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Clear Channel New Home to Hannity & Limbaugh?

Tom Taylor's newsletter says that Rush himself addressed the issue in his show yesterday:

Rush Limbaugh says the chatter is “just a public business negotiation.”

He does say that “negotiations have been taken public by one side of this when I thought it was done, I thought it was over with.”

As usual, lots of good analysis from Tom. Seek out his newsletter for the rest of the story.
 
I'm guessing this means Hannity will move to KFI in Los Angeles making KABC truly a lost station. 8)
 
WFXF shows on the ratings as being owned by Clear Channel. If that's wrong, then Radio Online has it wrong.

It's a 2KW station based in Dundee. It can cover the area. Yes, I know WGRD is a weaker stick AM, but those were the two options I see as likely for Clear Channel unless they sell the show to a non-CC station. The fact that they didn't make a move akin to what they did in NYC may indicate that they have a customer for the shows lined up, or it could be they couldn't afford to make another acquisition in a market that would command a premium price for any licensed station.

One way or another, those shows will clear in that market. The assumption that it won't end up on WGN is also flawed. Tribune needs cash and might be willing to sell the station. I acknowledge this is a less than likely solution but not outside of the possible courses of action.
 
Yep, that is a definite possibility as well. Cumulus may drop them on some outlets and keep them on others or things may stay as they are with a change in the business terms only.
 
They are all owned by Premiere Radio Networks which owns it all as part of Clear Channel. Premiere Radio Networks also is responsible for all the paid callers to the programs. You really don't think they are actual callers? Do you? It's all written and rehearsed. Maybe they will take a couple calls for the last hour of the program but for the most part it's like watching any situation comedy on television. It's all scripted. The sad reality is, some people actually believe they are real callers.
 
josh said:
They are all owned by Premiere Radio Networks which owns it all as part of Clear Channel. Premiere Radio Networks also is responsible for all the paid callers to the programs. You really don't think they are actual callers? Do you? It's all written and rehearsed. Maybe they will take a couple calls for the last hour of the program but for the most part it's like watching any situation comedy on television. It's all scripted. The sad reality is, some people actually believe they are real callers.
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Even Ed Shultz accidentally debunked that garbage by admitting he did it when he started on 2 stations and then never again.
 
I'm ok with the scripted calls but there should be some accountability so the listeners really know what they are getting.

When you're watching an infomercial, you know any calls they take are fake as the program is pre-recorded. What really makes me laugh is the testimonials for a particular product. In most cases the product is completely new, it was not previously advertised before but then you have all these testimonials on the infomercial for that same product. Well, obviously they are all made up and the people giving the testimonials are actors and actresses but the public in some cases still believes it.

I would like the FCC require that talk shows are upfront with their listeners. Prior to any fake call, it would be nice that the listeners are made aware that the call is indeed part of "the act as it were". Some people would still believe the caller but all in all it would make for more truthful broadcasting.
 
What's the difference between paid callers and screened callers? Well, besides getting paid. Callers are picked because they fit "the act." Either way, it's an act.

OK, you require some announcement that callers are paid (maybe scripted). Then producers will come up with some clever way to run the announcement so people don't notice it. Or understand it.
 
josh said:
I'm ok with the scripted calls but there should be some accountability so the listeners really know what they are getting.

When you're watching an infomercial, you know any calls they take are fake as the program is pre-recorded. What really makes me laugh is the testimonials for a particular product. In most cases the product is completely new, it was not previously advertised before but then you have all these testimonials on the infomercial for that same product. Well, obviously they are all made up and the people giving the testimonials are actors and actresses but the public in some cases still believes it.

I would like the FCC require that talk shows are upfront with their listeners. Prior to any fake call, it would be nice that the listeners are made aware that the call is indeed part of "the act as it were". Some people would still believe the caller but all in all it would make for more truthful broadcasting.
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Rush is on 600 stations and takes 3 calls a day, do you really think they are planted? Shultz said he did it because he couldn't get the phone to ring. Use common sense and stop being a partisan who shuts his brain off before he speaks.
 
They are almost always scripted, paid callers. Conservative and progressive talk - both the same.

Premiere Radio Networks makes a big profit by providing programs with callers not only those personalities under them. It's a huge business. We in fact, started AZ PROFESSIONAL CALLERS to provide media companies with a low cost alternative but Premiere is pretty much entrenched as the known leader in the business.
 
josh said:
They are almost always scripted, paid callers. Conservative and progressive talk - both the same.

