Jimmy Baron and Yvonne Monet out at Dave FM; Steve Craig interim morning host
Jimmy Baron and Yvonne Monet's morning show is over after two years. CREDIT: Dave FM
Loading ...Dave FM, which has gone through five morning shows since its inception in 2004, is now looking for its sixth after letting Jimmy Baron and Yvonne Monet go this morning.
General manager Rick Caffey declined to say why they were let go but said the station will be “taking its time” seeking a replacement. For now, Steve Craig will cover as interim morning host.
That name may be familiar to 99X fans. Craig was the mid-day host at that station from 1992 to 2007. He then spent near three years in New York under Leslie Fram (now at CMT) working as a jock at WRXP-FM, a rock station that recently switched to news.
As a result, Craig lost his job and rumors instantly popped up that he would end up at Dave. He quickly nabbed some part-time work there and even came in one morning to gab with Baron and Monet, who are also former jocks at 99X.
[UPDATE on Friday, 11/11/11: Craig did his School of Musical Knowledge bit he used to do on 99X and WRXP. The quiz question was what was the theme song of "Chuck." Answer: "Short Skirt, Long Jacket," which he then played.]
It appears Christopher “Crash” Clark, the traffic guy, may stay on at V-103 but not Dave. [UPDATE: Renee Washington who had been doing traffic during afternoons on Dave, took over Friday morning.]
Dave FM’s ratings have fluctuated up and down over the years. Earlier this year, the station had some strong months but numbers sunk sharply over the past five months.
In January, the station had a 4.5 share, tied for eighth and a 6.2 rating among 25 to 54 year olds, worthy of third place. By October, it had sunk to a 2.0 overall share, of 18th place and a 2.6 rating among 25 to 54, ranking them 15th.
Baron and Monet’s morning show, which was recently cut back to 8:30 a.m. to 9 a.m., lagged behind the rest of the station. Management kept the show fairly music intensive.
In January, among 25 to 54 year olds, the show ranked 11th. By October, it was down to 20th. (Dave’s strongest day part for years has been mid-days featuring Mara Davis.)
Baron had an amusing gathering he’d do every month called “Dads Between Gigs” where unemployed dads could meet and commiserate in this lousy economy. Baron himself was unemployed for three years between 99X and Dave FM.
Scott Jameson, the station’s third program director since 2004, joined the station in 2009 and hired Baron. (The general sales manager John Riemenschneider was recently let go.)
People who listened in this morning heard Baron joke to a listener that his simple wish was to still be employed by his birthday, which is Nov. 13. “You’re good to go,” the listener said. “It’s only Thursday,” Baron said. Before the morning was out, his joke came true and he was unemployed.
Going back to the time when the station was Z93, the signal under different owners has been unable to find a stable morning show. None has lasted more than three years.
Here’s the parade of hosts since 1989. I’m repeating some info I wrote back in January, 2008.
1989: Barry Chase.
1989-1992: Chase & Woodside. The pair worked at Z93 when it was a top 40 station, the very first FM morning team in Atlanta back in 1974. Managemtent thought it would be cool to bring them back together as a team. Woodside, in an interview in 2008 recalls that their ratings were moving up (No. 3 25-49 at one point) until management told them to pull back on talking about themselves and shortening bits and such. Ratings went down and they were soon goners.
1992-93: Slats. Does anybody remember him and what happened?
1993-96: The Greaseman (Above, WZGC’s only syndicated show) He was a grating, loudmouth shock jock type who often got in trouble. He split the audience. Some loved him; too many hated him.
1996-98: Gary McKee (right). After a long illustrious run in radio, he was at the tail end of his career and was burned out. He has since retired from the business.
1998-99: Charlie & Company. This was a comedy-oriented show that wasn’t quite ready for primetime.
1999-2002: Dave Marino. He’s a talented guy who was never utilized properly or given room to breath.
2002: Moby. After a long successful stint at Kicks, Moby simply didn’t fit well in the classic rock mode and lasted only a few months. Management shoved him to traffic to try to get him to leave but he stuck around for several months getting a big paycheck and doing traffic while the “Mission Impossible” theme played behind him. He’s now doing a syndicated morning show heard on country stations in Rome and Athens.
2003-04: Mara & Dunham: This was a quick fix after Moby. The pair was just starting to congeal as a team when CBS pulled the plug on Z93 and switched to Dave.
2004-06: Barnes & Firfer: Hoping to resurrect the magic of 99X, CBS hired Steve Barnes (right) with CNN’s Holly Firfer but without Leslie & Jimmy, it wasn’t quite the same.
