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Al Gardner gone from IQ?
- Thread starter jnkiii
- Start date
John1 said:
Thanks for all the background. Bill has a bit more to add on his web site: http://www.billgardnerontheradio.com/home
"Low IQ" should be the moniker for this station; what a mess. I'm convinced it was set up to fail by Michaels, as a tax write-off. There's no other possible explanation for the ill-conceived idea they would compete with KYW 1060 while doing taped news-- a format that had already failed in 2 other markets. From the start, they had no clear branding; their entry to the market was playing other old Phila stations' legal IDs, with no tag or explanation, and this was but one example of a station that didn't have any direction. I don't even think that qualifies as stunting. With a bunch of syndicated people in the lineup, what was the connection to Philly anyway? They still claimed an all-news format was the plan, even after they brought in Rush et al. Once they started conservative talk, Mendte should have been the morning guy. He was a faithful tea-partying soldier, so I'm not sure why he was dumped. But he's just one in what seems to be a growing list of people in and out through the revolving door at IQ. Which is consistent with the idea that no one in charge had a plan, or was committed to anything long-term.
Oh, and Lionel is unlistenable, but I almost think that's the least of their problems over there.
Oh, and Lionel is unlistenable, but I almost think that's the least of their problems over there.
Apparently there are about 10 Mendte fans and hundreds of thousands who aren't. He may be talented as a talking head, but seem to have no understanding of basic radio. His numbers were connected to the Glen Beck Show that he was interrupting. He can spin it as hard as he wants, maybe as hard as he spins his past indiscretion. He should try to take some respondsibility for something once in his career.
He can talk about how great his ratings were, but that seems to be hard to actually prove. Ratings were up in November not because of Larry, but the election. They went down in December because of Christmas. Not Larry leaving. He has had no more effect on the ratings then anything else on that station.
Maybe the sun is rising and setting becausevof him, or the sky is blue because of Larry Mendte, but he was no great success on WWIQ.
He can talk about how great his ratings were, but that seems to be hard to actually prove. Ratings were up in November not because of Larry, but the election. They went down in December because of Christmas. Not Larry leaving. He has had no more effect on the ratings then anything else on that station.
Maybe the sun is rising and setting becausevof him, or the sky is blue because of Larry Mendte, but he was no great success on WWIQ.
F
FredLeonard
Guest
Christinemillertime said:
Now, that's something I never thought I'd read. Somebody forward that post to Alycia.
CBS will be the buyer and KYW will end up on the band. That's what's going to happen.
Still..Beck, Rush, Hannity, and Levin deserve a home in Philly. IQ has shown put them on the dial where people spend most of their time and these shows will have an audience. If they end up on any AM stick, they will likely not survive.
Still..Beck, Rush, Hannity, and Levin deserve a home in Philly. IQ has shown put them on the dial where people spend most of their time and these shows will have an audience. If they end up on any AM stick, they will likely not survive.
J
Jul
Guest
and I think that CBS might ditch 1210 and sell it. Best choice, Greater Media, so they can put ESPN on 1210 AND 97.5 going all local.Seltzer said:
I for one am saddened by the firing of Al Gardner. I thought the station had a lot of promise when it started. When my business route took me to Philly and Trenton I'd listen each morning. Al was like your dad on the radio. While I didn't really like Larry Mendte much I thought it was a good pairing. I do have to agree that it seemed like he didn't really know radio well. The traffic was great when the station first started, very timely and very accurate. But by December I found myself going back to KYW for traffic reports. I'm not a big fan of Lionell and his screaming. It's a shame the radio station didn't stay the way it was when it first started. Hopefully someone with Mr. Gardner's talent will not be unemployed for long.
Apparently, Al and Randy Michaels had a falling out. Randy got upset and fired Al. That's why he was obliterated from their web page so quickly .
Too bad --- I know Al and he is a great guy, as is Randy. Now I have two friends who probably hate each other.
They had a long run as friends - since the '70s I believe and it's sad it ends this way.
Too bad --- I know Al and he is a great guy, as is Randy. Now I have two friends who probably hate each other.
They had a long run as friends - since the '70s I believe and it's sad it ends this way.
Mike said:
Considering 106.1 out rates 106.9 and undoubtedly has better demos, I would be surprised.
I would not be surprised if CBS sold 610 to Clear Channel and bought 106.9. They'd keep 1210 and put the sports network on it. Clear Channel could clear all of its syndicated hosts on 610. They would keep 1210 rather than 610 for signal reasons.
CBS is not going to sell 1210, or 610 for that matter, to someone who is going to put a sports format on it.
