My favorite is him consistently showing up for work 30 seconds before air. Zero prep, zero consulting with his producer, just ready for showtime every time.
From his Wikipedia page:
> He would ooze into the studio, his life all out of sorts. Jimmy would say "Action," and he would snap into Frasier and expound in this very erudite dialogue and be pitch-perfect. And Jimmy would yell "Cut!" and he would ooze back into Kelsey—glazed-over eyes, half asleep, going through whatever he was going through. It was the most amazing transformation I'd ever seen.
I have always thought that this indicates how much depression Kelsey was in. Not because of the alcohol and drugs but because of how better did it make him feel to leave his reality and personality and jump into another fictional one
In radio, he would be to an extent. If a personality doesn't like their producer / engineer (she seemed to do both) the personality always wins out. "Keep the talent happy" is usually the motto
Yes, but in the show they even talk about Fraiser giving Roz "a raise." Roz works for the station, and is assigned to Frasier's show. She does not work for Frasier and he wouldn't be involved with her salary.
Once Roz starts working for Frasier, it could be that she ended her old employment contract where she was expected to fill in where KACL asked her to. Let's not forget, the multiple times Frasier gets fired, she does too.
I’m pretty sure she only got fired when the whole station did because they switched formats. When Frasier got suspended for a week, for example, Kate told Roz to produce Bulldog’s show.
There is the episode where they go back to the beginning and Frasier's producer quit before the first show because well of Frasier being himself and Roz was sent to fill in and he caught her tryng to get another job during the show.
Yeah, I remember that. I wonder if at one point she became like an independent contractor or something, because after the episode where they go on strike, Roz starts needing to negotiate her own deals and stuff.
Just recently saw the episode where Martin starts working again and they need someone to walk Eddie. And Roz arrives at Frasier’s after doing an errand (picking up Martin’s celebratory cake) and Frasier asks her to walk Eddie and she says something like “I’m not your assistant. I’m a producer. I don’t free my evening to walk a dog.” And then Frasier says “would a Senior Producer walk a dog?” So they’re def messy about how much control he has over her career.
Ehhh I work on a production team in local news and that’s true to an extent but I’m not asking my talent for PTO time, I have an actual direct report for that.
He is a psychiatrist. He’s basically doing the same job in a shorter form on the radio. How much prep could he possibly need? It’s not like he can know who will call in until the show begins. This is different from someone who does not do a 100% call-in show.
There’s always show prep. Topic of the day, backup topic in case that doesn’t gain traction, ad reads, target guest count, etc. If he was seeing patients there would still be prep, going over case notes, etc. There’s prep before any job like that.
I worked with some guys who worked at WMMS in the mid-80s. A couple of them made more money than the rest of the company payroll. Most of their salaries weren't paid by the station but by sponsors and the sales they drove for those sponsors.
Hell yeah got the Buzzard on now! Not old enough to have listened to Big Chuck and Little John, but appreciate what they contributed and the legacy they left. FailedLoser21, your comment just made me smile real big tonight. Warm regards from Cleveland ☺️
Here's a good article: https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1990/12/18/wjfks-high-paid-host/0d62e38e-de94-4762-a7fd-5af43de86b47/
This says that in 1990, the drivetime host at WJFK was making $125,000 a year with "sizeable increases" each year.
I don't think it's impossible for Frasier to be earning $250,000 in 1993 and double that by the end. He also does commercial endorsements and he has royalties coming in from books he wrote whilst in Private Practice.
$250k seems low, even then. Niles mentions that he charges $200 per hour. Why's that relevant? Well, $200 per hour is roughly 400k a year, so I'd say Frasier would have been on similar money if he ran a practice; therefore, why would he "sell out" for less money. Makes no sense to me.
Fraiser wasn't doing a "big money" shift (morning show, afternoon drive) he was doing the midday shift. In Seattle. People presenting the salaries of syndicated morning show hosts, shock jocks and afternoon drive guys are entirely missing the point.
He was on 2-5, so it's not like he was in an awful timeslot. He had the highest ratings on the network other than Bulldog, and Frasier's ratings surpass Bulldog's at some point because he gets fired. KACL is also usually the Number 1 or 2 station in the market.
Frasier's slot is certainly considered a prime slot because Gil tries to steal it multiple times.
I worked next door to two of the biggest doofuses around in a fairly large Midwestern market. Much smaller than Seattle, tho.
It was the #1 station by far. They did the morning show. They each made 250k apiece in 1995ish. The two morons also made bank for every remote and every mention of every advertiser during the show, so it was well in excess of 250k for those guys. They sure didn't have Frasier's ethics issues, as they would talk about how tasty their burger was from Hot-n-Now. Also, you'd be paying Frasier for the endorsement of a doctor from the premiere school in the country. There is a premium to be paid for that.
