Re: Talking Information Ctr.

[Dib9@aol.com]

In a message dated 1/21/00 1:11:23 AM Eastern Standard Time, Chuckigo@aol.com 
writes:

<< Hal has been with WPOR in Portland for almost 25 years now, and was just 
 informed his services as an on-air personality were no longer required.  
this 
 word followed his "demotion" to overnights from a very stable & respectably 
 rated midday host a couple of years back after the ownership change of WPOR 
 was completed.  >>

I will never understand Saga's handling of WPOR.  In various ways, they drove 
off all the popular, long time members of the on-air staff.  (Their treatment 
of Hal Knight is just the worst example of how they have handled the 
station.)  I think the original thought was the staff at the time did not 
sound contemporary enough.  After a couple of years with an air staff that 
generally sounded like they would fit better on a CHR station, Saga has hired 
people for mornings and afternoons that have a more traditional approach to 
country radio.  Why didn't they just keep the people they had?  

WPOR remains pretty strong in the ratings, but has not reached the ratings 
that they had before Saga ripped the station apart.  My speculation is that 
all Saga's move have also done little to improve the profitability of the 
station.

By the way, as of this week, WPOR is now broadcasting from Saga's Western 
Avenue, South Portland facility.

If the people at WTHT are smart, they'll offer Hal a job doing middays at the 
station.

-- Dan Billings, Bowdoinham, Maine
    Former part-timer at WPOR in 1988