From Oregon Media Insiders

Major KPAM Shakeup
Submitted by LynnS on Mon, 09/22/2008 - 2:15pm.

Today General Manager Paul Clithero, News Director Bill Gallagher, news man Mark Provo, the sales manager, the business manager and a sales assistant were all shown the door at KPAM. I hear Rick Belcher is to become the GM/PD and that the regional sales manager will now report to the Pamplin newspapers' sales department.

This is part of a reorganization hoping for that elusive synergy that media groups have been working towards for ten or more years now. Good luck with that. Seriously.

Bill Gallagher was in my mind the best radio talk show host in Portland and it’s too bad KPAM never learned how to best utilize his talents. Having Gallagher serve as a news director was a waste of his talent.

As for Mark Provost, I always felt he was an excellent part of both the KXL and KPAM news teams with a great voice.

Hopefully, they both land on their feet and find further success elsewhere.

With the kind of talent Gallagher and Provost both have and its now no longer needed, where would you suggest they look for work?

Wow.

I think Bill Gallagher would be very good in Public Relations or a public policy/advocacy position. He’d also be a great addition to any of the Portland television stations in their campaign coverage. When he hosted a radio program and discussed issues of politics, he had a fantastic grasp of the issues and the ballot measures.

As for Mark Provost, I'm not as familiar with his work outside news radio, so it would be hard to say. But given his professionalism on the air, I’m sure he will find something elsewhere (outside of radio included).

Sounds to me like an exclusive big dollar savings move...seasoned and upper management staff...overhead just went down lots.

OregonLive.com quotes Rick Belcher, who has assumed the title of general manager and program director, as saying that the firings were not a financial decision--"There are no business problems." That will only be true if they hire new outsiders. Otherwise, it does look like a salary dump, especially if they are going to utilize the staff of the Tribune more and more.

Let's say they promote someone from within to ND. That would really create two news reporter positions. Then, instead of hiring two new reporters, put some Trib staffers on the air. On one level, that makes sense--why just have two "readers" just "ripping-and-reading" what print reporters have dug up?--yet, it's still sad to see fewer "talent" positions in the market. It's difficult enough to get a local talent position with the proliferation of syndicated radio.

See the full article at http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2008/09/kpam_fires_entire_management_s. html

Add me to the list of Bill Gallagher fans. A good man, not to mention immensely talented.

Sheesh.

...sigh.

Best of luck, Bill. I hope you land on your feet soon.

Did you hear that???



It was the sound of KPAM going down the toilet.

KPOJ . . . your move.

KPOJ should snag Gallagher....share him with KEX...or whatever...Would be a great addition to both stations

Let's not forget Paul Clithero. A gentleman and yet another great GM on the beach.

Kkb: KPOJ should snag Gallagher....share him with KEX...or whatever...Would be a great addition to both stations

Of course, Gallagher already has a history with the former Jacor; some years ago he left KXL to work briefly (a year?) on one of the failed talk experiments on AM 620 - KEWS I think - long before KPOJ clicked. I seem to recall he had a PM drive-time show? Didn't last too long. Soon after he landed at Pamplin's new KPAM.

Andrew

Bummer--
Perhaps I should post this on the other side, but I'm a conservative that really liked Bill Gallagher as both a talker and a person. Bill was probably one of my favorite liberals, as he would listen to people that didn't share his orientation. I expect Bill to land on his feet real soon, just as Lee Wood did after KOIN shafted him.

I don't think I'd describe K-News as a "failed talk experiment". Their ratings, at least 12+, were right up there. They suffered(were sacrificed)to bring KEX back up.

I'm a conservative that really liked Bill Gallagher as both a talker and a person.

It would work the other way too. If Bill was a conservative, he'd be worthy listening by liberals too.

I suppose one can argue that if you can't shout at the other side, you won't find on-air talk radio work.

Perhaps KPAM will become the first to flip in 2009 and become all news.

Could easily estimate the station saving a half mil a year...don't thing they would spend it for a bunch of news staffers.

The thing I disliked about Bill Gallagher's show on KEWS was that it's flow was just awful. On his KXL program, he was given ample time at the top of the hour to introduce a topic in a way that was comfortable to hear and digest. But at KEWS, he was fighting against traffic reports that seemed to occur every 10 minutes or so (he was on from 3pm - 7pm on KEWS). It made listening frustrating.

>>Perhaps KPAM will become the first to flip in 2009 and become all news.<<

I wouldn't bet on that.

All news is a more expensive format to do than talk - even if the station has shared resources to draw on. Just ask KOMO in Seattle.

Next week the station is dropping the midday news block for a talk show and some think that's not the only change that's coming.

I remember Bill back on KXL? His talk show was fun to listen to, even as a kid. My dad would always listen to it. I also remember that he had some kind of trivia game he did one day a week. I would always listen with my dad after I got home from school. If someone hired him they would be smart. Even if it is not his own talk show (which I think would be the best place for him) then doing something on air of some kind. A great overall Portland radio legend. In my opinion.

I wish all the KPAM folks who were laid off the very best. I don't know the others, but Bill and Paul are both very talented, good guys. I think Bill also deserves a lot of credit for working hard (along with many others) to create what was, for awhile, an amazingly creative news/talk radio station.I was only a very tiny part of it (I chose to keep my weekday job in Seattle and commute to Portland for a Saturday show on KPAM) but I'm proud of the quality of radio KPAM broadcast in those days. Obviously it didn't gain the numbers desired but it was, imho, a very high quality operation with, at the time, one of the best news operations in the NW.

