KIRO's TBTL - Luke Burbank AWOL Already

[CorporateSuit]

Can't say I didn't warn everyone. I tuned in last night for a few minutes and no Luke Burbank on the air. Instead, it was Jen and Tom filling in.

The show is literally only 2 weeks old, and Burbank has to take the night off.

This is the same pattern he showed at KVI, KUOW, and NPR.

And they're going to run "The Best of TBTL" in all the open hours vacated by Goldstein, Styble, and Jeffers? What "Best of?" They don't have enough content to run "The Worst of!"

If you're going to do a show and make it succeed, especially in that time slot, you got to prep HARD and be there, on the air, consistently, to establish and grow an audience.

This is the first crack in the dike and soon the dam will follow.

Rod, how could you fall for this like Keating and others did?

[AAllen]

Well, Luke was on Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me this weekend, out of Chicago.  I was wondering if he would go back to that show.

[djdan]

Is it possible, he got permission to take time off?  Just because someone leaves for a day or
two doesn't necessarily mean the end is near.  Just an observation.  For the record, I have listened to the
show and it has appeal to my generation, though rambles a bit.  I generally listen to sports or am not tuned
in to radio at night, but KIRO is now a button on my dial.  (It just replaced JACK)

[JustaLissner]

Can't say I didn't warn everyone. I tuned in last night for a few minutes and no Luke Burbank on the air. Instead, it was Jen and Tom filling in.

Jen said he was in Chicago recording "Wait Wait Don't Tell Me" for NPR. And he was on with them via telephone for a while.

I have been tuning in periodically just to see how bad the show could be, based on the feedback on this board. Indeed, the show is rough. Very rough. Luke, who I liked in small doses on NPR, is way too flat in this extended format. Frankly, I'd rather hear reruns of Dr Laura. And I'm about as progressive as it gets. Luke & Jen are already "joking" about what a miracle it would be if the show were still on the air a year from now. Indeed. Indeed.

[spectacle]

I've always wondered about phenomenons like this since I worked in Seattle radio starting in the mid 90s!

How do former Metro traffic hacks like Burbank get people to drop shows in his lap sight AND SOUND UNSEEN?

How do they do it? Is it just some people are natural con artists?

And people like me who want to do a great job every time can barely get $6 an hour if we actually get an entire hour just doing the board op thing??!!!

[NewsStud]

How do former Metro traffic hacks like Burbank get people to drop shows in his lap sight AND SOUND UNSEEN?

Why do you consider someone who works at or once worked for Metro Traffic a "hack?"  The company is full of hundreds of hard working folks on crazy schedules that do a phenominal job that most DJ's couldn't even hold a candle to.

And people like me who want to do a great job every time can barely get $6 an hour if we actually get an entire hour just doing the board op thing??!!!

Try getting a job at Metro.  Pay is around double that for an anchor/producer even in the lower-paying markets. 

[SeattleRadioPro]

Why do you consider someone who works at or once worked for Metro Traffic a "hack?"  The company is full of hundreds of hard working folks on crazy schedules that do a phenominal job that most DJ's couldn't even hold a candle to.

Oh come on now. Do you actually listen to some of those people working those "crazy schedules"?  Most of them have no business being behind a microphone. There's about three or four good Metro reporters in Seattle - the rest are forgettable.

Try getting a job at Metro.  Pay is around double that for an anchor/producer even in the lower-paying markets. 

Well maybe in Seattle it's tough (and you need to be in AFTRA) but in smaller markets, Metro does hire just about anyone and pays accordingly. And that's not "double that for an anchor/producer".

[GTL]

  Some of the best radio and TV talents in Seattle work for Metro Networks.  Just a FEW of them:  Adam Gerhke.  Shane Cobane.  Anna D.  John Nelson.  Eric Kirchner. Greg Adams. Mary Whitish.  Jeff French.  Sprince Arbogast.  Travis Bailey.  Nate Connors.  Bill Odgen.  Jenni Hogan.  Harmon Shay.  Heather Stark.  Woj.  Janet Wilson.  Scott Burns still fills for us at times.  There are a dozen more, all talented and all a pleasure to work with.
   Am I biased?  Sure.  I'm Director of Operations.  Does Metro pay well?  Compared to what?  Nobody here makes what they deserve.  But that's true for 95% of people working in radio.  Minimum AFTRA rate for a Metro part-timer is $14.64.
 
   We're open for business 24/7.  Thank heaven people have trouble recovering from the radio bug (you know who you are), or staffing would be tough.  Right now, though, we've got a full crew.  But sometimes there's an opening, and sometimes I need just the right fit for a particular station.  I only hire people who can go on the air, are willing to work odd hours at least part of the time, who can get along in a small, noisy room, and can write reasonably well. 
  Experience helps, but it all starts with the sound.  Email me a short demo, if you care to. My work day sometimes runs from 5a to 5p, so be patient if I'm slow getting back to you.
  Just be aware:  I don't hire hacks.  The old idea that "there's always Metro" is out of date. 

   Gina Tuttle   gina_tuttle@metronetworks.com
       

[ella]

Too Beautiful to Live: It's funny and relaxing. I like the personalities. In any live show, 3 hours a night, there'll be some down time. But I find myself wanting to listen. There's an intimate quality.  The inner workings are apparent, which seems deliberate. It makes me feel like I'm part of it.

[WKomm]

Dear ella - And how long have worked at KIRO?