Jim Polito show on WXKS Talk 1200

[Least]

Good radio is a subjective term. Honestly, to me, anything political talk (be it left or right leaning) isn't good radio. But I only speak for myself.

 

[Tired Of It All]

Dear Iheart management, your arrogance and disrespect is stunning, but, then again, I'm not surprised.

 

[Motown]

Dear Iheart management, your arrogance and disrespect is stunning, but, then again, I'm not surprised.

Please re-read this post. IHeart is a major company whose sole purpose is to maximize profits. Period. Radio is a business which focuses on putting on audience targeted programming to attract advertisers for the targeted format. Period. Easy. To repeat what has been said over and over and over and over, WXKS has virtually no audience. No surprise. None. IHeart has no interest in doing anything that doesn’t add value. It is simple. Besides, you listen anyway! Lol

 

[Least]

Dear Iheart management, your arrogance and disrespect is stunning, but, then again, I'm not surprised.

My question is whether you have access to other mediums for the content you prefer (satellite radio, podcasts, streaming services). I've been vocal here about my disdain for representation of current rock music on FM. But as many insiders here will say and have said, I'm an outlier. So, I will listen to FM/AM at times, but I tend to not support a medium that has shifted away from my preferences.

Talk 1200 is not at the top of iHeart's priority list, as there isn't an audience for it. It's October rating (overall) is a 0.2, compared to WRKO's 4.1. Talk 1200 is drawing less listeners overall than fringe stations from New Hampshire and Rhode Island. 93.3 in Rhode Island is tied with it in the Boston market. 100.3 in Portsmouth, New Hampshire is drawing a 0.1 higher rating in the Boston Market. As I said in a post in the October ratings thread, that station can't even be heard in Boston. Although you prefer it over WRKO, the overall listeners are preferring WRKO over it.

 

[Wimmmex]

Somewhere on this board, people were posting about Talk 1200's habit of playing 2 pieces of audio at the same time.

I see to recall an employee/operation person at Talk 1200 posted here with an email asking people who heard these mishaps to email him. I can't for the life of me find that post and email.

Anyone have it handy? ;-)

Thanks!

 

[DavidZ]

The show adds Talk 1200 to it's 3 station network starting November 1st at 5am, joining WHJJ, WTAG,and WHYN (which carries the show starting at 6am).

It’s now a 5 station network. They’ve added the 1st 2 hours of Jim Polito on WXTK on the cape. Not sure when it started.

Find Newsradio 95 WXTK's Thursday Live On-Air Schedule | Newsradio 95 WXTK

I guess iHeart is penny pinching at their news talk stations in Massachusetts & Rhode Island so they can keep WBZ newsradio pretty much as is.

 

[Deleted User]

we're going NATIONAL Baybeeeeeeee

 

[nowradioguy]

It’s now a 5 station network. They’ve added the 1st 2 hours of Jim Polito on WXTK on the cape. Not sure when it started.

Find Newsradio 95 WXTK's Thursday Live On-Air Schedule | Newsradio 95 WXTK

I guess iHeart is penny pinching at their news talk stations in Massachusetts & Rhode Island so they can keep WBZ newsradio pretty much as is.

It's a sad situation. While I'm a huge 'BZ fan and definitely don't want iHeart screwing it up, four of the five iHeart news/talk stations that carry Polito no longer have their own local presence in morning drive; only WTAG, Polito's home base, does. Except for 'RKO, the other New England iHeart news/talkers rely heavily on Premier syndicated fare throughout their day, and Polito in the morning.

In the Providence market, WHJJ is certainly getting trounced by Cumulus' WPRO 630AM/99.7FM, which DOES do live/local most of its day.

(Very soon I expect I will get my head handed to me because I don't understand that "radio is a business", and the iHeart news/talkers are performing admirably because they allow Premier's syndicated offerings to clear Boston, Providence, Cape Cod, Worcester, and Springfield, which is all that matters.)

 

[raccoonradio]

By the way the Bloomdaddy guy that RKO plugged in as a Kuhner fill in is moving from mornings based at WWVA in Wheeling to afternoons at WTAM Cleveland. He takes the slot of the late Mike Trivisonno...Bloomdaddy was also syndicated in Akron, Pittsburgh etc in that
morning slot.
Kuhner's absence was during the holidays and Sandy Shack wasn't available for a time.Not sure who WWVA or WHLO will put in.WJAS will run America in the Morning
(Would doubt it's Kuhner )

 

[Tired Of It All]

By the way the Bloomdaddy guy that RKO plugged in as a Kuhner fill in is moving from mornings based at WWVA in Wheeling to afternoons at WTAM Cleveland. He takes the slot of the late Mike Trivisonno...Bloomdaddy was also syndicated in Akron, Pittsburgh etc in that
morning slot.
Kuhner's absence was during the holidays and Sandy Shack wasn't available for a time.Not sure who WWVA or WHLO will put in.WJAS will run America in the Morning
(Would doubt it's Kuhner )

Bloomdaddy subbed on Talk1200 awhile back and all he did was let the listeners know that he's divorced, yes indeedy, he's divorced.

