AM 920 WMNI - Americas Best...

[KevinFodor]

it takes a combination of "Grade A" programming (in most major dayparts) and dependable local news that's there when you need it to make it work.

I think most second-tier talkers would do better by hiring a couple of hungry local hosts who want to make a name for themselves than wasting money on salaries trying to build an ersatz news department that will never be able to challenge the market leader anyway. I think there are more gains with more talk than trying to do more with news.

It's a proven fact...talk without news does not win.

Local hosts? Maybe...if you could find people unique enough that they can talk on variety of topics, both local and national. That most often takes $$$$$. Rarely can you find a diamond in the rough capable of carrying it off.

Local talk is even more expensive than syndicated FM talk. But, you still need the news component to make it.

 

[boyphenom]

It's a proven fact...talk without news does not win.

Local hosts? Maybe...if you could find people unique enough that they can talk on variety of topics, both local and national. That most often takes $$$$$. Rarely can you find a diamond in the rough capable of carrying it off.

Is local news really necessary, or is it more the issue of having someone local behind the mike regardless if they're a talk host or a news reader? An all-syndicated station like WYTS, just sounds sleepy -- like it's on auto-pilot. The B-rate shows (with the exception of Savage) don't help either. Savage is about the only entertaining person on that station and they cut him off most of the time for Reds baseball. Does anybody around here care about baseball anymore, let alone scrubs like the Reds?

WYTS would also sound a little livelier with better imaging. They didn't bother to invest in jingles and image music, and Jeff Laurence sounds like he's about to fall asleep. I would also dump the very s-l-e-e-p-y CNN News and go with either Fox or ABC.

 

[KevinFodor]

Yes...local news is really necessary.

If one is going to present itself as "News-talk", you need to have the news component. A network, even Fox won't completely cut it. Successful talk stations have a local news presence.

WYTS, though...is as much as a throw-away as "real oldies" was. Don't expect massive infusements of money. It ain't gonna happen. They appear to be a flanker, nothing more.