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ABC looking to replace PAUL HARVEY with ...

M

mwebster

Guest
... Fred Thompson!

RadioDailyNews.com
<blockquote>Former U.S. senator and "Law & Order" star Fred Thompson is the leading contender to succeed legendary radio commentator Paul Harvey, The NY Post has learned. Thompson met with ABC Radio execs late last year, and several insiders say he's at the top of a short list to take over the top-rated 87-year-old broadcaster's three daily "news and comment" programs ... </blockquote>
http://www.nypost.com/entertainment/63264.htm

Harvey can't last forever and, as the article points out, "the voice" is not what it was. ABC/Citadel needed to start thinking about this sometime. Fact is, Harvey is an anachronism, a holdover from another time and another type of radio news broadcasting. He brought in a lot of money but the gravy train has reached the end of the line. And some redneck lawyer-politician-part-time actor is not going to get it going again. Actually, he's not an actor. Actors are capable of playing someone different from themselves.

The good news: This could get Fred off Law & Order, on which he is completely unbelievable. There is no way this guy could get elected to public office in New York County.
 
> ... Fred Thompson!
>
> RadioDailyNews.com
> Former U.S. senator and "Law & Order" star Fred Thompson is
> the leading contender to succeed legendary radio commentator
> Paul Harvey, The NY Post has learned. Thompson met with ABC
> Radio execs late last year, and several insiders say he's at
> the top of a short list to take over the top-rated
> 87-year-old broadcaster's three daily "news and comment"
> programs ...
> http://www.nypost.com/entertainment/63264.htm

Even if Harvey were to hang it up today, Thompson isn't the guy to take over. He's a name, but he's not a radio guy. Harvey is.

> Harvey can't last forever and, as the article points out,
> "the voice" is not what it was. ABC/Citadel needed to start
> thinking about this sometime. Fact is, Harvey is an
> anachronism, a holdover from another time and another type
> of radio news broadcasting. He brought in a lot of money
> but the gravy train has reached the end of the line. And
> some redneck lawyer-politician-part-time actor is not going
> to get it going again. Actually, he's not an actor. Actors
> are capable of playing someone different from themselves.

Harvey may be an anachronism but he's a money-making anachronism. From the same article, one securities analyst believes that Harvey is responsible for almost all of ABC Radio's $25 million annual revenue. Paul Harvey isn't going anywhere unless he decides it's time for him to leave, his health requires it, or he dies of old age.

> The good news: This could get Fred off Law & Order, on which
> he is completely unbelievable. There is no way this guy
> could get elected to public office in New York County.

Thompson would be better hosting a show on one of the cable news channels.
 
> > ... Fred Thompson!
> >
> > RadioDailyNews.com
> > Former U.S. senator and "Law & Order" star Fred Thompson is
> > the leading contender to succeed legendary radio commentator
> > Paul Harvey, The NY Post has learned. Thompson met with ABC
> > Radio execs late last year, and several insiders say he's at
> > the top of a short list to take over the top-rated
> > 87-year-old broadcaster's three daily "news and comment"
> > programs ...
> > http://www.nypost.com/entertainment/63264.htm
>
> Even if Harvey were to hang it up today, Thompson isn't the
> guy to take over. He's a name, but he's not a radio guy.
> Harvey is.

And even while regular fill-ins such as Doug Limerick, Gil Gross and Paul W. Smith aren't exactly on the same par as Paul Harvey (for God's sake, no one will), they also are **radio** people. Same as CBS's Harley Cairns, who I feel is on the same par as Gil Gross among radio news anchors.

In fact, I'd rather see Gil or Harley take over Paul Harvey before Fred Thompson. Nothing against Fred, but I fear that it risks being as bad as a certain David Lee Roth...

- Nathan Obral
 
I caught a few minutes of Paul yesterday, and it was kinda sad to hear him, he didn't sound all there.

Great guy though!
 
With all of the advancements in cloning, perhaps the first human cloning project should be to somehow harvest Harvey's DNA and reclone a "new" Harvey so he can start again from the beginning of his radio and so nobody has to worry about him disappearing until about 50 years from now.


