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Bill Press Finally Announces National Launch Date

O

OldAkronite

Since his launch earlier this month, liberal talk host Bill Press has been doing a show exclusively for new Akron, OH liberal talk station WARF "Radio Free Ohio". Right down to him mentioning the name of the station.

It looks like he finally has a launch date for the show's presence on Sirius Satellite Radio, and presumably, eventually, on other stations besides our local one:

<a target="_blank" href=http://www.billpress.com/radio.html>http://www.billpress.com/radio.html</a>

This page notes that it will start on Sirius on June 27th, a week from Monday.

-OA
 
Bill Press will compete with Air America's East Coast Ultraliberal, Offensive "Morning Sedition" *DELETED*

Post deleted by Tom_
 
Re: Bill Press will compete with Air America's East Coast Ultraliberal, Offensive "Morning Sedition"

> The program will air from 6a-9a Eastern, which competes with
> the offensive, politically incorrect, and countercultural
> "Morning Sedition" on Air America. It now looks like MOST
> of the time slots where Air America currently has programs
> are now occupied w/ competitors from other networks, for
> example:
>
> PACIFIC:
>
> 3a-6a: AAR-Morning Sedition vs. Bill Press
>
> 6a-9a: AAR-Jerry Springer vs. ?????
>
> 9a-NOON: AAR-Franken vs. Thom Hartmann
>
> NOON-3p(4p): AAR-Randi Rhodes vs. Ed Schultz
>
> 4p-7p: AAR-Majority Report vs. Mark Levine 4p-5p
>
> Note: Randi's re-feed at this time.
> However, definitely another time slot for liberal hosts, and
> Mark could extend his show to 7p, perhaps...
>
> 7p-10p: AAR-Mike Malloy vs. Colmes, Rense
>
> 10p-1a: AAR-various refeeds vs. LIVE - DOUG BASHAM
>
> 1a-3a: AAR-various refeeds vs. ???????????
>
> (Note: I have not included regional shows such as Arnie
> Arneson, or independents with some progressive viewpoints
> such as Chuck Harder...)
>


i look at it a little differently.....we now have several choices for liberal radio listening.....there may be casualties..but the situation is certainly better than no choice at all.....liking or disliking Morning Sedition aside...i find it gratifying that the competition may help all the host have to go to an "A" game to compete....its healthy as long as they all dont go down a drain...just my 0.02
 
Re: Bill Press will compete with Air America's East Coast Ultraliberal, Offensive "Morning Sedition"

> The program will air from 6a-9a Eastern, which competes with
> the offensive, politically incorrect, and countercultural
> "Morning Sedition" on Air America.

Hey hey- please don't present opinion as fact. Start a thread and debate as appropriate.


>
> 6a-9a: AAR-Jerry Springer vs. ?????


Question marks should be Stephanie Miller. Excellent Radio talent IMHO.
 
Bill Press will compete (from the East Coast) with Air America's East Coast Liberal, Offensive to Right-wingers,"Morning Sedition"

Of course, Press is also broadcasting from the East Coast, along with Limbaugh, Hannity, O'Reilly, and a host of others, both liberal and conservative.
 
Re: Bill Press

> > The program will air from 6a-9a Eastern, which competes
> with
> > the offensive, politically incorrect, and countercultural
> > "Morning Sedition" on Air America.
>
> Hey hey- please don't present opinion as fact. Start a
> thread and debate as appropriate.


Since you objected to my post as constituting an opinion presented as a fact then pursuant to board rules I have deleted my post, since there are likely many others on this forum on the very far left who listen to Morning Sedition who agree with your criticism of my post. That show is not going anywhere because it will never appeal to centerists, those on the right side of the spectrum, along with Christians and Jews. Bill Press will give the show very serious competition. Thanks for your feedback. -T<P ID="edit"><FONT class="small">Edited by this Tom: on 06/19/05 09:35 PM.</FONT></P>
 
Re: Bill Press

>
> Since you objected to my post as constituting an opinion
> presented as a fact then pursuant to board rules I have
> deleted my post, since there are likely many others on this
> forum on the very far left who listen to Morning Sedition
> who agree with your criticism of my post. That show is not
> going anywhere because it will never appeal to centerists,
> those on the right side of the spectrum, along with
> Christians and Jews. Bill Press will give the show very
> serious competition. Thanks for your feedback. -T

So you've deleted your post and then reiterated what it said? Makes sense to me. Not.