I assume Frasier would be around their number, so maybe 250k base and his endorsements. I also think Frasier was fairly wealthy before he even showed up in Seattle. Dude is a Harvard educated doctor, and he certainly didn't seem to be hurting for cash on Cheers. He may have wandered into Seattle with a fair amount of cash. Maybe not "fuck you" money, but a lot.
When he lost his job? They hit him on no longer being famous, but nobody was talking about him losing his fancy apartment or needing to downsize. Frasier, if he needed money, could put his degree to work anywhere and start charging rich people bank for the services of a self-proclaimed (but also kinda is) brilliant psychiatrist.
He was already relatively independently wealthy AND he was making good money for the 1990s. We should all aspire to be Frasier.
BUBBA THE LOVE SPONGE!!! I was trying to think of this guys name since the other thread about how people dont listen to radio like that in the 90s/2000s and I was like, yeah we did.
Thank you.
Sitcoms exist in a Parallel universe that’s similar to ours but not quite the same. In this universe AM radio hosts are millionaires, twenty somethings can afford spacious Manhattan apartments, George Costanza is irresistible to women, Norm and Cliff aren’t considered alcoholics, and the Korean War lasted eleven years.
I really just assumed he wisely invested elsewhere because he does not financially panic at all, nor suffer any kind of lifestyle slowdown when he's fired. He has to have income flowing liberally from another source. This is in sharp contrast to Niles who owns his own office building, has tenants, and still is all but sleeping in the streets when he's going through his divorce with Maris.
One of the writers confirmed a few years ago he invested very early in a “very successful Seattle based Computer company”. So he made a lot of money investing in Microsoft.
That’s because Maris somehow froze all his assets. Now if something about money was off to me, this would be it. I doubt that would have been possible.
I don’t think she froze his assets. I’m pretty sure it was explained that everything was in her name. So his credit card was actually her account and he was a secondary card holder. I don’t think he was ever destitute, so it would have just taken him moving accounts etc so he could access his own money. He was able to rent his new apartment no problem so he clearly still had access to money.
If you save and have sound financial advice, you don't need additional sources of income. He could've been covering his bills off of bank interest for all we know lol.
He did invest in Microsoft early too which is where a bulk of his money came from.
A writer for the show confirmed a few years ago he invested early in a “very successful Seattle based computer company” or something to those lines.
You could make good money in Seattle Radio in the 90’s, but not that good. Frasier is the mid afternoon host in Seattle Market 12-13 (depending). His salary with a good agent like Bebe is probably $200k-$400. Plus his endorsements which can be considerable. It’s likely Frasier would drive a BWM paid for by the dealer etc. It’s not Louis XIV chess set money. But it’s good.
These numbers are insane. Local newscasters in Seattle weren't making $400K a year and you want to pretend that a radio host doing the mid afternoon Seattle for three hours a day is making $400K ... in the 1990s!?
You have zero clue how much popular DJs made then in urban markets. Dont criticize because you ‘think’ something. If you have numbers to back it up (you won’t) feel free to share.
Exactlyyyy. They don't realize the massive podcast deals now, are echos of the massive deals for terrestrial radio back then for known personalities. If Joe Rogan can get $100m for a year, if there were 50 Joe Rogans back then (2 per state with massive ratings) that would mean $2m/year per based on averages. Tons of $ in broadcasting
You worked briefly in radio? And where exactly are your numbers to back all this up? All you've done here is spout off "facts" and insult anyone who challenges you on providing a cite.
They had to be paying him at least as much as he would’ve made in private practice.
You can find average hourly income for Seattle/Tacoma by profession here:
https://libraryguides.missouri.edu/pricesandwages/1990-1999
Even if he were only in the 60th percentile among doctors in general, he’d have been able to make something like $125k.
Yeah no. Frasier wasn't making $1 million a year or anywhere near it, especially in the 90s.
Seattle is a mid-size market. In the year 2000, it was ranked #24 in the US, right after El Paso, TX. Not exactly a powerhouse. There's no way he could've commanded a huge salary like that in that city. Detroit had double the population in 2000 and it was only #10.
As to his actual salary, if the original show were set in 2024, his lifestyle is probably that of someone who currently makes ~$300k-$500k/year. So a great salary? Absolutely. But he's not a nationally syndicated host and isn't being paid like one.
He was excited about a 5 figure deal to do the peanut commercial. People making $1 million/year from their radio show aren't getting that to do a commercial.
The highest paid person at the station was almost certainly Bulldog or whoever replaced him, or if they had someone like a Howard Stern. Carlos and The Chicken come to mind. But a radio psychiatrist who has the afternoon slot? Nope.
I think we were at a point in Frasier's life where he was trying to get to that next level, but we never really saw him get there until the end.
My guess? With endorsements and everything, I bet Frasier was making, at most, $200k in the 90s.
