990 Rumor

[radioman51]

WNTP may be changing formats. Supposedly they are dropping the floundering News-Talk format to run Salem's praise and worship format with some teaching programs.

 

[WTUX]

N/T is the first time they have had any appearance in the ratings since the WZZD Top 40/disco days. Why drop talk to go to music and no listeners? No way Salem is that dumb. By the way, the Praise and Worship format is good - it just can't produce revenue. N/T can. I enjoyed 990 when they first went CCM, but I know it can't work on AM.

 

[LeftyPunchbag]

Isn't their Religion format already on 560? Is that a Salem station as well?

 

[chuckydoll]

990 is staying N/T

If Salem makes any tweaks at 990 it may be to drop Michael Savage. Certain companies will not advertise on stations that run "Savage Nation".

 

[Rockin Rob]

WFIL does run its fair share of P&W, but it is not their primary format, which is preaching and teaching (with some brokered Saturday morning shows thrown in). Also, if I am not mistaken, Salem's "The Word in Praise" is what's being run on WBYN, WCHR, WKAP and WYHM.

 

[DG02816]

One thing WNTP should do, is go local in the morning. There's gotta be someone who can go up vs. Smerconish...and Bill Bennett makes dry bread look exotic. I can remember listening to the then WIBG in Rhode Island at night after WLKW Providence left the air at sunset.

Dave Gardiner

WVCH 740/WNWR 1540

Philadelphia

 

[WTUX]

Good point. Bill Bennett is NOT a good morning talker. To me, airing him in the morning is simply saying "we aren't going to get listeners anyway, let's just put something on." Even if they hired a no-name from a smaller market at least they would be local in Philly.

 

[Rockin Rob]

Three words for Bennett in the morning.... BIG MARKET CLEARANCE.

 

[Those RRRRs]

If Salem makes any tweaks at 990 it may be to drop Michael Savage. Certain companies will not advertise on stations that run "Savage Nation".

Dropping Savage would be suicide. According to Talkers Magazine, he is the third most listened to talk host in the land...immediately following Limbaugh and Hannity. With numbers like that, you won't convince me that Savage is a tough sell to advertisers.

Savage has the ability to capture true conservatives who believe the Republican party has left them, the ability to capture a younger audience who may be looking for a more entertaining and provacative host than the typical Democrat vs. Republican monochromatic style of most talk hosts, and of course the left wingers who listen only to hate him.

For Savage and 990, it's the best of all worlds. Who else on terrestrial radio would refer to Cheney's granddaughter as the "test tube thing?"

 

[ajhenderson]

Just because Savage has a slightly inflated (due to TRN's huge Talkers ad budget) listener count doesn't mean they can sell it. Stations with plenty of listeners flip every day. Besides, Salem stations don't sell huge amounts of local inventory nor do they much for it, so it makes more sense to have their own shows so their agency can handle the sales and be accountable for the revenue. It's not as if 560 isn't the one propping up the cluster.

 

[rdcuffpa1]

Also, if I am not mistaken, Salem's "The Word in Praise" is what's being run on WBYN, WCHR, WKAP and WYHM.

That's correct for WBYN and WYHM. Not sure about the others.

Richard in Allentown

 

[Those RRRRs]

Just because Savage has a slightly inflated (due to TRN's huge Talkers ad budget) listener count doesn't mean they can sell it.

Thank you Mr. KJCB. Just because in 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue doesn't REALLY mean he discovered America, does it? Usually when one begins a paragraph with "Just Because" it indicates that he is arguing for the sake of arguing. Could it be that you are drawing blood and running? Also, I'm curious about your use of "slightly inflated."

Webster's Dictionary defines "inflated" as, "elaborated or heightened by artificial or empty means." Artificial means, Mr. KJCB? Are you suggesting that Mr. Savage is NOT the third most listened to talk host in America? Is Talkers Magazine part of a vast right wing conspiracy? Are his listeners a figment of his imagination, Mr. KJCB?

In my original post, I quoted a source. Perhaps you have evidence that my source, Talkers Magazine, has used incorrect or as you put it, "inflated" data. If this is the case, than your optimum response would have been to quote a source of your own to discredit the source that I had chosen to use. Instead, your only defense was to write "just because....mean they can sell it."

Unless you have EVIDENCE that suggests that The Savage Nation cannot find advertisers, than you are arguing for the sake of arguing. You are spinning your wheels with this defense. Since the Savage Nation remains on the air in many markets, perhaps we can agree that at the present time the show is being sold successfully.

Stations with plenty of listeners flip every day.

Plenty of listeners, Mr. KJCB? I'm not talking about what you or someone else may define as "plenty" of listeners in a single market. I'm talking about the third most listened to talk show in America today. Do you not see the obvious difference?

Salem stations don't sell huge amounts of local inventory ...so it makes more sense to have their own shows so their agency can handle the sales and be accountable for the revenue.

What are you talking about? It doesn't matter how many local spots 990 sells. Don't you understand that it is easier to sell time on a talk show with more listeners than it is to sell time on a show with fewer listeners? Remember, this isn't a discussion about diversified formats vs. demographics. It is a discussion of selling time on one type of format, that format being conservative talk radio in this case.

have their own shows

Their own shows? Where is this coming from? If it were economically viable for WNTP to have more local programming, they would probably have it. The fact is that many local AM stations have gone "on the bird." These stations simply do not have the money to hire local talent in most cases. If their bottom line allowed it, many people would assert that WNTP would probably at least hire a local morning talent to give Smerconish some competition.

It's not as if 560 isn't the one propping up the cluster.

Too many double negatives to make that statement remotely legible. But it's a moot point regardless. The original discussion wasn't about Salem affiliates, it was about WNTP exclusively. You are attempting to confuse and undermine the issue not with facts, but with the introduction of irrevelant data. It may work well at the university or in the editorial column, but it doesn't work with me.

Thank you for responding.

 

[ajhenderson]

I was thinking of responding, Mr. RRRs, but then I read the whole thing and decided to go back to Gone With the Wind.

Pass.

 

[MikefromDelaware]

I personally would enjoy hearing a praise music format on 990, but agree with WTUX that it might be a tough sell on AM, especially with WXHL - FM having a repeater signal in Philly and Del County airing it's CCM music. I'm not sure how well those repeaters cover those respective areas. As far as I know there isn't any praise only formated station in the Philly market.

However, maybe if the focus was local and highlighting the praise artists that sell best in Philly rather than a national format, and with enough promotions or billboards in metro area to let folks know that music is available at 990 maybe that would pull in enough of the right demo to sell.

 

[wprt949]

flip it to espn radio ;D im sorry i could not resist