2006-07: Firfer & Orff: This was a stopgap show, which actually did as well, if not better, than the Barnes days.
2008: Zakk Tyler. A complete non starter. Zakk couldn’t hack it and was out after less than ten months.
October, 2008: Tim Orff: Orff came back from a night jock spot to cover mornings for the next 11 months. He is now a night jock at Star 94.
August 17, 2009-November 10, 2011: Jimmy Baron paired with Yvonne Monet.
November 11, 2011– ??? : Steve Craig becomes interim host.
Coincidentally or not, local media planner Roddy Freeman wrote a column this week in his blog about Dave FM’s woes this week.
Join my Facebook fan page and Twitter.
By Rodney Ho, Radio & TV Talk
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246 comments Add your comment
dick head
November 10th, 2011
6:59 pm
they are thinking of hiring randy and spiff here we go again
Chamblee Dawg
November 10th, 2011
7:23 pm
what would Dave FM do if they were no longer allowed to play any songs by Sting or The Police?
Max
November 10th, 2011
7:32 pm
At least I don’t have to listen to radio in the mornings anymore. Jimmy and Yvonne will be sorely missed in my house. (BTW, I’m not Jewish, but I LOVE Atlanta Native 50+’s idea!)
Toren Anderson
November 10th, 2011
7:50 pm
I for one am so over the carnage of our times. In the media biz, it’s one friend after another tweaked, eliminated, rejected or just treated poorly. I know it’s part of the recession/web taking over, but it’s awful. The more it happens, the sadder I feel.
Amy Wen
November 10th, 2011
8:24 pm
There are several very good radio stations in Atlanta and they are all College Stations except WRFG, which is a complete crapshoot, but fun to tune into now and then. Great African music on Saturdays. WRAS is a great place to hear new music and special programming, WREK is great. WCLK great jazz and of course there is always public broadcasting and NPR, all of these are diverse interesting resources,most are noncommercial and aren’t stuck in a groove of playing the same 25 songs over and over while some zombie DJ tries to feign enthusiasm for the crap he/she is stuck playing.
DAVE is the corporate version of “alternative radio” which is itself an oxymoron, DAVE should just play commercials 24/7 and traffic, it would take most of their listeners months to catch on and they could save a fortune in on air talent and music rights.
Sorry to hear about Jimmy Baron but he’s been dancing in his sleep for years, maybe he should write that novel he never had in him.
Atlanta commercial radio is virtually dead, but there are plenty of great alternatives. Give some of them a try, you might be surprised.
PanamaSlimJim
November 10th, 2011
8:36 pm
Doesn’t matter to me who they hire or fire. I switched to Sirius/XM a long time ago. There are too many commercials and lack of good music tracks in the Atlanta market. Too many news breaks and updates. Meaning less traffic reports and so on. Sorry those guys got canned but I wasn’t a listener to begin with.
finally
November 10th, 2011
9:03 pm
This is bad, while I didn’t listen every morning, l did enjoy them. Yvonne is very entertaining and I am sure she will find another home. I also like Margot in the evenings, and to echo others, the music needs to be refreshed, there are only so many times you can listen to Adele. I wish programmers would not run songs into the ground but I suppose there is some reason that they continue to do that. Charles Henry is not entertaining at all, he bores the hell out of me, if anyone should be let go it should have been him. I will give Steve a chance in the AM but he seems a bit aloof and detatched sometimes, not real high energy.
DDD
November 10th, 2011
9:14 pm
Maybe if they played music instead of Jimmy’s non-stop zero Rez commercial fest they might have been better-plus the weekly degradation of Waffle House waitresses was a little too much-Jimmy always talked to them in a way that was on the verge of mocking.
Lefty
November 10th, 2011
10:37 pm
Jimmy had his moment back in the day (1990’s). I can’t say that I get anything out of listening to him anymore, which is probably why I didn’t listen very often. Jimmy always had a superiority complex that I never understood. I guess George Stephanopoulos must still be laughing at the Atlanta Lightweight who tried to show him up…and failed miserably.
Toco Larry
November 11th, 2011
12:30 am
This is really sad news! Yvonne and especially Jimmy seemed to really give Dave FM that unique feel that was missing for so long. It’s too bad they never opened their slot up to more talk and less music. Jimmy’s masterful ability to inject humor into the morning show (as he did for so many years at 99x) will be missed.
Bebo
November 11th, 2011
6:14 am
Liked Jimmy better on DAVE FM; he’d mellowed since 99X (less Larry Wachs-ian). Always loved Ms. Monet. Noticed they’d been playing older and older rock. This a.m., played an OLD Zep song in tandem with Foster the People. Heard Steve Craig on this a.m. and immediately knew somthing was up. I always liked Steve Craig going back to 99X. But, I am gonna miss Jimmy and Yvonne.
