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Content question for Talk Hosts and PD's

S

SaltyDog

Is there some largescale strategy to become less dependent on political talk of any kind? In talking to some PD's and hosts, I get the impression that there is a growing belief among programmers that political talk is getting burned. Is there a shift to develop more "lifestyle" topics so as to reduce dependence on politics? Or is this limited to the few markets with which I am somewhat familiar?<P ID="signature">______________
<a href="http://saltydog.5gigs.com">
The Salty Dog</a>
</P>
 
BTR has a lifestyle channel.<P ID="signature">______________



</P>
 
What we need are more centrists

> Is there some largescale strategy to become less dependent
> on political talk of any kind? In talking to some PD's and
> hosts, I get the impression that there is a growing belief
> among programmers that political talk is getting burned.

I am certainly to authority on the subject but I do listen to a lot of talk radio with a critical ear. My general impression is that the number and intensity of right wing talkers has reached the saturation level. Many of them are simply clones of the previous and espouse ideas that border on totalarianism and racism, giving the genre a bad reputation. In short, PDs and the listening public are getting scared away.

The above also applies to a lesser degree to "Liberal" programming although they have their own set of problems which I have described on other posts.

What we really need are more centrist political talkers, like Doug Stephan and Thom Hartmann. These "centrists" are not fence-sitters like the term suggests, but address issues on a point-by-point basis with varying conclusions. I think that is what is missing in high profile political conservative talk.<P ID="signature">______________
• K5ZN</P>
 
> Is there some largescale strategy to become less dependent
> on political talk of any kind? In talking to some PD's and
> hosts, I get the impression that there is a growing belief
> among programmers that political talk is getting burned. Is
> there a shift to develop more "lifestyle" topics so as to
> reduce dependence on politics? Or is this limited to the few
> markets with which I am somewhat familiar?
>

"Lite talk" fails everytime it's tried.
 
> > Is there some largescale strategy to become less dependent
>
> > on political talk of any kind? In talking to some PD's and
>
> > hosts, I get the impression that there is a growing belief
>
> > among programmers that political talk is getting burned.
> Is
> > there a shift to develop more "lifestyle" topics so as to
> > reduce dependence on politics? Or is this limited to the
> few
> > markets with which I am somewhat familiar?
> >
>
> "Lite talk" fails everytime it's tried.
>

I don't see how political talk is getting dull. It's the hosts, not the topics, that turn listeners off! In the coming years there will be all kinds of things to discuss. The '08 presidential election is shaping up to be a real humdinger!

And between now and then there's the Iraq situatuion, the growing Iran spectacle, gas prices, Social Security, rising health care costs, and about a million other things in this world that are worthy of discussion.
 
Re: What we need are more centrists

> > Is there some largescale strategy to become less dependent
>
> > on political talk of any kind? In talking to some PD's and
>
> > hosts, I get the impression that there is a growing belief
>
> > among programmers that political talk is getting burned.
>
> I am certainly to authority on the subject but I do listen
> to a lot of talk radio with a critical ear. My general
> impression is that the number and intensity of right wing
> talkers has reached the saturation level. Many of them are
> simply clones of the previous and espouse ideas that border
> on totalarianism and racism, giving the genre a bad
> reputation. In short, PDs and the listening public are
> getting scared away.
>
This does seem true to me. It seems likely that the popularity of right wing talk has peaked and will be going down. There's a lot of markets out there that have 3 or even more stations that focus on this format, but only one that is a true success, with others struggling in the ratings.

What makes the problem worse is that for most of the successful stations, the start attraction is Limbaugh. (It's striking that for all the imitators who have come after him, nobody has approached his total listenership.) And there's a non-trivial likelihood that he will be taking a sustained involuntary vacation in a year or so.

This certainly isn't saying the format will go away. It has a market and an audience. We'll continue to have at least one station, often more, in pretty much every market. But I suspect the number of stations has peaked.

By contrast, I think the number of liberal stations will probably increase, especially since the supply of quality programming available for such stations is rising rapidly.
 
Well, with George Bush's administration falling apart at the seams it will be interesting political talk radio for the next few years:

The "Iraq-nam" War is disaster - dead American and nothing to show for it.

No, Iraqi constitution.

No low priced oil as promised by Halaburton Dick Cheney.

Gas prices will be over $3.00/gal in a week.

Inflation is on the horizon.

