ALL CONSERVATIVE, ALL THE TIME?

[smedge2006]

My take on the controversy over KFBK's firing of longtime host Mark Williams and replacement with Bruce Maiman:This is a lot like the battles within the Republican party between the "base" and more moderate elements.The "base" considers KFBK, Rush Limbaugh's first affiliate, to be "their" station. The KFBK management knows that conservatives are the core audience. But in most markets without an all-news station, the KFBKs of the world (and the KOAs, and the KOGO's, and the WHO's and the WLAC's and the WBT's and the WFLA's) also serve as the default news station on radio. Many people who are not conservatives listen to these stations for local news and traffic info. But, some of you say, liberals all listen to NPR. Most NPR stations have underdeveloped local coverage compared to their commercial counterparts. The clocks on NPR news and talk shows don't leave as much room for local updates, and of course drive times are taken up with the big national shows.The management of KFBK may fear that if the station is perceived as nothing but a service to feed conservative talking points, liberals and others who listen for service elements will go away. That may be more of an issue now that Sacto has two liberal talkers. KTKZ is trying to capitalize on this by proclaiming themselves as "The Conservative Station", as Salem has done in other markets. But given Salem's anemic ratings, that's obviously not a strategy KFBK would want to follow.So it comes down to this: to whom does KFBK "belong"? The base or the middle?

 

[SaltyDog]

My take on the controversy over KFBK's firing of longtime host Mark Williams and replacement with Bruce Maiman:This is a lot like the battles within the Republican party between the "base" and more moderate elements.

No need to complicate it. It's really pretty simple: Mark didn't see eye-to-eye with Alan Eisenson. Alan had been trying to get Mark to do more "lifestyle" issues. I have to wonder if this wasn't a topic of discussion on the program director conference calls. This seems to have been the strategy in multiple markets all of a sudden and at the same time. The theory is that people are tired of politics no matter what the flavor. The problem with that, it seems to me, is that the news/talk format is by its very nature a "passion" format. It depends on very long TSL. Lifestyle topics aren't likely to accomplish that in my opinion.

 

[fred flintstone]

ALL LIFESTYLE, ALL THE TIME?

Not everyone is tired of politics, but the demographics for political talk are too old. Some advertisers don't want old. Others don't want controversey.Passion is a two-edged sword. As much as people get turned on; others get turned off.It's called lifestyle or advice talk. What they are really look for is water cooler talk - stuff most people obsess about or bitch about.

 

[ajhenderson]

Good to see. Mark is a schmuck in person and has adjusted his views to fit whoever wants to hire him. Nothing wrong with that, but it lacks credibility.

 

[SaltyDog]

Re: ALL LIFESTYLE, ALL THE TIME?

Not everyone is tired of politics, but the demographics for political talk are too old.

I hear that a lot about Oldies formats too. Then I watch as managers blow off Oldies for a younger audience and end up with..... not very much. Oldies, by the way, is another format whose listeners are passionate.

Some advertisers don't want old. Others don't want controversey.

Do you sell radio advertising? That's part of my job and advertisers will tell you all kinds of crap and if you listen to them, you'll end up with no listeners and they'll deny they ever said it.

Passion is a two-edged sword. As much as people get turned on; others get turned off.

True enough but believe you me: Better to be hated than ignored!

It's called lifestyle or advice talk. What they are really look for is water cooler talk - stuff most people obsess about or bitch about.

I get the idea, and I don't pretend to everything about every station but I can't think of a single success story. Can you help me out?

 

[fred flintstone]

ALL WATER COOLER, ALL THE TIME?

I get the idea, and I don't pretend to everything about every station but I can't think of a single success story. Can you help me out?

NJ 101.5Not New York; Not PhiladelphiaNot political talk; not advice talk.

 

[drtylawndre]

this all interesting..I didn't know williams was canned....I don't know much about kfbk and sacramento...but it does have a signal that won't stop I hear it in phx at drive time in the winter.....but I know they had rush, bernie ward, cristine kraft, spensore hughes etc....and a lot of them got fired and got jobs elswhere...kxnt in vegas has dropped a lot of politics for lifestyle......and they are the same kind of station as kfbk....having advertised on different statons...most talk radio listeners are carefull consumers and somewhat cheap...after all they are conservative....they bargain hunt .shop prices and rates...if your selling cars houses or loans etc go with younger first time buyers you'll make more money

 

[SaltyDog]

I know they had rush, bernie ward, cristine kraft, spensore hughes etc....and a lot of them got fired and got jobs elswhere

For those who might read this and not know, Rush was fired a ton of times, but not from KFBK. That was his last stint before syndication.

most talk radio listeners are carefull consumers and somewhat cheap...after all they are conservative....they bargain hunt .shop prices and rates...if your selling cars houses or loans etc go with younger first time buyers you'll make more money

Depends on the product. I've had great success putting high end car dealers on talk stations. But yeah, younger consumers are more impulsive and run up credit cards without a thought. Talk listeners have the dough but they didn't accumulate it by being spendthrifts. Investment advisers do really well advertising on talk stations.

 

[SaltyDog]

Re: ALL WATER COOLER, ALL THE TIME?

I get the idea, and I don't pretend to everything about every station but I can't think of a single success story. Can you help me out?

NJ 101.5Not New York; Not PhiladelphiaNot political talk; not advice talk.

Didn't think about them.. I've seen the ratings. I need to give 'em a listen.