The joke's on YFM readersNo, YFM CEO Kanthan Pillay has not been fired. It was all an April Fool's joke, according to the newly relaunched YFM website, “to expose the lunacy of recent reports that YFM is in financial distress, is losing listerners and is up for sale.” The new lineup, however, is not a hoax. On Monday, 31 March 2008, YFM revealed its new lineup, to which there was a total outcry and many Bizcommunity.com readers reacted by posting sarcastic comments, some of which branding the lineup boring and disappointing and predicting the station's ‘sudden death'. Then, according to the youth station's website and news bulletins, the controversial Pillay was sacked Tuesday morning following a report in the Monday issue of Daily Sun that the station was struggling to make ends meet. Flurry of speculationThis resulted in a further flurry of speculation by sceptical listeners and Bizcommunity.com readers, who had already been voting the new lineup as an April Fool's joke, that this was just another. But one insider told Bizcommunity.com that Pillay's sacking was imminent as he seemed to have lost steam to pull the station out of the ‘purgatory'. “Things are very bad in there at the moment. Just look at their lineup and their content and you will understand that the station has really fallen on hard times. I am afraid if things do not change soon, YFM might be forced to close down,” the source said last night on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject. Many observers continue to blame Pillay's style of management for causing the exodus of several talented and experienced DJs and sales and marketing staff. Yesterday's hoax also coincided with the launch of the station's revamped multimedia website, Yworld, which includes blogs, podcasts, audio streaming and galleries for greater community interaction. Burning issuesFor more information, listen to the YFM podcast in which Pillay talks about the station's burning issues – including his style of management – and saying that many people who post comments on Bizcommunity.com have grown with the station and are now in their 30s but still wish the station to be the way it was 10 years ago. The reports in Sowetan and Daily Sun alleging that YFM is in financial trouble are also mentioned in the podcast interview. The hoax news bulletin in full from the Yfm website: Controversial YFM CEO sacked The bulletin this morning, Wednesday, 2 April 2008, from the Yfm website: Kanthan aint going nowhere Update 3 April 2008: According to the podcast, DJ Sbu is not joining YFM or any radio station but is exploring opportunities off air. |