I think we're all well aware of your view that the only way to succeed in talk radio is to appeal to "centerists" and "those on the right side of the spectrum," but many of us continue to believe that those liberals you would describe as "far left" can succeed. I certainly would rather listen to a true liberal then the wishy-washy moderates that you have now pushed on these boards 10,001 times (slight exaggeration). Can we move on?
 
Re: Bill Press

> So you've deleted your post and then reiterated what it
> said? Makes sense to me. Not.
>
> I think we're all well aware of your view that the only way
> to succeed in talk radio is to appeal to "centerists" and
> "those on the right side of the spectrum," but many of us
> continue to believe that those liberals you would describe
> as "far left" can succeed. I certainly would rather listen
> to a true liberal then the wishy-washy moderates that you
> have now pushed on these boards 10,001 times (slight
> exaggeration). Can we move on?
>

Look at Dampier's post to my comments from earlier last night in the moderation thread about the last big liberal/conservative blowout....tom seems to believe that the center is the only place to broadcast but has not really explained how liberals can continue to take the "Ben Nelson/Joe Lieberman/Joe Biden" take on how a liberal should be...the conservatives walk over that vision day after day...i think there are liberal (like myself) that Dampier spoke for....tom read it and comment please....and of course News vet please do too.....
 
> I was just about to start a topic asking about his show.
> Thanks for the update.

I was starting to wonder when Bill's show would leave Akron. ;) (Well, actually, he's not physically here...he is indeed doing the show from DC and the studios at the liberal think tank which employs his co-host, Christy Harvey.)

For those keeping track, the information is as I posted here a few weeks ago, when I posted an E-Mail response from Bill himself. You heard it here first, as they say.

The show's still a LITTLE rough around the edges. They have the base down, and it's gotten better, but I don't think Bill's hit his stride, yet. Some things will not thrill diehard libtalk listeners - for example, Bill sometimes brings up topics many liberal talk fans may find too "pop culture"-ish, like the Michael Jackson trial. But there's enough "meat" there, I think, for them to overlook that.

I don't listen to Bill regularly, but my computer's set up to record his first hour solely for radio geek reasons: to hear how handles the show day to day, and the transition from a currently only-heard-locally show to the upcoming national launch.

As far as I know, there aren't any terrestrial affiliates lined up for a week from Monday, but that could likely change now that it's officially announced, and out of "dress rehearsal for Akron only" mode...

Anyway, the rumblings around Libtalk World are that some stations are begging for an alternative to AAR's "Morning Sedition", so we'll see how he picks those stations up.

-OA
 
> > I was just about to start a topic asking about his show.
> > Thanks for the update.
>
> I was starting to wonder when Bill's show would leave Akron.
> ;)

RadioEqualizer blog points out the show is hard "Pressed" to find takers
(though admittedly it hasn't technically launches nationally yet)

http://radioequalizer.blogspot.com

excerpt:

"One far better-known lefty, though, seems to be having an awfully tough time getting his national offering off the ground. Why is Bill Press facing so much resistance? So far, only one station, in Akron, Ohio, is carrying "The Bill Press Show". Soon, SIRIUS will be picking it up for their left-wing talk channel (which will help only slightly), but otherwise, there are no takers."

(Brian tracks back to radio-info.com posts at one point)
 
> RadioEqualizer blog points out the show is hard "Pressed" to
> find takers
> (though admittedly it hasn't technically launches nationally
> yet)

Press' show has basically been (by design, it sounds like) local-only for WARF/1350 here in Akron. From day one, he's been talking only to the area listeners. He identifies the show as being on "Radio Free Ohio".

My guess, only: He's doing so at the behest of WARF's management, to help jumpstart the new libtalker. In the meantime, he gets to work out the bugs and the kinks in the system before launching nationally.

For one, he's not been taking any phone calls in the time he's been on 1350. It's not that no one's calling...as far as I know, he hasn't given out the phone number once, at least through early this past week. He's given out the E-Mail addresses for both himself and Ms. Harvey since day one.

I know and like Brian, but I wouldn't make any calls on affiliates being "reluctant" to carry Press' show until it actually is being sold nationally, and till they've had time to "hit the streets" with it. I don't know if he's heard of any stations being offered the show at this time... he seems to be speculating because only WARF carries the show, and will, until 6/27.