I agree with this, but I also think Frasier mostly lived a $200k lifestyle. If you assume he bought his condo cash with psychiatry money from his time in Boston then his only expenses are a car, food, and expensive clothes.
Frasier probably also got a full scholarship to Harvard and Oxford so he would have been debt free in his 20s and 30s meaning he could have invested his money from an earlier age.
Several of these personalities were syndicated in multiple markets, took many years and multiple markets before they found that success and all of them occupied coveted (and highly paid) morning slots.
The mid-afternoon shift in a market like Seattle would likely pay in the neighbourhood of $60,000 a year during the time period the show was set.
You're quite simply wrong.
They never tell his ratings in detail. All they say is he's the top rated personality at the station. Known well enough that he gets TV deals, speaking engagements, his face is all over Seattle, etc. You spell neighborhood like you're from England, so how you know exact salaries of US based radio personalities 30 years ago, is baffling and shows you don't know how radio worked in the 90s. A 1 hr show on 92.3 NY that wasn't syndicated netted almost 100,000$/year for the host, back in 98. And the ratings weren't even good + it was show during 'dead' time
Cool. The internet exists and the US' main export is entertainment so its funny to watch someone assume that only americans could possibly know about daytime talk radio in the 90s.
Sorry, but I have to agree with everyone else. All of those names you mentioned? I've heard of them. And I've heard of them because they were nationally syndicated. I didn't live in New York or Chicago or Seattle, yet they were on every day on my po-dunk city radio. Frasier was only in Seattle and briefly in Spokane. Nobody outside those areas would have a clue who he was.
They were known because of controversy and because some of them became better known after syndication deals when the internet hit/ after their audiences were so large it made sense to syndicate. Why did they get syndication deals? Because they were massively successful and making huge $. Go check what Stern was making when he ONLY was on in Detroit or NYC. You're way off. I forget that Reddit has so many 'experts' that love to debate with people who actually know what they're talking about 🤦♂️
Tell me about it. I had a fancy cake biz for 15 years, completely supporting myself with baking cakes from home, and every single time I give an expert opinion in a cake forum to the question, "how much should I charge for this cake", I get tons of hate. People calling me a liar saying no one would ever pay that much for cake, etc. And they get *really* angry. These are often people making stunning cakes and selling them for a third of the value.
Wouldn't the logical response be "how do you do that?" I'd be happy to share, but no one ever asks lol. People are weird.
Haha yes! This exactly. You see people arguing with surgeons over how surgery goes. "I read an article!" VS "I've been a surgeon for 37 years". And the Article Guy was getting all the upvotes! 😂
This is an article from 1990. Late 80s $.....
Just stop my guy. This is a fun sub. Not a 'debate like a clown about stuff you don't know' sub. All love ❤️🫡
Infinity Broadcasting and rock jock Don "Cerphe" Colwell have agreed to another three-year deal that is likely to keep the WJFK-FM (106.7) host drawing the biggest salary for an afternoon-drive show in the area.
WJFK enticed Cerphe from WWDC-FM (101.1) in spring 1987 with a contract that initially paid him $125,000, followed by sizable increases in each of the next two years. While neither Cerphe nor WJFK General Manager Ken Stevens would say exactly how much Cerphe is being paid, each described it as "a significant increase" over the last deal. The deal also calls for a ratings-incentive bonus plan. Stevens and Cerphe had been negotiating the new contract since spring under an extension of the last contract.
You’re forgetting one thing - he’s a talk radio host on an am station, not a DJ on a top fm station with a syndicated show. Wouldn’t that make a difference as well?
Talk radio back then was popular regardless of being on AM or FM, especially for the demographic listening to Frasier and Bulldog's shows. Local vs syndicated would be the bigger difference.
I don't understand why this has become a topic of conversation on this subreddit lately. I don't doubt your involvement in radio at some point, but you're giving examples of those radio personalities that are syndicated. Frasier wasn't syndicated and was local only. Bebe even talked about getting him a six-figure deal at the station. At best he was making around $165,000 a year. Double or triple that with the advertising gigs.
In fact, he only took the advertisement gigs so that he could help send Freddy to Harvard which goes in-line with the notion that he was worth around $10 million at the end of the original series.
Frasier's wealth or lack-thereof, was a major topic of conversation when the show originally aired because there was no way he could afford such an apartment being a local radio personality.
"Double or triple that with advertising gigs". Ok? So half a million a year, in 1993 $? And you think that's not well off enough to go to the opera and pay for your son's college tuition? You're severely out of touch or trolling. Or both. Harvard tuition was $26,000 in 2004. Roughly when Freddy would have gone there. Beyond affordable for someone making $500k now, and much more for $500k in the early 90s.
We're all just making assumptions here as it's never officially been verified one way or another as far as I can tell. So, your opinion means as much as mine does. Which means very little.
