Andrea Tantaros Show...anybody with an opinion?

[CompleteGame]

Has anyone listened to this show? Any reviews, based on the talent/entertainment merits, as opposed to the same generalities about conservative talk radio?

We've got it running late night because, frankly, I didnt know much about her and I figured Herman Cain was at least a "name" from 9 to noon. (We've got Beck runing on another station.)

Starting to hear more about her, though. Even had a large advertiser ask for it to be moved earlier, which pleasantly surprised me.

 

[MC]

better seen and not heard

 

[thegulfcoast]

I carry her on Saturdays from 3 - 6 PM. She seems to have a pretty good show. Watch "The Five" on Fox News. She's on there often

 

[Albert19X]

better seen and not heard

That's a toss up. When she talks about liberals she gets that head cheerleader sneer on her face.

 

[MC]

She should say something over the top to get her noticed -

 

[BigDave]

I like Her show,She's pretty darn good.

 

[smedge2006]

Another example of radio having shut down its farm teams, and looking to television for talent. Another act of profound disrespect for the medium by its operators.

 

[ProducerGuy]

Another example of radio having shut down its farm teams, and looking to television for talent. Another act of profound disrespect for the medium by its operators.

At least a television person is a broadcaster. That's better than hiring bloggers, lawyers and politicians. But your point is well taken.

 

[radiowizard101]

obama bad bla bla bla... obama bad bla bla bla... obama bad bla bla bla... WE GET IT! There's nothing to hear here.

 

[TheBigA]

Another example of radio having shut down its farm teams, and looking to television for talent.

The difference between getting a host from the radio farm system or national TV is that the listeners actually know the TV person. So that host is starting out with fans. The guy slogging it out in the farm system is a local hero known only in his little home town. That's the problem with radio...too small time. That was fine 50 years ago. It doesn't work today. That fact that some blogger can build a national fan base while local radio hosts can't get beyond their square foot of a hometown is the reason why the radio farm team is obsolete.

 

[ProducerGuy]

Unfortunately bloggers make crap hosts. At least TV hosts know the basics. The farm system is fine if used properly.

A guy works in market 300 for a couple years, moves to market 150, does a few years there, then moves to top 50. By the time he gets to a big market, he's an engaging host and is good enough to engage listeners there. Hiring someone who has never done a lick of radio (or TV) in a mid size or larger market (or even worse, syndication) is one of the reasons radio is so bad now.

 

[umfan]

O'Reilly did pretty well on the radio and brought an audience with him. The same process that 'TheBigA' outlined. Tantaros is basically the successor to the 'Radio Factor'. That genre, conservative talk, is pretty crowded now, but Tantaros could be well positioned if she continues with her show as an alternative in case any major station owner decides to shake up the programming they offer.

 

[TheBigA]

A guy works in market 300 for a couple years, moves to market 150, does a few years there, then moves to top 50. By the time he gets to a big market, he's an engaging host and is good enough to engage listeners there. ]

Here's what I've found happens: The guy works in market 300, moves to market 150, finds a girl, gets married, has kids, and STAYS there. Forever. The wife doesn't share the farm system dream. The idea that people devote their entire lives to climbing the mountain of radio and gets a big market job is total mythology. Very few people do it. Most people working in NYC grew up in the suburbs. It's where they've lived their whole lives. Radio stations hire them because they know the local market. They're not going to hire someone from Peoria.

Hiring someone who has never done a lick of radio (or TV) in a mid size or larger market (or even worse, syndication) is one of the reasons radio is so bad now.

Oh come on now. Radio today is still filled with boomers who were raised on the farm system mythology. Especially talk radio. That's more of why radio is so bad.

Have you ever been at a talk station the first day of a new host? He gets on the air, starts a few topics, and waits for the phone to ring. Nothing. Have you ever pitched the new guy to advertisers? This is how the pitch goes: "We just hire this guy who was #1 in Binghamton. We think he's a star." They bring the client in to meet the new guy. He's a radio guy. So what? On the other hand, pitch a TV guy or celebrity to an advertiser. They WANT to meet him. They might even want a photo. Who wants a photo with a new radio host? That's why Andrea gets a talk show, and that guy in market 300 is still working part time jobs to pay for gas. The public wants someone they know. Just being on the local 1K AM radio doesn't give someone credibility. Being a TV star that people know gives someone credibility. Radio people need to work harder. They need to think bigger. Because the farm system is mythology.

 

[smedge2006]

Have you ever been at a talk station the first day of a new host? He gets on the air, starts a few topics, and waits for the phone to ring. Nothing. Have you ever pitched the new guy to advertisers? This is how the pitch goes: "We just hire this guy who was #1 in Binghamton. We think he's a star." They bring the client in to meet the new guy. He's a radio guy. So what? On the other hand, pitch a TV guy or celebrity to an advertiser. They WANT to meet him. They might even want a photo. Who wants a photo with a new radio host? That's why Andrea gets a talk show, and that guy in market 300 is still working part time jobs to pay for gas. The public wants someone they know. Just being on the local 1K AM radio doesn't give someone credibility. Being a TV star that people know gives someone credibility. Radio people need to work harder. They need to think bigger. Because the farm system is mythology.