Christinemillertime, if talk show hosts, Hannity and Limbaugh were conservatives they would have supported Ron Paul in the previous Presidential election. Instead they gave their hearts to the cheerleader of corporate welfare and a well-known liberal, Mitt Romney.
Getting back to the real story at hand, IQ needs to change format or drop the national talkers in order to succeed.Hannity, Limbaugh, Savage and company will still find a place to talk even if it is only on the internet.
Getting back to the real story at hand, IQ needs to change format or drop the national talkers in order to succeed.Hannity, Limbaugh, Savage and company will still find a place to talk even if it is only on the internet.
F
FredLeonard
Guest
Personally, I liked local talk a lot better back in the days of WWDB and WCAU, when it was local and the hosts were broadcasters and not lawyers and political consultants, calling themselves conservatives but really shilling for the Republican organization. (Josh, "cheerleaders" is too kind a word" but otherwise, right on.)
I can't agree with those who say Philly needs to provide an outlet for any syndicated talkers. As pointed out, they are on the Internet. They are available to anyone who wants to hear them. But syndicated hosts, no matter how much talent god loaned them, don't provide the kind of audience involvement and listener loyalty that local hosts-personalities used to command.
They don't hook local advertisers the same way either and local advertising is an important part of radio's community involvement even if it is paid for. People want to know about a sale at the Acme as much as anything else in the world.
There is good talent in this market that is not being used. They don't have to import people from KC. Local talk is gone from local TV, as well, leaving even more of avoid. Rush is not going to talk about privatizing the State Stores or corruption in the Turnpike bureaucracy. NJ 101.5 shows talk radio can be local and good - and non-partisan and non-ideological and make money, but nobody in the industry seems interested.
I doubt anybody on this board got turned on to radio listening to repeaters but some seem to want to turn once great stations into repeaters for satellite programming.
I can't agree with those who say Philly needs to provide an outlet for any syndicated talkers. As pointed out, they are on the Internet. They are available to anyone who wants to hear them. But syndicated hosts, no matter how much talent god loaned them, don't provide the kind of audience involvement and listener loyalty that local hosts-personalities used to command.
They don't hook local advertisers the same way either and local advertising is an important part of radio's community involvement even if it is paid for. People want to know about a sale at the Acme as much as anything else in the world.
There is good talent in this market that is not being used. They don't have to import people from KC. Local talk is gone from local TV, as well, leaving even more of avoid. Rush is not going to talk about privatizing the State Stores or corruption in the Turnpike bureaucracy. NJ 101.5 shows talk radio can be local and good - and non-partisan and non-ideological and make money, but nobody in the industry seems interested.
I doubt anybody on this board got turned on to radio listening to repeaters but some seem to want to turn once great stations into repeaters for satellite programming.
I don't think CBS is going to sell 1210. Would they have started the new Dick Morris show in PM drive if they were getting ready to sell the station?
Question: If Merlin sells IQ, what happens to the contracts with the national talk shows? Does the new owner have to honor them? I wonder if this issue is really what is keeping CBS from buying 106.9: it doesn't want to have to fulfill the terms of the contracts with the national shows. Why would they? CBS dumped most of these shows from 1210.
Maybe the real negotiation between CBS and Clear Channel is some sort of buy-out for the Premiere (CC) syndicated show contracts. And some sort of arrangement to have those shows land on a decent Philadelphia signal.
I'd say that WDAS-AM is available for CC to flip to talk ... it scored a 0 in today's just-released rating book. But CC probably wants a better signal than DAS-AM 1480 for its syndicated talkers.
Let's speculate some more: What AM signal that's better than 1480 might CC want to buy? 640 from Disney? Nighttime signal isn't good, but Rush would get a quality daytime signal. Swap 1480 plus some cash with Family Radio for 950? Or, might Salem swap 560 for 1480 plus cash? That's about it - no other decent AM signals left in the market.
Question: If Merlin sells IQ, what happens to the contracts with the national talk shows? Does the new owner have to honor them? I wonder if this issue is really what is keeping CBS from buying 106.9: it doesn't want to have to fulfill the terms of the contracts with the national shows. Why would they? CBS dumped most of these shows from 1210.
Maybe the real negotiation between CBS and Clear Channel is some sort of buy-out for the Premiere (CC) syndicated show contracts. And some sort of arrangement to have those shows land on a decent Philadelphia signal.
I'd say that WDAS-AM is available for CC to flip to talk ... it scored a 0 in today's just-released rating book. But CC probably wants a better signal than DAS-AM 1480 for its syndicated talkers.
