Anyone in Columbus Radio Care About "Talkers" Magazine

[Jimme]

I saw a listing of Talkers Magazine's Top 250. None of the Columbus local personalities from WTVN made the list. Is there any sense of pride at the station in the local talent when the "Morning Monarch" or Corby can't crack the top 250? I know every top and medium market can't be represented, but lots of smaller cities talk stations have at least one person included. Do the local stations care at all about their talent isn't perceived as top level? Any guesses why WTVN didn't make the cut?

 

[Chuck Douglas]

We keep beating this "local vs syndicated" drum. Why would they (Conners, Corby or anyone at CC Columbus) possibly care what a national publication says or does not say about them? They are in central Ohio, serving central Ohio.

 

[Jimme]

They should care because there is a bigger world out there than Columbus, Ohio. Many of those outside of the Talkers top 50 are local performers whose show is limited to one local market (Fred Grandy & Andy Parks, Chris Core, Mike Trivisano, Michael Smirkonish). Further, just because you are local doesn't mean you can't have a national-quality level of performance and be recognized by your peers as one of the best. Seeing that these Columbus guys can't crack the top 250 doesn't give me a lot of confidence in the quality of their product or the ability of the local station management to give me the same level of talent in Columbus some listener in Boston or Austin or Detroit gets. It is similar to when I questioned why the top 40 / CHR stations in some cities give their listeners big Saturday night dance shows featuring local DJ's mixing new music while WNCI basically gives us two local guys playing tapes heard the rest of the week on the radio. It just makes Columbus look small-time and unable to compete on the national front. Maybe it's part of the reason northeasterners roll their eyes and giggle when you say "I'm from Columbus, Ohio".

 

[del_griffith]

I've read through this list for the last couple of years and have always wondered why TVN didn't have any folks that showed. There are a ton of local hosts, some in markets smaller than TVN and with hosts that don't even measure up. I dont' know if at some point once you get past the syndicated guys the rest of the list is made of up pretty much nomimating yourself or how they determine who gets included and who doesn't.

 

[Radioboy989]

They should care because there is a bigger world out there than Columbus, Ohio. Many of those outside of the Talkers top 50 are local performers whose show is limited to one local market (Fred Grandy & Andy Parks, Chris Core, Mike Trivisano, Michael Smirkonish).

Great for those guys but does anyone really want to aspire to the level of Gopher Grandy? Once BC or JC have a network tv show and then serve in congress, maybe they'll want ot hang in that circle. It seems to me that they are quite happy being who they are, where they are and doing what they do. From the position of WTVN in the book on a pretty consistent basis, I would say the audience must be fairly happy with them too.

Further, just because you are local doesn't mean you can't have a national-quality level of performance and be recognized by your peers as one of the best. Seeing that these Columbus guys can't crack the top 250 doesn't give me a lot of confidence in the quality of their product or the ability of the local station management to give me the same level of talent in Columbus some listener in Boston or Austin or Detroit gets.

With two decades of radio to my credit I can tell you with some confidence that no matter what format you are in, recognition in a magazine by "your peers" or anyone else, has little to do with the quality of your work. There are some FINE on-air people working in small towns across this country, not noticed by anyone unless they are in that town. No way can you ignore their ability and effort just because they choose to remain out of a spotlight.

It is similar to when I questioned why the top 40 / CHR stations in some cities give their listeners big Saturday night dance shows featuring local DJ's mixing new music while WNCI basically gives us two local guys playing tapes heard the rest of the week on the radio. It just makes Columbus look small-time and unable to compete on the national front. Maybe it's part of the reason northeasterners roll their eyes and giggle when you say "I'm from Columbus, Ohio".

Fair is fair. I roll my eyes and giggle at northeasterners! Where is Jacobson's? What's the story with Macy's? Remember the Guardian Angels and Mr. Sliwa attempting to organize in Columbus? Columbus is NOT New York and that's one of it's best qualities in my opinion. As for this thread and the suject matter, it's an unwinnable battle. If WTVN concentrated on being noticed nationally then they would get crap for not using their status to serve their local market. They concentrate on being live and local and they get crap for not fretting over national attention. No station can be everything to everyone. WTVN is very good at being WTVN.

 

[Nu_Roo_2]

Fair is fair. I roll my eyes and giggle at northeasterners!

Such regional animosity, RB!  They have the Statue of Liberty, we have the Butter Cow.  I'd say the score is pretty even.

Where is Jacobson's?

It's a memory now, but it WAS a Midwestern-only chain headquartered in a small town in Michigan.  Reason for disdain, perhaps, but not New York style.

What's the story with Macy's?

A truly pathetic one, but this isn't the place to get THAT off-topic.  Unfortunately Columbus has a sordid connection to Macy's addle-brained CEO, Terry Lundgren:  The wife of now-incarcerated OSU marketing professor Roger Blackwell ditched him for Lundgren, and said Goodbye, Columbus.

They concentrate on being live and local and they get crap for not fretting over national attention. No station can be everything to everyone. WTVN is very good at being WTVN.

Valid points, but Columbus really does need more national recognition in lots of ways. 

Jimme - Maybe a good start would be calling the town just "Columbus" instead of "Columbus, Ohio."  Then those Northeasterners will be too busy asking "Columbia, WHERE?" to roll their eyes and giggle (even New Yorkers can't do THREE things at once).  Or maybe they're confusing Columbus with Cincinnati, which has been truly deserving of eye-rolling over the past ten years (and I'm not talking about radio).

