesterday.

At least he'll have the first look at any job postings that come his way.

Again, that haunting question is in my head. Why is it that the casualties at an underperforming station are always the worker bees and never the management people that are supposedly running the ship?

If a PD isn't qualified to execute one format, why are they kept around for thr next chapter of the station's life and the opportunity to gas another on air crew when it too fails?

Makes ya wonder.

[Tom Jeffries]

Rocky - you have said what I am sure all of us have wondered....we follow Management direction - it stiffs and there is no consequence for the suits - it's the worker bees that get canned.

The other thing is the invisible ceiling. What I mean is - get to so many bucks per month and you will have a target on your forehead...and if you are getting towards 40 - watch out.

[slowhand]

Someday, I'm sure we'll find out that this whole thing started when one of the Bell Media management folks woke up from a drug-induced dream state with a vision of the future of Ottawa radio.

"I've got it. The new station will be called Bob The Virgin Bear. Then we'll have all the listeners from all three formats."

[Mike Cleaver]

Worked with all of these people when I was at the CHUM Ottawa group from '99 to just after 9/11 in 2001.
The finest promotion person I've ever known was among those gassed in this third purging since Bhell took over. JR Ello has mad promotion skills and came up with the best and most successful promotions for all four radio and two TV stations.
Fortunately, he has great connections in Ottawa and the industry and whoever hires him will be getting a gem.
Milky and Cody are good friends as well and among the hardest working and most dedicated radio people ever.
I'm certain all will survive and morph into new careers now that broadcasting in Canada is dead, killed off by the bottom liners at the heartless corpse.
Rogers apparently gassed some people again yesterday as well.
Karma did get one person who richly deserved it.
You can probably guess which one.
One of the laziest people with whom I ever worked.
Spent all his time playing stocks on the computer.
Lied when he hired me, first time I ever kicked myself for not getting everything in writing.
Before that, I'd always been hired on a handshake and only one other person ever screwed me before.
After that, every other job I had in radio and TV had assholes running the joints.
So glad I'm out of it and only work now for people I like and trust.

[Tom Jeffries]

Milky has always been very kind and generous. I am sorry to see this bloodletting (*see above) and in particular "The Milkman" getting the hook.

Radio is in the mans genes.

I hope everyone gets a new gig, soon.

[jon]

Bell Media shakes up radio scene: BOB-FM goes country; Winogron axed at CFRA
Robert Sibley
Ottawa Citizen
Published on: November 11, 2014
Last Updated: November 11, 2014 10:34 PM EST

A renamed and reprogrammed BOB-FM is set to begin broadcasting Wednesday, reportedly under a country-and-western format.

The switch follows by a day station owner Bell Media’s out-of-the-blue announcement that 93.9 BOB-FM was signing off after a decade of entertaining the region’s residents with what it called its ’80s, ’90s and Whatever format.

The media conglomerate’s cancellation included the decimation of station staff, including well-known on-air personalities such as Cub Carson, Codi Jeffreys, Melanie Adams, Darryl Kornicky and John Mielke (better known on air as Milky Show). Promotion director J.R. Ello was also let go.

And in a seemingly related dismissal, longtime CFRA-AM program director Steve Winogron was dismissed. He’d been with the station for more than 30 years.

Late Tuesday, Mielke reported via his website, http://www.milkmanunlimited.com/tunedin.htm, that while BOB-FM was finished, the station’s owner planned to “replace it with something else.”

The Citizen has learned that that will be a station devoted to a country format, possibly along the same lines as the other country radio station in Ontario owned by Bell Media, Today’s Country BX93 in London.

On Tuesday, the station was broadcasting a mixture of music and commercials occasionally interrupted by a voice-over that says, “A brand new radio station arrives soon.”

BX93’s on-air hosts have a reputation for having a solid knowledge not only of Canadian and international country music but also having a close identification with their regional audience. Country music is popular in Ontario, and from Bell Media’s perspective another country station in its corporate quiver might prove profitable.

It is a not unreasonable assumption. Ottawa-Gatineau has a wide range of radio stations, almost as many as the Greater Toronto Area. That makes the market very competitive.