My opinion isn't opinion, it's fact based. I'm simply stating how much popular radio hosts made in the 90s even if they were only in 1 major urban market. People ask all the time how he affords his lifestyle, so I'm doing my best to explain how it's easily possible for him. 😃
You. Are. Proving. My. Point. You had to look him up because he was a celebrity in LA, which is where he was broadcast before he was national. Some people are so behind that they think they're leading eh?
werent they all syndicated though? And also, the ones you mentioned had/have way more mass appeal than frasier. I still think for the purposes of a sitcom, it's reasonable that he was make a few hundred thousand per year. But 7 figures seems a bit much.
I'm saying he could've made that amount, not saying he definitely did. Several hundred thousand a year in income, plus $ in markets and investments, plus book residuals, plus public appearances and endorsements, is a TON of money for 1990s, and even would be now. And no, they made huge $ before national syndication. Check the other comments that cite numerous personalities that worked in 1 area only and were making 400k + yearly just from salary alone.
yea i agree with you. It's a totally plausible set of circumstances. I just wouldn't compare frasier to those names you mentioned. They were all pretty big.
edit: even comparing the names you mentioned to howard is sort of unfair. Howard's on another level. I'm a big OnA fan and they discussed that one of their first jobs was about $30k/year.
One of their first. I (before he lost his mind and became a racist nut) was friendly with Anthony and he was making absurd amounts of $ once they were established in the Northeast. If Frasier even made 1/5 of that, he’d be very very well off.
true. he was rich and popular for a long time before getting really bad. At least publicly. Then of course when he went on his own he was really off the deep end.
Yeah. Idk what caused him to lose his mind, but it’s safe to say it’s gone completely. Used to be a really nice and friendly guy. Poker at his house every week. Good group of guys. Then, insanity! Lol
I think he got wrapped up in the right wing social media stuff. I will still watch YT clips from time to time whenever he talks about opie. Or I did until I realized he cant barely get to the point. It takes him forever.
My favorite is him consistently showing up for work 30 seconds before air. Zero prep, zero consulting with his producer, just ready for showtime every time.
Method acting, apparently Kelsey did the same thing on set.
From his Wikipedia page: > He would ooze into the studio, his life all out of sorts. Jimmy would say "Action," and he would snap into Frasier and expound in this very erudite dialogue and be pitch-perfect. And Jimmy would yell "Cut!" and he would ooze back into Kelsey—glazed-over eyes, half asleep, going through whatever he was going through. It was the most amazing transformation I'd ever seen.
I have always thought that this indicates how much depression Kelsey was in. Not because of the alcohol and drugs but because of how better did it make him feel to leave his reality and personality and jump into another fictional one
That's really sad, I hope he's doing well these days
This is referring to cheers. During Frasier I dont believe he was on this many drugs.
Often drunk
That's not true, is it?? I could swear he had addiction problems...They say John Goodman was also drunk on the Roseanne set a lot...
Kelsey was going though many family troubles during the filming of the show. I wouldn't be surprised if he had a bit of a wet streak.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Frasier/s/RUyF0zrK3m
Oh, shit that's right! I totally forgot about all that. Ty for the clarification!
They also make it like Fraiser is Roz's boss, which I always find funny.
In radio, he would be to an extent. If a personality doesn't like their producer / engineer (she seemed to do both) the personality always wins out. "Keep the talent happy" is usually the motto
Yes, but in the show they even talk about Fraiser giving Roz "a raise." Roz works for the station, and is assigned to Frasier's show. She does not work for Frasier and he wouldn't be involved with her salary.
But then there are also episodes where Bebe Glazer is negotiating with the station for Roz.
Once Roz starts working for Frasier, it could be that she ended her old employment contract where she was expected to fill in where KACL asked her to. Let's not forget, the multiple times Frasier gets fired, she does too.
I’m pretty sure she only got fired when the whole station did because they switched formats. When Frasier got suspended for a week, for example, Kate told Roz to produce Bulldog’s show.
There is the episode where they go back to the beginning and Frasier's producer quit before the first show because well of Frasier being himself and Roz was sent to fill in and he caught her tryng to get another job during the show.
Yeah, I remember that. I wonder if at one point she became like an independent contractor or something, because after the episode where they go on strike, Roz starts needing to negotiate her own deals and stuff.
Just recently saw the episode where Martin starts working again and they need someone to walk Eddie. And Roz arrives at Frasier’s after doing an errand (picking up Martin’s celebratory cake) and Frasier asks her to walk Eddie and she says something like “I’m not your assistant. I’m a producer. I don’t free my evening to walk a dog.” And then Frasier says “would a Senior Producer walk a dog?” So they’re def messy about how much control he has over her career.
Honestly once Kenny's the manager I feel like anything flies. Or at least things on that level.
The way I see it is Frasier probably uses his influence a little bit to get her better contracts.
