92.3FM The Fan - Already Falling Into The WKNR Pitfalls

[Rusty Muck]

92.3 needs to lock down one of the major sports. Right now 1100am has the Tribe and Cavs and WMMS has the Browns.

That will happen soon. In Pittsburgh, after a year, the CBS Sports Talker ("KDKA-FM") is bidding for the Pirates rights, which are the only ones currently up for bid, but they would be fools not to compete for the Steelers. The Penguins, though, got their own HD channel full-time from the station they are on, and might take more to move.

CC (WBGG/WDVE) just re-upped with the Steelers back in March. Goes until 2016.

So it's pretty much the Pirates or bust for KDKA-FM.

 

[Rusty Muck]

Why not hire a fulltime WKNR host for fulltime on 923TheFan?

Which one would you want to hear on TheFan who's now fulltime on WKNR?

Really, none of the mainstays at WKNR would really fit TheFan's programming approach.

You know...short skirts/hot chicks/which athlete is sleeping with whom/on and on and on about what's happening in the various hosts' personal lives. I mean, come on....that's BORING! If that's what people like, great...you can have it..go to 850, til the consultants tell them to stop the fluff. I like sports, myself. CBS Cleveland isn't playing college radio, folks.

While I personally can listen to Roda when he's alone, and have always liked Greg Brinda....no offense...but, who else would CBS want on TheFan?

Dave DeNatalie would be my one exception. But, if I'm not mistaken, he does double-duty for Metro as an embed (as their afternoon update anchor) in addition to his producing for Brinda or Fedor at night.

Dino also has closely worked with WKNR PD Jason Gibbs via WOBL/WDLW's HSFB coverage.

 

[Capulet]

I've listened to The Fan a good part of the week this week, and it's amazing to me how they've clearly made the decision to just be the FM version of WKNR instead of a. setting their own identity, and b. acting and sounding more professional like the national shows. To be clear here, it's all good to do "local" programming, be focused on Cleveland sports teams, etc., but there are several things that just make The Fan feel cheap and uninspired.

1. Why grab WKNR's imaging voice? Is that so we won't be able to tell the difference? Lame.

2. Why grab up WKNR's castoffs? Daryl Ruiter, BSK - Don't hate either of them, but question why guys that were deemed less good than Aaron Goldhammer and Chris Fedor would get jobs.

3. Giving the lame Cleveland "legendary callers" any credibility at all. Am I in the minority that finds The Bostonian, Hiram and Dick From Dayton to be a drain on any show they call into? How about as a station you don't prop these guys who get their "notoriety" from being on every talk show and ban them, since they obviously take the focus away from your new station and leave listeners thinking about how much they were liked, or hated, on 3WE or WKNR. Enough already.

4. Bull and the yelling has to go. I couldn't take it listening to Mad Dog Radio on XM, and I'm certainly not going to listen to a less tolerable version of it now.

5. Can we get a morning team that actually like each other? It's no secret that Kiley and Booms don't like each other. How about we get a couple of guys that like each other a bit more to create a more compelling vibe for the show. Say what you want about Roda and Reghi and all their stupid catchphrases, but it's clear listening to them that they like each other, which makes the local sports debate a bit more interesting.

Not impressed with the first week. I'm interested to hear other people's thoughts.

1) 100% dead on accurate. Joe six-pack doesn't even think about an " imaging voice ". Listeners do not tune in to hear someone say the call letters.

2) New stations hiring someone from the stablished station is a strategy as old as radio.
Jeff Thomas was coup. Jeff was heard round the clock with sports news on WKNR for years. Don't know so much about the other guys.

3) 100% dead on accurate. Why allow the lame KNR callers on your new station? Stupid.
Be different, not copy cat.

4) Haven't heard this guy yell. He could be the star. I agree CBS neds to build their own stable of talent to create identity. See #2. A little goes a long way.

5) 100% dead on accurate. You want natural chemistry on a 2 person show. Co-hosts competing is a time bomb. It's pretty much given this show will implode sooner than later.

Let me add this.

The biggest blunder by CBS with this new format roll out is there is no marketing. 75 people reading comments on a radio blog is not the same as marketing to the 2+ million listeners in the Cleveland Metro. A few mentions on their TV afiliate would be a good start. Are they at least doing this? Is WNCX cross promoting?

 

[Capulet]

The typical age of most talk show listeners begins at about age 45. Thus, WKNR's much weaker night signal wouldn't be such a negative since most middle-aged/older adults watch TV at night.

+1. Seems like demos are never mentioned in the discussion. Also sports talk is 99.9% male.

 

[Tim]

Why doesn't CBS realize their incredible screwup with 923TheFan, and listen to our far superior staff, promotion, and programming suggestions here on Radio-Info.com boards?