> > > ... Fred Thompson!
> > >
> > > RadioDailyNews.com
> > > Former U.S. senator and "Law & Order" star Fred Thompson
> is
> > > the leading contender to succeed legendary radio
> commentator
> > > Paul Harvey, The NY Post has learned. Thompson met with
> ABC
> > > Radio execs late last year, and several insiders say
> he's at
> > > the top of a short list to take over the top-rated
> > > 87-year-old broadcaster's three daily "news and comment"
>
> > > programs ...
> > > http://www.nypost.com/entertainment/63264.htm
> >
> > Even if Harvey were to hang it up today, Thompson isn't
> the
> > guy to take over. He's a name, but he's not a radio guy.
>
> > Harvey is.
>
> And even while regular fill-ins such as Doug Limerick, Gil
> Gross and Paul W. Smith aren't exactly on the same par as
> Paul Harvey (for God's sake, no one will), they also are
> **radio** people. Same as CBS's Harley Cairns, who I feel is
> on the same par as Gil Gross among radio news anchors.
>
> In fact, I'd rather see Gil or Harley take over Paul Harvey
> before Fred Thompson. Nothing against Fred, but I fear that
> it risks being as bad as a certain David Lee Roth...
>
> - Nathan Obral
>
 
> With all of the advancements in cloning, perhaps the first
> human cloning project should be to somehow harvest Harvey's
> DNA and reclone a "new" Harvey so he can start again from
> the beginning of his radio and so nobody has to worry about
> him disappearing until about 50 years from now.
>
>
Then all they'll have to worry about is terrestrial radio disappearing 20 years from now.
 
> ... Fred Thompson!
>
> RadioDailyNews.com
> Former U.S. senator and "Law & Order" star Fred Thompson is
> the leading contender to succeed legendary radio commentator
> Paul Harvey, The NY Post has learned. Thompson met with ABC
> Radio execs late last year, and several insiders say he's at
> the top of a short list to take over the top-rated
> 87-year-old broadcaster's three daily "news and comment"
> programs ...
> http://www.nypost.com/entertainment/63264.htm
>
> Harvey can't last forever and, as the article points out,
> "the voice" is not what it was. ABC/Citadel needed to start
> thinking about this sometime. Fact is, Harvey is an
> anachronism, a holdover from another time and another type
> of radio news broadcasting. He brought in a lot of money
> but the gravy train has reached the end of the line. And
> some redneck lawyer-politician-part-time actor is not going
> to get it going again. Actually, he's not an actor. Actors
> are capable of playing someone different from themselves.
>
> The good news: This could get Fred off Law & Order, on which
> he is completely unbelievable. There is no way this guy
> could get elected to public office in New York County.
>


Allow me to correct something. Fred Thompson is NOT some "redneck." The man graduated from Vanderbilt Law School, which doesn't admit just everyone. Fred, who used to live down the street from me, has practiced law in Washington, in addition to his stints in state and federal government.

I don't know if he'd work on radio or not. Not being a broadcaster would be a big disadvantage, as it has been for the numerous political types that have attempted radio shows and failed. Fred's biggest advantage, though, is that he is genuine. What you see is what you get.
 
That 15 minute block will go by the wayside when Harvey retires or passes away. It's a pain to schedule around, and with a newbie, few will continue to make the effort.
 
> That 15 minute block will go by the wayside when Harvey
> retires or passes away. It's a pain to schedule around, and
> with a newbie, few will continue to make the effort.
>
Exactly. Plus, who got rid of the shows already after the network wanted additional compensation?
 
PAUL HARVEY and Art Bell

> That 15 minute block will go by the wayside when Harvey
> retires or passes away. It's a pain to schedule around, and
> with a newbie, few will continue to make the effort.

I suspect you're right.

But meanwhile, why don't they "try out" some of these
people while Paul gets a well-deserved vacation.

Then they could phase in someone when necessary,
like Art Bell did a few years ago.

73s from 954
 
Hey, I like Fred...but I don't think Paul Harvey is replaceable. The "next Paul Harvey" will be determined at the grassroots level; not by the suits at the top.
 
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