CANCELLED LIBERAL STATIONS: SYMPTOM OF BIGGER PROBLEMS

[jackandcoke]

even if that was the budget expectation ($5.0 million), it really is not unreasonable based on San Diego being a $200 million revenue market. For perspective....In 2006 KOGO did almost $14 million, XPRS 13.5, KFMB-AM over 9.0... that is just the AM side...
KPRI did $5.5 million with their signal deficiencies. KLSD did 2.5 in '06. That really is not good enough based on their ratings position, and the amount of inventory they had to sell.

Two quick points.

One, KLSD would kill to have the signal of KOGO, XPRS or KFMB-AM. In an "FM world," where radio stations need (NEED) to be audible 24 hours a day in order to be competitive, it is not KLSD's 5-kw day signal that defines their universe, but rather its 1-kw/directional night signal. Its dial position at 1360--in the middle of the Interference Zone on everyone's AM dial--just makes it worse. But before CC ditches what they've got, they'd better ask themselves the critical question: What WILL bring in $5 million with a killowatt @ 1360? (The answer: Nothing).

Two, even at a "mere" $2.5 million in annual revenue, KLSD is so incredibly inexpensive to run that CC is likely cashflowing 60% on that little sucker. Major market clusters are among the most profitable businesses of ANY kind in America--hell, in the world. Mr. Mays & Mr. Hicks knew what they were doing when they wrote the legislation for the Telecom Bill of 1996. If 60 percent profit isn't good enough, what is? What is the limit on greed?

 

[SDRadio]

If 60 percent profit isn't good enough, what is? What is the limit on greed?

E=MC2 X 10.

 

[mj]

not a chance in hell they are doing a 60% margin. If they were cash flowing over a million, a format change would not be a discussion.

 

[doublecashkgb]

KGB's signal (sorry that's what I call the f*$king thing(are well known). This bring
in mind a flashback to the year of 1980 when John Lander took 13-K an AM Top 40
station to #1 12+ in the fall book. Perhaps the greatest underdog victory since
KDEO beat KCBQ in 1961.

In terms of billing & revenue 5 million is impossible, especially with the liberal talk
format. But as recently as the mid 90's KSDO was regularly mopping the floor
with competitors despite having virtually no North County coverage. I would
argue it was a tighter ship than KOGO, with unquestionably a superior news
department.

 

[ABQTom]

Quotes:

"NPR fulfills the ideological needs of the ideological left pretty consistently, right down to Daniel Schorr's tedious, self-indulgent, unprofessional, Narcissistic, self-referential commentaries which invariably begin with the phrase, "When President Nixon put me on the his enemies list...." "

"With Daniel Schorr and Terry Gross and Talk of the Nation (is it still on?), ATC, WeSat and WeSun and the APR programming, who needs AA and KLSD?"

Comment:

You are talking about two different formats: 1) FM dial public affairs and news programming provided by NPR and Pacifica, presumably hosted by trained "journalists" versus 2) Talk Radio - where the hosts are not necessarily "journalists" and are free to editorialize, exaggerate, condemn, criticize, make fun of, imitate, etc. our political leaders and their policies

Air America's mistake is trying to get listeners from NPR, and indeed, this is happening. What they should be doing is to get listeners from Conservative talk radio. Many middle of the roaders would prefer Big Ed, Hartmann, Colmes, and Jay Diamond compared to Limbaugh/Hannity/O'Reilly.

That's why if I had an AM Air America station I wouldn't put on programs that sound like NPR: Richard Greene, Rachel Maddow, and all the weekend programs like Ecotalk. Try to get Bob Brinker on weekends if the major conservative talker has sports programming preempting Bob.

 

[jackandcoke]

not a chance in hell they are doing a 60% margin. If they were cash flowing over a million, a format change would not be a discussion.

If they're doing $2.5 million in revenue as you suggested earlier, a 40% margin gives them a million in cashflow. I operate a 5-station cluster out of the market and we do 40 percent in our sleep. And with 21 hours a day of free/barter network programming + shared CC administrative expense + minimal promotion, it would be a shock if they weren't spinning off a million in operating profit. Taylor is a decent talent, but not a million bucks worth. Where the hell are they wasting so much money that a million doesn't drop to the bottom line from $2.5MM?

