Discuss the latest 12 + ratings June '06

[johnwas5]

Howie is about the best a talk host can be and has the ratings to support that claim. If he's so stale, then he's that much better a talent because he can still dominate his time slot. And WRKO is doing fine in the ratings, so the constant claims of its demise are just more off-base anger from people who are apparently burned out by their inability to find success in this frustrating business.

 

[Neanderpaul]

they totally wasted Scott Allen Miller with the dumb morning show idea modeled after WBZ.

I had a GREAT time working with Scotto. Thought we played well given the fact that we'd never spoken professionally prior to that morning.

I like Scott and wish him nothing but the best.

When I forget who Van Halen ripped "Ice Cream Man" off from, perhaps I'll chase the talk radio monster. I think I'd like it!

 

[Varulven]

Newbie "johnwas5" writes:

« Reply #20 on: Yesterday at 09:59:52 pm »
Howie is about the best a talk host can be and has the ratings to support that claim. If he's so stale, then he's that much better a talent because he can still dominate his time slot."

Howie is no Keith Olbermann, Ed Schultz wipes the floor with him audience-wise since Ed has something Howie has failed to achieve: a national audience. Wonder how Howie Carr would fair if WRKO broadcast from
AM 1430 and Boston's Progressive Talk was on the power 680 AM signal? The WBUR numbers prove my point, Howie - from what I've heard - has failed to come close to 90.9 FM - a non-commercial station allegedly beating the tar out of RKO.

JOHN HAS ONLY 5 POSTS WRITES:
And WRKO is doing fine in the ratings, so the constant claims of its demise are just more off-base anger from people who are apparently burned out by their inability to find success in this frustrating business. "

So typical "Swift Boat" type rhetoric. The complaints from cheerleaders of those getting legitimate criticism never cease to amaze. They have such thin skin - who is "JohnWas5" ? Tattoo? Nancy Shack? Julie Khan?

Casablance has a point - Depetro, Feinburg, Spencer Hughes are boring. BORE - ING! Carr is stale, as I stated. When a college radio NPR station can beat the tar out of you, it's hardly a success. Karl Rove can spin it all he wants. Howie is no Bill Press, Howie is no Dick Morris, Howie is no Randi Rhodes. Dan Quayle is no John F. Kennedy.

John Depetro is no Howie Carr, nor is Todd Feinburg. The conclusion any logical thinking person comes to:

Howie, being a pro going stale, is easily going to be the "best" on a station that has nothing else to offer.
He has no competition on that station. Big fish in a little pond. Nationally he has no sizzle and no one cares.
Outside of New England it's "Howie who?" unless they think you're talking about Howard Stern.

 

[racconradio]

>>The "talent" such as it is on WRKO commits the worst sin of Talk Radio as Jerry Williams would say

Speaking of talent to the best of my knowledge WKOX/WXKS have no local hosts. They may do some bits with Jimmy Tingle but no host in am drive, pm drive, whatever, is local. Which means their ratings are
similar to those of all-national-all-the time WWZN 1510, WAMG 890, and WLLH 1400 (in the 12 +)--
that is, they don't show up. Aren't there any competent local liberals who can do a local show for
them? Marge Clapprood? Anyone?

 

[Eli Polonsky]

Aren't there any competent local liberals who can do a local show for them? Marge Clapprood? Anyone?

It's not that there aren't possible competent hosts around. I think it's that Clear Channel doesn't want to pay for any local hosts on those stations. They seem want to keep WXKS/WKOX as low overhead an operation as possible, running practically all of it off the bird.

Perhaps they feel that with those sub-par signals, it's not worth it to pay local hosts. We'll see what happens when WKOX eventually goes on with 50 kW from Newton.

 

[takanotees]

Newbie "johnwas5" writes:

« Reply #20 on: Yesterday at 09:59:52 pm »
Howie is about the best a talk host can be and has the ratings to support that claim. If he's so stale, then he's that much better a talent because he can still dominate his time slot."

Howie is no Keith Olbermann, Ed Schultz wipes the floor with him audience-wise since Ed has something Howie has failed to achieve: a national audience. Wonder how Howie Carr would fair if WRKO broadcast from
AM 1430 and Boston's Progressive Talk was on the power 680 AM signal? The WBUR numbers prove my point, Howie - from what I've heard - has failed to come close to 90.9 FM - a non-commercial station allegedly beating the tar out of RKO.

JOHN HAS ONLY 5 POSTS WRITES:
And WRKO is doing fine in the ratings, so the constant claims of its demise are just more off-base anger from people who are apparently burned out by their inability to find success in this frustrating business. "

So typical "Swift Boat" type rhetoric. The complaints from cheerleaders of those getting legitimate criticism never cease to amaze. They have such thin skin - who is "JohnWas5" ? Tattoo? Nancy Shack? Julie Khan?