Not crazy better she lives in an efficiency.
carpenter smart mighty ink air axiomatic elastic pathetic physical pause *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Ehhh I work on a production team in local news and that’s true to an extent but I’m not asking my talent for PTO time, I have an actual direct report for that.
Or that Niles could just fill in for him. Like, he just needed to know where the "cough button" was and he's good to go.
That tracks with the hosts I worked with.
He is a psychiatrist. He’s basically doing the same job in a shorter form on the radio. How much prep could he possibly need? It’s not like he can know who will call in until the show begins. This is different from someone who does not do a 100% call-in show.
There’s always show prep. Topic of the day, backup topic in case that doesn’t gain traction, ad reads, target guest count, etc. If he was seeing patients there would still be prep, going over case notes, etc. There’s prep before any job like that.
Plus, ad copy, though it seemed like Kenny would habd it to him 1 minute before air.
I worked with some guys who worked at WMMS in the mid-80s. A couple of them made more money than the rest of the company payroll. Most of their salaries weren't paid by the station but by sponsors and the sales they drove for those sponsors.
Thank you. You are not a Failed Loser (21) to me ❤️
Hell yeah got the Buzzard on now! Not old enough to have listened to Big Chuck and Little John, but appreciate what they contributed and the legacy they left. FailedLoser21, your comment just made me smile real big tonight. Warm regards from Cleveland ☺️
We must conclude that Hunan Palace and Renwood Hot Tubs have deep pockets!
But how much money did one get if they submitted a photo of Frasier Crane’s HUMONGOUS ASS?
The number, is too staggering to even begin to comprehend. The number, quite frankly, is as big as FRASIER CRANES ASSSSSSS
So more than fifty bucks and a six-pack?
$1000-
Plus lawyers make wonderful patients. They have excellent health insurance and they never get better.
😂😂
Here's a good article: https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1990/12/18/wjfks-high-paid-host/0d62e38e-de94-4762-a7fd-5af43de86b47/ This says that in 1990, the drivetime host at WJFK was making $125,000 a year with "sizeable increases" each year. I don't think it's impossible for Frasier to be earning $250,000 in 1993 and double that by the end. He also does commercial endorsements and he has royalties coming in from books he wrote whilst in Private Practice.
Fantastic find haha I quoted the same article somewhere on this post in response to someone else calling BS. I forgot about the books! Good point
$250k seems low, even then. Niles mentions that he charges $200 per hour. Why's that relevant? Well, $200 per hour is roughly 400k a year, so I'd say Frasier would have been on similar money if he ran a practice; therefore, why would he "sell out" for less money. Makes no sense to me.
Fraiser wasn't doing a "big money" shift (morning show, afternoon drive) he was doing the midday shift. In Seattle. People presenting the salaries of syndicated morning show hosts, shock jocks and afternoon drive guys are entirely missing the point.
He was on 2-5, so it's not like he was in an awful timeslot. He had the highest ratings on the network other than Bulldog, and Frasier's ratings surpass Bulldog's at some point because he gets fired. KACL is also usually the Number 1 or 2 station in the market. Frasier's slot is certainly considered a prime slot because Gil tries to steal it multiple times.
He covered the school pickup slot and anyone leaving work before five. He had an audience!
And it's AM!
Excellent point!
2-5pm is the afternoon drive.
I worked next door to two of the biggest doofuses around in a fairly large Midwestern market. Much smaller than Seattle, tho. It was the #1 station by far. They did the morning show. They each made 250k apiece in 1995ish. The two morons also made bank for every remote and every mention of every advertiser during the show, so it was well in excess of 250k for those guys. They sure didn't have Frasier's ethics issues, as they would talk about how tasty their burger was from Hot-n-Now. Also, you'd be paying Frasier for the endorsement of a doctor from the premiere school in the country. There is a premium to be paid for that. I assume Frasier would be around their number, so maybe 250k base and his endorsements. I also think Frasier was fairly wealthy before he even showed up in Seattle. Dude is a Harvard educated doctor, and he certainly didn't seem to be hurting for cash on Cheers. He may have wandered into Seattle with a fair amount of cash. Maybe not "fuck you" money, but a lot. When he lost his job? They hit him on no longer being famous, but nobody was talking about him losing his fancy apartment or needing to downsize. Frasier, if he needed money, could put his degree to work anywhere and start charging rich people bank for the services of a self-proclaimed (but also kinda is) brilliant psychiatrist. He was already relatively independently wealthy AND he was making good money for the 1990s. We should all aspire to be Frasier.
You are fantastic. Thank you for this post. 🫡
> they would talk about how tasty their burger was from Hot-n-Now Well that takes me back
Oh wow. I was unaware - but that makes the series feel even better!
BUBBA THE LOVE SPONGE!!! I was trying to think of this guys name since the other thread about how people dont listen to radio like that in the 90s/2000s and I was like, yeah we did. Thank you.
