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Biz Radio 1302 ... anything wrong?

They must have been off the air this morning. I too had dead air as I scrolled through the dial on my morning safari. I think they've been having a lot of technical issues again. As I have posted time and time again on BizRadio, they need professional radio management to make that thing work. Actually, I think it's dead now. They probably lost any listeners they once had due to things like this dead air and poor programming. I still think Business talk is a viable format in Houston if properly executed. CBS should revisit putting 650 back to business. Their daytime signal is ok enough to deliver quality and they know how to run radio stations. The folks running BizRadio have no clue anymore. It was a great idea at first, but now it has turned into a paid programming station for the most part with some business thrown in. Brent Clanton's show is pretty good and informative. The guy that comes after him seems to be selling one of those trading programs. You can't listen beyond 2 or 3 minutes without dozing off. The rest of their programming day, the last time I listened, was pretty much following the same format of scheme hawkers. The only commercials you hear are promos for their weekend paid programs and the endless parade of Dan Frishberg offerings.
 
Freaking Radio Disney has more commercials than those bozos. I don't know if there's much worth listening to them now that Kramer and Steele are gone...all the other guys there sound like New Yawk morons. Awful radio voices.
 
Re: Biz Radio 1320 ... anything wrong?

KXYZ has been working through power supply issues with Reliant Energy following the thunderstorms on Sunday. Perhaps Adguy would like to come lend a hand in solving three-phase power supply issues with Multicultural Radio Broadcasting Inc.'s engineers, since he's so quick to perceive and diagnose problems.
 
Adguy is just frustrated because BizRadio is only a shadow of what it was when it started. I can't comment as much on it because I just don't listen that often anymore. Dayna Steele was terrific and her loss has hurt your station Brent. Jim Cramer's loss was devastating to you as well. Paid programming in the middle of the prime broadcast day to replace that was not the answer. Anyone in or around radio knows that. The power issues are indeed frustrating to your listeners. Funny, all the other stations I listen to seem to keep their power on all of the time. As I have said many a time on this board, I love the idea of all business radio just as I love the all sports format, all news, etc... That's what radio is all about; target segmentation. If your station would program past 6PM and limit your paid programming to the weekend then you would get back to the way you were when you launched. I know that Mr. Frishberg is in control and his lack of radio experience comes through loud and clear. If he hasn't relenquished control to radio professionals like you by now, he never will. Brent, your plate is full indeed trying to handle the technical issues and Frishberg's ego. If some other radio operation ever offers you a position as PD or GM of an all business format, take it and run fast! No doubt you would give this market the Business radio format people like me want. It was very cool to get a glimpse of that when BizRadio 1320 launched.
 
Bizradio is doing very well which has been noted before,but AdGuy,it doesn't seem to please you. The content is being received very well by the targeted audience
not only technically,but programming too. Some shows have served their purpose ,some have not and were replaced. The replaced shows simply didn't hold up to their end of the agreement,and thus the network moved on. Keep in mind it has only been over a year since this network started and it still has some growing pains,but rather some growing pains than a rush to fulfillment. That has been the downfall of many post 1996 formats.
Am stations are more susceptible to nature compared to FM,considering the locations,and the event of a thunderstorm. Lightening strikes cause some power to go out. So it would be wise to check the climate,before making an ill advised assumption. In this post 1996 deregulated, consolidated, mediocrity of radio programming,it is quite refreshing to have something go against the grain,and be successful. Adguy do what anyone would do,if you don't like it,don't listen.
 