Bush and the Republicrats might lose Congress in the mid-term election.

Rush might end up doing Martha Stewart time for drug abuse [ now, that IS a good thing].

Air America is coming into its own in spite of attempts to shut it down.

"Loofer" Bill O'Reilly has been shown to be a hypocrite.

No, I think this will be an exciting time for talk radio.


------------------------------------------
> Is there some largescale strategy to become less dependent
> on political talk of any kind? In talking to some PD's and
> hosts, I get the impression that there is a growing belief
> among programmers that political talk is getting burned. Is
> there a shift to develop more "lifestyle" topics so as to
> reduce dependence on politics? Or is this limited to the few
> markets with which I am somewhat familiar?
>
 
Re: What we need are more centrists

Last time I heard Doug Stephan he was broadcasting from his barn somewhere in Massachusetts and sounded like a charter member of The John Birch Society. Moderate - don't think so.

> > Is there some largescale strategy to become less dependent
>
> > on political talk of any kind? In talking to some PD's and
>
> > hosts, I get the impression that there is a growing belief
>
> > among programmers that political talk is getting burned.
>
> I am certainly to authority on the subject but I do listen
> to a lot of talk radio with a critical ear. My general
> impression is that the number and intensity of right wing
> talkers has reached the saturation level. Many of them are
> simply clones of the previous and espouse ideas that border
> on totalarianism and racism, giving the genre a bad
> reputation. In short, PDs and the listening public are
> getting scared away.
>
> The above also applies to a lesser degree to "Liberal"
> programming although they have their own set of problems
> which I have described on other posts.
>
> What we really need are more centrist political talkers,
> like Doug Stephan and Thom Hartmann. These "centrists" are
> not fence-sitters like the term suggests, but address issues
> on a point-by-point basis with varying conclusions. I think
> that is what is missing in high profile political
> conservative talk.
>
 
Re: What we need are more centrists

Sean Hannity is getting close to eclipsing Rush in total listenership. Obviously, stations would have to figure out what to do with the 12n-3p ET slot and there would likely be several contenders. As far as "centrists", all one has to do is get an audience. Who, exactly, is trying to shut Air America down?<P ID="signature">______________
Did the Corinthians ever write back?</P>
 
> Well, with George Bush's administration falling apart at the
> seams it will be interesting political talk radio for the
> next few years:
>
> The "Iraq-nam" War is disaster - dead American and nothing
> to show for it.
>
> No, Iraqi constitution.
>
> No low priced oil as promised by Halaburton Dick Cheney.
>
> Gas prices will be over $3.00/gal in a week.
>
> Inflation is on the horizon.
>
> Bush and the Republicrats might lose Congress in the
> mid-term election.
>
> Rush might end up doing Martha Stewart time for drug abuse [
> now, that IS a good thing].
>
> Air America is coming into its own in spite of attempts to
> shut it down.
>
> "Loofer" Bill O'Reilly has been shown to be a hypocrite.
>
> No, I think this will be an exciting time for talk radio.
>

Meet me over in Off-Air, and bring this post with you. I'll bite.

Let's get it on!!! :)
 
> Meet me over in Off-Air, and bring this post with you. I'll
> bite.
>
> Let's get it on!!! :)

No chance he's leaving the safe haven of "News/Talk". Here they get to post all manner of left wing propaganda under the guise of a liberal talk radio discussion.
 
I have been waiting to see if you got any replies from pds or talk show hosts.
Days later, we're still waiting. (I was in the business until I became 100% disabled in an accident earlier this year)

This demonstrates what I've long suspected: They don't hang out here in the snake pit.

> Is there some largescale strategy to become less dependent
> on political talk of any kind? In talking to some PD's and
> hosts, I get the impression that there is a growing belief
> among programmers that political talk is getting burned. Is
> there a shift to develop more "lifestyle" topics so as to
> reduce dependence on politics? Or is this limited to the few
> markets with which I am somewhat familiar?
>
 
Talk doesn't have to be "light" just because it's non-political. I remember when New Jersey 101.5 signed on in Trenton back in late 1990. Here we were on the brink of Gulf War I and Jay Sorensen et al were talking about Jersey stuff! I and everybody else thought they were nuts. I and everybody else were wrong.
NJ 101.5 continues to be a success story because the hosts talk about issues of compelling interest to the target audience. If you present topics that people care about in a compelling manner, you can win - it's that simple.
 
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