According to Fall 2012 radio rating figures from Canadian Media Rating service, BOB-FM had three per cent of the market share among the anglophone listening audience in Ottawa-Gatineau. BX93 had 10.8 per cent of the London-area radio audience.

Achieving those kinds of numbers with a newly formatted station is, obviously, Bell Media’s hope. But the loss of BOB-FM has been greeted with dismay — listeners were particularly upset there no explanation for the sign-off and that so many familiar radio hosts had been dismissed.

“Bob-FM is supposedly switching format to country music,” one disgruntled radio listener wrote on the Facebook site Fans for a Better Rock Station in Ottawa. “Have we seen this mistake before? Just about a year ago, the Bear was turned into a pop station (like we need another one) and now Jump-FM is ranked near the bottom of the ratings. (Like to say we told you so.) Now Bob-FM is getting the same special treatment by turning into another station we don’t need (country).”

[jon]

As predicted, they did debut at Noon today as "Ottawa's New County 94":
http://www.newcountry94.com/

10,000 songs in a row.

[Howaboutthat]

As predicted, they did debut at Noon today as "Ottawa's New County 94":
http://www.newcountry94.com/

10,000 songs in a row.

And probably a 300 song playlist.

[jon]

I don't know the genre, so I cannot tell what is Current and what is an Oldie, to see if they are repeating their Oldies, but, so far, just over 6 hours into the format, they have played at least two songs 4 times: "Roller Coaster" by Luke Bryan and "Leave the Night On" by Sam Hunt.