Klifhanger, you are correct. BizRadio has disappointed me lately with the uninteresting (to me) paid programming that they run M-F. For example, Brent Clanton used to run 6-9A. Of course that works great in the bathroom and drive to work. Brent normally has interesting guests and topics and he is an excellent interviewer and is well prepared for his show. During the past year he was replaced by a former Dallas sports anchor who's topics were mostly retired Dallas sports personalities and very boring topics. Not that I dislike sports, I didn't care about Dallas sports. In fact 610 is my most listened to morning station. Then they added that guy who was selling a trading program. That's when I left BizRadio. I know Clanton is back for another hour, which is good, but for me I can only listen for a few minutes. I occasionally listen to Mike Norman, but during the day I'm really only looking for market updates. I prefer Jim Rome, Rush Limbaugh in the middle of the day when I'm not in the middle of some project, but I cut them out listening to Jim Cramer and Dayna Steele much of the time. When they departed BizRadio I went back to my old listening habits. BizRadio took a severe downgrade when they lost Cramer and Steele. That leaves Frishberg, who is not very listenable. His thick nasely NY accent coupled with his bumbling and stumbling is irratating to many listeners, not to mention that it's not very entertaining listening to someone that arrogant. I don't like being told by the host how much smarter and wealthier he is compared to his listeners. There you have it. When BizRadio first went on the air, you had good programming throughout the whole day with good information. It has become a paid programming station and a storefront for Frishberg and everything he is selling. That's not for me and I don't think that is wisely targeting the audience they are out to target, but hey, Frishberg pays the lease and can do what he wants and you're right Klifhanger, I don't have to listen, and I don't most of the time. I just loved the format at first and it really bums me out that they got away from it. Forgive my passions, but when someone comes along with something to enhance the radio waves these days it's easy to get excited because most of what you see is the destruction of traditional terrestrial radio. I think Frishberg came in with that enhancement early on, but his lack of radio judgement has eliminated that excitement for me.
 
Ok adguy.,let's look at something here. You mention Rush. Rush plugs his books, his personal appearances,etc. Is he not "selling" here? Sean Hannity is selling his books( more often than Rush). They both address issues and give an opinion,the same as the BIZRADIO hosts,though I don't believe Brent has wrote a book yet,but his blogs are plugged. A vast majority of all talk show hosts are "selling something" their newspaper columns.their appearances ,etc. On the Salem network you will find all their hosts are "buy my book". What's the difference with a host who is knowledgable,and has a bonafide "training school" plugging it instead of a book? Dan's accent is New York. Dr. Phil's is Texan. See the point? You don't care for the NY accent,but The Texas one doesn't disturb you because you live in Texas. There has been many good News anchors that I know of who were not able to make it in Boston or NYC because of their accent,and believe me it wasn't that thick. Dr.Phil had prominent backing,so he made it. Dan does too,but on a far different scale. It's judging a book by its cover,not its content, which comes across by you. Frankly I don't care for sports talk radio. What is there to possibly talk about a football or baseball game? The teams met,they played, a few players were outstanding,some sucked, a team won ,a team lost. Ok ,so why talk about it on a show that was same in length as a game? You will counter my opinion on it,because you like sports talk. So since you are in the "AD" game it is wise to be objective ,and look at trends ,results, and who's watching what ,and listening to whom. Bizradio has a niche audience and will never be in the top ten overall,but it has a good representation of listeners. In the end thats all that matters.
 
Re: Biz Radio 1320 ... anything wrong?

I just thought I'd correct the subect line error:0
 
Business Radio as a format, with the exception of WBBR in New York, has always, in every market, degenerated into predominantly paid programming. It cannot attract enough of an audience to survive by spot sales alone.
 
"WBBR being the exception"Correct,so why can't BIZRADIO? They can, with new addtions being made being made behind the scenes and modifications as it goes along it too will be sustaining like WBBR. Patience should be exercised and when it is you will notice it.
 
It can't for two reasons.

One, WBBR is in New York. There are hundreds of thousands of people employed in the financial services sector. Not so in Houston. Not as much of a built in audience.

Two, just because WBBR is the exception, doesn't mean it's a success. It's something of a loss leader for Bloomberg, which uses the station for product branding of its news and terminal services to the financial community centered in New York. It serves the same purpose as ESPN Radio and Radio Disney. Therefore it doesn't need infomercials and can live off whatever spot revenue is obtained by pitching that "niche" audience. In NYC, the niche is big enough, in Houston and virtually all other markets, it isn't. WBBR is the exception that PROVES the rule. Unlike WBBR, BIZRADIO doesn't have a huge name in financial news behind it.

