AAR moves to Syndication; Signs Hartmann

[bierkenstock]

All Access:
AIR AMERICA RADIO is launching a new syndication division to offer shows separate from the network's regular offerings to both Progressive Talk and other talk/music formats. The new AIR AMERICA SYNDICATION's first offering will be KPOJ-A/PORTLAND's THOM HARTMANN's national show, which will be sent out live Noon-3p (ET) weekdays (and will be aired SUNDAY middays on WLIB-A/NEW YORK). JONES MEDIAAMERICA is handling sales for the new venture.

AIR AMERICA RADIO President GARY KRANTZ said, "THOM HARTMANN has shown enormous success in many markets around the country, from SEATTLE to PITTSBURGH. "We are thrilled to have THOM be a part of AIR AMERICA's unmatched line-up of talent and are looking forward to helping him grow in affiliations, audience, revenue, and most importantly, as an important progressive voice in the media landscape."

--------------

Ok, Hartmann is up against Franken. Franken may leave to run for the Senate at some point. If not, P&G has showed us that the best competition is yourself. Good business news. Make money. Pay back the "loan."

 

[Scribbler]

>
> Ok, Hartmann is up against Franken. Franken may leave to
> run for the Senate at some point. If not, P&G has showed us
> that the best competition is yourself. Good business news.
> Make money. Pay back the "loan."

I like Hartmann, but I wonder how long he can keep doing six straight hours, five days a week. He does a local show on KPOJ from 6 to 9 am, and than follows that with his national show, from 9 am to noon, PT. Doesn't leave him much time to prepare, charge his batteries, etc.
>

 

[Tom_]

A big risk for Air America?...A premature business decision?...

With amazement I continue to read these posts on Hartmann and the programming decisions of Air America and KPTK-AM/Seattle.

Air America hosts have very little name recognition compared to the "big guys" on the "other side" of the political spectrum.

For AAR to start offering "alternative progressive talkers" to AAR affiliates and other stations could result in several problems.

When you cut the pie into too many slices by adding more hosts to your clock, the existing hosts (Franken, Rhodes, Malloy) will undoubtedly *LOSE* affiliates. In Seattle (KPTK-AM), Rhodes, Franken, and Malloy will be tape delayed after dark when much of the market can't hear the signal after sunset Nov,Dec,Jan,Feb,Mar.

In my view Air America should continue with the standard package until the point where they have millions of listeners per week 12+, just like the "big guys" in conservative radio have. They are doing this too prematurely. I hope it does not backfire on them. The network is taking a BIG RISK.

Furtermore, by cutting the pie into too many slices, they are at risk for MORE competition with OTHER progressive talkers, e.g. Lionel, Schultz, Miller, Colmes, Basham. Perhaps they are planning to sign some of these other talkers as well just like Hartmann?

Progressive talk is in its infancy, and due to the lack of signal strength of many Air America stations (and other factors), will continue in its infancy for at least another year. The network in my opinion would be better served to try to get its existing hosts in the "standard package" on as many stations as possible *BEFORE* syndicating other hosts like Thom Hartmann.

And BTW, with all due respect to Hartmann...he has an excellent show and I try to hear it on KPOJ/KPTK/KRXA/white rose society web stream whenever I can...so I actually personally congradulate Thom for this!

All access:

> All Access:
> AIR AMERICA RADIO is launching a new syndication division to
> offer shows separate from the network's regular offerings to
> both Progressive Talk and other talk/music formats. The new
> AIR AMERICA SYNDICATION's first offering will be
> KPOJ-A/PORTLAND's THOM HARTMANN's national show, which will
> be sent out live Noon-3p (ET) weekdays (and will be aired
> SUNDAY middays on WLIB-A/NEW YORK). JONES MEDIAAMERICA is
> handling sales for the new venture.
>
> AIR AMERICA RADIO President GARY KRANTZ said, "THOM HARTMANN
> has shown enormous success in many markets around the
> country, from SEATTLE to PITTSBURGH. "We are thrilled to
> have THOM be a part of AIR AMERICA's unmatched line-up of
> talent and are looking forward to helping him grow in
> affiliations, audience, revenue, and most importantly, as an
> important progressive voice in the media landscape."
>
> --------------
>
> Ok, Hartmann is up against Franken. Franken may leave to
> run for the Senate at some point. If not, P&G has showed us
> that the best competition is yourself. Good business news.
> Make money. Pay back the "loan."
> <P ID="edit"><FONT class="small">Edited by this Tom: on 09/09/05 08:53 PM.</FONT></P>