Here is the complete list, in order, starting at Noon, when they went to the new format:
"COUNTRY GIRL" - LUKE BRYAN
"READY SET ROLL" - CHASE RICE
"GIRL IN A COUNTRY SONG" - MADDIE & TAE
"DRUNK ON A PLANE" - DIERKS BENTLEY
"COUNTY LINE" - HIGH VALLEY
"A GIRL LIKE YOU" - DALLAS SMITH
"WHERE IT'S AT" - DUSTIN LYNCH
"HEY GIRL" - BILLY CURRINGTON
"SOMEWHERE IN MY CAR" - KEITH URBAN
"HERE COMES THE THUNDER" - TIM HICKS
"LEAVE THE NIGHT ON" - SAM HUNT
"C.UNDERWOOD-COWBOY CASAN" - 2014-7-1 14:59:45
"JUST BECAUSE" - CHAD BROWNLEE
"BETTER DIG TWO" - THE BAND PERRY
"WE OWNED THE NIGHT" - LADY ANTEBELLUM
"WHEN SHE SAYS BABY" - JASON ALDEAN
"CLOCKWORK" - EASTON CORBIN
" SAVE A HORSE (RIDE A COWBOY)" - BIG & RICH
"ROLLER COASTER" - LUKE BRYAN
"NOW I DO" - TEBEY
"ROUND HERE" - FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE
"TOUGH PEOPLE DO" - BRETT KISSEL
"COUNTY LINE" - HIGH VALLEY
"ALIVE" - MADELINE MERLO
"COP CAR" - KEITH URBAN
"T.SWIFT-MEAN" - 2014-7-1 15:36:32
"AMERICAN KIDS" - KENNY CHESNEY
"ANYTHING AT ALL" - AUTUMN HILL
"WASTIN' GAS" - DALLAS SMITH
"TALLADEGA" - ERIC CHURCH
"SOMETHING BOUT A TRUCK" - KIP MOORE
"GONE ENOUGH" - KIRA ISABELLA
"EVEN IF IT BREAKS YOUR.." - ELI YOUNG BAND
"ALL OVER THE ROAD" - EASTON CORBIN
"GET A BED" - PAUL BRANDT
"DRUNK ON A PLANE" - DIERKS BENTLEY
"MEANWHILE BACK AT MAMA'S" - TIM MCGRAW
"CROP CIRLES" - DEAN BRODY
"NEVER DIDN’T LOVE YOU" - BOBBY WILLS
"'TILL IT'S GONE" - KENNY CHESNEY
"LEAVE THE NIGHT ON" - SAM HUNT
"CHEAP WINE AND CIGARETTES" - JESS MOSKALUKE
"THIS IS HOW WE ROLL" - FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE / L.BRYAN
"I DON'T DANCE" - LEE BRICE
"BURNIN' IT DOWN" - JASON ALDEAN
"PASS IT AROUND" - DERIC RUTTAN
"ROLLER COASTER" - LUKE BRYAN
"DAYS GO BY" - KEITH URBAN
"SOMETHING YOU JUST DON'T FORGET" - BRETT KISSEL
"GOOD GIRL" - CARRIE UNDERWOOD
"DOWNTOWN" - LADY ANTEBELLUM
"CHAINSAW" - THE BAND PERRY
"WAKE ME UP" - TEBEY
"GIRL IN A COUNTRY SONG" - MADDIE & TAE
"ANOTHER MAN'S GOLD" - DEAN BRODY
"ROUND HERE" - FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE
"JUST BECAUSE" - CHAD BROWNLEE
"WASTIN' GAS" - DALLAS SMITH
"USED" - JESS MOSKALUKE
"B.SHELTON-HONEY BEE" - 2014-7-1 13:49:52
"PLAY IT AGAIN" - LUKE BRYAN
"SOMEWHERE IN MY CAR" - KEITH URBAN
"BOBBY WILLS" - CRAZY ENOUGH
"DRUNK ON A PLANE" - DIERKS BENTLEY
"JUST GETTIN' STARTED" - JASON ALDEAN
"BOTTOMS UP" - BRANTLEY GILBERT
"TOUGH PEOPLE DO" - BRETT KISSEL
"MERRY GO 'ROUND" - KACEY MUSGRAVES
"HEY GIRL" - BILLY CURRINGTON
"LEAVE THE NIGHT ON" - SAM HUNT
"LIFE IS A HIGHWAY" - RASCAL FLATTS
"OUR SOUNDTRACK" - MES MAC
"AMERICAN KIDS" - KENNY CHESNEY
"GOT A FEELING" - TIM HICKS / BLACKJACK BILLY
"ROLLER COASTER" - LUKE BRYAN
"A GIRL LIKE YOU" - DALLAS SMITH
"READY SET ROLL" - CHASE RICE
"COP CAR" - KEITH URBAN
"NEVER DIDN’T LOVE YOU" - BOBBY WILLS
"DIRT" - DEAN BRODY
"GIRL IN A COUNTRY SONG" - MADDIE & TAE
"L.BRICE-LOVE LIKE CRAZY" - 2014-7-1 14:18:53
"GONE ENOUGH" - KIRA ISABELLA
"THE BAND PERRY-IF I DIE" - 2014-7-1 14:37:33
"DRINK IN MY HAND" - ERIC CHURCH
"ALL OVER THE ROAD" - EASTON CORBIN
"WHERE IT'S AT" - DUSTIN LYNCH
"BOYS ROUND HERE" - BLAKE SHELTON FT PISTOL ANNIES
"WASTIN' GAS" - DALLAS SMITH
"NEVER DONE IT LIKE THIS" - STEVEN LEE OLSEN
"BURNIN' IT DOWN" - JASON ALDEAN
"CHEAP WINE AND CIGARETTES" - JESS MOSKALUKE
"DRUNK ON A PLANE" - DIERKS BENTLEY
"MOUNTAIN MAN" - DEAN BRODY
"BETTER LIFE" - 2014-7-1 15:58:50
"I DON'T DANCE" - LEE BRICE
"ROUND HERE" - FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE
"QUARTERBACK" - KIRA ISABELLA
"LEAVE THE NIGHT ON" - SAM HUNT
"'TILL IT'S GONE" - KENNY CHESNEY
"BLOWN AWAY" - CARRIE UNDERWOOD
"SOMETHING YOU JUST DON'T FORGET" - BRETT KISSEL
"RASCAL FLATTS-FAST CARS" - 2014-7-1 16:04:15
"WHEN SHE SAYS BABY" - JASON ALDEAN
"TALLADEGA" - ERIC CHURCH
"ROLLER COASTER" - LUKE BRYAN
"DON'T YA" - BRETT ELDREDGE
"SHE DON'T DRINK WHISKEY ANYMORE" - TIM HICKS
"SOMEWHERE IN MY CAR" - KEITH URBAN

[CT40]

I don't know the genre, so I cannot tell what is Current and what is an Oldie, to see if they are repeating their Oldies, but, so far, just over 6 hours into the format, they have played at least two songs 4 times: "Roller Coaster" by Luke Bryan and "Leave the Night On" by Sam Hunt.