Pigmon
November 11th, 2011
6:27 am
Rumor is the station is changing their name to “TOM FM”, given their propensity to play Tom Petty songs on the hour.
An Ear 4 Good Stuff
November 11th, 2011
6:45 am
Jimmy & Yvonne’s morning show is the reason my radio was on during the traffic filled commute and when I got into the office. Dave fm messed up big time for letting them go. Their chemistry made morning’s fun. And to all of you screaming about the on air ads: The reality is Radio Stations NEED COMMERCIALS since its the advertising that pays for the management & talent salaries along with the music royalities. So don’t be hate’n on the DJ’s for the ads!!!! If you want to get back at the suits at Dave fm then start calling up the advertisers and tell them why you are leaving the station!
Elcapix
November 11th, 2011
6:49 am
This is the reason why Atlanta is F***ing dying in the radio business. They don’t let the audience to decide what we want they decide for us. I thought Jimmy and Yvonne were doing great but apparently they were not producing enough money for the Fat cat. ***Listen People***** use your android or Iphone and listen to Iheart Radio, there are a bunch of awesome radio stations called GenX in the North, or Voddo 104 in New orleans…that will show big executives here in the ATL why they keep failing ….they just DONT know what we want!!!!
DP
November 11th, 2011
7:05 am
I will miss Jimmy and Yvonne and the only saving grace of all this is Steve Craig FINALLY back on Atlanta radio. I’m a huge fan.
Linda
November 11th, 2011
7:16 am
If the powers that be at Clear Channel, Lincoln and all the other corporations that own radion stations want a station that will have great ratings and staying power, perhaps they should consider a listener driven format – put up a website and let the listners build the program. Tell what kind of music WE want to hear; what WE want from the on-air talent; what kind of promos/events WE would enjoy. Give us what WE want and WE will listen. If WE build it, WE will come & bring our friends!
Rick Turner
November 11th, 2011
7:33 am
I am very p***** off! Jimmy and Yvonne are the best thing to come to Atlanta radio since the glory days of the morning x! Jimmy and Yvonne had great chemistry, they are funny, insightful and very entertaining. I am 51 and have been a JB fan for many years. I have a 25 year old daughter that also likes the show, so it is not just older folks. I have always enjoyed Dave FM’s music. After going thru several morning shows that sucked and finally getting it right with Jimmy and Yvonne and to pull the plug 3 days before JB turns 50 and right before the holidays is cold!!! I know it’s a cruel world, but this is crazy. I am not happy today and I can only hope and pray for Jimmy and Yvonne. I hope they are ok!! I have met and talked to both of them at events and they are truly good people! I will miss them and hope they find a new home in Atlanta radio soon!
Michelle
November 11th, 2011
8:11 am
Didn’t mind Yvonne, but Jimmy is horrible. LOVE Steve Craig!!! He was always one of my favorite DJ’s from the 99X days. Really like the more music – less talk morning format. I hope Steve stays! I will start listening again if he does.
Mary
November 11th, 2011
8:16 am
Welcome back Steve!!! I’ve missed you.
I usually listen to Satellite radio but tuned in Friday (today) to catch up with what is happening in Atlanta and was very happy to hear Steve. Glad to see Jimmy Baron GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I love Steve!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Brent
November 11th, 2011
8:18 am
Wasn’t there a show called “The Fat Matress” a long time ago (Z93 days)? They just dumped Katie Kylie off of The River for the horrible HORRIBLE Eddie Money show (pure awful-ness)…she’d be a good fit. I wonder what Steve McCoy is doing these days?
good morning sunshine
November 11th, 2011
8:24 am
Big Fat Fail!
Andi L
November 11th, 2011
8:38 am
@ Brent: Steve is on a Denver station.
Cooker
November 11th, 2011
8:54 am
what a shame… it’s another example of Big Radio thinking that they know what the listener wants to hear-
MoreIsLess
November 11th, 2011
8:54 am
I didn’t listen to the station mainly because I can’t stand listening to goofy boy-girl deejay morning shows
Jen
November 11th, 2011
9:00 am
Jimmy and Yvonne were great! They will be missed. Bad move by the “suits.” No more good morning crews left on Atlanta radio. Too bad.
brian j
November 11th, 2011
9:06 am
I really liked Jimmy and Yvonne in the mornings, always made me laugh. I am very disappointed in this move but if you mess with Mara Davis, I will never forgive you. She ROCKS!!!
