Ralph Barbieri's Comments at SFGate

[HCochet]

Yes, it's easy to blame managers, owners and even programmers especially when you see just how horrible they treat people that got them there... Blame technology for throwing away the human element and congrats, you missed my point, you're management...

But the fact is that today's listeners don't care about radio personalities.  They don't want DJs; they want jukeboxes.  This was evident 30-40 years ago when stations touted 30 minute music sweeps because research shows that this is what the listeners wanted.  When millions of dollars are at stake you can't just guestimate what people want; you need to do research to have real proof of what people want. 

Now, again there is no excuse for the way Cumulus has treated their former employees.  They could have accomplished exactly the same thing without creating so much hostility, and the industry would have been better for it.

I care about radio people. I like Greg Kihn. He's a lot more interesting than the music his station plays.

[DavidEduardo]

And that my friends is something I'd like David Eduardo to spin.  Tell me why people have to be treated so badly. THAT has zero to do with the new corporate model for radio and everything to do with human cruelty...

There are two or three real possibilities.

One is that we have a bad manager. I had one back in 1959, so that's not new. Someone who feels big by making everyone else small, that sort of thing.

Then it could be that he'd like to explain things to people, but the corporate HR and legal and risk management people have said not to say anything that might open up grounds for a lawsuit.

Or the manager may be under enormous pressure to cut costs and evolve into a new business model and is just taking out his frustrations on everyone.

It's a tough and anguish-filled time for many in radio.

[DavidKaye]

Then it could be that he'd like to explain things to people, but the corporate HR and legal and risk management people have said not to say anything that might open up grounds for a lawsuit.

Hey, David, THAT's good spin!  Given that stations have been in layoff mode for years it would have been easy to get legal advice on exactly how to handle firings/layoffs without resorting to downright nastiness.  I think the scenario I suggested some posts back, about an appreciation party, would have be the classy way to go. 

Yeah, there are lots of things people do without advice of counsel that come back to bite them.  Trayvon Matin's mother was on one off the TV talkshows the other day and said that George Zimmerman didn't mean to kill her son.  Well, there goes the murder case right out the window. 

But that's a one of a kind scenario by a mother who caught up in a whirlwind of publicity and publicity hounds, and maybe even one herself.  But she is clearly NOT Cumulus, Clear Channel, or any other station group owner.  Those corporations are not engaging in one of a kind scenarios, but firing decisions that they've thought long and hard about, and decisions they made many times. 

I'm assuming you were let go by Univision, that you didn't wilfully retire.  Did they handle your layoff well or could they have done better?  Would you feel better about them had they handled it differently?  Assuming that you'll likely consult in the future, would you be more or less likely to recommend their company to, oh say advertisers, than you would have otherwise? 

[calguy]

And that my friends is something I'd like David Eduardo to spin.  Tell me why people have to be treated so badly. THAT has zero to do with the new corporate model for radio and everything to do with human cruelty...

There are two or three real possibilities.

One is that we have a bad manager who feels big by making everyone else small, that sort of thing.

That could be it, but it seems to go deeper.  From the 1st hand reports I've been given it's a guy who is ruthless.  Seems nice when you meet him, but then you hear the way he speaks to people and how he manages them. He volunteers for every project in the company inside and outside of the cluster, then hands the work to someone else and takes credit for their work. Last September he was promoted to a position that gives him even more control over all the stations in the cluster.  When the GM gets complaints about him, he always asks, then why is he so successful?  Of course the GM doesn't see it, these same people were successful before the guy ever set foot in the building. Could it be that since he is from another country his way of dealing with people is different than those from the US?  Maybe, but it's doubtful. I suppose it's just the fact that some people don't care how they get to the top or who they hurt to get there.  Radio was described to me by my first teacher as a cutthroat business.  That was nearly 40 years ago, so it's not a new thing. But today's corporate culture seems to breed it. There will always be bad managers in every corner of business, but it's baffling how someone can go that far by being so nasty to the people that you're supposed to be leading... CC's LA cluster is VERY successful, but you wouldn't know it by speaking to just about anyone who works under this man.  I do know that when he left CC's San Francisco cluster they were elated beyond belief...