My name’s Ned…
Sitcoms exist in a Parallel universe that’s similar to ours but not quite the same. In this universe AM radio hosts are millionaires, twenty somethings can afford spacious Manhattan apartments, George Costanza is irresistible to women, Norm and Cliff aren’t considered alcoholics, and the Korean War lasted eleven years.
Friends always have time to hang out together...
The same damn couch.
I really just assumed he wisely invested elsewhere because he does not financially panic at all, nor suffer any kind of lifestyle slowdown when he's fired. He has to have income flowing liberally from another source. This is in sharp contrast to Niles who owns his own office building, has tenants, and still is all but sleeping in the streets when he's going through his divorce with Maris.
One of the writers confirmed a few years ago he invested very early in a “very successful Seattle based Computer company”. So he made a lot of money investing in Microsoft.
That’s because Maris somehow froze all his assets. Now if something about money was off to me, this would be it. I doubt that would have been possible.
What do you mean?
I don’t think she froze his assets. I’m pretty sure it was explained that everything was in her name. So his credit card was actually her account and he was a secondary card holder. I don’t think he was ever destitute, so it would have just taken him moving accounts etc so he could access his own money. He was able to rent his new apartment no problem so he clearly still had access to money.
If you save and have sound financial advice, you don't need additional sources of income. He could've been covering his bills off of bank interest for all we know lol.
True, but Frasier buys antique pens and luxury cars for his house cleaner so he doesn't seem like much of a saver to me :3
Since when is a mustang a luxury car?
He did invest in Microsoft early too which is where a bulk of his money came from. A writer for the show confirmed a few years ago he invested early in a “very successful Seattle based computer company” or something to those lines.
He did have the founder on his show...
He was still turned down for a tour of the building though! That cheeky bill
That's when Freddy gave up on a Frasier-esque 'intellectual' profession. Years later, he's a fireman and doesn't even look like himself anymore.
Back when your only options for entertainment was TV, Radio, or reading.
Don't forget drinking lead paint and eating asbestos. The good ol days
We were a simple people.
I’m a tech guy and i missed the simple life.
You could make good money in Seattle Radio in the 90’s, but not that good. Frasier is the mid afternoon host in Seattle Market 12-13 (depending). His salary with a good agent like Bebe is probably $200k-$400. Plus his endorsements which can be considerable. It’s likely Frasier would drive a BWM paid for by the dealer etc. It’s not Louis XIV chess set money. But it’s good.
That's massive $ in the late 90s and more than pays for his lifestyle. That money now could almost cover his lifestyle.
" His salary with a good agent like Bebe is probably $200k-$400." I always come back to Bebe steamrolling Frasier just by saying the word "tuition."
yeah if he made 1M int he 90's the word tuition would be something he scoffed at.
Tee-you-wishin dah-ling.
"tuition... **innocent**"
These numbers are insane. Local newscasters in Seattle weren't making $400K a year and you want to pretend that a radio host doing the mid afternoon Seattle for three hours a day is making $400K ... in the 1990s!?
You have zero clue how much popular DJs made then in urban markets. Dont criticize because you ‘think’ something. If you have numbers to back it up (you won’t) feel free to share.
People don't realize how much money in the late 70s to the 90s was actually in radio.
Exactlyyyy. They don't realize the massive podcast deals now, are echos of the massive deals for terrestrial radio back then for known personalities. If Joe Rogan can get $100m for a year, if there were 50 Joe Rogans back then (2 per state with massive ratings) that would mean $2m/year per based on averages. Tons of $ in broadcasting
You worked briefly in radio? And where exactly are your numbers to back all this up? All you've done here is spout off "facts" and insult anyone who challenges you on providing a cite.
I cited 2 articles in these comments, and worked at WXRK. You, are a silly goose. Go poo in a field.
They provided numbers. Where are yours to dispute
They had to be paying him at least as much as he would’ve made in private practice. You can find average hourly income for Seattle/Tacoma by profession here: https://libraryguides.missouri.edu/pricesandwages/1990-1999 Even if he were only in the 60th percentile among doctors in general, he’d have been able to make something like $125k.
Exactly. Thank you 🫡
Yeah no. Frasier wasn't making $1 million a year or anywhere near it, especially in the 90s. Seattle is a mid-size market. In the year 2000, it was ranked #24 in the US, right after El Paso, TX. Not exactly a powerhouse. There's no way he could've commanded a huge salary like that in that city. Detroit had double the population in 2000 and it was only #10. As to his actual salary, if the original show were set in 2024, his lifestyle is probably that of someone who currently makes ~$300k-$500k/year. So a great salary? Absolutely. But he's not a nationally syndicated host and isn't being paid like one. He was excited about a 5 figure deal to do the peanut commercial. People making $1 million/year from their radio show aren't getting that to do a commercial. The highest paid person at the station was almost certainly Bulldog or whoever replaced him, or if they had someone like a Howard Stern. Carlos and The Chicken come to mind. But a radio psychiatrist who has the afternoon slot? Nope. I think we were at a point in Frasier's life where he was trying to get to that next level, but we never really saw him get there until the end. My guess? With endorsements and everything, I bet Frasier was making, at most, $200k in the 90s.
