Two weeks after a national meeting that mandated a “second wave” of cutbacks, Clear Channel has slashed drive-time lineups from WTAM 1100 AM and WMVX 106.5 FM.
WTAM’s Mike Trivisonno is now flying solo. Mike Trivisonno Show wingmen Paul Rado (top right in picture) and Marty “Big Daddy” Allen (top left) were cut Monday. Both are native Clevelanders. Rado landed his gig when the Browns bounced to Baltimore, and his dead-on Art Modell impression proved popular. He’s been full-time with the show since 2000, and hosts some weekend programming. Allen, a 27-year radio veteran, has been with Triv for 15 years.
“You’re only as good as the people you surround yourself with,” notes media analyst John Gorman. “And Marty Allen has been with him for most of his career. It’s safe to say that Allen has a lot to do with Trivosonno’s success. My guess is that Triv will not do as well without Marty Allen.”
Mix 106.5 has cancelled The Brian & Joe Radio Show and fired the namesakes behind it. Brian Cronauer and Joe Fowler first teamed up at Akron’s WONE 97.5 FM in the late ’80s. During the ’90s, they became top draws at WMMS and WENZ. The morning-show hosts are active in local charities including Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital. They’ve maintained a loyal following, but not a giant one; as of last quarter, the Hot Adult Contemporary station was 13th in overall rankings — which may have had more to do with a playlist that spans from Daughtry to Pink. The station has not announced a replacement.
Clear Channel — owner of 1,200 stations nationwide, including 10 in Northeast Ohio and six in Cleveland — cut nearly 2,000 employees in January. This round of cuts came two weeks after local executives were summoned to a national meeting in Texas.
Mike Kinney, marketing manager of Clear Channel’s Cleveland cluster, said he couldn’t discuss the local cuts, and pointed Scene at the national office. He said the total number of jobs lost was “just a few,” under 10, on-air and off-air.
Trivisonno didn’t return Scene’s e-mail by press time. Even reliable moles in the Clear Channel cluster had clammed up. The corporate behemoth has issued a don’t-talk-to-the-press mandate — but it’s clear the company is looking for an excuse to trim its payroll — and its overhead — by any means necessary. — D.X. Ferris
