How come it's always the air staff and never, ever Sales?

Yesterday at Clear Channel, another 590 folks lost their jobs. The vast majority were on-air people or support people like Creative Directors and Production Directors. Even Receptionists! Several people at headquarters got the ax too....all Marketing folks. How come Sales is rarely touched? How come they come away unscathed? At clusters where you have 3 Sales Managers each making 6-figures and none of them make 'budget', how is it that they're still employed? Instead groups like Clear Channel get rid of local air talent to save money. Their rationale for this is that they can bring in syndicated shows or voice-tracked shows to save money. I've got new for all of these radio groups: this will not work! It's like putting a styptic pencil on a very large cut! Back in the Spring Book in the Stamford/Norwalk, CT market, I did nights at Oldies WKHL. I was up against Delilah who was on WEBE. Delilah, for those who don't know, is a syndicated show. I kicked her ass with the result that WEBE dropped Delilah. My point is that a solid, good local program always beats a syndicated program. Now, if Sales Managers and their minions can't sell ratings, then it's time for them to lose their jobs. Why are you in the radio business? To sell air time! Sorry....the economy is not an excuse. In fact, cut your rate card and go back to people you've pitched before and tell them that you'll slash the rates even more. Isn't a little money better than no money? Radio lost control when Sales took over from Programming. It will never, ever recover as long as Sales suits are in control. They've no idea how to sell. They only know how to count beans.