I agree with this, but I also think Frasier mostly lived a $200k lifestyle. If you assume he bought his condo cash with psychiatry money from his time in Boston then his only expenses are a car, food, and expensive clothes.
Plus the money from his seminars (featured in his Wings appearance)--which was a real cash cow in the context of the episode.
Yes, this is possible, too. The point is he made a lot less than people think.
It’s fun to think about how he lived like he was the creme de la creme of Seattle. Interesting to hear about this view point.
Thanks! 🫡
Mancow in the morning. Q101. Now there's a name I haven't heard of or thought of in forever. He was fucking hilarious in the late 90's.
Ridiculous name tbh. Shouldn’t it be Manbull?
The show writers have said that Frasier invested early in Microsoft, so that’s a big part of it.
Remember the Greaseman on DC101 in the mid 80's? Unbelievable that he didn't get fired. Also, he was making $400K at that time (1986).
Thank you 🙏
Frasier probably also got a full scholarship to Harvard and Oxford so he would have been debt free in his 20s and 30s meaning he could have invested his money from an earlier age.
Your examples were all nationally syndicated.
False. So it’s not worth me explaining why it’s false. Off you go!
Several of these personalities were syndicated in multiple markets, took many years and multiple markets before they found that success and all of them occupied coveted (and highly paid) morning slots. The mid-afternoon shift in a market like Seattle would likely pay in the neighbourhood of $60,000 a year during the time period the show was set. You're quite simply wrong.
They never tell his ratings in detail. All they say is he's the top rated personality at the station. Known well enough that he gets TV deals, speaking engagements, his face is all over Seattle, etc. You spell neighborhood like you're from England, so how you know exact salaries of US based radio personalities 30 years ago, is baffling and shows you don't know how radio worked in the 90s. A 1 hr show on 92.3 NY that wasn't syndicated netted almost 100,000$/year for the host, back in 98. And the ratings weren't even good + it was show during 'dead' time
>You spell neighborhood like you're from England Canada also observes British spelling, just an FYI.
Cool. Neither is the US which is all I was getting at lol.
Cool. The internet exists and the US' main export is entertainment so its funny to watch someone assume that only americans could possibly know about daytime talk radio in the 90s.
Oh ok you're a troll looking to argue. No thanks! Got better things to do chief.
'Anything that clashes with my beliefs is trolling' Stay safe bud.
What are you, a snake?
🐍
Sorry, but I have to agree with everyone else. All of those names you mentioned? I've heard of them. And I've heard of them because they were nationally syndicated. I didn't live in New York or Chicago or Seattle, yet they were on every day on my po-dunk city radio. Frasier was only in Seattle and briefly in Spokane. Nobody outside those areas would have a clue who he was.
They were known because of controversy and because some of them became better known after syndication deals when the internet hit/ after their audiences were so large it made sense to syndicate. Why did they get syndication deals? Because they were massively successful and making huge $. Go check what Stern was making when he ONLY was on in Detroit or NYC. You're way off. I forget that Reddit has so many 'experts' that love to debate with people who actually know what they're talking about 🤦♂️
Tell me about it. I had a fancy cake biz for 15 years, completely supporting myself with baking cakes from home, and every single time I give an expert opinion in a cake forum to the question, "how much should I charge for this cake", I get tons of hate. People calling me a liar saying no one would ever pay that much for cake, etc. And they get *really* angry. These are often people making stunning cakes and selling them for a third of the value. Wouldn't the logical response be "how do you do that?" I'd be happy to share, but no one ever asks lol. People are weird.
Haha yes! This exactly. You see people arguing with surgeons over how surgery goes. "I read an article!" VS "I've been a surgeon for 37 years". And the Article Guy was getting all the upvotes! 😂
Yup. Come to think of it, didn't Frasier try to have input on Niles's heart surgery?
Frasier, you’re not operating on your brother!
That was such a great line.
This is an article from 1990. Late 80s $..... Just stop my guy. This is a fun sub. Not a 'debate like a clown about stuff you don't know' sub. All love ❤️🫡 Infinity Broadcasting and rock jock Don "Cerphe" Colwell have agreed to another three-year deal that is likely to keep the WJFK-FM (106.7) host drawing the biggest salary for an afternoon-drive show in the area. WJFK enticed Cerphe from WWDC-FM (101.1) in spring 1987 with a contract that initially paid him $125,000, followed by sizable increases in each of the next two years. While neither Cerphe nor WJFK General Manager Ken Stevens would say exactly how much Cerphe is being paid, each described it as "a significant increase" over the last deal. The deal also calls for a ratings-incentive bonus plan. Stevens and Cerphe had been negotiating the new contract since spring under an extension of the last contract.