 

[bierkenstock]

A smart move; a good business decision

I am surprised at how little reaction this item got. This is significant and it represents a major shift in Air America Radio's business model - one that is long overdue IMHO.

To recap: A few years ago some people got together to figure out how to break up the conservative dominance of talk radio. Then they split up. One faction (now Democracy Radio) wanted to go with the standard syndication model like the conservative talkers. The other (now Air America Radio) wanted to create a network on the European model. They wanted to lease stations across the country to function as repeaters for a full schedule of progressive talk programming. Democracy Radio slid in under the radar and quietly started putting shows on individual stations. AAR made a lot of noise. They leased stations. Their checks bounced. All the stations except New York bailed. Gradually, they have been forced into the syndication model, with broadcasters (Clear Channel and others) picking and chosing which shows to take and when to air them. AAR didn't like it much, but they had little choice. They were right about one thing: Progressive talk needed to be its own format to thrive. They were way off on how the radio biz really works.

Now AAR not only has adopted the syndication model, they are embracing it. They are moving toward a cafeteria approach, offering stations choices.

Radio is not about ratings or talk show host name recognition. Radio is a business, not a popularity contest. Radio is about ad sales and revenue. If AAR sells a client and the spots run in Al Franken or Thom Hartmann, the company still delivers ears to advertisers and makes money. McDonald's used to offer only the regular hambuger and cheeseburger. When the idea first came up for fish sandwiches, chicken sandwiches, Big Macs and Quarter Pounders, some said this would hurt hambuger sales (and it did). But it got more people, spending more money, into Mickey D's. Major companies like Proctor and Gamble offer competing brands of soap and toothpaste, and they cut into each others' sales. Who wins? P&G.

The Air America brand name is not important and may have outlived its usefulness. What is important is for progressive talk radio to thrive. And that latter happens through the Darwinian process of competition. Put more hosts out there and let the strong survive.

The Air America Radio line-up is weak. It's talent and programming is often mediocre. At first liberals listened because it was liberal talk radio radio. Now the novely is wearing off. AAR is bad radio. To hold an audience progressive talk stations must offer good radio.

This is how "the big guys" in conservative talk radio got to be big.

Too many people here want Air America Radio to succeed. The goal should be for the progressive talk format to succeed.

 

[tbetz]

> I like Hartmann, but I wonder how long he can keep doing six
> straight hours, five days a week. He does a local show on
> KPOJ from 6 to 9 am, and than follows that with his national
> show, from 9 am to noon, PT. Doesn't leave him much time to
> prepare, charge his batteries, etc.

Doesn't anyone but me remember when your average call-in talk show shift WAS 6 hours? ;^)

I listen to both Hartmann's shows, and there's a lot of overlap between them, so he can do prep work once and can usually use it twice. That helps.

I've even heard him have the same conservative phone-in guest on both shows on the same day to argue with him!

Sometimes he sags a bit toward 3 PM, but I am usually amazed at the vigor Hartmann brings to that last hour.<P ID="signature">______________
also known as tombetz.</P>

 

[OldAkronite]

Libtalk And The Necessity of AAR

> This is how "the big guys" in conservative talk radio got to
> be big.

It was definitely a "chicken and egg" thing for both AAR and even Jones and its feeder company for liberal talk, Democracy Radio.

Without stations turning to an entire format of liberal talk hosts, the market for syndicated individual hosts was slim. Alan Colmes has been doing his Fox Radio syndicated show now for how long, 2 years? He got some clearances, but not many.

