D&D Done With Detroit's Ticket

No Deal

ALL ACCESS has learned that it's over between CBS Sports WXYT-A-F (07.1 THE TICKET)/DETROIT and morning stars DEMINSKI AND DOYLE, who will exit after the expiration of their contracts on DECEMBER 31st. D&D, who arrived at CBS' 97.1 FM frequency (then Talk WKRK) after a successful run at Talk WKXW (NEW JERSEY 101.5)/TRENTON, spent eight years in afternoon drive before moving to mornings with the FM station's format flip in OCTOBER. The hosts are exiting after being unable to reach agreement on the length of a contract extension and have a 12-month non-compete for the DETROIT market, but are open to either waiting the year out or looking into offers from outside the market.

JEFF DEMINSKI tells ALL ACCESS, "Besides the sub-standard financial offer, the bigger sticking point was length of time. Between the term of their offer and a half-year non-compete stuck on the end of it, we would have been locked up for two-and-a-half years with a company that kept us in the dark about the format flip, tried to bully us by taking us off the air twice in less than three months, gave us 72 hours notice to launch a morning show, wouldn't allow us to say goodbye to the most loyal of listeners after nearly a decade-long relationship, and a lot of things I won't even get into. After throwing brand new management at us, a brand new consultant, a brand new format and brand new shift with no input from us whatsoever, we know that asking for a one-year deal to 'let's all see how it goes after that' was more than reasonable. It is unfortunate the company did not value us more after we generated nearly 70% of all the station's revenue over the years, but I do thank CBS for the time and opportunity we had there and I wish the station success."

D&D's representative, TROY, MI-based entertainment attorney MIKE NOVAK, tells ALL ACCESS, "CBS is making a judgment of error- it's shortsighted, but that's their prerogative."  NOVAK can be reached at (248) 457-7000.

« see more Net News