For the last few days, Chicago Cumulus Media employees,
especially the staff of WLS 94.7 FM, were fearful about a meeting they were all
invited to for Tuesday morning, according to CRM.
The meeting was to
feature Lew Dickey, the Cumulus Media Chairman, President, and CEO, who was
flying in from the corporate headquarters in Atlanta, GA. There was an anxiety
about what the meeting would be about, since, as a general rule, CEOs of radio
corporations do not normally fly across the country and call for a cluster-wide
meeting at the end of the year just to wish the employees "Happy
Holidays." A nd the recent format flip for Cumulus' WDRQ in Detroit to the Country Nash FM format was on the minds of many.
As it turns out, Lew
Dickey addressed the room and wished the collected staff "Happy
Holidays." No big announcements were made and no shocking
additions/subtractions/changes were discussed.
CRM reports that insiders say Lew Dickey's appearance at the
station was done to help boost morale at WLS 890 AM and WLS-FM, which had dropped
down in the last year. Sinking ratings, sinking revenues, ever-tightening
budgets, and abrasive management styles hurt the internal atmosphere at the
shared State Street studios of the two iconic Chicago radio stations.
In addition, Lew Dickey is said to have some business
meetings to attend while in Chicago Tuesday. Exactly what those meetings could be
about and how they could impact the Cumulus Chicago cluster are being
speculated by staffers.
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