Professor Diddles McFiddles
November 11th, 2011
9:07 am
KIMMER & SNAKE DAVIS – Now that’s a morning show team!
Scott
November 11th, 2011
9:17 am
Steve Craig had better get a full time gig. He’s the best “free radio” jock out there. Open your eyes or ears in this case, Dave FM.
sally
November 11th, 2011
9:21 am
I’m so bummed…looked forward to Jimmy and Yvonne every day…got no one to listen to now…WORST MOVE EVER DAVE FM MANAGEMENT!!!!
chris
November 11th, 2011
9:25 am
i thought i had the wrong station on this morning when my alarm went off. i really liked jimmy and yvonne. too bad DAVE. you’ve lost a listener. good luck jimmy and yvonne.
K
November 11th, 2011
9:45 am
I’m sorry it meant Jimmy and Yvonne losing their jobs, really. I enjoyed them both, but I am REALLY happy to have Steve Craig back on the radio in Atlanta. He’s really fantastic.
Kaptain Kleen
November 11th, 2011
9:56 am
Lookout! It’s only The Kimmer & Snake Davis on Z93!! Herp Ho! Herp Ho! Herp Ho!
Lynn M.
November 11th, 2011
9:58 am
I really loved hearing Steve Craig today on Atlanta radio during my drive to work. This decision is the smartest one Dave Fm has made in a long, long time. Looking forward to waking up with Steve’s show in the future as long as he isn’t forced to play the Cars every day.
Delia Thompson
November 11th, 2011
10:03 am
Bring back Jimmy, Yvonne, and Crash! The new guy Steve stinks! Now Dave FM sounds just like 3 other stations in Atlanta. I guess I’ll start listening to CD’s.
Newbie
November 11th, 2011
10:05 am
As a new comer to the Atlanta Area, I have to say I am very disappointed with this move DAVE & the Suits! Jimmy & Yvonne were the ONLY radio personalities i could listen to in the Morning! I did not know their history, until reading these comments …& have no loyalty to any radio station past or present in this area. I really liked DAVES programming & rarely does my station change…except when they overkill with commercials! As a 40 something they were playing a good mix of old & new…but the past couple of weeks its gettting back to the old Classics..that have gotten so stale in the last few years!
Good luck Jimmy & Yvonne..I hope you move on to bigger & better things..I will be listening for you in the future!
Late30ish
November 11th, 2011
10:09 am
Jimmy and Yvonne were the only morning station I could stand, but frankly I’d prefer less talk and commercials and more (good) music. The real problem at DaveFM is the music, not the DJs. Who wants to hear the same song 15 times a day? They have about 20 songs they play in repeat rotation all stinking day long. BORING!! I’m sick of Adele. I’m sick of U2. I’m sick of Jack Johnson and I’m sick of Mumford and Sons. Play music people want to hear and they’ll be loyal listeners. It’s that simple. It is RADIO, after all, so give the people what they expect.
OldZ93
November 11th, 2011
10:14 am
Chase and Woodside weren’t the ones let go for playing Another One Bites the Dust during the Atlanta Missing & Murdered Summer….that was Ross & Wilson. They were around from 1978-1981 and they OWNED the Atlanta morning time slot. They were absolutely hilarious, but went too far that one day and were fired so fast they never knew what hit them.
Rodney Ho
November 11th, 2011
10:43 am
As I watch the poll I posted, I notice a pattern that has happened when other personalities get fired: at first, many of the folks who don’t like them and see it on ajc.com will post their opinions. But as days and weeks go by and people who are fans of said fired personalities go on Google and find this story, they vote in favor of them, shifting the percentages. It’s already started. It hovered at around 62% positive, dropped to 60%, and has now edged up to 65% as we hit the 24 hour mark.
CD
November 11th, 2011
10:48 am
When Jimmy first came back I cringed and was so glad for my xm radio. I must admit he has grown on me. Didn’t come off as a know-it-all like he did when he was younger. Yvonne is great. Will miss them both and wish them the best.
copy cat
November 11th, 2011
11:06 am
Bad move DAVE! Yvonne is, and has always been, one of the best DJs in Atlanta. You’ve lost me as a listener.
Gocincy
November 11th, 2011
11:08 am
Rodney,
If you’re going to comment on television and radio, use the proper terms. You’re quoting “shares” and not “ratings.”
Sluggo
November 11th, 2011
11:15 am
Radio program directors are some of the dumbest people I have ever met.