Ed Schultz, despite being about as close to a Rush Limbaugh style host as you can get and still be called liberal, had 3 affiliates on day one, in puny, puny markets. When he got to Grand Rapids, MI, it was his only market with any metro population!

It took both AAR AND Democracy/Jones to build the format. Without the availability of AAR's 24/7 programming to fill holes in the schedule - no matter how "good" that 24/7 programming was - stations wouldn't have flipped to liberal talk as soon as they did. Then, when they did flip with AAR's programming help, Jones Radio was right there to sell them Ed, and later, Stephanie Miller.

Without AAR's 24/7 "fill", and without stations going to libtalk, how many stations is Ed Schultz on - a dozen?

In this case, AAR acts like Fox Sports Radio or Sporting News Radio - it provides enough programming to fill the schedule full-time for the format.

I'm wondering how much more "AAR Syndication" can grow Hartmann's noon-3 ET affiliate list, given that nearly every major market liberal talk station in America carries Al Franken. Are they aiming for more stations like WPTT/Pittsburgh, which won't dip into the regular AAR schedule for Franken or Randi Rhodes, but are taking Hartmann? I'm just not sure how many stations are out there like it, and Hartmann is not at all friendly for a station carrying conservative talkers now.

-OA<P ID="signature">______________
Ohio Media Watch - <a target="_blank" href=http://ohiomedia.blogspot.com>http://ohiomedia.blogspot.com</a></P>

 

[Scribbler]

Re: Libtalk And The Necessity of AAR

> I'm wondering how much more "AAR Syndication" can grow
> Hartmann's noon-3 ET affiliate list, given that nearly every
> major market liberal talk station in America carries Al
> Franken. Are they aiming for more stations like
> WPTT/Pittsburgh, which won't dip into the regular AAR
> schedule for Franken or Randi Rhodes, but are taking
> Hartmann? I'm just not sure how many stations are out there
> like it, and Hartmann is not at all friendly for a station
> carrying conservative talkers now.
>
> -OA

But libtalkers (at least in the west) could do what Infinity is doing in Seattle -- run Hartmann live and delay Franken until PM drive. BTW, it's interesting how AAR is trying to sell Hartmann -- this sounds like a slap at Franken.

Hartmann’s “No Boring Zone” technique of delivery draws in listeners who just couldn't handle another tedious interview (other than Independent Congressman Bernie Sanders, who's a Friday regular, about the only guests Hartmann has on his show are conservatives with whom he debates). Hold on to your seats as Thom demonstrates how to talk back to the right wing talking points right-wing talking points--by doing it!

http://www.airamericaradio.com/thomhartmannpage

 

[bierkenstock]

Another Possibility

AAR is getting ready for the post-Franken era of progressive talk radio. Hartman is in place as a back-up in case....
Franken runs for the Senate
Or in case something else we don't know about is going on.

Question becomes: Is Air America Radio still necessary in its present form (as a brand name or a network)? The big guns in conservative talk radio, with the exception of ABC, are not names known to the general public: Premiere Radio, TRN, Radio America. They mostly cover every daypart (except morning drive) and a station could take the line-up from most of them wall to wall. They don't. Stations pick from column A, or B or C.... And many of the leading syndicators offer some shows simultaneously.

Does the progressive talk format still need a national brand? A fixed menu (as opposed to a la carte)? AAR as brand served its purpose. It got attention and it legitimized progressive talk as a distinct format. Time to let it go.

