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Age Discrimination in Talk Radio

B

bierkenstock

Guest
If you visit the Oldies and Standards boards, you know stations are dropping those formats because advertisers want to reach younger listeners. Talk radio has also tended to skew old, with the majority of the audience over 50.

Comedian Marty Ingels, according to the LA Times, is suing syndicated talk show host Tom Leykis and the program's owner, Westwood One (Viacom) claiming they discriminate against older CALLERS in an effort to woo younger listeners:
<blockquote>
Ingels "phoned (Tom) Leykis' talk show in June 2003 posing as a 60-year-old man named "Paul Russo" and was told the program didn't want seniors calling in. Ingels is actually 65.

"According to transcripts of the call, Leykis told "Russo" that his age did not fit with the show's efforts to attract younger, single listeners. "You're way too old, pops," Leykis said on the air. "Call a big-band station. Call somebody else, please. Don't call here. It's called targeted demographics.""
</blockquote>
Marty Ingels is married to musical comedy star and academy awarding winning actress Shirley Jones (oscar for playing a hooker in Elmer Gantry). Shirley's dad owned Stoney's Beer (Jones Brewing Company). Beauty, talent and beer: what more could one want!

Westwood One, a division of Viacom, owns and operates Shadow Traffic/Metro Networks, CBS Radio, CNN Radio and NBC Radio, in addition to producing several major talk shows besides Leykis (The O'Reilly Factor, Jim Bohannon, Don and Mike, Lars Larson, Imus in the Morning among others).

When you call talk radio, does the screener ask how old you are?
 
> If you visit the Oldies and Standards boards, you know
> stations are dropping those formats because advertisers want
> to reach younger listeners. Talk radio has also tended to
> skew old, with the majority of the audience over 50.
>
> Comedian Marty Ingels, according to the LA Times, is suing
> syndicated talk show host Tom Leykis and the program's
> owner, Westwood One (Viacom) claiming they discriminate
> against older CALLERS in an effort to woo younger listeners:
>
>
> Ingels "phoned (Tom) Leykis' talk show in June 2003 posing
> as a 60-year-old man named "Paul Russo" and was told the
> program didn't want seniors calling in. Ingels is actually
> 65.
>
> "According to transcripts of the call, Leykis told "Russo"
> that his age did not fit with the show's efforts to attract
> younger, single listeners. "You're way too old, pops,"
> Leykis said on the air. "Call a big-band station. Call
> somebody else, please. Don't call here. It's called targeted
> demographics.""
>
> Marty Ingels is married to musical comedy star and academy
> awarding winning actress Shirley Jones (oscar for playing a
> hooker in Elmer Gantry). Shirley's dad owned Stoney's Beer
> (Jones Brewing Company). Beauty, talent and beer: what more
> could one want!
>
> Westwood One, a division of Viacom, owns and operates Shadow
> Traffic/Metro Networks, CBS Radio, CNN Radio and NBC Radio,
> in addition to producing several major talk shows besides
> Leykis (The O'Reilly Factor, Jim Bohannon, Don and Mike,
> Lars Larson, Imus in the Morning among others).
>
> When you call talk radio, does the screener ask how old you
> are?
>

They did when I was 11.

The lawsuit was dismissed.

http://www.metnews.com/articles/2005/inge053105.htm

A little more research shows that Marty Ingels has too much time and money on his hands--the appellate court (4th Division) upheld the dismissal, but now Ingels is petitioned the CA Supreme Court to reinstate the suit.

http://www.overlawyered.com/archives/002501.html

The CA Supreme Court--without comment, a good sign of common sense--refused to hear the appeal and petition to reinstate.

http://www.calendarlive.com/tv/radio/cl-et-ingels29aug29,0,5296832.story

And, of course, like all aggrieved persons, Ingels promises to take it to the US Supreme Court. (The SCOTUS won't take the case, for reasons too complicated to get into here.)<P ID="edit"><FONT class="small">Edited by Johnny Morgan on 09/01/05 01:58 PM.</FONT></P>
 
There's no "right" for anyone to have their call aired on talk radio, anymore than the newspaper has to print your letter to the editor. We should all be glad, because if some wacky court (9th circuit?)found there was, callers probably couldn't be taken off the air in time for a commercial break. That would mean a certain Ken could drone on on WLW all day with his Jewish conspiracy theories.

WFLA was one of the first stations in the mid 90s to attempt to attract younger demos, and they did blow off older callers...as soon as they saud "I'm 75 years old" (which a lot of oldr callers do for some reason) they hit the dump button.<P ID="signature">______________
Greetings from Ohio-where the governor wants everyone to know he's sorry.</P>
 
Another instance of: "If I don't get my way, I'll scream 'Discrimination!'"

The caller, technically, is part of the show. If someone doesn't fit the proper bill to be on, then that person shouldn't be on.

This is no business transaction, it's just a matter of the caller (Ingalls) did not fit in with what Leykis wanted for the program. Nobody had their rights denied... only Ingalls wants to deny Leykis his right to free speech because he didn't like what the host said to him. Poor baby.
 
There's no age discrimination on KDWN Las Vegas...

And that station is a joke in the industry...

> WFLA was one of the first stations in the mid 90s to attempt
> to attract younger demos, and they did blow off older
> callers...as soon as they saud "I'm 75 years old" (which a
> lot of oldr callers do for some reason) they hit the dump
> button.
>

You know, in the Tampa and other Florida markets with a high senior citizen population, I'm surprised someone hasn't tried a "senior talk" format. A great marketing tool would be to buy a mailing list of people turning 55, and send them letters saying "Congratulations on turning 55! Now W(XXX) doesn't want you as a listener anymore", explain call screening, then invite the listener to switch to "Talk Radio for Grownups -- W(YYY)."
 
Re: There's no age discrimination on KDWN Las Vegas...

Senior talk....wow, all Social Secuity, all the time. I think ad sales wise it would go the way of adult standards.<P ID="signature">______________
Greetings from Ohio-where the governor wants everyone to know he's sorry.</P>
 
Believe it or not, that's what most talk radio was before 1985...

> Senior talk....wow, all Social Secuity, all the time. I
> think ad sales wise it would go the way of adult standards.
>

In many markets, that's what talk radio was...

Hours and hours of complaining and moaning by "notch babies" (those born between 1917 and 1922) about the size of their checks relative to those born before 1916.

Reminisces about the good old days...

Remotes were seas of blue rinse Q-tips...

Wouldn't work everyplace, but would probably work in those Florida and Arizona markets that have a high 55 + component, just like adult standards in 1980 and oldies today...
 
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