Let's speculate some more: What AM signal that's better than 1480 might CC want to buy? 640 from Disney? Nighttime signal isn't good, but Rush would get a quality daytime signal. Swap 1480 plus some cash with Family Radio for 950? Or, might Salem swap 560 for 1480 plus cash? That's about it - no other decent AM signals left in the market.
Radiophiler wrote: "If Merlin sells IQ, what happens to the contracts with the national talk shows? Does the new owner have to honor them?"
Most often, the owner of the station inserts a clause in his contract with the syndicated programmer that should the station be sold the new owner is not bound to broadcast the program.
Most often, the owner of the station inserts a clause in his contract with the syndicated programmer that should the station be sold the new owner is not bound to broadcast the program.
F
FredLeonard
Guest
Christinemillertime said:
No, they are syndicated because station owners want to carry them. Syndicated is cheap and easy. Ratings are acceptable and demos, well, demos suck. The talk radio audience is not what it was in the days of WWDB and WCAU and demos... forget about it. But it's cheap and easy.
Syndicated shows may be fine for marginal stations in small markets, which were not able to do local-live talk radio. Talk radio 30 years ago was limited to major market blow-torches because it's an expensive format. There's no excuse for it otherwise. These shows can never deal with state and local issues, which touch listeners' lives more often and more immediately than the stuff that's fodder for these shows. Which is a big part of why these shows have become relevant only to niche audiences. And a two per cent and change share (averaging old enough for Medicare) qualifies as a niche.
All these shows have podcasts. Download the show and listen in your car.
@fred you are completely right.
As FredL said, syndicated talk radio is easy and cheap. I just want to make one amendment to that: It's certainly easy (you don't have to groom local talent) and much of the time it's cheap. Unless you're the station in the market paying for the right to carry Rush Limbaugh. It's one of the few programs (because of its ratings history) for which a local station has to clear minutes of network commercials each hour the show airs, plus pay a cash fee for it. I worked at a medium market news/talk station in the 90s. We were paying $6,000 a year for Limbaugh THEN. Now, it's 20 years later. As I've mentioned before, while the exact price is not available, it's generally known that the largest market stations now pay six figures per year for Limbaugh.
My prediction: Over the next five years, you are going to see a significant number of current Limbaugh stations in PPM markets (top 50) drop the program. Three reasons. 1. Combination of giving up local spot avails and having to pay big bucks for the program will make it financially undesirable 2. Demographics for the show keep getting older 3. He will continue to say things that will scare away advertisers. Premiere will be forced to either drastically cut the fees its charging for the show, or make sure Clear Channel has a station in the market where it can park his and other syndicated talk shows. Cumulus seems poised to get rid of Limbaugh on the former ABC-owned large market stations where he currently airs. Why else would CC be interested in buying WOR in NYC?
Also within that time period, I predict CC will have a difficult time finding ANY station (other than one it owns) in Philadelphia to carry Limbaugh and his like. Philadelphia was the last top 10 market to get a major Limbaugh affiliate. Last in, first out.
Limbaugh will continue to do well in Arbitron diary markets in which his fans can put down that they listen to him all three hours a day, five days a week, when their listening is actually much less. Also, local sales people can prevail upon local business owners who like Limbaugh to continue to sponsor the program. But this won't work in PPM markets.
My prediction: Over the next five years, you are going to see a significant number of current Limbaugh stations in PPM markets (top 50) drop the program. Three reasons. 1. Combination of giving up local spot avails and having to pay big bucks for the program will make it financially undesirable 2. Demographics for the show keep getting older 3. He will continue to say things that will scare away advertisers. Premiere will be forced to either drastically cut the fees its charging for the show, or make sure Clear Channel has a station in the market where it can park his and other syndicated talk shows. Cumulus seems poised to get rid of Limbaugh on the former ABC-owned large market stations where he currently airs. Why else would CC be interested in buying WOR in NYC?
Also within that time period, I predict CC will have a difficult time finding ANY station (other than one it owns) in Philadelphia to carry Limbaugh and his like. Philadelphia was the last top 10 market to get a major Limbaugh affiliate. Last in, first out.
Limbaugh will continue to do well in Arbitron diary markets in which his fans can put down that they listen to him all three hours a day, five days a week, when their listening is actually much less. Also, local sales people can prevail upon local business owners who like Limbaugh to continue to sponsor the program. But this won't work in PPM markets.
Has anyone noticed the gun obsession IQ has seem to developed lately? There are several gun posts to Facebook, tons of gun commercials, and almost all gun talk today in and out of the "news". Their promotions are gun related too. A very interesting direction in programming.
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