Radio can be a lot of fun and for that matter most businesses can if managed correctly.  Do it right and those who work for you will give the extra mile, especially if they feel wanted and rewarded for their work. That reward could be a simple as a pat on the back. Treat people right and in most instances they'll break their tales off for you. Treat them badly and they'll eventually hate you and their job...

[DavidEduardo]

I'm assuming you were let go...

Being treated fairly has to do, in the long run, with whether a decent separation package is on the table and whether the cut is fair and the message is delivered in a professional, understanding fashion.

I was part of a broad-based cost reduction, and was not alone that day. I had the situation explained by the head of the company and the division head. I was not escorted to the door by thugs, and felt "satisfied" that the change had been thought through and represented the new reality of the business and not anything I had done personally.

In other words, were I in the other chair, I would have made the same decision.

The procedures like removing email access and that sort of thing are normal in any situation... just like "giving the keys back" in decades past. Some folks make too much of that on these boards.

Like most of us, I have seen the bad results when someone is allowed to say goodbye on the air... or when they get access to the production room or a studio or the remote control. It's better for the owner, and results in fewer "you'll regret it later even if you are not arrested" incidents too.

The real issues are that some people are not "good" at firing others, and they take out their own insecurities or complexes on the unfortunate victims. And the bigger thing is that radio is off in revenue, and foundering as it searches for a way to survive as listener desires change... so there are more firings and cuts than ever.

[geek-orama]

Some good observations here but stations can win and still treat their colleagues with respect and dignity. KNBR's former owner Susquehanna treated all employees well but fairly. They still expected hard work and results. On occasion they did have to fire people but more often they attracted and retained high caliber individuals who worked their tails off to make the company successful. Cumulus has never been that type of company.
The same can be said of Bonneville former owner of KOIT and KDFC. Employees loved working for them, got great benefits and gave their all  and the stations were successful  But Entercom is more of a Cumulus type company with almost continuous firings, bad ratings and revenue.
Cumulus and Entercom seem to follow the old joke memo, "Beatings will continues until morale improves."

[Bryan Simmons]

A friend turned me on to this thread.  Everyone has interesting points of view. I would certainly like to know where this calguy gets his information.  He seems very passionate about radio, as most of us are. I won't comment about what was said about me, but I will say that someone who knowingly goes on the air to say goodbye and makes a scene isn't helping himself or his or her career.  When I was working in Sacramento I resigned from an AOR station to go crosstown and back to a CHR format.  When I gave my 2 weeks notice I was told that I was done and to go home.  Before I left I popped my head into the control room to say goodbye to my friends on the morning show. The morning man felt the way I was handled was kind of bogus and had me do his last break with him.  He allowed me to say goodbye on the air.  I never did hear if he got in trouble for it, I doubt it.  The PD did not trust me to be on the air again because he suspected I wasn't leaving town, something I understood, but I did go on and there was nothing bad said about the station.  It was a good place to work, low paying, but good with a good staff. If given the chance to finish out those 2 weeks I would have given them the best shows I could.  Why, honor and reputation. I feel that if you go on the air to say bad things about your station you are dishonoring yourself and your reputation. I suspect that the majority of those in radio would do it that way as well.

I feel for Mr. Barbieri. It's tough to find a full time job in radio today.

[Lkeller]

Here's the latest - a story of dueling press releases.  Barbieri has hired legal shark Angela Alioto, presumably to file a wrongful termination suit.

http://blog.sfgate.com/sportsevents/2012/04/15/ralph-barbieri-and-knbr-release-dueling-press-releases/?tsp=1

[TheBigA]

For some reason, people in radio feel they are entitled to a job for life.  There is no such entitlement.

[calguy]

For some reason, people in radio feel they are entitled to a job for life.  There is no such entitlement.

Tell me, are radio people any different from anyone else when it comes to trying to stay employed?  No one said you have to be a radio gypsy moving from town to town and state to state. I would argue that there is no such entitlement anywhere outside of radio either.