Al Gardner gone from IQ?

[Kevin TRC]

It seems like IQ is going even more right-leaning than just conservative. Granted I don't listen every day anymore since my route changed and I only get over to Philly once or 2x per week. But you can tell there's something missing with Al Gardiner gone and the traffic is just a shell of what it once was and not very accurate anymore. I would hope the station improves, but from what I have read in these posts I have to wonder if they will put the station up for sale. It would be a shame. I thought they had such promise when they first started.

 

[spm1036]

It turns out WPHT is the one likely to be sold. Makes sense. WWIQ has killed them, or more accurately, their decision to drop conservative shows for Smerconnish killed them. WPHT has to be bleeding cash. And the reason that have Dick Morris is that he is paying them... he wants to launch a national radio show. Dick tried this with Clear Channel. They put him on for a short while in Tampa then took him off because he really isn't good on the radio.

 

[joshzz]

spm 1036 you stated, "And the reason that have Dick Morris is that he is paying them."

Spm1036 you hit the nail on the head. Get them to pat to be on the air and you're in good shape!

Really, the handlers of Limbaugh and Hannity should be paying the local networks for the time. Make them broker the time. I would suppose they probably already pay to be live in some markets.

 

[1Loudspeaker]

There's nothing like digging in your heels and continuing down a losing path, is there? Even Fox dumped this guy after he made them (even more of) a national joke for predicting Romney would have a "landslide" win in the presidential election. i guess they figure there's no financial risk if Morris is paying the station, but they're just going to run themselves that much further into a ditch, as listeners will be dropping off in droves. Then again, if they're getting ready to sell the station anyway, maybe they just care about getting some cash until they're out of there.

 

[joshzz]

Loudspeaker, it could be worse. The station could give a time slot to Karl Rove who as you know experienced a complete meltdown on FOX television, election night. It was as though he morphed into some kind of crazy cartoon character or maybe he just revealed his true "Shining" character.

The real tragedy is that he is considered a leader of what was once a great political party, the Republican Party.

 

[joshzz]

FredLeonard, I agree with you. Hannity and Rush aren't true conservatives though Hannity mentions that he is a conservative about 10 times a day.


It makes me sad that these guys think they can claim to be conservative then oppose basic conservative principles.

Over 90% of our troops oppose the Middle East wars and want us out. It is conservative to oppose these wars, yet people that listen to talk RNC radio are all for them. They take the position of the host who doesn't side with conservatives but with the globalists.

 

[FredLeonard]

FredLeonard, I agree with you. Hannity and Rush aren't true conservatives though Hannity mentions that he is a conservative about 10 times a day.


It makes me sad that these guys think they can claim to be conservative then oppose basic conservative principles.

Over 90% of our troops oppose the Middle East wars and want us out. It is conservative to oppose these wars, yet people that listen to talk RNC radio are all for them. They take the position of the host who doesn't side with conservatives but with the globalists.

When Rush first came to New York and went national, I admired him and enjoyed his show. In 1992 (he'd been national for five years and the show was well-established by this time), Pat Buchanan made a very strong showing against incumbent George Bush (the father) in New Hampshire. There's a long history of heartland Republicans and conservatives not trusting Northeast - Wall Street - Ivy League - Corporate - Rockefeller Republicans like the Bushes and Rush's show reflected this sentiment. So did the Buchanan campaign.

Rush's program was given much of the credit for galvanizing support for Pat (or conservative opposition to Daddy Bush). Daddy Bush invited Rush to the White House and put him up in the Lincoln Bedroom. After that, things changed. Rush started talking down Pat, said he couldn't win, and calling on the Ditto-heads to support their president.

 

[RadioVeep]

The oddest part of the Morris hire is that he is not local at all. AfterWPHT lost Rush, the counter programming was Live and Local. Well, now, not so much.

 

[TalkRadioIsSleeping]

Here's a personal story about the original topic of this post:

Just a year ago, former WWIQ Program Director Al Gardner called me and offered me a job at the then new talk station. He was very excited about my different style on the air (I’m not a Conservative or Liberal and politics is just a small part of what I talk about.) I’ve never had anyone talk to me so enthusiastically about joining their team. He said he would call me back in a couple of days and arrange for me to come to Philadelphia to work out the final details.

The bottom line? I never heard anything again. I emailed and called and he never returned either. I have great references and a good reputation, so the only thing I thought it could have been was someone else on his staff was “afraid” of me in a competitive way. And, although that person is no longer there, I have a pretty good idea who it was. Suffice it to say "Scorpions sting frogs."

Granted, I have a fine position now and, given how things worked out there, I’m glad I wasn’t part of it. Still, I am disappointed at Gardner for not having the guts to talk to me after his initial conversation. I’m pretty sure, along with almost everyone else, that the station is for sale. Sad, another case of what could have been, not only for me, but for talk radio in general.

 

[PhillyWatch]

I miss the all-too-brief days of rotating local hosts. I cannot fathom how national conservative posturing is more compelling local radio than local hosts covering national politics alongside local politics, local news, pop culture, sports, etc.

You'd think this would have been the perfect opportunity to bring the NJ1015 format to Philly (finally!) but apparently Gardner was asleep at the transmitter.

