can 92.3's campaign coverage get any more comical?

[indieradioguy]

Seriously. I am in disbelief at what I heard last nite. Dumb and dumber asking their news staff, "What are people saying on the web site?" Well, aside from the fact that you can look for yourself (unless those consultants have prohibited you from keeping a laptop in your booth), you could also open up the phone lines and take listener calls.

Is this we have to look forward to for the next 30 days? Sending your news reporters to get "in-person" opinions that, but of course, have to be vetted by your producers before they get anytime? OMFG, as the kids say. Please tell me it gets better. Somebody, please. Why, pray tell, was it even necessary to send a reporter to Denver? If you don't care what your demos here have to say, why would you care what people in Denver have to say? What a tremendous waste of money.

And, here's the kicker - on Christmas Eve day, they'll counter-program their new, younger demo with their yearly geriatric fruitcake special of the moldiest-oldiest Christmas songs (songs that probably had to be mp3'd from the 78's), hours before KFYI follows suit.

If Bonneville and their consultants think their embarrassing - and, quite frankly, offensive - theatrics make for good radio that will break their "tie" with KFYI and solidify "the", quote unquote, "the" numbers for them, they're idiots.

 

[Legend City]

Don't forget, we will have to endure the annual KTAR Christmas Carol. Gaydos as Tiny Tim..can you feel the excitement?

 

[KOOL Listener Lauren]

How many of your applications to Bonneville have gone ignored? Seriously. We get it already. :

 

[Frequency Breakdown]

How many of your applications to Bonneville have gone ignored? Seriously. We get it already. :

Lauren, I was going to say the SAME EXACT thing after reading Indie's myriad of Bonneville Bashing posts. Seems less like constructive criticism and more like destructive rage! haha

 

[KMGX]

I don't know... 90% of his posts are spot on. Bonneville runs good stations, KPKX (98.7 the Peak) and they run stations that aren't so good anymore, KTAR AM/FM. They have bizarre hiring, programming and personel decisions to say the least when it comes to KTAR. Once it was the number one station in this market, always outshining any competitor in terms of news, not so much in the talk department---although at least they used to have personalities that weren't so horribly dreadful. Many great stations have fallen in this market, but never have I seen such a sad meltdown as I have witnessed at KTAR... with the possible exception of KZZP from 1990-1991.

In a dying business with small minded, rigid thinking, it is unfortunate to watch what was once good wither away. Most of the music stations locally (and nationwide) have become unlistenable. Talk stations are apparently following right behind.

What's really disturbing is that people that dare to point this out are excoriated on these boards... God forbid someone talk about radio on a radio message board... then again, maybe you guys are right, in a decade or two, there won't be much left to discuss anyway. Some of us would just like to hold on or try to salvage what we can.

 

[indieradioguy]

Wow, looks like Bonneville's pulling out all stops for their VP debate coverage: namely, having Dumb and Dumber ask their most experienced reporters what the Twitter feed says, what the KTAR web site says - "What are people saying on the web site?" - and sending reporters to various locations around town blowing more unnecessary expense for undecided voters opinions that won't even make it on air. Is this Bonneville's new m.o. from now on? Blowing off listener calls time and time again on the most significant news days of the year? Really? The suits at Bonneville should be hanging their heads in shame at the farce they're trying to pass off as "debate coverage." BAD RADIO doesn't get any more unlistenable than the moronic roundtables with Dumb & Dumber and BSJ and Kari and Chuck.

Where the (bleep) did the gravitas over at 92.3 disappear to? Would it kill their budget to even bring in a Pat McMahon or a Michael Dixon for a few hours to fortify their "coverage" some much-needed grown-up perspective? Of course, they *are* an ABC News station, and ABC is owned by Disney, so I can't really say I'm surprised with their rapidly-declining programming quality (which they inexplicably put up with for sake of their really-desired demos & numbers on Cards days....yeah, that's a perfectly rational business decision...)

 

[DrAkbar]

Solid coverage of the Veep debate Thursday night with just about all the KTweetAR regulars participating. They could have easily ridden the net given the small listening audience after 7:30pm, but their A game was what Nurse Jeff and I heard. Listener calls wouldn't have added anything as there were more than enough opinions in the room. A tip of the fez to Chuck Powell for calling Joe Biden "Papa Smirk". Said it all.

 

[asugeorge1]

Solid coverage of the Veep debate Thursday night with just about all the KTweetAR regulars participating. They could have easily ridden the net given the small listening audience after 7:30pm, but their A game was what Nurse Jeff and I heard. Listener calls wouldn't have added anything as there were more than enough opinions in the room. A tip of the fez to Chuck Powell for calling Joe Biden "Papa Smirk". Said it all.

Agreed Doc, KTAR had some solid coverage tonight while sports 620 aired some of their own local programming with the ASU-Colorado game.

In reference to Chuck Powell, I personally like his sense of humor, but I think having Karie Dozer on his show really changes him and brings his show down. I've been listening to Chuck since his Morning Ritual days on EDGE 103.9 and he's very talented. My favorite comment I heard from him tonight was his reference to Ryan wanting to send more troops everywhere, including Mordor. It's hard to find humor in these bland debates, but he did a good job. And what was the difference? No Karie Dozer!

Sadly, beginning at 9, it was back to regularly scheduled programming on KTAR which meant you know who was on. I got to say, Dave Ramsey has ruined "Baker Street" by Gerry Rafferty for me because everytime I hear it, I have to immediately change the station!

 

[indieradioguy]

Still in disbelief. Still wondering what the bleep I heard last nite after the debate ended. They can't even go to "the source" (their silly phrase for the rare occasions when they take phone calls) for debate analysis? Why would anyone want to keep listening to 92.3 if their hosts are literally referring listeners to Facebook and Twitter? I realize it's possible to view social media while listening to the radio, but, c'mon...this "Talk The Vote Live" nonsense is really getting ridiculous. If this continued silliness is what campaign coverage looks like on 92.3, they might as well just play Ramsey as scheduled.

 

[indieradioguy]

Another "Talk The Vote Live" Monday. Wonderful. Nothing says "must-listen radio" like their panel of undecided voters. Undecided voters are idiots (no offense, but they are.) Any chance Bonneville can pull McMahon away from one his "God Show" tapings to stick around and be the "real" adult supervision for their peanut gallery? Any chance they'll allow phone calls from any listeners for this final debate, or will it be two hours of talking Twitter? What an embarrassment for their news team - years of experience covering major news stories, and they're reduced to answering sophomoric questions like, "What are listeners saying on our web page? What are people saying on Facebook?" Here's a novel idea: You guys could open up your phone lines for a change and find out for yourself, since you are a "talk radio." But, no, listeners can't take part in "Talk The Vote" because of Bonneville's cowardly consultants. What an embarrassment this whole "Talk The Vote" spectacle has degenerated into - referring listeners over to social media sites instead of giving people reason to listen to 92.3. "Why bother listening to us when you could be on Tumbler right now?" That's what they're telling listeners.

Meanwhile, Clear Channel (whose network coverage of the debates has been decidedly more professional) is laughing all the way to the bank and can expect much better October numbers for KFYI. Again. I can only hope the consultants who have made 92.3 a statewide laughingstock are getting paid well for their hard work destroying a once-respected brand.