Here is the complete list, in order, starting at Noon, when they went to the new format:
"COUNTRY GIRL" - LUKE BRYAN
"READY SET ROLL" - CHASE RICE
"GIRL IN A COUNTRY SONG" - MADDIE & TAE
"DRUNK ON A PLANE" - DIERKS BENTLEY
"COUNTY LINE" - HIGH VALLEY
"A GIRL LIKE YOU" - DALLAS SMITH
"WHERE IT'S AT" - DUSTIN LYNCH
"HEY GIRL" - BILLY CURRINGTON
"SOMEWHERE IN MY CAR" - KEITH URBAN
"HERE COMES THE THUNDER" - TIM HICKS
"LEAVE THE NIGHT ON" - SAM HUNT
"C.UNDERWOOD-COWBOY CASAN" - 2014-7-1 14:59:45
"JUST BECAUSE" - CHAD BROWNLEE
"BETTER DIG TWO" - THE BAND PERRY
"WE OWNED THE NIGHT" - LADY ANTEBELLUM
"WHEN SHE SAYS BABY" - JASON ALDEAN
"CLOCKWORK" - EASTON CORBIN
" SAVE A HORSE (RIDE A COWBOY)" - BIG & RICH
"ROLLER COASTER" - LUKE BRYAN
"NOW I DO" - TEBEY
"ROUND HERE" - FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE
"TOUGH PEOPLE DO" - BRETT KISSEL
"COUNTY LINE" - HIGH VALLEY
"ALIVE" - MADELINE MERLO
"COP CAR" - KEITH URBAN
"T.SWIFT-MEAN" - 2014-7-1 15:36:32
"AMERICAN KIDS" - KENNY CHESNEY
"ANYTHING AT ALL" - AUTUMN HILL
"WASTIN' GAS" - DALLAS SMITH
"TALLADEGA" - ERIC CHURCH
"SOMETHING BOUT A TRUCK" - KIP MOORE
"GONE ENOUGH" - KIRA ISABELLA
"EVEN IF IT BREAKS YOUR.." - ELI YOUNG BAND
"ALL OVER THE ROAD" - EASTON CORBIN
"GET A BED" - PAUL BRANDT
"DRUNK ON A PLANE" - DIERKS BENTLEY
"MEANWHILE BACK AT MAMA'S" - TIM MCGRAW
"CROP CIRLES" - DEAN BRODY
"NEVER DIDN’T LOVE YOU" - BOBBY WILLS
"'TILL IT'S GONE" - KENNY CHESNEY
"LEAVE THE NIGHT ON" - SAM HUNT
"CHEAP WINE AND CIGARETTES" - JESS MOSKALUKE
"THIS IS HOW WE ROLL" - FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE / L.BRYAN
"I DON'T DANCE" - LEE BRICE
"BURNIN' IT DOWN" - JASON ALDEAN
"PASS IT AROUND" - DERIC RUTTAN
"ROLLER COASTER" - LUKE BRYAN
"DAYS GO BY" - KEITH URBAN
"SOMETHING YOU JUST DON'T FORGET" - BRETT KISSEL
"GOOD GIRL" - CARRIE UNDERWOOD
"DOWNTOWN" - LADY ANTEBELLUM
"CHAINSAW" - THE BAND PERRY
"WAKE ME UP" - TEBEY
"GIRL IN A COUNTRY SONG" - MADDIE & TAE
"ANOTHER MAN'S GOLD" - DEAN BRODY
"ROUND HERE" - FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE
"JUST BECAUSE" - CHAD BROWNLEE
"WASTIN' GAS" - DALLAS SMITH
"USED" - JESS MOSKALUKE
"B.SHELTON-HONEY BEE" - 2014-7-1 13:49:52
"PLAY IT AGAIN" - LUKE BRYAN
"SOMEWHERE IN MY CAR" - KEITH URBAN
"BOBBY WILLS" - CRAZY ENOUGH
"DRUNK ON A PLANE" - DIERKS BENTLEY
"JUST GETTIN' STARTED" - JASON ALDEAN
"BOTTOMS UP" - BRANTLEY GILBERT