 

[jackandcoke]

Quotes:

"NPR fulfills the ideological needs of the ideological left pretty consistently, right down to Daniel Schorr's tedious, self-indulgent, unprofessional, Narcissistic, self-referential commentaries which invariably begin with the phrase, "When President Nixon put me on the his enemies list...." "

"With Daniel Schorr and Terry Gross and Talk of the Nation (is it still on?), ATC, WeSat and WeSun and the APR programming, who needs AA and KLSD?"

Comment:

You are talking about two different formats: 1) FM dial public affairs and news programming provided by NPR and Pacifica, presumably hosted by trained "journalists" versus 2) Talk Radio - where the hosts are not necessarily "journalists" and are free to editorialize, exaggerate, condemn, criticize, make fun of, imitate, etc. our political leaders and their policies

Air America's mistake is trying to get listeners from NPR, and indeed, this is happening. What they should be doing is to get listeners from Conservative talk radio. Many middle of the roaders would prefer Big Ed, Hartmann, Colmes, and Jay Diamond compared to Limbaugh/Hannity/O'Reilly.

That's why if I had an AM Air America station I wouldn't put on programs that sound like NPR: Richard Greene, Rachel Maddow, and all the weekend programs like Ecotalk. Try to get Bob Brinker on weekends if the major conservative talker has sports programming preempting Bob.

Agreed that NPR & Progressive Talk (AA/Jones) are two very different formats. The core of NPR's audience is centered on Morning Edition & All Things Considered--two straight-ahead news programs (for the most part; ATC does wander into feature sh*t much too often). NPR got so scared during W's first term by the conservative takeover attempt @ CPB that they've become extremely centrist. Straight news with virtually no commentary. Shore? I've never been able to detect any political ideology from anything he says. It's hard enough just figuring out what he's talking about.

The only major talents KLSD is missing are Maddow & Stephanie Miller, arguably the best talent in the entire progtalk stable--they should find room for Steph. I haven't seen daypart numbers for KLSD, but unless Taylor is huge, I'd use her in morning drive as CC does in SF at Quake. XM uses Hartmann's weekday shows as weekend material.

 

[Ben Shaton]

Here are my suggestions for KLSD

6AM - 9AM Keep Stacy Taylor, Maybe he's more of a libertarian than a liberal but he's local and we get a chance to hear perspectives on issues different than how they are framed by the Useless-Tribune and the TV news here at the beginning of the day.

9AM - Noon Carry Ed Schultz live, You hear all perspectives from callers on his show and he's not a toady for the corporate selling out of the remnents of this nation's middle class. I think it hurt KLSD when a lot of his listeners started catching his show online from streams of stations where his show is carried live.

Noon - 3PM This would be a good slot for Jon Elliott if he could be live. He has a lot of potential for a growing audience. The fastest 3 hours on radio, will help make your workday fly. He's polite, informative, and comes from San Diego even if his show is now national.

3PM - 6PM Stephanie Miller has one of the most entertaining show on the radio, something lacking on the afternoon drive when people are commuting and trying to unwind from a long day. Even if she isn't carried live a show like hers would fill a nitch at that time of day.

After 6PM Get a better signal than 1 KW to be heard over that Bible Thumpin' Zonie station in most of the East or North County. Put on Thom Hartman, Randy Rhodes, Rachel Maddow, Mike Malloy or whatever! It was mentioned that 1360 was #1 last in 1980, and as Boss Radio (KGB) before that. I may point out that at that time most of the market was concentrated within the signal coverage. With the urban sprawl over recent decades, most of new areas of this market are the outlying places where the population has mushroomed and 1360 is simply not a listenable signal after sundown, while KOGO and KFMB come in loud and clear. 50 KWS 24/7 would help.

I think another problem is that the population is suffering from "Bush Fatigue" after over six years of the consistent misgoverning of the nation by people who to put it mildly don't have the best interests of either this nation or the world in mind. They just wish that they could click their heels and he and his gang would go away, but the next best thing is to not be constantly reminded that he's still there. They are tired of hearing old news about Bush repeated and rehashed ad nausia, but still like to be informed of the breaking news that involves their government.

And last but not least, can anyone say that Clear Channel has given KLSD anywhere close to the promotion of it's other stations in the market? I doubt that it gets even 10% of the promotion of stations like KOGO, STAR, or KGB from CC.