-OA
 
Re: Schools of thought...

> I think we're all well aware of your view that the only way
> to succeed in talk radio is to appeal to "centerists" and
> "those on the right side of the spectrum," but many of us
> continue to believe that those liberals you would describe
> as "far left" can succeed. I certainly would rather listen
> to a true liberal then the wishy-washy moderates that you
> have now pushed on these boards 10,001 times (slight
> exaggeration). Can we move on?


There are many schools of thought to this issue and not all progressives in talk radio agree. Yes, one view is that the only way that liberal talkers can reach ratings into the millions in all 50 states including all the red states is to appeal to the other side, such as hosts Alan Colmes and Ed Schultz. Yes I have expressed this viewpoint here, as have others... And yes, others disagree, but that's part of the discussions of progressive talk syndication...

In my view, a liberal show should be able to be close to the center to get so called "conservative" station clearances, as Colmes and Schultz are already doing...

However, I have also acknowledged on this forum that there are hosts on the far, far left who have been on the air for decades and done very well, such as Ray Talliaferro at KGO news talk 810 San Francisco.

And I have also acknowledged the very important factor of entertainment value...

And several times I have mentioned the niche progressive markets where ultraliberals such as Malloy, Flanders, Webb, Hartmann, Talliaferro, Karel, etc. will succeed...Newsradio 710 KIRO and KGO news/talk 810 wouldn't make it with their current mostly liberal lineup in Kansas City...

There is always room for all perspectives on the dial. To get the south, Great Plains, Rockies, and midwest, the liberal program has to appeal to the other side. However...however...we'll see who is correct a year or two from now. Will Ed Schultz have 200 affiliates and Air America 100? Or will they be tied?


<P ID="edit"><FONT class="small">Edited by this Tom: on 06/20/05 06:00 AM.</FONT></P>
 
Hi, Brian! Answering the Radio Equalizer Blog...

> (Brian tracks back to radio-info.com posts at one point)

All over the place, actually, including an update based on my message! :D I feel like I've been invoked!

Let me go ahead and clear a few things up for him. As noted, and as he noted, I've talked with him on and off over the years, dating back to his days as a host at KSCO/Santa Cruz, CA...and he's a decent guy.

* Brian should know me enough to know I'm not a member of the "liberal talk radio cheerleading squad", as it were. I've posted a lot about the topic here, much like he has in his blog, because it's the source of most talk radio related news in the past year or so. The conservative talk market is somewhat more mature, and news happens much less frequently. So, the libtalk stuff gets a lot more play on here, and unfortunately, it degrades into the typical left vs. right struggle on a pretty quick basis. I'm one of the few folks who listens to talk radio from all over the spectrum, both political and non-political.

* I'm kinda following this only because it's in my current home market, and is a major change for a local station that once ran syndicated sports talk radio. Since I'm a news/talk junkie, I pay attention to this kinda stuff. I'm not really a big fan of Mr. Press, though I seem to recall he did well when he filled in for a host at a station I worked at some years ago. The effort he's doing now is still new, and I don't want to blow him out of the water, but he's still gotta find his voice. Oh, and Ms. Harvey's laugh has not improved any.

* The news about Bill's effort to syndicate his show actually got into the radio trade press, well, because of me. He was on the announced 1350 schedule, and I did some digging to find the nature of his show, including contacting him myself. It seems a bit of an odd bird...the show seems to actually be intended as a "home" show for Sirius's in-house liberal talk channel (note the logo on Bill's page!), and the terrestrial affiliates seem almost secondary. Maybe this is a nod to the volatile and still new nature of liberal talk syndication... I don't know. It's the first show I've really seen that tries it this way... a satellite radio-homed show that picks up over-air affiliates along the way.

* Bill and Ms. Harvey have not hidden the Washington, DC-based nature of the show...they mention it fairly often, in the snippets I've heard. They're "speaking to Ohio", but don't try to act like they're here. And at least once, they did mention their studios were owned by Ms. Harvey's day job employer, the liberal think tank Center for American Progress. (It's a similar organization and setup to the conservative Heritage Foundation, and their own studios used occasionally by conservative hosts.)

Anyway, as mentioned, I personally do believe they're working out SOME kinks, be it technical or business wise, and my clock on the show's syndication efforts starts on the 27th. Again, it seems to be an odd hybrid of "we'll do a satellite show for Sirius, and any of these over-air libtalkers who need a morning show can come along for the ride"...

