Mike Wills leaves Cape Talk 567
“The dogs have barked, but the caravan moves on” were the closing words of 567MW Morning Show host Mike Wills as I drove to work this morning. It’s a sad day. I’ve been listening to Mike’s morning show for years and am going to miss his flawless talent, genuine concern for humanity, and interest in bringing you the news as it happens.
Why exactly Primedia (parent company of 567 and 702) have chosen to remove Mike is beyond me. Mike stated that “It’s simply a business decision, there’s no conspiracy or politics going on here” [paraphrased], but in his farewall to Mike, funny-man Solly Philander joked that he wanted to read Mike a poem, but that he thought if he read “Three blind mice” that management would think he was referring to them. Rather witty on the surface – but it smacks of something more sinister happening behind the scenes.
I will drop in on the radio station from time to time, but the management at the station has lost a great deal of my respect. The least they could do would be to tell us the basis and reasoning behind their discussion. I wish Mike the very best for all his future endevours.
I agree – my mornings just haven’t been the same since Mike left. And as much as I’ve been trying to give Aiden Thomas the benefit of the doubt, I just don’t enjoy the morning show as much as I used to. I wish Cape Talk had been a bit more open about their reasons for not renewing Mike’s contract. I guess the only logical explanation is that the decision was BEE based. Whatever. At the end of the day, Cape Talk has definitely let one of the better guys go…
Nic
5 Jul 06 at 5:10 pm
Thanks so much for your comment. I totally agree. It must be a BEE decision but its a real shame to loose one of your best presenters. Ah
timkeller
12 Jul 06 at 10:25 am
Mike Wills was the main reason I lisened to Cape Talk. I now listen mainly to SAFM, but still switch stations looking for someone like Mike.
Daniel
18 Jul 06 at 8:51 am
Really sad to see Mike gone. It was great to wake up to someone who sounds like just a regular guy, but is really passionate about what he does and what he believes in. Agree, could only have been a BEE decision. The poor fellow they have in his place now brings up frightening memories of Frasier Crane’s colleague Gil, the way he unmelodiously sings his message across. Primedia, do what you have to do, but the day John Maytham leaves you’ll lose a sizable portion of your ‘thinking’ audience.
David
19 Jul 06 at 8:41 am
Thanks for dropping in guys. Yeah its got to the point where I’ve just stopped listening to 567. Except John Maytham on occasion… especially now that 5fm have moved shock-jock Gareth Cliff to the morning slot and put the mediocre DJ “Fresh” in his drive time slot.
Radio really is dying.
This page is now number 1 on Google so Mike, if you ever find this page pleeease drop us a message. We’d love to hear your voice again!
timkeller
20 Jul 06 at 6:32 pm
Really miss Mike in the mornings. I have also stopped listening to Cape Talk in the mornings now that mike is gone. Do still listen to John in the evenings though.
Kevin
28 Jul 06 at 7:48 pm
It is a shame and having now given Mike’s replacemnt plenty of time to settle in, I must say he just doesn’t cut it. When Aden was subbing on the early afternoon show, I quite enjoyed him. He was a welcome relief from Lisa Chait New Age – Camps Bay – upper-class trivia.
However, Aiden is just not awake in the morning nor sharp enough in his comments or interviews to keep my attention. It’s like he is continually stalling for time while he plays catchup with his script.
I understand the BEE needs and no doubt the difficulty in finding glib and polished English-speaking presenters that haven’t been vacuumed up by television. But why not bring back Mike Wills, move Aisen to early afternoon (where he is comfortable) and move Lisa to Cape-centred weekend shows and features.I think CapeTalk really blew it as the morning show is the most importnat slot (if people switch off in the AM, they likely won’t listen later).
Speaking of such, is Primedia going bankrupt? First we had a loss of Sunday programming (Oh yeah – we REALLY wanted yet another recycled oldies music station! In AM mono!) to save money – now it has spread to Saturdays as well. Poor Leigh Bennie carries on working six days a week doing yoeman service backing up some of the excellent evening/weekend presenters. Lisa Chait could help out here and perhaps bring some needed variety to these slots.
Finally, is it just me or is John Maytham becoming even more irritable (and to some, irritating)? Is it possible that a fate similar to Mike’s awaits him when a suitable BEE replacement becomes available?
Quoting from the Mail & Guardian
http://tinyurl.com/n9rdv
Ryan Till, general manager of Primedia Radio opines that as an international trend in commercial radio, the morning drive show nets an estimated 35-40% of any given station’s overall revenue. Mike Wills, the voice of CapeTalk 567’s morning show, agrees. “Generally speaking the available audience is biggest, and most stations rate highest on the morning drive.”
So what does this tell us? Primedia is willing to risk 40% of its potential CapeTalk revenue by replacing Wills with the not-ready-for-morning time Thomas? Perhaps their back was and is to the wall, both on the BEE front and financially. Mike may have been expensive and it may have been that his contract was up for renewal, making the choice of nonrenewal easy (and an honest-ish answer to the obvious question why).
Perhaps CapeTalk is on life support. There has certainly not been much positive investment as far as I can tell. Primedia may have bigger fish to fry and the significance of an English-language, white-oriented radio station in the sleepy Mother City is probably an embarassment to them.
Steve
16 Sep 06 at 3:41 pm
I could not agree with you more. Great post. I turn on CapeTalk less than twice a month these days… Before July I listened to it 24/7. I really hope this years AMPS survey shows them how many listeners they’ve lost.
timkeller
16 Sep 06 at 3:47 pm
I TOO MISS MIKE WILLS. I THINK AIDAN THOMAS GUY IS AWFUL – SO CONCEITED AND VAIN AND LIKES BLOWING HIS OWN HORN. UGH! AND HE IS VERY BORING!!! HE MAKES STUPID, MUNDANE AND INANE COMMENTS!! CAPE TALK, U HAVE MADE A BIG MISTAKE!!
Luba Reis
3 Jul 07 at 11:32 am
I too agree that Mike Wills is such a loss to 567 I used to listed to Cape Talk 24/7 but find Aiden Thomas very glib and also uninformed pandering to the lower masses whereas Mike Wills, John Maythem and even Lisa Chait give us an informed well researched show. Even your nighttime show hosts are boring and not worth listening to these days. If John Maythem goes it will definitely be time to look for another station.
antje seymour
25 Sep 07 at 3:03 pm
It is well into the program at this stage, but I have never clicked with Aden Thomas, I hate the way he always has to stir the racial pot. I agree there are times when it can’t be avoided but he seems to relish dipping in there. It is always guarateed to get a response of course – but do we really need this constant button pushing. Another thing is Aiden never replies when you e-mail him, John Maytham always gives you some response.
having said all that, I wouldn’t thank you for Mike Mills return either. I think thier all quite mundane compared to John. Viva John Maytham for president!!
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