In Boston, WBIX tried to be what you imagine. It went down in flames and the owner tried to kill himself. Now it is back to doing what almost all business radio stations have to do to survive -- broker time. Business radio equals brokered radio.
 
You are correct Smedge. The only way BizRadio can survive long-term as a true all-day all-business station is to basically be a loss leader for a major ownership group like CC, Cox or CBS, in Houston anyway. With Frishberg paying somewhere between $65K-$75K per month on his Houston lease and $85K-$95K on his Dallas lease from MRBI, employee and facility expenses and office space there's no way he can survive without major advertiser support AND brokered time. Last time (and this was over a year ago) I was presented anything from them he was asking $165 per :60 spot. Now anybody who buys media knows a spot on BizRadio in Houston is worth no more than $25 or $30 and about $50 in Dallas based on the ratings plus a bonus for the format. That goes to prove your point. When I listen to BizRadio the thing I notice most is the overall absence of advertisers. The only way I can see Frishberg justifying staying on the air is that he is making enough money from radio referrals to his investment management business. In that scenario he is brokering 12 hours a day from MRBI with a right to sub-broker to other paid advertisers. If he is making good money on his business from that, then it's a great strategy for him. If he is truly trying to build an all business format station or network, as he claims, then he needs to limit the brokered time to the weekends and go pure business all day without the hawkers selling trading programs and real estate schemes. That's my rant with BizRadio and has been all along. As you inferred Smedge, the best way for a truly all business format to work in Houston is for it to be a loss leader, like it was on 650 a couple of years ago. I don't think 650 made a windfall, but make enough to justify its existence within the CBS (then Infiniti) group. The only reason it left the air was because of Infiniti's commitment to Howard Stern at the time. As for a small independent owner like Frishberg, there's no way a single station can support the long-term survival of that format in its pure form outside a major financial center like NYC. Perhaps a business network, like the one he is supposedly trying to build out of MRBI's many stations around the country could be profitable over the long term, but I seriously doubt he has the pocket change necessary to do that. From what I heard, he has bilked a number of investors into the Houston and Dallas fiascos and is really out of additional investment resources to make this happen on a network level. Personally, I wish he could get the resources for a network because as such the business format might well work without M-F paid programming. In any case, great anaysis Smedge.
 
I believe you both have an ax to grind with Bizradio,if indeed you are seperate identities;). You seem to want to focus on the negative aspects not the positive and yet what broadcast compnay doesn't have negatives?
When you mention ABC,CBS,etc. How long have they been a broadcast company? 60+years wouldn't you say? How Long had BIZRADIO Network been around?Less than 2 years. Oh I get it, immediate outstanding success is what you call for >Hmmm.Those same companies you mention struggled on the average 5 years or more before success came their way.
Bloomberg has been around for quite sometime and struggled at first. You make Houston sound as if it not a "financial" community,considering its basically the energy capital of the world,etc. You narrow forcus,plus refuse to adapt,thus you lose the portrait and its meaning. You play it too close to the vest,rather than the fresh entrepeneur. Your method keeps the economy stagnated,and struggling instead of fresh new ideas and innovation. It takes time to try new ideas,fortified and solidify a base,not the quick fix expansion. Trying new ideas ,see how it works ,then dump it or modify it, is what most companies do. BIZRADIO NETWORK follows that, and they are no different than any other entity in that regard. Just because your favorite show or host is no longer on,or if they hawk a book or school doesn't mean they have set themselves up for failure. You admitted a few months ago (Adguy) you tried to BUY TIME for your client on Bizradio. When BIZRADIO DIDN'T give in to your demands, YOU went after them. Sour grapes? Brent Clanton even made an open offer for you to see him and explore what the actual problem was plus how ( if it existed) could be remedied then follow up on your accusations. You have so far failed to show and repeatedly have taken potshots at the net. So I seriously doubt you are objective in your assessment of Bizradio.
 
