I received an email about some email correspondence with Bruce St. James the Program Director for the Edge And Melissa G. (”former loyal listener”). Here is what they had to say:
Bruce,
Please feel free to pass this along to the rest of those who should hear this, but won’t care any more than you do. I am a fiercely loyal fan of The Edge. Or, I was, until Riviera came in and begin to systematically wipe out all that the INDEPENDENT Edge stood for. Since then, programming has steadily dropped in quality. And my husband and I, both loyal listeners, have begun to drift among the other valley stations when The Edge isn’t offering quality music. Sadly, this has been happening more and more often.
But the final nail in the coffin of what was once right up at the top of my list for best radio stations I’ve ever listened too (and I grew up in California, mind you), was getting rid of Chuck Powell and the Morning Ritual. He was a great man and a great DJ and has kept me entertained every morning for years. His show was the only thing I still consistently listened to on your station. Getting rid of him is an atrocity and an insult to your loyal listeners.
To add insult to injury, you are bringing in Adam Corrolla of all people. He and his inane show have already failed here in the valley on more than one occasion. He has done nothing to better himself or his appeal (or lack thereof) since his last failure here. What makes you think we, as the listeners, have changed so much since then as to even want to give him another try?
I have a personal blog that I use to keep in touch with family and friends. This morning I posted my own heartfelt farewell to Chuck Powell and The Morning Ritual, as well as my official farewell to The Edge. My husband and I will no longer listen to your station, buy tickets to your events, or have anything to do with 103.9 KEDJ. The funny thing is, we are far from alone in this. I have had hundreds of hits on my blog this morning from places all over the Phoenix valley, from people I don’t know who found my blog while searching for info on Chuck. Many have left comments about how they, too, are appalled by your stations actions and will follow Chuck wherever he may end up. Many also have agreed with my sentiments about boycotting The Edge 103.9 in search of greener pastures.
What a shame. In fact, shame on you! Shame on all of you corporate sellouts who are only interested in the bottom line and could care less about loyalty or local talent or the feelings of your fan-base. For your sakes, I hope your little business venture with Corrolla turns you the profit you are hoping for. However, in the interest of justice, I hope your station tanks as your listeners all leave you and your sponsors stop writing those big checks to a dying station, one more in the long line of great radio stations killed off by corporate “formula” radio that no one with any semblance of taste cares for.
Most Sincere Regrets,
Melissa G, former loyal listener
Melissa,
We are in the business of gathering the largest possible audience. Obviously, we wouldn’t make any change if we thought it would be a step backwards. Chuck Powell’s Morning Ritual has a loyal following and we respect that. Unfortunately, it’s not a large enough following for us to build a station upon. I’m sure you’ve heard the definition of insanity; doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. We need some different results and hope you will give Adam a chance.
As for Adam failing, 1 year ago he was ranked 4th while we were 12th. I guess success is relative, but we would take 4th any day of the week.
I’m not sure what you mean by “Independent”. If you mean small and unprofitable, then we would like no part of “Independent”. We do not have the luxury of a large corporate owner to carry us through the hard times. We must succeed on our own and do it now.
We all like and respect Chuck and hope he finds a new home quickly.
Thanks for your e-mail,
Bruce St. James
Program Director