RADIO MAN
November 11th, 2011
11:16 am
Well, don’t blame the talent. If they were allowed to operate the way they wanted too, wthis wouldn’t be a discussion. Radio…REAL RADIO, went out the door when the Corporate Conglomerates took over. Now its ad traffic, ad traffic, ad traffic. Music directors and programmers where told what they could play, leaving no room to break new music. Then I saw the light in th article, corporate man, RICK CAFFEY. Need I say more? He has rode many a station into the ground while still maintaining his association with the corporate office. Can you say YES MAN?
I listen to anything BUT Atlanta radio…because it blows…..
Ddunn
November 11th, 2011
12:53 pm
I liked Yvonne alot, Jimmy was ok.
Zero Res and the commericial the the girl who needs surgery, Really? They need to go, also too much Police and sting, I change the radio station every time I hear all of them.
TheLazyComic
November 11th, 2011
12:54 pm
More corporate crap. Jimmy and Yvonne must have been making too much money. (Too much money in radio is anything over minimum wage). The problems at Dave aren’t the jocks… it’s the management’s decisions. (Funny when you compare that to Kicks… where the problem IS the jocks).
Becca
November 11th, 2011
12:57 pm
Oh, this station. When I first moved here, I thought it was a joke. Their “format” is like a 30 track rotation with 30% of that being Police and Tom Petty. And those songs are all the old radio hits, they never explore more of a band’s catalog. One time, they played Bittersweet by Big Head Todd and the Monsters every single day for a week, at the same time. I was not sure if they actually had DJs or if it was just running on someone’s ipod. The noon DJ and the one after that try to drive traffic to their website which is just a bunch of links to weeks old web memes. It is a really really sad station that seems to have no focus at all. The music is weak, repetitive, old, and from a limited selection. The show at noon is supposed to have a theme and go based on requests but the DJ only plays songs from their puny rotation and then she talks and screams very annoyingly at her failed attempts at humor. It is an awful station and they need to gut it AND START WITH THE MUSIC. STOP PLAYING THE SAME CRAP OVER AND OVER AND DIG A LITTLE DEEPER INTO ARTISTS’ CATALOGS.
Scott Woodside
November 11th, 2011
12:59 pm
I’ve read the comments and can’t help but add to this. Barry Chase and myself, Scott Woodside were the first two man morning show on FM radio in America. We started at Z93 when it went live from a recorded elevator music station. We both made $225.00 a week and that included major medical.
Let me say this to you guys. Radio is the only business in the world where you get fired for doing your job. Air talent is very rarely ever fired for doing something wrong. You get fired, or your contract isn’t renewed because you are doing what management wants. When management gets the ratings back and they suck, do you think they’re going to fire themselves? No, they usually use the morning show producer as the first scapegoat, then when that doesn’t work, they fire the morning talent, and then when that doesn’t work, the program director is fired.
I spend 30 years in broadcasting and loved every minute of it but I’ve got to tell you, that I can’t even believe how many morning shows CBS radio has been through in this market. And to think that when Chase and Woodside reuntied with the new classic rock format in 1989 and we’re still the longest running morning show that station has ever had and with the highest ratings ever, it’s really sad.
Number three in the market. The management decided they wanted to be number one so they cut out all of our talking opportunities and asked us to say the time and temperature and introduce or backsell the music. When we did what they wanted, our ratings went down the toilet overnight. Shocker……Even back then everyone wore a freaking watch and could access the temperature in their cars. But that’s why we had consultants.
I will have to say that Dave Marino and Scott Woodside had the best chemistry that two people that could ever be put together could have. We worked just a little time together on Z in the mornings, and then the reigning program director thought we were too funny or funnier than the people he had brought in from another part of the country. The program director said that he couldn’t have us being funnier than the talent he just brought in from out of town, so we were gonners.
It’s not fun re inventing yourself after 30 years in broadcasting, but its not impossible. I feel sorry for Jimmy turning 50 and wondering what he’s going to do next. Been there, and it really sucks.
Any morning talent that has been thrown pit in the street should go into sales. Every morning we all had to sell ourselves. So it only makes sense!
Take Care,
Scott Woodside-Atlanta
ginger
November 11th, 2011
1:24 pm
thank god! they were horrible. so annoying. i’m happy to have steve craig back on air. he is great.
reokii
November 11th, 2011
2:13 pm
Dave will never be the q100 or steve and vickie crap………it takes a while to catch on to Jimmy Baron, but once you do, you know he’s genuine. I have met and talked to both Jimmy and Yvonne and what you hear is what they are. I will miss them and I am very upset with Dave FM/CBS management for letting a guy go 3 days before his 50th bday and this close to the holidays. Just for the sake of change??? I like Steve but he won’t do any better…………..!!!!
3Sheetz2theWynd
November 11th, 2011
2:52 pm
Where’s the Kimmer when you need him?