Brian, hope you're doing well, and please drop me a line...address linked above.

-OA
 
> I know and like Brian, but I wouldn't make any calls on
> affiliates being "reluctant" to carry Press' show until it
> actually is being sold nationally, and till they've had time
> to "hit the streets" with it. I don't know if he's heard of
> any stations being offered the show at this time... he seems
> to be speculating because only WARF carries the show, and
> will, until 6/27.
>
> -OA

Brian may or may not be a likeable guy (perhaps he helps little old ladies across the street), but he strikes me as a bitter, unemployed right-wing talk show host who's trying to supplement his unemployment checks by pandering to the conservative thirst for supposed bad news (good news in their eyes) about liberal talk radio. With conservatives still outnumbering liberals by a wide margin on radio, why on earth does he call his blog "Radio Equalizer?" If he had his way, the views on talk radio would be even more unequal than they are now.
 
In Perspective

> Brian may or may not be a likeable guy (perhaps he helps
> little old ladies across the street), but he strikes me as a
> bitter, unemployed right-wing talk show host who's trying to
> supplement his unemployment checks by pandering to the
> conservative thirst for supposed bad news (good news in
> their eyes) about liberal talk radio. With conservatives
> still outnumbering liberals by a wide margin on radio, why
> on earth does he call his blog "Radio Equalizer?" If he had
> his way, the views on talk radio would be even more unequal
> than they are now.

A couple of things...

For one, I've worked with talk and news hosts of all stripes, including those I may have found a bit "off the charts". One of my good friends in this business is like that. Off the air, he's perhaps the nicest guy you'd ever wanna meet. And the on air stuff is not an act...he really believes what he says.

As far as Brian goes, remember, he started in talk radio at KSCO in Santa Cruz, CA. Santa Cruz is not exactly known as a stronghold of conservatism. It's got a nationwide reputation as a liberal haven. KSCO had - at the time - a wide variety of voices, but made its name by carrying (in that market!) Rush Limbaugh.

After Santa Cruz, and a stint at Reno station KKOH, Brian ended up in Seattle, another city known for its liberal bent.

-OA
 
Re: In Perspective

> After Santa Cruz, and a stint at Reno station KKOH, Brian
> ended up in Seattle, another city known for its liberal
> bent.

A bad career move, apparently, because he was fired nine months ago and hasn't worked in radio since. I notice that he whines on his blog that he was fired for his "views on Dan Rather," which makes a lot of sense since we all know that no other right wing host would dare to criticize Big Dan. Now Brian is carving out a career as a professional hater of liberal talk shows, which seems to have a limited profit potential, unless he's being backed by Richard Mellon Scaife or some other right-wing money man.
 
Re: In Perspective

> > After Santa Cruz, and a stint at Reno station KKOH, Brian
> > ended up in Seattle, another city known for its liberal
> > bent.
>
> A bad career move, apparently, because he was fired nine
> months ago and hasn't worked in radio since. I notice that
> he whines on his blog that he was fired for his "views on
> Dan Rather," which makes a lot of sense since we all know
> that no other right wing host would dare to criticize Big
> Dan. Now Brian is carving out a career as a professional
> hater of liberal talk shows, which seems to have a limited
> profit potential, unless he's being backed by Richard Mellon
> Scaife or some other right-wing money man.
>

Sigh.
 
Re: In Perspective

> > > After Santa Cruz, and a stint at Reno station KKOH,
> Brian
> > > ended up in Seattle, another city known for its liberal
> > > bent.
> >
> > A bad career move, apparently, because he was fired nine
> > months ago and hasn't worked in radio since. I notice
> that
> > he whines on his blog that he was fired for his "views on
> > Dan Rather," which makes a lot of sense since we all know
> > that no other right wing host would dare to criticize Big
> > Dan. Now Brian is carving out a career as a professional
> > hater of liberal talk shows, which seems to have a limited
>
> > profit potential, unless he's being backed by Richard
> Mellon
> > Scaife or some other right-wing money man.
> >
>
> Sigh.

Sigh all you want, but I find it odd that Brian Maloney has somehow become the go-to guy for right-wing pundits when it comes to denigrating liberal/progressive talk radio. But maybe it will lead to a real job for him somewhere.
>
 
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