Lou Pickney's Online Commentary
Points Of Fact
Wednesday
February 25, 2004
Congratulations to Neal Boling for landing the 5:30 PM producing job at
WFLA-TV, NewsChannel 8 in Tampa. Amazingly, WTSP-TV (Channel 10) is keeping him on board through next Friday, which is almost unheard of within the same market (usually the minute you sign with the competition and give notice, they escort you out of the building.) Unlike the two month paid vacation I got on Gannett's tab last year, they're squeezing every day possible out of Neal. I'll have more to say on this once Neal's time at Channel 10 is done.
What a crazy week this has been. Here's a timetable for those of you who aren't familiar with what's going on in the world of radio:
-Monday (2/23/2004): Clear Channel fires Bubba The Love Sponge® from WXTB Tampa, WJRR Orlando and WPLA Jacksonville.
-Tuesday (2/24/2004): Clear Channel issues a "Responsible Broadcasting Initiative" to crack down on so-called indecent material.
-Wednesday (2/25/2004): Citing the guidelines set forth in the new initiative,
Clear Channel drops Howard Stern from all six of its stations that carried his show (the markets: Orlando, Miami, Pittsburgh, San Diego, Louisville, and Rochester NY.)
-Thursday (2/26/2004): Clear Channel Radio president John Hogan will testify before a U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee on a proposed new law called the Broadcast Decency Enforcement Act of 2004.
Draw your own conclusions...
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