 

[Tom_]

Re: Libtalk And The Necessity of AAR

> > I'm wondering how much more "AAR Syndication" can grow
> > Hartmann's noon-3 ET affiliate list, given that nearly
> every
> > major market liberal talk station in America carries Al
> > Franken. Are they aiming for more stations like
> > WPTT/Pittsburgh, which won't dip into the regular AAR
> > schedule for Franken or Randi Rhodes, but are taking
> > Hartmann? I'm just not sure how many stations are out
> there
> > like it, and Hartmann is not at all friendly for a station
>
> > carrying conservative talkers now.
> >
> > -OA
>
> But libtalkers (at least in the west) could do what Infinity
> is doing in Seattle -- run Hartmann live and delay Franken
> until PM drive. BTW, it's interesting how AAR is trying to
> sell Hartmann -- this sounds like a slap at Franken.
>
> Hartmann’s “No Boring Zone” technique of delivery draws in
> listeners who just couldn't handle another tedious interview
> (other than Independent Congressman Bernie Sanders, who's a
> Friday regular, about the only guests Hartmann has on his
> show are conservatives with whom he debates). Hold on to
> your seats as Thom demonstrates how to talk back to the
> right wing talking points right-wing talking points--by
> doing it!
>
> http://www.airamericaradio.com/thomhartmannpage


Thanks to all for the well written comments above.

With the syndication model, if I programmed a station with Air America programming *in a blue city,* I would continue with Franken, Randi, and Malloy, all LIVE...9a-4p, and 7p-10p (Pacific time).

I would delay Ed Schultz or Hartmann to afternoons 4p-7p.

I would run a local show mornings with ample local news/weather/traffic/sports.

Evenings: Doug Basham Live 10p-1a.

Overnights: Doug Stephan and Bill Press, both Live.

Overall, everything would be Live except 4p-7p.

Anyway...just my view...

 

[kaufcom]

Re: Libtalk And The Necessity of AAR

There are two reasons why lib talk has been so successful over the past year. The first, is that AAR correctly concluded that liberal talkers could not survive on talk stations dominated by conservatives and that the only way for the format to be successful would be to convert non-talk stations to liberal talk. They also, were able to back this hunch with about a $20 million investment. The other reason why liberal talk took off, was that Clear Channel was ready and willing to convert some of their weak AM's -- e.g. Oldies, Standards, and sports talk stations. After the ownership caps were removed in 1998, CC had been on a buying spree that ended in 2003. At that point they realized that they had picked up a lot worthless AM stations as a result of deals to get top FM stations in key markets. They needed to do something with these turkeys so they converted them to talkers. Also since they generally owned the top conservative talk station in each of the markets, it was a no-brainer to convert the new station to lib talk. Afterall, why should they compete with themselves. Add to this, the fact that CC was beginning to worry about federal media re-regulation and the move to lib talk made even more sense. (Especially fearing the possibility of a Kerry victory in the 2004 election.) Today, 75% of lib talk radio listeners are tuning in to a CC station.

Without AAR, Ed Schultz would still be on a small handful of stations. His success, is totally attributal to AAR's successul station roll-out. And Democracy Radio would still be holding annual conferences in Washington DC.

> > This is how "the big guys" in conservative talk radio got
> to
> > be big.
>
> It was definitely a "chicken and egg" thing for both AAR and
> even Jones and its feeder company for liberal talk,
> Democracy Radio.
>
> Without stations turning to an entire format of liberal talk
> hosts, the market for syndicated individual hosts was slim.
> Alan Colmes has been doing his Fox Radio syndicated show now
> for how long, 2 years? He got some clearances, but not
> many.
>
> Ed Schultz, despite being about as close to a Rush Limbaugh
> style host as you can get and still be called liberal, had 3
> affiliates on day one, in puny, puny markets. When he got
> to Grand Rapids, MI, it was his only market with any metro
> population!
>
> It took both AAR AND Democracy/Jones to build the format.
> Without the availability of AAR's 24/7 programming to fill
> holes in the schedule - no matter how "good" that 24/7
> programming was - stations wouldn't have flipped to liberal
> talk as soon as they did. Then, when they did flip with
> AAR's programming help, Jones Radio was right there to sell
> them Ed, and later, Stephanie Miller.
>
> Without AAR's 24/7 "fill", and without stations going to
> libtalk, how many stations is Ed Schultz on - a dozen?
>
> In this case, AAR acts like Fox Sports Radio or Sporting
> News Radio - it provides enough programming to fill the
> schedule full-time for the format.
>
> I'm wondering how much more "AAR Syndication" can grow
> Hartmann's noon-3 ET affiliate list, given that nearly every
> major market liberal talk station in America carries Al
> Franken. Are they aiming for more stations like
> WPTT/Pittsburgh, which won't dip into the regular AAR
> schedule for Franken or Randi Rhodes, but are taking
> Hartmann? I'm just not sure how many stations are out there
> like it, and Hartmann is not at all friendly for a station
> carrying conservative talkers now.
>
> -OA
>

