Is Alan Cross the new Rick Dees or Kasey Kasem?

[nopride]

I saw an informercial late at night with Alan selling the "Spirit of Rock" compilations for HMV. Nothing like the "Spirit of the Edge" compilations of years past. However there is no "Spirit" in any of the compilations. Just a hits package of everything that Q107 and the Mix 99.9 play with the odd Clash hit. Hopefully he made enough money doing those ads to buy a new deck.

[anon]

We all have to pay the bills. The bank doesn't place much value on pride.

[Ronco]

D.I.N.K. Dual income, no kids. And pretty significant incomes. He can afford to say no to some things.

[anon]

I thought radio paid rather poorly.... and, out of curiosity, what would you consider significant?

[Ronco]

Well, he's a PD at a major market Toronto station(albiet the cheapest company in the biz), after coming through the ranks for many years. I'd peg his station income at somewhere between 100-130K, plus the side projects stuff: Air Canada, Ongoing History Syndication, etc.
His wife Mary-Ellen works for 680 news and likely pulls between 60-80k.

[anon]

Yeah, I remember MEB from her news days at NY.

Wow, they're paid much better than I'd thought, thanks for answering my question. One more, if you're willing; what would be a ball-park figure for a gig like AC's EnrouteFM? (Curious, since AC is my employer.)

[Dave Holden]

That's just rude. Don Berns (the voice of CTV) was TSN's voice guy throughout his CFNY / Coast 1040 time as well as lots of cheezy infomercials. I don't see you referring to him as Kasey Kasem or Ed McMahon, or whoever. (of course, we all like Don!) Voice work is voice work. I bet you'd love some mailbox money as much as the next guy. ...whatever. Get a topic.

[Sammi]

Who cares? It's not considered voice work when you appear on camera and say your this for here and there. It is about the misrepresentaion of what his relationship is with the word "Spirit", and how he has turned it into a Q107 hits package. Cross did not invent anything to do with the "Spirit or Radio". He just made money off of it and changed it into something else that has nothing to do with what it's original meaning was in the first place.

[anon]

Misrepresentation? I doubt that anyone will be duped into thinking that there's any sort of connection to 1980's CFNY. "Spirit of ____" has very broad meaning in pop culture and CFNY hardly had a lock on the phrase. Even "Spirit of Radio" could be legitimately claimed by a certain hard-rock band. ;-(

[therealspiritofradio]

anon wrote: "Even "Spirit of Radio" could be legitimately claimed by a certain hard-rock band."

and that "certain hard-rock band" wrote it about CFNY wayyyyy back when. ;-)

[Amber]

The answer is yes.

[silverglobe]

alan doesn't look like Weird Al as much anymore after shaving that moustache!!!!