Businessmen say a lot of distasteful things but their line that irks me the most is, “I’m going to have to let you go but it’s not personal, it’s business.” What the f*ck is not personal about being fired?
I think some of these guys make this sh*t up so that we won’t hit them.
Thankfully, though, all businessmen are not created equal, and one of the better ones lives in Santa Rosa, California. His name is Gordon Zlot and he deservedly is about to be inducted into the Bay Area Radio Hall Of Fame. (Gordon pictured on top)
Gordon, when he was just a young engineer, built his own FM Station in Santa Rosa California, and launched it 50 years ago.
KZST not only become successful very quickly, but it’s still #1 in Sonoma County.
Since launching KZST, Gordon has added four more stations to his roster.
I didn’t know Gordon back in ’71 because I was still in Canada working for Ted Rogers, who once told me, “For someone to become even more successful, sometimes they have to leave behind those who made them successful.”
Gordon Zlot totally disagrees with Ted’s philosophy, in fact, believes the exact opposite.
Gordon believes that you always stick with the ones that brung ya!
Over 30 years ago, Gordon and his crew, GM Tom Skinner, and PD/ Morning Man, Brent Farris visited me in Coronado hoping we could come up with a way for us to all work together.
I’m proud to say that we did and we still do and in fact, whenever I visit Santa Rosa, it feels like I’m going home.
I’ve worked with a lot of radio companies over the years, but I assure you that very few are run like Gordon’s.
How foreign does this sound, he pays his people well, they have the finest equipment available, and they do it, out of a super modern facility. They also have profit sharing, a good health plan, and a great pension plan.
Gordon has had many opportunities to sell his stations for a huge profit, but I would venture a guess that he didn’t do it because of his staff.
He didn’t believe that the people who were pursuing his stations would take care of them.
Even though his stations run pretty fat, Gordon still manages to have two beautiful homes.
One of them is in Santa Rosa and the other which he travels to in his own jet is in Palm Springs.
Knowing Gordon as I do, radio is not just business, to him, it’s very personal!
Here’s to the newest member of the Bay Area’s Broadcasters Hall Of Fame, Gordon Zlot.
GEO’S LIFE-LINERS.
Sometimes when you hold out for the very best, that’s exactly what you get.
My writing goal is to simply write something profound. So far all that’s shown up is the simple part.
According to publisher Jerry Del Colliano, the time to stop chasing your dream is never.
Movie star Sophia Loren says that sex appeal is 50% about what you have and 50% about what others think you have.
Radio guy Brent Farris claims that Lions don’t lose a lot of sleep worrying about the opinions of the Sheep.
My Daughter Cami signs, so when I excitedly to told her that a deaf school’s coach invented the huddle used in football today because he wanted to hide the signing from the opposing teams. She said, “I know daddy, and I also know that the coach’s name was Mr. Huddle.
It’s never been about the money, it’s always been about the product. If it’s about the money, who could be more focused on money than today’s radio’s leaders? Hey, and they can’t even pay the rent.
Unfortunately, the only radio promotions that work are the ones the air talent love.
No matter what Nielsen’s PPM device says, mornings are still the most listened-to radio daypart.
Women lose most of their power when we no longer desire them. Men lose theirs when they run out of money.
If you want to appeal to 30 something women, you have to look and act like you’d make a wonderful Daddy. However, I’d advise you to make sure you wear a condom; women in their thirties tend to forget about birth control.
HBO’s “Game Of Thrones” has, sex, violence, nudity, booze, adult situations, adult talk, great actors, and great scripts. It’s gotta be the perfect series; what the hell else could you possibly want?
Is the reason Bernie Madoff is one of the very few guys from Wall Street who are in jail is because he stole from the 1%ers instead of the 99%ers like the rest of them do?
It takes a lot of courage for a person to apologize.
The closer to death, the more alive you feel
I’m always hearing that Social Security is about to run out but I never hear that about Welfare?
Don’t you just hate the part when you’re in the middle of a very intense argument, you realize that you’re wrong?
How come Asians never whine about their life or demand special privileges? What the hell’s the matter with them? Don’t they realize that they live in America?
Speaking of bad girls, is there anything more powerful than a beautiful bad one walking into the room?
If you’ve ever wondered whether or not you’re crazy, you’re not, don’t worry about it. Crazy people never have crazy thoughts about stuff like that.
Congrats to the Tampa Bay Lightning who just won the Stanley Cup which means that it’s been 28 years since a Canadian team has won it. What’s up with that, eh?
#7 Monday!
Geo’s Media Blog is an inside look at Radio, Music, Movies, and Life. For a sneak peek at some upcoming Blogs or to see some that you may have missed, go to Geo’s Media Blog @ GeorgeJohns.com.
On Twitter @GeoOfTheRadio. Sharing and commenting is encouraged and appreciated.