Howie outside New England...?

[raccoonradio]

Someone on the Howie Carr Show fans board said they heard him say he's "trying to get on a station in Penn." So we get back to, can Howie move his show beyond his two dozen or so New England affiliates? It was also noticed there are bumpers with Dana Hersey's voice proclaiming The Howie Carr Show! (Kind of like Scott Shannon's for Hannity:
"Sean Hannity is ON your RADIO...RIGHT NOW")

He has talked about having a longtime affiliate in Shell Lake, WI but I'm not sure of their status. Yay, so he's on a little station out in the boonies out there. Generally he sticks to Bangor, Hartford, Cape Cod, Burlington VT, Manchester NH, and other New England destinations.
Some new stations have been added (in Hartford, Montpelier VT), his former Fitchburg station got him back, while WCAP
dropped him, etc. But would he work outside New England?

As has been said he has a pretty regional focus. "So the governor was saying..." Which one, Tom Wolf? Andrew Cuomo? Oh wait, he means Charlie Baker. And last year during the snowmageddon, he was all over the T's problems etc. (Mike Siegel,
who held the fort down at RKO until Howie came back, was also addressing the issues, but he's orig from NY and was doing the show via his home in Seattle).

So...does he wind up in Harrisburg/Philly/Pittsburgh/Erie/or wherever? Can Howie find himself outside New England? Would his shtick play in the Steel City?
(Admittedly some areas of NY state get reached via WVMT for example...)

--

Gee the logo for Pittsburgh's port authority looks familiar...

 

[Cap-n Spackle]

(Mike Siegel,
who held the fort down at RKO until Howie came back, was also addressing the issues, but he's orig from NY and was doing the show via his home in Seattle).

Wasn't Seattle one of the cities carrying THCS back during his earlier ill-fated attempt at national syndication? I seem to recall it was either Seattle or (the other) Portland.

 

[Tilden]

It is highly unlikely that a man in his 60s could attract the advertising demographics to go beyond small markets

 

[raccoonradio]

He was briefly on KIRO.

 

[Wimmmex]

Same rants....

It is highly unlikely that a man in his 60s could attract the advertising demographics to go beyond small markets

Like a mosquito to a flame..can't resist, huh?

Same old hot topics? McPhee, Howie, Kuhner, Bleidt, Fish....

 

[Wimmmex]

It is highly unlikely that a man in his 60s could attract the advertising demographics to go beyond small markets

Michael Savage...age 73.

Terry Gross...age 64.

George Noory...age 63

Thom Hartmann...age 64

Michael Medved...age 67

Hugh Hewitt...59-1/2

William Bennett...age 72

Dennis Prager...age 67

Mark Davis...age 60

Jim Braude....age 66

Margery Egan...age 62


Eat Crow much?

 

[raccoonradio]

Rush Limbaugh, still on about 500 stations and major markets, turned 65 on the 12th.
Don Imus--has talked about retiring--may still be on in some major markets--though around here Portland ME and
Burlington come to mind. He was born the same month as Ringo Starr--July of 1940.

 

[john garrett]

I never realized Jim Braude was 66. I also find it interesting that he lists that he is an Auctioneer on his website.
Howie's people have done a good job clearing him on stations in New England. I am sure they couldn't get him on some stations outside NE but I doubt they will ever be able to reach the number of stations that carry the personalities listed in Wimmex post.

 

[john garrett]

Rush Limbaugh, still on about 500 stations and major markets, turned 65 on the 12th.
Don Imus--has talked about retiring--may still be on in some major markets--though around here Portland ME and
Burlington come to mind. He was born the same month as Ringo Starr--July of 1940.

Wow that is interesting what other people were born in July of 1940?

 

[Tilden]

Clearly, you missed the point.The people you mentioned established their syndicated programming before they were in their 60s. How many Polident , Depends and prepaid funeral ads can you get to support a national syndication. Like it or not the major advertising agencies are looking for a younger demographic for both audience and host. The ad agencies may stay with a syndicated host who started at an earlier age but they are unlikely to take a chance on a new host who is ready for Medicare. Maybe it's unfair but that's the thinking in a typical Madman's office.

 

[oldrover]

I don't see him as a national talk show host... his claims to fame are all regional, and he enjoys talking about local politics.

IMHO he should stay focused on New England... Hartford and points east and north... really, the only chink in his armor now is Providence. And that's not easily solved... WHJJ's hands are tied with Hannity, WPRO has Buddy Cianci, and even WPRV is making money off their PM drive brokered shows.

But he'll always be able to get advertisers... local ones and D/R as well. Local business owners are VERY strong on Howie.

 

[Wimmmex]

Clearly, you missed the point.The people you mentioned established their syndicated programming before they were in their 60s.

No, we got the point, you can't stay away from any topic that mentions McPhee, Howie, Kuhner, Bleidt, Fish....

Howie has already established his syndication efforts well before he was 60.....and has been more successful that your friend Jim Braude. Or Thom Hartman.

Michael Savage who is going strong at 73....I believe started his major syndication after age 60.

Like it or not the major advertising agencies are looking for a younger demographic for both audience and host.

Most ad agencies are looking for audience...at the right price.

 

[Tilden]

You forgot Danny Rea who is also in his mid 60's.
Dan has the benefit of being on WBZ Radio's clear channel 50K station to be almost self syndicated.
Plus, Dan is a class act even if you disagree with him politically.

 

[Deleted User]

what makes Howie successful is his focus on local topics, mostly MA related, but now more New England in focus with some national topics tossed in.

Hacks, Bulgers, the Globe, Deval Patrick, etc etc etc..... the local stuff, the content you are not getting on a nationally syndicated show.

When he had his 2 national deals, one with ABC and the other was SuperRadio iirc, he did 3 hours of topics that would sell all over, then a fourth "local" hour for the stations in MA that carried the 4th hour after the national stations broke away.

It worked for a while, and he has filled in for national hosts, but in the long run, he does not sell well outside of New England IMHO.

If he can get stations out of area to pick him up, and he can tweak the content to be picked up without alienating his core audience, more power to him.

But he has been doing radio for a looong time now, and he has not really made it to the big tome outside of MA or N.E., and I don't think a major network is going to pick him up.

 

[raccoonradio]

Would agree and the only way it would happen nationwide would be if he stuck to national/world for 2-3 hours then went local, as they tried before, but the local stuff would alienate listeners elsewhere. You're in Phoenix and he's doing gripes about the storms, or bad forecasts/panic in the supermarkets and so on. He has done some Maine topics on occasion as he does have several stations up there, and that's where Steve Robinson comes from.

Some of the Maine stations etc did carry the 6-7 pm hour, maybe elsewhere too. What if Howie does his traditional day before election day show where he invites candidates to call in for a minute or so? "Hi, I'm so and so and I'm running for state rep. in Beverly". Does a listener in Falmouth, Maine care?

His national bits have indeed included fill ins for the likes of Levin and the previous Dennis Miller show and appearances
on CSPAN, Fox News etc (once CSPAN did a broadcast of him plugging one of his books at a store in Newburyport for
example)

 

[oldrover]

Having listened to him in Maine for many years, IMHO his listeners like hearing about conservatives from ANYWHERE. And most of his affiliates now carry the 6pm hour.