Silly, international media and entertainment company! What do THEY know?

 

[Capulet]

Why doesn't CBS realize their incredible screwup with 923TheFan, and listen to our far superior staff, promotion, and programming suggestions here on Radio-Info.com boards?

Silly, international media and entertainment company! What do THEY know?

Tim,

You are 100% dead on accurate! And NOT ONLY CBS, the entire industry in Cleveland media needs only to log on here everyday to learn what they need to know to run their businesses. ;D Think of the money they would save on PDs, GMs and consultants! LOL!

Call Dan Mason and give him the tip! ;D

 

[Tim]

Remember...923TheFan, like any radio or TV station, has a budget for personalities and promotions.

When a station makes a move (or moves) that doesn't seem logical to many of us, it might make more sense if we knew the dollars they have to spend, and how it relates to the rest of their local cluster's financial plan.

There is no perfect personality lineup...."perfect" is totally subjective! CBS, like any station/group, hires the people and promotes in a manner they feel is best for their goals and budget.

Often those of us on these radio/media-oriented board are programming purists, and it's easy to forget it's first and foremost a business.

 

[OhioMediaWatch]

The biggest blunder by CBS with this new format roll out is there is no marketing. 75 people reading comments on a radio blog is not the same as marketing to the 2+ million listeners in the Cleveland Metro. A few mentions on their TV afiliate would be a good start. Are they at least doing this? Is WNCX cross promoting?

They should be. I know they started doing so the Friday before launch, when Andy Baskin got clearance to mention 92.3 The Fan in his morning sports reports on WNCX. I don't know what else they are doing.

CBS doesn't own its TV affiliate (WOIO). They'd have to buy time.

I sense there's a LOT more marketing coming soon, but perhaps they wanted things to solidify in the next month or so.

 

[VODood]

Interesting that CBS Detroit's "The Ticket" uses former WBCN/Boston (CBS) rock Imaging Director Jon Reilly as it's VO talent. So it's not a "CBS thing" to have Turner on it's sports stations. But rather I see it as Turner's deal was coming up at the same time they were looking to launch The Fan. Things just worked out that way it did. I believe the Turner deal might've been done even before the PD was hired. Quite possible. Strange as the PD usually gets to choose the station VO talent but this was a different situation given the time frame to hire a staff and get the station launch moving forward. As I've stated before I'd of gone with Steve Stone. IF a "bigger voice" my choices would be John Wells, John Driscoll or Chris Corley. All on major sports & talk stations.

@Nathan regarding MIX and it's three voices. One of those voices still heard in the market, John Pleisse, on WEWS/Channel 5.

 

[Capulet]

The biggest blunder by CBS with this new format roll out is there is no marketing. 75 people reading comments on a radio blog is not the same as marketing to the 2+ million listeners in the Cleveland Metro. Is WNCX cross promoting?

They should be. I don't know what else they are doing.

Here's a national company ( CBS radio ) that makes money selling advertising. They tell their clients " advertising will help " their businesses. Yet they ( CBS ) don't believe in investing in advertising their own station! Go figure. :

 

[OhioMediaWatch]

Interesting that CBS Detroit's "The Ticket" uses former WBCN/Boston (CBS) rock Imaging Director Jon Reilly as it's VO talent. So it's not a "CBS thing" to have Turner on it's sports stations.

Point taken, though I do believe Turner has a lot of CBS clients, including at least two or three of its sports talkers. He's probably back on CBS' AM sports talker in Sacramento, KHTK/1140 "Sports 1140", because former "Don & Mike Show" co-host Don Geronimo is PD...and he made a big deal about using Turner in a separate deal for the syndicated show. Even had him do some live reads...

Still, I think we make the same basic point, that CBS wanted Turner for 92.3, and really didn't care that he was WKNR's voice (aside from the end date of his deal with Good Karma). They weren't "taking WKNR's voiceover talent", they were using the talent they wanted.

 

[DToTheJ]

And the imaging guy on the old "Don & Mike Show" - another big-time imaging guy, Dude Walker.
http://www.dudewalker.com

"Known callers" are a very important part of CBS' sports talk stations. In fact, The Bull got a call his first day on 92.3 from one of the WFAN regulars. These people are very much part of the formula at WFAN...when one of them, a woman, died, both callers and hosts grieved for her...

That would be Doris from Rego Park. RIP.

 

[OhioMediaWatch]

And the imaging guy on the old "Don & Mike Show" - another big-time imaging guy, Dude Walker.
http://www.dudewalker.com

That's right, it was Dude Walker I was thinking of, not Paul Turner. But one replaced the other on "D&M", I can't remember which order they came in.