Cantore + Woods: Radio Wars

I work very closely with 91X and FM 94/9 on a daily basis, and I'm friends with pretty much everyone I work with, so I'm going to just leave this podcast from Cantore + Woods.

Woah.

What Happened To Chris Cantore? The Saga Continues

Last night I wrote about some shit going on at X1FM.com. Confirmed this morning, Cantore abruptly left the station. I haven't had the chance to talk to Chris personally, and in a way it's probably better that way because really, I just wanted to observe how things were handled today, because it is unclear what exactly happened, but I'm still just going to suspect that money had everything to do with it, particularly because it was the 3-month anniversary of the show- in most jobs, a probationary and/or contract renegotiation period. A station without ads is perhaps revolutionary, but a chatroom alone does not pay the bills.

The chat room was on fire today, and since it is a public forum, anyone could've logged on to follow along. People were understandably upset. Jen and Andrew were at the helm and had to host a show while trying to convince people that X1 is still a community and that the listeners should not lose faith. Not an easy task. Especially as regulars logged on and were asking the obvious WTF? questions.

Luis, the president of X1Fm also tried to do some damage control as vocal chat room participants tried to call for a station boycott, asking questions, and calling bullshit. Below, what Luis had to say about things:

I wanted to express my heart felt thanks to all in the chat room for supporting Andrew & Jen during this terrible time for X1FM

We at X1FM Network are working very hard everyday to offer all our users & listeners the real difference VS the corporate superiority! We have real honest hard working individuals in front & behind the scenes to make a real difference! Please hope you undertand this and keep the faith in all of us! Thank you Luis

Before I leave the chat room: I hope you keep supporting what X1FM believes in " Freedom of Music " all this represents all of you and it does not mean anything without your support that you all bring everyday to all of us. Sorry if we let you down. Sincerely yours Luis-President X1FM Network

I hope that sooner than later we can make a difference! I support and honor what Andrew & Jen are doing today! Again I hope you all understand that it was not our choice. We believe in all of you and will keep up the faith!

I respect all of you if not I would not put myself in a position of attack! I value what all of you bring everyday, that is why we do what we do everyday to give all an option that has a soul .

Again I am here to comfront (sp) our listener and help all understand that this was not a choice we had faith things could be worked out, sorry if you all feel we are a corporation putting Chris down. I hope one day things come to light how X1FM operates and does to survive.

I only can say that it was not up to us, we wish Chris the best, I hope he finds what he is looking for! But I honestly can say that Andrew and Jen deserve better.

I am the one that believes in what X1FM brings to all everyday and I wish you could forgive us for not having the budget to keep Chris. We are very sorry this had to happen.

SORRY that X1FM never earn your trust, it is a shame that the 20 something employees that work extra hard for this don't have a chance to get the same credit and respect. If someone is to balme is me not everyone else.

I am not talking about the talent, I am talking about all the people behind the scenes that get up at 5:00 am to hustle to give all a show

Again the one to blame for not having the budget to keep the talent is me, NO ONE ELSE! I wish we where really a big ass corporate owned entity to pay the talent what corporations pay.

My honest apology to all, wish reality was different SORRY TO ALL FOR LETTING YOU DOWN!! Have to go but you can email me anytime and hope we eventually make a difference.

I am sure in the coming days more information will come out about the situation. Regardless, personally I hope the best for Cantore and for the station. Both deserve to be successful.

WTF, X1FM?

I received some cryptic tweets tonight from Chris Cantore:

8:42 pm: Wow, that was fast...be kind to AWP. I'm sorry. How's the surf?
9:09 pm: "Sorry, but we need to move on without you."
9:45 pm: digesting. again, i am so sorry...

I just logged on to X1FM.com and noticed the absence of the usual Cantore in the Morning promo banners, and if you look at the DJs, the pull down menu only has Trevor Forssell, Jen Wendram, and Rob Molt listed.