 

[clichemoth]

Re: Libtalk And The Necessity of AAR

> > I'm wondering how much more "AAR Syndication" can grow
> > Hartmann's noon-3 ET affiliate list, given that nearly
> every
> > major market liberal talk station in America carries Al
> > Franken. Are they aiming for more stations like
> > WPTT/Pittsburgh, which won't dip into the regular AAR
> > schedule for Franken or Randi Rhodes, but are taking
> > Hartmann? I'm just not sure how many stations are out
> there
> > like it, and Hartmann is not at all friendly for a station
>
> > carrying conservative talkers now.
> >
> > -OA
>
> But libtalkers (at least in the west) could do what Infinity
> is doing in Seattle -- run Hartmann live and delay Franken
> until PM drive. BTW, it's interesting how AAR is trying to
> sell Hartmann -- this sounds like a slap at Franken.
>
> Hartmann’s “No Boring Zone” technique of delivery draws in
> listeners who just couldn't handle another tedious interview
> (other than Independent Congressman Bernie Sanders, who's a
> Friday regular, about the only guests Hartmann has on his
> show are conservatives with whom he debates). Hold on to
> your seats as Thom demonstrates how to talk back to the
> right wing talking points right-wing talking points--by
> doing it!
>
> http://www.airamericaradio.com/thomhartmannpage
>


It is kind of a slap, but it's also definitely right. Hartmann delivers a much more solid and interesting show than Franken (or really anyone else on AAR) because he doesn't rely on lame "comedy" bits* and preaching to the choir, but instead brings the content.

If I were programming libtalk here in my extremely red home market of Birmingham, I'd go for Miller, Hartmann, Schultz, Colmes (who doesn't get anywhere near the love he deserves around here, he's great on the radio w/o Hannity talking over him), and Lionel and no primary AAR content at all. The remaining slots (namely prime drivetime) would be live, local, and largely geared to the African-American community that makes up most of the Dem voting base in these parts.

*Anyone hear Franken's bit a few days back (either Wed. or Thurs.) about the teacher at the Astrodome? Not only was it painfully unfunny and poorly written, it seemed borderline racist with Al trying to sound black and some of the name-related jokes. If Rush did the same bit, he'd be dodging flaming pitchforks and small arms fire. I don't get it, Al's a funny guy and he can be funny about politics (his excellent books prove that), but the quality of his radio material is generally closer to that clunker than to his written work.

 

[Scribbler]

Re: Libtalk And The Necessity of AAR

> *Anyone hear Franken's bit a few days back (either Wed. or
> Thurs.) about the teacher at the Astrodome? Not only was it
> painfully unfunny and poorly written, it seemed borderline
> racist with Al trying to sound black and some of the
> name-related jokes. If Rush did the same bit, he'd be
> dodging flaming pitchforks and small arms fire. I don't get
> it, Al's a funny guy and he can be funny about politics (his
> excellent books prove that), but the quality of his radio
> material is generally closer to that clunker than to his
> written work.

I heard the bit and agree that it was unfunny and poorly written, but it never occurred to me that he was "trying to sound black," at least in the way that racists try to parody "black" speech. The bit failed, but I didn't hear any racism. I can almost guarantee you that the skit was written by one of Franken's staffers -- he admitted that a book forward he'd supposedly written for Joe Conasan's latest book was actually written by one of his assistants.