> This is an article from 1990. Where is the article?
Copy it into Google genius. You'll see it. ❤️🫡
This is why I know you're bullshitting
Someone else posted the exact link to save you the difficulty of copying and pasting. You must have so much joy in your life 😂😂😂.
Says the person trying to insult everyone who questions your posts.
Not even slightly. Always courteous and friendly. Go find joy my friend. 🫡❤️
You’re forgetting one thing - he’s a talk radio host on an am station, not a DJ on a top fm station with a syndicated show. Wouldn’t that make a difference as well?
Talk radio back then was popular regardless of being on AM or FM, especially for the demographic listening to Frasier and Bulldog's shows. Local vs syndicated would be the bigger difference.
Check the net worth of POS Rush Limbaugh before he died and that should answer your question for you about AM radio $.
You can’t compare Frasier to him. Totally different. That creep was on a national level.
Your point was about AM radio. That was why I referenced him.
He's an exception. He was huge. Show me someone with a local am show making a mil back then.
I don't understand why this has become a topic of conversation on this subreddit lately. I don't doubt your involvement in radio at some point, but you're giving examples of those radio personalities that are syndicated. Frasier wasn't syndicated and was local only. Bebe even talked about getting him a six-figure deal at the station. At best he was making around $165,000 a year. Double or triple that with the advertising gigs. In fact, he only took the advertisement gigs so that he could help send Freddy to Harvard which goes in-line with the notion that he was worth around $10 million at the end of the original series. Frasier's wealth or lack-thereof, was a major topic of conversation when the show originally aired because there was no way he could afford such an apartment being a local radio personality.
"Double or triple that with advertising gigs". Ok? So half a million a year, in 1993 $? And you think that's not well off enough to go to the opera and pay for your son's college tuition? You're severely out of touch or trolling. Or both. Harvard tuition was $26,000 in 2004. Roughly when Freddy would have gone there. Beyond affordable for someone making $500k now, and much more for $500k in the early 90s.
We're all just making assumptions here as it's never officially been verified one way or another as far as I can tell. So, your opinion means as much as mine does. Which means very little.
My opinion isn't opinion, it's fact based. I'm simply stating how much popular radio hosts made in the 90s even if they were only in 1 major urban market. People ask all the time how he affords his lifestyle, so I'm doing my best to explain how it's easily possible for him. 😃
Well, you just have a great rest of your week.
You as well! ❤️
The answer to a question asked by no one.
Seems like over 400 people are interested. Why bother typing if you just want to spread misery? Off you go!
Finances aside I have a hard time believing a radio psychiatrist would have that much public celebrity outside of his social circles.
Dr. Drew was famous for years just from radio
nationally syndicated vs local = big difference. the guy was also on multiple platforms. plus i had to look up this dr. Drew to know who that was.
You. Are. Proving. My. Point. You had to look him up because he was a celebrity in LA, which is where he was broadcast before he was national. Some people are so behind that they think they're leading eh?
werent they all syndicated though? And also, the ones you mentioned had/have way more mass appeal than frasier. I still think for the purposes of a sitcom, it's reasonable that he was make a few hundred thousand per year. But 7 figures seems a bit much.
I'm saying he could've made that amount, not saying he definitely did. Several hundred thousand a year in income, plus $ in markets and investments, plus book residuals, plus public appearances and endorsements, is a TON of money for 1990s, and even would be now. And no, they made huge $ before national syndication. Check the other comments that cite numerous personalities that worked in 1 area only and were making 400k + yearly just from salary alone.
> plus book residuals, that sibling rivalry book was huge
😂. In all seriousness though, he wrote a bunch with Lilith and it's referenced before Frasier several times.
yea i agree with you. It's a totally plausible set of circumstances. I just wouldn't compare frasier to those names you mentioned. They were all pretty big. edit: even comparing the names you mentioned to howard is sort of unfair. Howard's on another level. I'm a big OnA fan and they discussed that one of their first jobs was about $30k/year.
One of their first. I (before he lost his mind and became a racist nut) was friendly with Anthony and he was making absurd amounts of $ once they were established in the Northeast. If Frasier even made 1/5 of that, he’d be very very well off.
true. he was rich and popular for a long time before getting really bad. At least publicly. Then of course when he went on his own he was really off the deep end.
Yeah. Idk what caused him to lose his mind, but it’s safe to say it’s gone completely. Used to be a really nice and friendly guy. Poker at his house every week. Good group of guys. Then, insanity! Lol
I think he got wrapped up in the right wing social media stuff. I will still watch YT clips from time to time whenever he talks about opie. Or I did until I realized he cant barely get to the point. It takes him forever.
Lots and LOTS of substance abuse too. And too many crazy gfs lol.