 

[ABQTom]

"3PM - 6PM Stephanie Miller has one of the most entertaining show on the radio, something lacking on the afternoon drive when people are commuting and trying to unwind from a long day. Even if she isn't carried live a show like hers would fill a nitch at that time of day."

You have a good point about entertainment value during drive time. Progressive stations do have issues in the 3P-7P daypart,
not all PD's are happy with Rachel Maddow and Randi Rhodes.
Stephanie Miller is more humorous than Randi and is an alternative.

Another: Peter B. Collins, LIVE 3P-6P Pacific, Collins Media Services.
Peter B. is Thom Hartmann's regular substitute, and listeners enjoy his voice, sense of humor and debates with guests and callers. Peter B. is the ONLY LIVE CALL-IN liberal host between 3P-6P Pacific since Rachel Maddow takes no calls.-albuquerqueTom

 

[Lopaka]

Its a shame but it looks like AAR is failing. I noticed they lost their 3 Hawai'i affiliates and the Seattle station is seeking listening pledges. If AAR goes down it will be a sad loss, but maybe it will survive over the internet. And even if it just goes off 1360 it seems reasonable that 1040 or 1240 might want to pick up the most loyal audience in radio.

As for possible new formats for 1360, financial might work. With the dollar down 40 % (!!!) due to inept incompetent disinterested leadership the public will shortly develop interest in financial survival. They might not care about avoiding catastrophes but they will probably be interested in surviving them once they are created.

 

[SDRadio]

The main reason AAR (nationally) and KLSD has failed, at least in Sandy Eggo, are no listeners. No advertisers. No ratings. Listener pledges, buy a fracken pixel on a page, and the like does not transform to the bottom line.

The bottom line is that commercial radio stations remain a bidness; and if it's not makin' money, the format will shift. Arguments aside, the devalued dollar has little effect to the local advertiser scrimpin' out in San Diego.

If the vocal loyal audience could be measured in tens of thousands instead of hundreds, a case could be made. While I remain on the record that Stacy Taylor, Ed Schultz, and Jon Elliott should remain on the air, the outlook looks doubtful at least on 1360 AM. Gawd if some radio genius in Texas thinks that a multicast station on HDRadio is the answer for Air America, good luck with that. As bad as the plan for Air America and others on 1360 in San Diego, having the programs on HDRadio is a brilliant move for failure.

In ten years, AM radio will be dead, (if not already).

Besides that, have a nice day!

 

[raccoonradio]

A post on Air America place's "AAR Rumors" board by Kath in CA says that the whole election could swing
upon whether the station changes format. She uses a total of 19 exclamation points as she laments that
"San Diego is going to lose its only progressive voice" and asks for cyanide "if you don't sign".

My.

http://www.airamericaplace.com (go to Rumors)

 

[Garrett]

Welcome to the "I don't live here but post here" club
It's been lonely in these parts.

I think the Air America model of Liberal radio is just not a good one, and I agree with people who say that Alan Colmes fits in better. And don't get me wrong, I liked Al Franken, thought he was funny. I remember listening to him on WXKS/WKOX. But after that, I can't name a single national talk show host in that network that held my attention. Stacy Taylor (who did some time at WTKK) really did not fit-in to the Liberal Talk format (in my opinion).

But I don't think that means non-conservative talk is dead. I think we just need more established names. Imagine a talk format that had Franken, Colmes, Rosie and Whoopi? That might have done well, but how do you pay all those people on the same chain?

 

[jackandcoke]

The main reason AAR (nationally) and KLSD has failed, at least in Sandy Eggo, are no listeners. No advertisers. No ratings. Listener pledges, buy a fracken pixel on a page, and the like does not transform to the bottom line.

The bottom line is that commercial radio stations remain a bidness; and if it's not makin' money, the format will shift. Arguments aside, the devalued dollar has little effect to the local advertiser scrimpin' out in San Diego.

If the vocal loyal audience could be measured in tens of thousands instead of hundreds, a case could be made. While I remain on the record that Stacy Taylor, Ed Schultz, and Jon Elliott should remain on the air, the outlook looks doubtful at least on 1360 AM. Gawd if some radio genius in Texas thinks that a multicast station on HDRadio is the answer for Air America, good luck with that. As bad as the plan for Air America and others on 1360 in San Diego, having the programs on HDRadio is a brilliant move for failure.

In ten years, AM radio will be dead, (if not already).