It seems pretty obvious that Franken is spreading himself too thin and thereby not devoting enough time or energy to his radio show. Too bad.

<P ID="edit"><FONT class="small">Edited by Scribbler on 09/10/05 03:26 PM.</FONT></P>

 

[Tom_]

Clear channel purchasing underperforming AM stations

Good points...

As you state below, Randi Rhodes explained a few weeks ago how Clear channel purchased AM stations with low ratings and low power, and then converted these to Air America, e.g. AM 760/Denver that is 50kW daytims yet powers way down directionally at night...





> There are two reasons why lib talk has been so successful
> over the past year. The first, is that AAR correctly
> concluded that liberal talkers could not survive on talk
> stations dominated by conservatives and that the only way
> for the format to be successful would be to convert non-talk
> stations to liberal talk. They also, were able to back this
> hunch with about a $20 million investment. The other reason
> why liberal talk took off, was that Clear Channel was ready
> and willing to convert some of their weak AM's -- e.g.
> Oldies, Standards, and sports talk stations. After the
> ownership caps were removed in 1998, CC had been on a buying
> spree that ended in 2003. At that point they realized that
> they had picked up a lot worthless AM stations as a result
> of deals to get top FM stations in key markets. They needed
> to do something with these turkeys so they converted them to
> talkers. Also since they generally owned the top
> conservative talk station in each of the markets, it was a
> no-brainer to convert the new station to lib talk. Afterall,
> why should they compete with themselves. Add to this, the
> fact that CC was beginning to worry about federal media
> re-regulation and the move to lib talk made even more sense.
> (Especially fearing the possibility of a Kerry victory in
> the 2004 election.) Today, 75% of lib talk radio listeners
> are tuning in to a CC station.
>
> Without AAR, Ed Schultz would still be on a small handful of
> stations. His success, is totally attributal to AAR's
> successul station roll-out. And Democracy Radio would still
> be holding annual conferences in Washington DC.
>
> > > This is how "the big guys" in conservative talk radio
> got
> > to
> > > be big.
> >
> > It was definitely a "chicken and egg" thing for both AAR
> and
> > even Jones and its feeder company for liberal talk,
> > Democracy Radio.
> >
> > Without stations turning to an entire format of liberal
> talk
> > hosts, the market for syndicated individual hosts was
> slim.
> > Alan Colmes has been doing his Fox Radio syndicated show
> now
> > for how long, 2 years? He got some clearances, but not
> > many.
> >
> > Ed Schultz, despite being about as close to a Rush
> Limbaugh
> > style host as you can get and still be called liberal, had
> 3
> > affiliates on day one, in puny, puny markets. When he got
>
> > to Grand Rapids, MI, it was his only market with any metro
>
> > population!
> >
> > It took both AAR AND Democracy/Jones to build the format.
>
> > Without the availability of AAR's 24/7 programming to fill
>
> > holes in the schedule - no matter how "good" that 24/7
> > programming was - stations wouldn't have flipped to
> liberal
> > talk as soon as they did. Then, when they did flip with
> > AAR's programming help, Jones Radio was right there to
> sell
> > them Ed, and later, Stephanie Miller.
> >
> > Without AAR's 24/7 "fill", and without stations going to
> > libtalk, how many stations is Ed Schultz on - a dozen?
> >
> > In this case, AAR acts like Fox Sports Radio or Sporting
> > News Radio - it provides enough programming to fill the
> > schedule full-time for the format.
> >
> > I'm wondering how much more "AAR Syndication" can grow
> > Hartmann's noon-3 ET affiliate list, given that nearly
> every
> > major market liberal talk station in America carries Al
> > Franken. Are they aiming for more stations like
> > WPTT/Pittsburgh, which won't dip into the regular AAR
> > schedule for Franken or Randi Rhodes, but are taking
> > Hartmann? I'm just not sure how many stations are out
> there
> > like it, and Hartmann is not at all friendly for a station
>
> > carrying conservative talkers now.
> >
> > -OA
> >
>