I just got off the phone with Stoney who was at Roosevelt's in Farmington having a few pops with his departed WDFN colleagues, he was upbeat and understanding, they are in good shape.
The question is "what is next for the Detroit sports radio icons?" NOTHING, at least not for a while. Stoney and Wojo are only two years into five year guaranteed contracts which will see them collect a salary until 2012. Clear Channel simply cannot stop paying them or they will be sued for even more than they owe the guys. Stoney and Wojo's contracts are a blessing and a curse, they have income but they really can't take other work unless somebody is willing to pay them what there current deals will pay them and it doesn't appear that anybody is able or willing to do that in the current economic climate in Michigan. That leaves Stoney and Wojo on the sidelines for the foreseeable future. Hell, they may be able to ride out the economy without working and return when things are better.
This is now the second and third Air Personality in 12 months to be paid NOT to work. Jamie Samuelsen was fired with a year left on his guaranteed contract last December and now Stoney and Wojo are being paid NOT to show up. What sense does it make? It is just more stupidity from a company that invented it.
What happened to Rona?
Sources told me tonight that Rona Danzinger was surprisingly asked to stay on as PD of WDFN but declined saying "give the job to somebody who has a family." This is a noble gesture but one that was necessary as she is largely responsible for the demise of the radio station. Action by her years ago would have prevented the radio station from collapse but she and others didn't keep the station relevant and allowed it to atrophy and slowly die. I have no personal ill will for Rona but she could have been part of the solution, instead she became part of the problem. Best to her and her husband Jeff.
Sean Baligean
Sean is a good man, but I don't see him getting hired because WXYT has no incentive to add payroll. It is more likely they will cut salaries at WXYT than add new ones. Sean is a good Air Personality who I brought to WDFN years ago, unless he is willing to leave town I don't know where he could possibly end up.
WDFN's future?
Sadly, there isn't one. It would not surprise me one bit of WDFN flipped to syndicated talk radio once the Piston's season is concluded. The Pistons are as good as gone and will be looking for a new radio partner in the off-season, likely one willing to put the games on FM. I doubt they would have stayed with Clear Channel even if these cuts hadn't been made, they look longingly at 97.1 and covet their own big FM signal. They could even end up on WJR or WWJ.