"TOUGH PEOPLE DO" - BRETT KISSEL
"MERRY GO 'ROUND" - KACEY MUSGRAVES
"HEY GIRL" - BILLY CURRINGTON
"LEAVE THE NIGHT ON" - SAM HUNT
"LIFE IS A HIGHWAY" - RASCAL FLATTS
"OUR SOUNDTRACK" - MES MAC
"AMERICAN KIDS" - KENNY CHESNEY
"GOT A FEELING" - TIM HICKS / BLACKJACK BILLY
"ROLLER COASTER" - LUKE BRYAN
"A GIRL LIKE YOU" - DALLAS SMITH
"READY SET ROLL" - CHASE RICE
"COP CAR" - KEITH URBAN
"NEVER DIDN’T LOVE YOU" - BOBBY WILLS
"DIRT" - DEAN BRODY
"GIRL IN A COUNTRY SONG" - MADDIE & TAE
"L.BRICE-LOVE LIKE CRAZY" - 2014-7-1 14:18:53
"GONE ENOUGH" - KIRA ISABELLA
"THE BAND PERRY-IF I DIE" - 2014-7-1 14:37:33
"DRINK IN MY HAND" - ERIC CHURCH
"ALL OVER THE ROAD" - EASTON CORBIN
"WHERE IT'S AT" - DUSTIN LYNCH
"BOYS ROUND HERE" - BLAKE SHELTON FT PISTOL ANNIES
"WASTIN' GAS" - DALLAS SMITH
"NEVER DONE IT LIKE THIS" - STEVEN LEE OLSEN
"BURNIN' IT DOWN" - JASON ALDEAN
"CHEAP WINE AND CIGARETTES" - JESS MOSKALUKE
"DRUNK ON A PLANE" - DIERKS BENTLEY
"MOUNTAIN MAN" - DEAN BRODY
"BETTER LIFE" - 2014-7-1 15:58:50
"I DON'T DANCE" - LEE BRICE
"ROUND HERE" - FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE
"QUARTERBACK" - KIRA ISABELLA
"LEAVE THE NIGHT ON" - SAM HUNT
"'TILL IT'S GONE" - KENNY CHESNEY
"BLOWN AWAY" - CARRIE UNDERWOOD
"SOMETHING YOU JUST DON'T FORGET" - BRETT KISSEL
"RASCAL FLATTS-FAST CARS" - 2014-7-1 16:04:15
"WHEN SHE SAYS BABY" - JASON ALDEAN
"TALLADEGA" - ERIC CHURCH
"ROLLER COASTER" - LUKE BRYAN
"DON'T YA" - BRETT ELDREDGE
"SHE DON'T DRINK WHISKEY ANYMORE" - TIM HICKS
"SOMEWHERE IN MY CAR" - KEITH URBAN

The Country programmed as a CHR format is gaining serious traction stateside and is doing very well with the younger demos. Not sure if that will translate on this side of the border.

[Neumann Sennheiser]

If you are referring to the phenomena known as "Bro-Country (...and it's represented in the playlist shown here) then yes, younger demos definitely and skewed heavily male. Old guard Nashville loathes the genre but failure to bless and validate hasn't slowed it's freight train run....yet.
Some in the know caution that it seems to be reaching a saturation point; at least in American markets but hey, Ottawa would be fresh territory.

[YOW]

Bob FM, which recently switched to a country format, actually went up in the ratings this fall. Both Hot and Jump both had big jumps while Kiss and Majic are down.

http://ottawastart.com/number-crunching ... o-ratings/