BTW, Columbus has been getting some very favorable mentions in the New York Times lately...certainly more recognition than it gets in the media in the "capital of the Midwest" -- Chicago.

 

[frankrich2]

As one who made the list (in the 101-250 group) and am a Columbus native, OSU grad ('77) and former late night (11pm-3am) personality on WTVN (1977-'80...we still played lotsa music then, right after Boom-Boom every night!), permit me to analyze the Columbus/WTVN deficit on the list.

Firstly, let me assure you all that Mr. Connors and Mr. Corby are of the quality of many, if not most of the people on the list and deserve to be there. They're both pros of the highest order.

I think the "Columbus problem" as it relates to the list has to do as much with the fact that Cleveland and Cincinnati (in the eyes of non-Ohioans) are STILL considered big markets compared to Columbus, in spite of what we all know to be true.

No need for you folks to take this list thing personally. Feel free to email me at [email protected].

All the best
Brad Krantz
WZTK-Greensboro

 

[del_griffith]

As one who made the list (in the 101-250 group) and am a Columbus native, OSU grad ('77) and former late night (11pm-3am) personality on WTVN (1977-'80...we still played lotsa music then, right after Boom-Boom every night!), permit me to analyze the Columbus/WTVN deficit on the list.

Firstly, let me assure you all that Mr. Connors and Mr. Corby are of the quality of many, if not most of the people on the list and deserve to be there. They're both pros of the highest order.

I think the "Columbus problem" as it relates to the list has to do as much with the fact that Cleveland and Cincinnati (in the eyes of non-Ohioans) are STILL considered big markets compared to Columbus, in spite of what we all know to be true.

No need for you folks to take this list thing personally. Feel free to email me at [email protected].

All the best
Brad Krantz
WZTK-Greensboro

Bingo! The former WTVN farm director hits it on the head. Corby and Conners are worthy of the list. My problem is there are some smaller markets represented, for example Toledo? How is Talkers made aware of the various talkers and thier reputations within their markets. I know in your case, over the years you've gotten a fair amount of press in the trades. Neither Corby or Conners has. Is that their problem?

Are you still plugging in Fraim's coffee pot with remote control?

 

[frankrich2]

Farm Director Emeritus.

Michael Harrison, who IS Talkers Magazine, is really a great guy who loves talkradio from top to bottom. Knowing the very personal nature of what we do, it is more than likely he has never met or talked to BC or Corby or has ever been on their shows when our little corner of the business makes the news and you see Michael all over tv (like the Imus story). He has retired his roving "Lone Liberal" alter ego. I last talked to him 5 years ago when I was at WBT. So, here's my version of the equation:

General Awareness times Market Size plus Ego divided by Shameless Self Promotion minus The Subjective Nature Of All These Lists and there you go.

And since you brought him up, John Fraim was a nasty guy...a third-rate non-talent who was dismissive of me every chance he got (I was a 22-year-old rookie and he was the "star" of the station then). He would send me around the corner to bring him back White Castles, probably to help to dilute the hangover.

The contrast with the recently departed Jess Cain in Boston couldn't be greater. (I worked mornings at WZOU in '84/'85 while Jess was still the king down the hall at WHDH) Jess really WAS a superstar who was always decent and considerate to those of us who were making 1/20th of what he was. He could have been an arrogant jerk, but never was. A true gentleman.

Brad Krantz

 

[SportsRadioDoc]

Just throwing this out there. Not making any judgments one way or another, just asking a question that needs to be asked. Do shows that do nothing but pick a topic and open up that topic for listener phone calls, regardless of the hosts level of professionalism and talent, really deserve to be on that list? Most shows on that list, that I'm familiar with, have good production value, feature elements and things of that nature. In my mind, when you add that dynamic and make each segment a show instead of doing a 3 hour movie, that gets you on the list.

 

[Chuck Douglas]

Just throwing this out there. Not making any judgments one way or another, just asking a question that needs to be asked. Do shows that do nothing but pick a topic and open up that topic for listener phone calls, regardless of the hosts level of professionalism and talent, really deserve to be on that list? Most shows on that list, that I'm familiar with, have good production value, feature elements and things of that nature. In my mind, when you add that dynamic and make each segment a show instead of doing a 3 hour movie, that gets you on the list.

Doc,
I understand what you're saying, BUT for everyone that feels that way, there is another one that hates produced bits and just wants you to "talk issues" or "talk poilitics". When Rush was doing more in the way of production (or his staff and Paul Shanklin were) his show was funny. The same can be said for Glenn Beck more or less. Which way is better? I suppose ratings speak.

 

[del_griffith]

I believe you can be a great host without a lot of production elements. If you've got listener loyalty and staying power, that, IMHO counts for a lot. A few years ago, a host could get away with walking through a show 5 or 6 days a week. Todays listener is much more savvy. Yeah, anyone could do what Conners technically does with his show. Adding his personal touches is what keeps the high amount of listeners. He's adaptable to the times.

One show that I like the host but believe the production elements get in the way is Stephanie Miller. We are political 180's. But I enjoy her take on things. I think she's witty and bright. She's not your typical sourpuss liberal.

I never realized the production elements being what irritated me until she did her guest host spot in the wake of the Imus termination on MSNBC. I was listening to her while getting dressed and kept thinking this isn't going to land her a gig there. When I began to watch, it hit me. There she sat doing her monologues and having a trigger finger dancing around on the Instant Replay machine. The noise from the bits and sound effects and liners was getting in the way of a good show.