Premiere Radio Networks makes a big profit by providing programs with callers not only those personalities under them. It's a huge business. We in fact, started AZ PROFESSIONAL CALLERS to provide media companies with a low cost alternative but Premiere is pretty much entrenched as the known leader in the business.
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This lie has been disproven many times over. None of these major shows have staged callers. The Clear Channel caller service is for morning zoo type shows that need "wacky" callers. Anyone who has actually done a radio show knows this is the case.
 
Small Market Guy: You wrote: This lie has been disproven many times over. None of these major shows have staged callers. The Clear Channel caller service is for morning zoo type shows that need "wacky" callers. Anyone who has actually done a radio show knows this is the case.

This is absolutely not true. It's well known in the industry that the calls are scripted and fake. You can believe what you want but the truth is Limbaugh, Hannity and just about every other political talk program is like listening to a political infomercial. I'm not saying there is anything wrong with it. It's just the way it is.
 
josh said:
Small Market Guy: You wrote: This lie has been disproven many times over. None of these major shows have staged callers. The Clear Channel caller service is for morning zoo type shows that need "wacky" callers. Anyone who has actually done a radio show knows this is the case.

This is absolutely not true. It's well known in the industry that the calls are scripted and fake. You can believe what you want but the truth is Limbaugh, Hannity and just about every other political talk program is like listening to a political infomercial. I'm not saying there is anything wrong with it. It's just the way it is.
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Very true. It's all about cost and quality control. As soon as shows had a surplus of callers, they started screening and selecting. A few were good and got to be "regular" callers. A few of those even went to being hosts themselves. Then came satellite distribution, cheaper-higher quality 800 numbers and national syndication. Even cheaper and more quality control. And a bigger surplus of callers. Call screening and caller selection becomes a bit unwieldy and still not completely predictable (no guarantee that somebody will call, get through and say exactly what you want said and say it well). The solution: Plants. Shills. Paid callers. This is show biz. Let people think this is a public forum but talk radio is for listeners, not callers.

I have noticed that Ron Popeil and his ilk do put some notice in the credit about how people got in the audience. In the real world, people don't have orgasms over kitchen products.
 
Small Market Guy, I must say in agreement that FredLeonard hit the nail on the head. There are actual callers that will say anything to get on the air when their opinion differs with the host. There are a lot of people that strongly oppose Rush and Hannity and would love to get on the air to voice their positions. Premiere Radio Networks will not risk the possibility of someone getting thru that is putting on an act to get through the screeners. The scripted paid callers say exactly what Rush and Hannity want them to say. And you will note they have their answers ready to go.

Think of it as being theatre on the radio. Yes you can hear their voices and they are live, but it's radio theatre. It's so real that we feel like we can interact with them but unfortunately we can't

Enjoy the show.

Local talk radio is real and it's good for the community!
 
josh said:
Local talk radio is real and it's good for the community!
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Good for the community how? Same "usual suspects" day in and day out. Local talk radio shows why stations started screening calls in the first place.
 
josh said:
This is absolutely not true. It's well known in the industry that the calls are scripted and fake. You can believe what you want but the truth is Limbaugh, Hannity and just about every other political talk program is like listening to a political infomercial. I'm not saying there is anything wrong with it. It's just the way it is.
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I don't "believe what I want" and I'm "in the industry". I KNOW people who have been regular callers to some of these shows, and they're absolutely not fake actors. Hell, just listen to how BAD most of the calls are.
 
josh said:
Small Market Guy, I must say in agreement that FredLeonard hit the nail on the head. There are actual callers that will say anything to get on the air when their opinion differs with the host. There are a lot of people that strongly oppose Rush and Hannity and would love to get on the air to voice their positions. Premiere Radio Networks will not risk the possibility of someone getting thru that is putting on an act to get through the screeners. The scripted paid callers say exactly what Rush and Hannity want them to say. And you will note they have their answers ready to go.

Think of it as being theatre on the radio. Yes you can hear their voices and they are live, but it's radio theatre. It's so real that we feel like we can interact with them but unfortunately we can't

Enjoy the show.

Local talk radio is real and it's good for the community!
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1. I DO local radio. You're right that there is a place for it, and some people like it.
2. This "common knowledge in the industry" you speak of, how come I've never heard it? Once again, these caller services provide comedy bits for morning shows, Larry the Cable Guy started out working for one of these services.

When you have 20 million people who agree with you listening, and a good call screener, why the hell would you need to PAY people to regurgitate your opinions? There are thousands of people waiting to say the exact same thing, and just as well. Enough of this conspiracy theory crap.
 
Even paranoids have enemies and sometimes there are conspiracies. It's easier to get calls made to order than to go through the process of screening calls to find the one you want. Plus you avoid the risk that the call you get may not be the call you thought you had. And callers often don't say it well. Consistency and quality control: Two of the reasons we have syndicated talk.
 
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