A Media Kit for a typical Salem News-Talker

[FloridaBear1776]

You can read the entire kit here.

http://media.salemwebnetwork.com/SWN/WLSS-AM/LocalImages/WLSS_mediakit.pdf

A few excerpts that reveal Salem's philosophy of talk radio, and my take on them:

"The world has changed over the past 20 years, and so has the way
we talk about the news. 20 years ago we looked primarily at what was happening in our own backyard. Today, we have a “national view” of world events and the economy, not just at home, but across the globe. It affects every facet of our
lives."

That's right... in 1983, talk radio had no opinions on the Beirut bombing or the Grenada invasion. It was ALL about the sewer bond in Greenville. And we all stopped caring about our communities and states back on.. oh... February 8, 1996.

This is of course a self-serving paragraph to justify pumping everything in off the bird and spending no money on local talent. Of course, if this is true, why does Salem hire local hosts in Sacramento? All politics are still local, as the saying goes, but you can't discuss your congressional or state legislative races on a Salem station.

Here's another item they use to justify having "a national view..."

"Fox News beats all rivals. For the first time in its history, Fox News Channel beat the combined competition in primetime during the third quarter of 2004..."

Remember, they use this to support the "national" concept, not the "conservative" concept...

Of course, the local TV news probably beats all the cable news channels in a given area.

Now to justifying the "conservative" perspective...

"An appetite for a Conservative Perspective
Bill Bennett's Morning in America, which first launched on April 5, 2004, has
become the fastest growing talk show in America with more than 124 markets
including 18 of the top 20. "

They claim Radio and Records as the source for this. Of course, we know the tendency of trade publications to rehash press releases. Remember that many of the Bennett affiliates are Salem O&O's, and thus are no more able to "choose" to run his show than Poland in 1955 was able to "choose" to join the Warsaw Pact...

Wonder what their reps are saying to local advertisers about the "black babies, abortion and the crime rate" flap?

 

[Rad10phile]

Salem Radio Networks

I'd like to know just how many radio stations airing Bill Bennett are NOT owned by Salem. Can't be many,and certainly can't be in large markets With all the syndicated choices out there, I can't imagine running Bennett. Unless, of course, the only affiliates he has are Christian talk stations as opposed to mainstream stations. But even then, he's tedious to listen to, boring as all getout, and just doesn't have the personality for morning radio -- or radio at all!

Salem TRIES to have mainstream talk stations -- some of the O&Os have Laura Ingraham on or other Talk America hosts, but how can you consider a talk station mainstream when it airs two minute religious commercials, a network newscast with a CLEAR religious bent (about two minutes of religious news in the middle) and a bunch of PIs verus "regular" ads??? I've had the chance to hear several of the Salem talk stations, and every one, despite an apparent attempt to appear non-secular, had some religious programming.

Salem needs to decide what it's going to be -- mainstream or religious. They aren't cutting it doing both. Stick to what you know best, guys.



> You can read the entire kit here.
>
http://media.s> alemwebnetwork.com/SWN/WLSS-AM/LocalImages/WLSS_mediakit.pdf
>
>
> A few excerpts that reveal Salem's philosophy of talk radio,
> and my take on them:
>
> "The world has changed over the past 20 years, and so has
> the way
> we talk about the news. 20 years ago we looked primarily at
> what was happening in our own backyard. Today, we have a
> “national view” of world events and the economy, not just at
> home, but across the globe. It affects every facet of our
> lives."
>
> That's right... in 1983, talk radio had no opinions on the
> Beirut bombing or the Grenada invasion. It was ALL about the
> sewer bond in Greenville. And we all stopped caring about
> our communities and states back on.. oh... February 8, 1996.
>
>
> This is of course a self-serving paragraph to justify
> pumping everything in off the bird and spending no money on
> local talent. Of course, if this is true, why does Salem
> hire local hosts in Sacramento? All politics are still
> local, as the saying goes, but you can't discuss your
> congressional or state legislative races on a Salem station.
>
>
> Here's another item they use to justify having "a national
> view..."
>
> "Fox News beats all rivals. For the first time in its
> history, Fox News Channel beat the combined competition in
> primetime during the third quarter of 2004..."
>
> Remember, they use this to support the "national" concept,
> not the "conservative" concept...
>
> Of course, the local TV news probably beats all the cable
> news channels in a given area.
>
> Now to justifying the "conservative" perspective...
>
> "An appetite for a Conservative Perspective
> Bill Bennett's Morning in America, which first launched on
> April 5, 2004, has
> become the fastest growing talk show in America with more
> than 124 markets
> including 18 of the top 20. "
>
> They claim Radio and Records as the source for this. Of
> course, we know the tendency of trade publications to rehash
> press releases. Remember that many of the Bennett affiliates
> are Salem O&O's, and thus are no more able to "choose" to
> run his show than Poland in 1955 was able to "choose" to
> join the Warsaw Pact...
>
> Wonder what their reps are saying to local advertisers about
> the "black babies, abortion and the crime rate" flap?
>