Besides that, have a nice day!

Whoa, Chris. You're just taking wild shots at something you apparently don't care for. A one-share in SD is worth an AQH Persons figure in the thousands, not the hundreds; and the cume--total number of different listeners--would fill Qualcomm Stadium and still leave thousands in the parking lot.

Clear Channel gets points for using AA/Progressive Talk on so many of its AM sticks, but the politically savvy understand that there is no corporate appreciation for it at the very top where the Big Texas Republicans sit. Mays & Hicks put W. in office, almost singlehandedly.

Like any Point Of View programming--whether it's religion, rightwing politics or leftwing politics, its true impact can't be measured at the cash register. In religious broadcasting it's measured by converts. In politics, it's measured in votes.

 

[SDRadio]

Whoa, Chris. You're just taking wild shots at something you apparently don't care for. A one-share in SD is worth an AQH Persons figure in the thousands, not the hundreds; and the cume--total number of different listeners--would fill Qualcomm Stadium and still leave thousands in the parking lot.

Shots from a poster named jackandcoke? Set 'em up!

I do care about the situation and the post is not a wild shot. A one share in Sandy Eggo for the potential that KLSD offered is not good. We may disagree on the numbers; and that's ok. I hope you agree with me that loosing the lineup is not a good move, however it is motivated by $$$.

 

[Bob_Hudson]

asks for cyanide "if you don't sign".

Did she leave a mailing address?

 

[Bob_Hudson]

Whoa, Chris. You're just taking wild shots at something you apparently don't care for. A one-share in SD is worth an AQH Persons figure in the thousands, not the hundreds; and the cume--total number of different listeners--would fill Qualcomm Stadium and still leave thousands in the parking lot.

it is motivated by $$$.

So true and elections are lost because naive progressives continue to believe that things like KLSD and even moveon.org make a difference. Preaching to the choir never gains you any converts: you gotta have missionaries and one thing the KLSD lineup could never, ever do, is sway someone who did not already agree with them. We have never seen key Congressional democrats or presidential hopefuls lining up for airtime on Air America, because they know it appeals to the radical fringe (and yes Chris is as radical as they come: I have personally seen him burn his bra, while wearing it!).

 

[SDRadio]

(and yes Chris is as radical as they come: I have personally seen him burn his bra, while wearing it!).

I bet that left a mark.

When radio went from a family business to a corporate environment the ability for a program to gain an audience went out the window. Just like politics, it is all about the money.

 

[Bob_Hudson]

....elections are lost because naive progressives continue to believe that things like KLSD and even moveon.org make a difference. Preaching to the choir never gains you any converts: you gotta have missionaries and one thing the KLSD lineup could never, ever do, is sway someone who did not already agree with them. We have never seen key Congressional democrats or presidential hopefuls lining up for airtime on Air America, because they know it appeals to the radical fringe ....

The New York Times - that bastion of the extreme right wing - has an op-ed piece that goes into depth on this idea that, as they put it:

The fact is, many Democratic politicians privately detest the netroots’ self-righteousness and bullying. They also know their party has a historic opportunity to pick up disaffected Republicans and moderates, so long as they don’t blow it by drifting into cuckoo land.

The "netroots" is this term for moveon.org, the Daily Kos Web site and other outlets that speak with the same shrill voice as the Al Frankens and Randi Rhodes of the world.

Here's the whole Times piece and if you're a self-proclaimed liberal "progressive," don't read it because the reality of your lost cause will make cause much weeping and gnashing of teeth: http://tinyurl.com/yqbknd - for others who want to know why Air America and KLSD are such failures, read it and learn.

 

[Lopaka]

There isn't much "cukoo" on AAR. The problem is that radio is an entertainment medium, people don't tune in to learn how much the value of their money has depreciated, they'd rather tune in for something to divert their attention from unpleasant realities like that. I asked a KLSD staffer about covering problems with the mayor's plans to privatize city services (it doesn't work) and was told it wasn't "entertaining". Fine. Thats just the way it is. But there is a price for ignoring reality. Obviously we would be far ahead if somebody had actually pointed out problems with the electricity deregulation scam instead of entertaining us. A free press would be worth caring about. Our press has decided to make itself irrelevant, so it is. Peace, prosperity, and actual legal observance of the Constitution are not "cukoo", but it sure is boring.