WBMA+ hires former WIAT GM

[solidscooter 3]

33/40 in Birmingham let their GM go (don't know the name) in favor of Eric Land last week. Land is former GM of WIAT, and was responsible for the call letter and (unsuccessful) branding switch in 1998. He notably fired all but one of WBMG's staff before the WIAT switch. It'll be interesting to see what changes he'll make at 33/40 under Sinclair.

 

Original PRNewswire article: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sinclair-names-eric-land-general-manager-in-birmingham-al-300092704.html

[tyrannical bastard 3951]

Actually, the General Manager of WBMA and the other Sinclair stations, Mike Murphy, left back in March to become GM at KMOV in St. Louis

http://www.al.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2015/02/abc_3340_general_manager_leavi.html

 

Earlier, JC Lowe, who was the GM of WTTO/WABM, was moved to sister stations WEAR/WFGX to replace Terry Cole.

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sinclair-announces-jc-lowe-to-be-general-manager-in-pensacola-fl-mike-murphy-to-be-general-manager-in-birmingham-al-272169281.html

 

When JC left, Mike Murphy added oversight of WTTO and WABM since all three are now owned by Sinclair.

[Samantha 2895]

 

...the call letter and (unsuccessful) branding switch in 1998.

 

Given the research I've done on WIAT I wouldn't call it unsuccessful. It wasn't a rousing success—that would come later—but the relaunch did lead to a significant boost in the station's news ratings over the course of 1998. Hard to believe they had Paul Finebaum on WIAT...*

 

It was particularly well-timed, too, because they had the Winter Olympics to draw attention, and 1998 was the year that the Tuscaloosa and Anniston DMAs were eliminated and Birmingham became a metered market.

 

*I know someone has this promo, it used to be in one of the NewsActive3 sets... There was a whole sung promo for Finebaum coming to WIAT. That's a gem.