 

[FredLeonard]

The curious part is Walt Sabo, the consultant who helped develop and program NJ 101.5 for many years worked for Merlin, at least as far as developing their all news format. I wonder why they didn't ask him? If I had to guess at an answer, Premiere and/or Cumulus made some pay to play deal to get their shows on 106.9.

 

[joshzz]

PHILLYWATCH, you made an excellent point! NJ 101.5 completely annihilates the vapid talk format offered by IQ. NJ 101.5 has an audience that appeals to advertisers as their audience isn't a bunch of grumpy old men. Their audience is people of all ages and the topics change on a daily basis. On the other hand, if you listen to Limbaugh or Hannity for one hour, you've heard everything they have to say.

There are plenty of former NJ 101.5 hosts that would be able to take IQ to a new level. Also, for a bit of change, the station might do ok by playing some music as NJ101.5 used to do in breaks.

I remember when the old WWDB which was garnering about a 5.0 audience brought in Limbaugh. I asked a representative why the change. He did not hesitate in saying it was a cost cutting measure to increase profitably.

 

[crossmymind]

Welcome back to the past. NJ101.5 is now dated. Nostalgia. Most people tuned in for traffic anyway. Radio needs to move forward. Problem with IQ is their default is the past. Fear of moving forward. Every step forward they take, they retreat 3 in fear. They probably will regress to old show hosts from NJ101, because it would take someone with radio programming experience to find the future. Looks like all the experience has left the building.

 

[JH_Radio]

I was gonna say the old former hosts could make this station different if they were full-time. it'ed sure be local.

 

[joshzz]

With former hosts from NJ101.5 like Roberta Gale and others they would at least double their Arbitron ratings.

NJ101.5 led the Middlesex-Somerset-Union market in Feb with a 7.5 and they had a 10.7 in Trenton + they did well in many other areas of the state. This really isn't that complicated. Bring in local talented hosts that don't live in a "Republican/Democrat box" and can actually talk about the real issues of the day without extreme political bias and without their endless doomsday scenarios.

 

[crossmymind]

Most hosts they have tried from NJ101 seem to be yesteryear folks from years and years ago. They auditioned many when they first went on the air I think. They have to look forward. someone there lives in the past.
Find new local talk hosts that fit your description, but that would take someone with some experience in control. Not sure they have anyone, at least it doesn't sound like it.

 

[FredLeonard]

CrossMyMind: I'm not going to get into an argument about this but I won't by silence imply I share your opinion of NJ 101.5. I would agree that under Trident, the station is not what it was in the Press and Millennium years. It's still damn good and better than the cookie-cutter ideological talk everywhere else.

Curious that IQ did take NJ 101.5's "weakest link."

 

[scottylightning]

Here's a personal story about the original topic of this post:

Just a year ago, former WWIQ Program Director Al Gardner called me and offered me a job at the then new talk station. He was very excited about my different style on the air (I’m not a Conservative or Liberal and politics is just a small part of what I talk about.) I’ve never had anyone talk to me so enthusiastically about joining their team. He said he would call me back in a couple of days and arrange for me to come to Philadelphia to work out the final details.

The bottom line? I never heard anything again. I emailed and called and he never returned either. I have great references and a good reputation, so the only thing I thought it could have been was someone else on his staff was “afraid” of me in a competitive way. And, although that person is no longer there, I have a pretty good idea who it was. Suffice it to say "Scorpions sting frogs."

Granted, I have a fine position now and, given how things worked out there, I’m glad I wasn’t part of it. Still, I am disappointed at Gardner for not having the guts to talk to me after his initial conversation. I’m pretty sure, along with almost everyone else, that the station is for sale. Sad, another case of what could have been, not only for me, but for talk radio in general.

You were probably one of the guys that Al was bragging about when he was building IQ 106.9; he had mentioned three or four names that he wanted to bring in, but unfortunately there was no $$$$ to bring in these guys either(other than Mendte). No one based in New York at the time was compensated for providing content for the new station(it didn't bother me because I was still new to the biz and to have my voice heard in Philly AND New York was amazing in my eyes).

 

[John1]

NJ 101.5 became a home for displaced Philadelphia personalities from the start, as with Jim Gearhart, morning host on WFIL in the mid-1960's BEFORE the 'Pop Explosion' & later on 'US1' after stints in NYC & Seattle. Dennis Malloy was 'Dan Malloy' on WFIL during the early '80's AC & Country formats. Of course Steve Trevilese did local news breaks on the Howard Stern show on WYSP for years, then WXTU. Last I heard Roberta Gale she was doing an hour show a week in Phoenix to support her business. The trick is finding NEW young personalities of that STYLE to do local shows, not recycling the older ones - but there are few stations to breed them since most smaller talk stations are all syndicated & disk jockeys aren't allowed to talk outside drivetime.

 

[crossmymind]

CrossMyMind: I'm not going to get into an argument about this but I won't by silence imply I share your opinion of NJ 101.5. I would agree that under Trident, the station is not what it was in the Press and Millennium years. It's still damn good and better than the cookie-cutter ideological talk everywhere else.

Curious that IQ did take NJ 101.5's "weakest link."

Who was the weakest link?
I agree with John1.