As for Kuhner, c'mon man, his ratings are "through the roof", the "phone lines are blazing" and he'll be "going national baaaaybeeeeeeeeee" any minute now, you just wait and see! 😏 👎

 

[Tired Of It All]

we're going NATIONAL Baybeeeeeeee

Yep, Kuhner will be going national any minute now, you just wait and see! 🤣 🤣🤣🤣

 

[TheBigA]

In the Providence market, WHJJ is certainly getting trounced by Cumulus' WPRO 630AM/99.7FM, which DOES do live/local most of its day.

So what you're saying is that live & local news is available in Providence, and WHJJ should do the same thing? Do you think Polito is upset that his show is on in Providence? You're viewing this as an iHeart thing, but to Polito, it means more people can hear him. Same with Howie. There was a time when Robert J. Lurtsema was THE morning show on NPR stations throughout New England. He was it. No local news, no local talk, just Morning Pro Musica. Was that a bad thing? That was long before iHeart.

 

[Deleted User]

Yep, Kuhner will be going national any minute now, you just wait and see! 🤣 🤣🤣🤣

that line never gets old

 

[TheBigA]

By the way the Bloomdaddy guy that RKO plugged in as a Kuhner fill in is moving from mornings based at WWVA in Wheeling to afternoons at WTAM Cleveland. He takes the slot of the late Mike Trivisonno...Bloomdaddy was also syndicated in Akron, Pittsburgh etc in that morning slot.

Regional syndication seems to be the new thing at iHeart. That way the hosts can localize the subject matter rather than strictly national issues, while also spreading the talent cost over several stations. So you have Polito in New England, and Bloomdaddy in the iron belt.

 

[DavidZ]

But Bloomdaddy is moving to afternoons at WTAM Cleveland. He’s no longer going to be syndicated in morning’s in West Virginia, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.

As far as Polito, how does he localize things when he’s on 4 stations in Massachusetts and one in Rhode Island?

I’m sure the few listeners in RI don’t want to listen to Polito talking about Maura Healey running for Governor in MA.

Just the same way his MA listeners could care less about who’s running for Congress in RI.

 

[TheBigA]

But Bloomdaddy is moving to afternoons at WTAM Cleveland. He’s no longer going to be syndicated in morning’s in West Virginia, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.

However iHeart is looking for someone to replace him as regional morning man in the iron belt.

As far as Polito, how does he localize things when he’s on 4 stations in Massachusetts and one in Rhode Island?

Local doesn't have to mean the neighborhood, it could also mean regional. The storm that just hit the area is an example of how news can affect a region, not just one town. Talk show hosts have to let go of the national topics and start bringing it closer to home.

 

[nowradioguy]

As far as Polito, how does he localize things when he’s on 4 stations in Massachusetts and one in Rhode Island?

I’m sure the few listeners in RI don’t want to listen to Polito talking about Maura Healey running for Governor in MA.

Just the same way his MA listeners could care less about who’s running for Congress in RI.

My sentiments exactly. Thank you for approaching this from a LISTENER'S perspective!

 

[nowradioguy]

So what you're saying is that live & local news is available in Providence, and WHJJ should do the same thing?

Oh, OK, I get it: only one station per format per market, UNLESS it's hip hop or country, in which case, the more the merrier.

Do you think Polito is upset that his show is on in Providence? You're viewing this as an iHeart thing, but to Polito, it means more people can hear him. Same with Howie.

"There was a time" when Matty In The Morning was carried by 93.3 WSNE in Providence. Notice I used the past tense, since it didn't go over too well there and was discontinued.

There was a time when Robert J. Lurtsema was THE morning show on NPR stations throughout New England. He was it. No local news, no local talk, just Morning Pro Musica. Was that a bad thing? That was long before iHeart.

Can't really compare a program heavy on MUSIC that has minimal talk (save for references to the music) to a format such as drive-time news/talk which needs a strong LOCAL component.

Methinks thou doth protest too much whenever I maketh a jab at iHeart.

 

[TheBigA]

Oh, OK, I get it: only one station per format per market, UNLESS it's hip hop or country, in which case, the more the merrier.

You're comparing apples and oranges. The costs of running a music station are much lower than an all-local news talk. The audience is younger and more sellable with music than news/talk. Meanwhile, what's wrong with Polito? It's 40 miles from Worcester to Providence. Would replacing him with local news beat WPRO?

Can't really compare a program heavy on MUSIC that has minimal talk (save for references to the music) to a format such as drive-time news/talk which needs a strong LOCAL component.

And yet NPR stations don't seem to have that problem with Morning Edition. And the people who listen to Morning Edition pay for it, unlike listeners to Polito.

 

[CTListener]

You're comparing apples and oranges. The costs of running a music station are much lower than an all-local news talk. The audience is younger and more sellable with music than news/talk. Meanwhile, what's wrong with Polito? It's 40 miles from Worcester to Providence.

The cities are in separate states. He'll need to limit or even eliminate his discussion not only of Worcester and Providence politics, but of Massachusetts and Rhode Island politics as well. Which will leave him as just another talker blathering on about national issues from the right.