Well, first of there's only one identity for me. Smedge, I assume will come on with his view as well. Second, I have no ax to grind with BizRadio. As I have posted many a time here, I am a fan and only wish they would return to the roots that gave them the base for being a tried and true business format radio station. Yes, I was not thrilled when they started brokering time during the M-F hours and did that at the behest of programs I really enjoyed. Smedge put it very well assessing the track record of business formatted stations. It's not real good and BizRadio here is just following the same patterns that other failled stations took before their demise. My time buying days on BizRadio came and went well over a year ago and that barn door is long closed for me and my clients. If you have read any of my posts on other subjects you know I buy time based on audience, market trends and some of my own intuition based on 20+ years of experience on both sides of the negotiation table. When I tried to buy time on the station over a year ago, they just did not understand my clients' needs. They made the selling mistake you see far too often with inexperience these days. They were more concerned over how they looked and how they will benefit from my clients' advertising on their station, not the other way around as any competent sales organization knows. They are not the only media outlet that thinks and acts this way. There are too many media choices to think that one outlet, no matter how strong or weak, can be a difference maker on any buy. As long as you buy a good mix and the phones ring, you're doing your job. I was never bitter. That station is way too small audience wise to have that kind of affect on me or my clients. As I have stated it is a true passion of mine as to the formatting. I love the business talk format and want to see it succeed in some form or fashion in this market. Based on what BizRadio is doing now with the paid programming it doesn't look like KXYZ is going to be able to sustain it. I'm still waiting on the station to expand to 7 or 8PM as they said they would over a year ago. My comments are not directed personally at anyone there, they are just what they are; comments on matters of fact. I have no need to meet with Clanton or anyone else over there because I'm not doing any business with that station now or in the future, unless I see them miraculously show up in the ratings in the top 15 or 20 stations one survey. Klifhanger, if you work over there I'm sorry to have to deliver the cold hard facts, but it is what it is. I wish you well and hope they turn it around. I'm rooting for them.
 
Interesting back handed compliment there. I am not affiliated with them BTW. As I pointed out they will try new ideas,drop some,etc. The extension to 8p is not really feasible at this time,not based on costs,but the niche audience. Business is relegated to 8a-5p actually as you know and most who answer that call get up at 6a, and home by 6p ,thus their hours. If you are a fan as you claim to be,it would serve you well to meet with Brent,and perhaps share your vison for the station, and help improve it. You have a strong interest in it,so why not discuss it in person? It's easy to be an armchair quarterback,then be in a position that might actually make a difference. Bizradio does have some problems I grant you, and it appears that the sales staff are the culprits, from one manager not knowing what the other has committed to,and some try to change the rules in the middle of the game. There are a FEW sales
personnel thinking of their own individual commissions instead of the over all benefit of the net,and hopefully they will be weeded out. The programming side is top notch and many enjoy working with Brent,becasue he does care about the on air product.
I said before it takes time, and BIZRADIO is barely a year old,and in this deregulated, consolidated mess that passes for radio,they are doing well
 
Re: Biz Radio 1302 ... anything right?

Biz Radio 1320 is a much better attempt than I thought they would pull off, but after a year plus they've run out of steam and need to re-adjust.

They're sounding like one big infomercial to get clients for the Money Man -
Synidcation and paid programming is lazy and lame.

Having get rich quick through real estate programming in the middle of the day bites big time.

And when was the last time you heard anything about local business on the station?

Brent how about two hours devoted to spotlighting Houston based businesses that are innovative and making a difference in their field. Profile them because they are NEWSWORTHY, not because they pay for ad time on the station.
 
Brent needs to convince "The Money Man" that without the programming you talk about, the station is doomed for the reasons posted above. Clanton knows the programming and from what I hear knows the format and knows going down this trail of syndicated and paid programming M-F with a 6P cutoff will lead to the proverbial cliff. He is in a tough spot. You'll see KFNC head down the same path, but at least they are part of a bigger group that can absorb their losses. Frishberg needs more qualified and experienced radio people than just Brent Clanton. Brent needs help badly. He's the classic case of a man trying to move the mountain.
 
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