The Chris Cantore Show officially kicked off on Monday, May 5, 2008, placing the show at just 3 months old (though the station has been live for over a year). The station has banner ads and sponsorships on the site, but does not currently run any advertising during their broadcasts. Naysayers had their doubts that this business model could sustain the large station staff, two vans (including one that was stolen last week), and a veteran morning show host in Cantore, producer Andrew W.P. , and live music news from Jen Correia. I don't know what went down, and with respect to all the staff and their fate, I'll tread as sensitively as possible here. I suppose in the morning we'll find out what's going on, but it seems easy enough to draw your own conclusions. The chat is going to be pretty crazy, I presume.

Update: Jen and Andrew are at the helm on X1FM this morning. The chat is going off with questions and no answers. Below, a comment from Luis, the owner of X1FM:

Luis Says: We at X1FM Network are working very hard everyday to offer all
our users & listeners the real difference VS the corporate superiority! We
have real honest hard working individuals in front & behind the scenes to
make a real difference! Please hope you undertand this and keep the faith in all
of us! Thank you Luis

What Happened To Chris Cantore?, Part 3

Last summer, my dad got tickets for INXS at Harrah's Rincon Casino. My mom and I used the tickets while he gambled in the casino. On the way there, driving up the 15, traffic was jammed up per usual, and the whole way we were neck and neck with this van. It said X1FM.com.

Priding myself on knowing all things music, I wrote down the site name because I'd never heard of it before. When my dad and I were waiting in the comp area for our tickets, the guys in front of us were picking up their press tickets- they were the ones driving that van. I chatted briefly with one of them, asking what their deal was and the concept sounded pretty cool. An internet station that plays alternative music, but with deeper tracks, interviews, and a more free format than radio can offer.

Fast forward to now, and I'm happy to announce that Chris Cantore will be the official morning show dude on X1FM.com starting this Monday, May 5. Actually, he's on as I'm listening right now as "Don Diego", but the official start is Monday, and you can stream it daily from 8am to noon, every workday. For all of you missing Chris' morning voice, now you can stream him without the trouble of downloading podcasts.

And now they are playing Gogol Bordello and I'm happy, so I'm done writing, and off to internet land.

What Happened To Chris Cantore?: The Movie

Chris Cantore Leaves 91X

There are things that I sometimes don't blog. As much as I love news and can succumb to gossip, I feel a responsibility to keep certain things to myself when I hear them, because I value the relationships that I've made because of this blog and it's not my goal to screw with anyone's life. That said, I would be remiss if I didn't comment on the drama happening over at 91X.

First there was this piece in Blurt, back in November.

According to one insider, the next local morning DJ to be replaced by a
syndicated show is Chris Cantore, who has anchored the 91X morning show for 11
years. On November 14, his on-air partner Jennifer White announced that she was
leaving 91X after 2 years. She is set to get her own morning show on Sophie
103.7.

It is rumored that Cantore in the Morning will be replaced by the
L.A.-based Adam Carolla Show in January. Carolla's all-talk show replaced the
syndicated Howard Stern Show in many cities when Stern switched to Sirius almost
two years ago. Locally, the Carolla show was carried on Free FM, the now-defunct
all-talk station at 103.7 FM. Weak ratings prompted 103.7 to switch to the
female-friendly "Sophie" music format.

Then Ken, the most charming man in local journalism, did this piece about Al Guerra leaving 91X's Loudspeaker.

Chris Cantore, host of the 91X morning show for 11 years, signed off on
December 14, saying he was not sure if he would be coming back after a two-week
vacation.

When asked, Manning did not deny looking into replacing Cantore with a
nationally syndicated morning show; however, he says the next 91X morning show
will be live and local. But, Manning says he is looking "outside San Diego" for
morning-show talent.

I had the chance to talk to Chris and Ruggy at the FM 94/9 Holiday Hootenanny and it's no secret that things have been a-changing at 91X for some time now. To me, it's sad to see Kallao and Cantore go, and now Al Guerra, but I know they'll all be well. Sadly for radio listeners, things will probably get a whole lot worse before they get better.

And from Cantore's MySpace:

Aloha.
Yes, it's true.
I will not be returning to 91X in 2008.
I am sorry if you had to find out this way.
Currently, spending time with my family, friends, and surfboard.
I promise, I will tell you EVERYTHING very, very soon. Thank you for 11 years of support and all your well-wishes...melts my soul.

Good luck, Cantore. You will be missed.