Have you ever been at a talk station the first day a "celebrity" host joins the lineup? Two days of fawning from their friends and acolytes... then reality hits. Radio is heavier lifting than they thought it was. Advertisers who were taken in by the celebrity drift away as audience numbers fail to match. Apparently being photogenic is not the same as coming across well through a speaker. Then comes the desperation, several management attempts at a host makeover, and finally, the celebrity is replaced with someone who knows radio.

 

[TheBigA]

Radio is heavier lifting than they thought it was.

I'm sure Andrea knows what she's gotten herself into. She was a journalism major in college, and does the daily grind every day at Fox, so she knows the drill.

 

[ProducerGuy]

Have you ever been at a talk station the first day of a new host? He gets on the air, starts a few topics, and waits for the phone to ring. Nothing. Have you ever pitched the new guy to advertisers? This is how the pitch goes: "We just hire this guy who was #1 in Binghamton. We think he's a star." They bring the client in to meet the new guy. He's a radio guy. So what? On the other hand, pitch a TV guy or celebrity to an advertiser. They WANT to meet him. They might even want a photo. Who wants a photo with a new radio host? That's why Andrea gets a talk show, and that guy in market 300 is still working part time jobs to pay for gas. The public wants someone they know. Just being on the local 1K AM radio doesn't give someone credibility. Being a TV star that people know gives someone credibility. Radio people need to work harder. They need to think bigger. Because the farm system is mythology.

Yes. I've been that host on the first day. Fairly recently, in fact. The guy I replaced was a Beck/Alex Jones ripoff that burned bridges with every politician and public official within 300 miles. So I know a bit of the struggle.

And I agree with the TV part. I have no problem with hiring TV people. And having listened to this Andrea character a bit, she seems alright. Kinda bland, but that's not always a bad thing. But let's be honest. She has a face (and the rest of the package) for TV, not radio. She's quite photogenic.

 

[ProducerGuy]

Have you ever been at a talk station the first day a "celebrity" host joins the lineup?

I've also been in this situation as well. Having to train a blogger how to run the board, use the automation, and hit breaks on time. For an airshift I tried to get. There wasn't an "attitude", but when you have qualified people ready to hit the air, why bring in someone who knows nothing about radio?

 

[TheBigA]

why bring in someone who knows nothing about radio?

Because radio can be taught. I was a teenager when I got my first on air gig. It wasn't long before I was doing morning drive. And it was a Top 50 market, not #300. So it's not brain surgery.

My point in this thread is that it takes more than "knowing radio" today. Radio needs people who know how to attract an audience, not just run the board or hit a break. Say what you will about bloggers (and I'm no fan), but they know how to instigate and build an audience. Those who want to do radio today need to do more than start in market 300, hoping for the big payoff someday. They need to work it every day, in all media, building a fan base, because it's the fan base that gets you a job, and it's that same fan base that helps you keep the job. That's why I say the old radio farm system is obsolete.

 

[NewsStud]

why bring in someone who knows nothing about radio?

That's why I say the old radio farm system is obsolete.

We've sorta hit the ol' chicken and the egg scenario. Was the radio farm team dismantled because it's obselete? Or is it obselete because it was dismantled?

It's hard for anyone to WANT to be in the farm team anymore. It never paid well at all, but nowadays it might not may at all. Interns are a dime a dozen. You'd be lucky to find full-time on-air jobs in small markets. They really don't exist. Full-time employees have other responsibilities besides airwork, and the part timers never get enough money to make part time work worthwhile.

I know younger people who have left the "farm." They opted for work that pays them enough to live in a decent neighborhood and to not have to chose between groceries and toilet paper; to not have to ration gasoline in order to still make it work after taking an hour's drive to visit their cousins. A spot on the farm team just isn't worth it anymore.

And what's worse, with all the TV people taking big radio spots, is that they all realize there is NO chance of landing the big gigs.

That being said, with all the farm team dropouts, radio has no choice but to bring in the seasoned broadcaster from TV. They can't put on a novice on who might not workout. At least the TV person has a following already.

Point is: Radio painted itself into a vicious corner. If anyone is smart,they'll chose not to get into "radio" but into "media". Learn how to be a "brand" that spans the different forms of mass commerical communication. Don't be a "DJ" be an "entertainer." Don't be a radio newsman, just be a newsman.

 

[TheBigA]

Point is: Radio painted itself into a vicious corner.

I don't know about that. Back in the 60s, you had a so-called farm system for cheap low paid talent. What's different today? Colleges are turning out thousands of kids with on-air experience ready to make minimum wage just as they did from the farm system in the 60s. You want to work on the farm? Thousand of small market stations looking for cheap on air folks. But don't expect it to lead to anything, because there are similar people in major markets who will do the exact same thing. They don't need to work in market #300 to learn radio. That was just a lie told to small market people hoping they'd work for cheap.

Radio's problem today isn't a talent problem, it's not a programming problem, it's not a farm system problem. Radio's problem today is it's no longer the only way to get information, hear news, or hear music. You can hear it anywhere. You don't need someone who came up through a farm system to present it. In fact, presenters get in the way. Millions of people prefer to get their music directly without any human contact getting in the way, regardless of if he came up through a farm system or walked in off the street. So it doesn't matter. You can devote your entire life to learning radio, working your way through the system, only to find out the audience sees you as a gatekeeper. And quality doesn't matter. Some of the most popular videos on YouTube are out of focus amateur videos that people want to watch over and over again. So it doesn't matter how many years you spent in the farm system. What matters is can you entertain, can you build an audience, and can you work cheaply.