Are Conservative Talk Stations Positioning for changes in FCC Guidelines?

[OhioMediaWatch]

To be more specific, stations give up local inventory and some even pay cash to carry syndicated talk shows.

As far as I know, Premiere charges ALL affiliates for Rush. ALL of them, even in the tiniest of markets.

I know a small AM in a rural area near here carried Rush, and heard that Premiere was charging around $1000 a month/$12K a year for the station to carry his show.

Instead of dumping him for local programming, the station just filled the hours with the satellite oldies music format they ran the rest of the day.

The decision was made easier by the fact that in that area, you can hear Rush's show on no fewer than 5 regional stations.

 

[koolestcat]

I wonder if any new local rules will apply to NPR?

 

[Rusty Muck]

WOR/710 in NYC cited low ratings as the reason for dumping Glenn Beck.

They won't cite poor management or a 60 to dead listening base, though.

WPHT/Philly is the other big Beck/Hannity affiliate that dumped both shows. But in this case, it was to keep their most obvious big name (and longest-tenured host), Micheal Shmerconish, happy, as he did over six hours of talk per day (a live morning show, and a syndicated afternoon show with, AFAIK, no live clearances of note). So, they stuck him in the afternoon slot.

The other local host promoted in the shuffle, Dom Giardano (replacing Beck), had been in evenings for several years now, and very well deserved the promotion. I consider that a lateral move more than anything else.

 

[ropertex]

With Citadel in bankruptcy and controlled by creditors, and other companies close to BK where the creditors are exercising "oversight," it's not as easy to make programming decisions on ideology. 5 years ago Phil Boyce might have been able to "persuade" stations to carry Mark Levin (at a ratings and financial loss) with the threat of pulling Hannity if they did not. Or giving up more local spots than makes sense because management wants the biggest right wing nuts all on his station. Or a better demo than 60+ buyers of gold, guns, viagra, funeral insurance and retirement communities.