I'm not meaning, btw, to disrespect the current news department at KPAM. I just haven't heard the station for a long time.

> They [KEWS] suffered(were sacrificed)to bring KEX back up.

I remember when that happened, sometime in 1999. KEX was full-service, with live air personalities playing music in the midday hours. KEWS had Rush Limbaugh and Dr. Laura. The popular syndicated shows were moved to KEX, displacing the music. Phil Hendrie made his Portland debut on KEX as part of this transition.

Bill Gallagher - a dynamic, inquisitive, friendly and conversational talk show host. One of the best I ever heard. We need him back on the front side of the radio.

Mark Provo - likewise, a superb news editor and presenter. These guys are great assets for any broadcast operation.

If Gallagher goes back to doing a local talk show, I'll listen! But where?

Andrew

Best wishes to Paul Clithero. Enjoyed working with him at Earth 105.

I think Bill Gallagher would be a great addition to KPOJ. He'd make a great early afternoon host. Or even 91.5FM. Now that would be very cool.

One of the area television stations should hire him to work as an analyst during their election coverage. He'd be every bit as good (probably better) as anyone doing the work currently.

Of course, KPOJ already has one local show and no doubt that's all they want; they seem happy afternoons with Ed Schultz (delayed) and Randi Rhodes (delayed) as national shows; I'm guessing they don't want to mess with a successful formula.

And who's to say Gallagher even wants to do a local talk show again?

I would love to see him do KPOJ's morning show however, but I doubt that's ever going to happen.

Andrew

How about Gallagher with Hartman in the morning?

Well, Hartmann isn't on the local show anymore on the local show except briefly with Carl Wolfson, right before Hartmann's national show (sorry, Carl, I haven't been listening lately, been preferring Morning Edition on NPR - and I still miss Heidi). Wolfson and Gallagher? Dunno. Gallagher would make a great analyst, commentator, but I don't see how he could make a career out of it.

And I do wonder if Gallagher would want to work for (I presume) some of the same management he worked for years ago with KEWS.

Andrew

From R&R...
Originally Posted On Sep 23, 2008 2:00 PM ET
KPAM Restructures Management By Mike Stern

Pamplin talk KPAM/Portland Ore., makes several management changes starting with promoting PD Rich Belcher to the new position of GM/PD as Paul Clithero, who had been GM, exits. Also stepping up is Jeanne Winter who adds general sales manager duties to her national sales manager position, replacing Margaret Evans.

Also exiting are news director Bill Gallagher and reporter Mark Provo as the station works on plans to make better use of the news resources of the Portland Tribune and CNI Newspapers -- a number of local community papers -- that are also owned by Pamplin.

Belcher, who has had GM opportunities before but has always chosen to stay a PD, says he was quite willing to take on the extra duties. "This time I think I can do some good," he says.

Good Going Jeanne!

Bill Gallagher is the most objective N.D. I have worked for. He has the knack of asking the question on the opposite side of the issue. I don't think he is liberal or conservative. I think he is a realist. Realists can work anywhere and do anything because reality is neither good nor bad.

Bill, syndicate your own show. You'd be much more centered than Lars, for sure.

Wow! This is really disappointing. As a listener, I found Bill to be very informative, professional and classy.

Something is definitely going on at KPAM. No clue what it is, but they just added Laura Ingram and moved Phil Hendrie to later. I wonder if they will bump Victoria Taft to KUIK (aren't they related to that station in some way?) and just use all syndicated programming other than the morning show?

Whatever is going on at KPAM it's a terrible waste of a mediocre facility.

Those who left will soon realize that it is a good thing to be out of there.

Hope they got a decent severance.

My understanding, based on what I have heard on the Jeff Krupp Show, is that KUIK has some kind of program partnership arrangement with KXL, not KPAM.

That's Jeff Kropf.

KPAM is tied to KKAD 1550 in Vancouver through Pamplin Media.

http://www.kpam.com/includes/news_items/news_items_more.php?section_id=4&id=32

Go to this link quickly before KPAM takes it down. This is great.

From the link above:

Bill Gallagher
News Director

e-mail Bill

Bill Gallagher is an Irish troubadour and 1960s-era rock music legend. Bill had hits in the U.K. and the U.S. in the early '60s with his band, The News Boys including "Baby Please Don't Go" and "Gloria." A solo artist since 1966, Gallagher has recorded more than three dozen albums and received numerous honors, including induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1993) and the Order of the British Empire (1996). He's known for his blend of folk, jazz and blues and his soulful voice. His albums since the 1980s have been less focused on pop songs and more informed by an interest in his Celtic roots and spiritual themes, but he still has a solid fan base and the critics still call him a genius. Gallagher is famously prickly about the press and the music industry, and he has a reputation for doing his own thing and avoiding publicity about his music.

They took it down...

Bill gone??

I'm a fan too. Hope he lands somewhere. Great talent, very enjoyable and listenable.

One person I kind of compare Bill to is... Bruce Williams. I can't think of words good enough to describe Bruce. One of my ALL time best!

according to Inside Radio this morning KPAM has signed Laura Ingraham.

Ingraham is already on KPAM, has been for more than a week.