Casablance has a point - Depetro, Feinburg, Spencer Hughes are boring. BORE - ING! Carr is stale, as I stated. When a college radio NPR station can beat the tar out of you, it's hardly a success. Karl Rove can spin it all he wants. Howie is no Bill Press, Howie is no Dick Morris, Howie is no Randi Rhodes. Dan Quayle is no John F. Kennedy.

John Depetro is no Howie Carr, nor is Todd Feinburg. The conclusion any logical thinking person comes to:

Howie, being a pro going stale, is easily going to be the "best" on a station that has nothing else to offer.
He has no competition on that station. Big fish in a little pond. Nationally he has no sizzle and no one cares.
Outside of New England it's "Howie who?" unless they think you're talking about Howard Stern.

woooah now.. lets just turn down our radio for just a second there, and breeaaathe.

theere we go.

now just turn on your TV or go for a walk or something. read a nice book maybe?
i know radio is all about competition here and all, but give me a break. just chill out. its not the end of the world here if someone tries to defend a show or a station that they might enjoy. i dont think anyone here was taking pot shots at NPR, so why all the RKO hate?

sure, some of the topics and popular talking points that the personalities bring up are predictable. but uhh. yeah last time i checked, thats what people want to hear. they want to talk about the big stories. and they want to talk about them a lot i guess. but if you dont want to listen, DONT. find something else.

 

[Varulven]

To "takanotees" and "Johnwas5" -

The basic problem is six companies buying up all the stations. These are the "Private airwaves", not
public, and there lies the rub.

Corporations buy things up - the listeners tune in to other media - CD players in the car, IPods, fewer listeners for radio because the format is so bad.

Long-time radio watchers, listeners and professionals make comments. People like yourself with one or two posts chime in yet don't give us a resume.

The problem with RKO is that they are force-feeding bad radio on a population that has indicated it likes
WBUR, that it wants intelligent Talk Radio, not Dick Morris spewing his hate, Rush Limbaugh taking drugs and spewing his hate, John Depetro spewing whatever the gutter offers in the morning.

Hate begets hate. We'll make you an offer: put some decent programming on WRKO - programming that
isn't so hateful, and people probably won't "hate" the station.

But if conglomerates are going to homogenize the airwaves with their filtered right wing Republican b.s. that is no longer being bought by their own constituents - the propaganda and the brainwashing - we certainly have a right to call them on their misconduct. As far as this listener is concerned, RKO is the Halliburton of radio.

So if you love Halliburton, raise your hand.

 

[racconradio]

>>bad radio

well, that's subjective. Look at Free Republic or Brian Maloney's Radio eq. blog and you'll find they (and I)
feel the same way about Air America as liberals do about Carr, Limbaugh, etc., and there's hatred, or at
least ridicule on both sides of the aisle. Mr. Williams and Mr. Brudnoy aren't with us anymore, and Mr.
Burns (no, not Homer's boss) is on the other side of the country....in terms of intelligent talk. But entertaining radio can get good ratings...just ask the other Howard (the one who went to satellite
radio...). Entertainment comes first. Give the people what they want.

>>John Depetro

I don't agree with him on some issues to be sure, and he can sound hateful in some ways..but how about Randi Rhodes
"playfully" calling for the President's assassination? etc.

In some ways it's good that radio can make money like this, but overall, the deregulation is bad for
the smalltime owner who can't compete with the big boys. So we get homogenization, cost-cutting
radio, etc. Allowing companies to own more than one station in a market is one thing, but giving them
5 or 6 is bad...you're right, just a few companies control the whole dial.

 

[Varulven]

Thanks for agreeing with me that the dawn of the Manchurian Corporations and the Halliburtons owning radio - most of radio - is a bad thing. General Electric yanking Keith Olbermann off the air for a week because he was investigating the Ohio vote comes to mind as one good reason these "outlets" are shills for whoever is in power giving them tax breaks. So add TV to the mess.

In light of Rolling Stone's article re: the Ohio vote, the Supreme Court ordering Bush to change course,
and the problems O'Reilly and El Rushbo are having, Randi Rhodes' opinion of a man who failed to actually
win the presidency twice isn't a crime. Truth is, Bush is not president, thus, she can say whatever she likes about him. She actually served in the military, Bush should've been dishonorably discharged. That's what
happens with privilege. Normal people aren't given so many passes on so much misconduct. Depetro does hate speech to try to get ratings; Randi criticizes Bush & Co. because she really and truly believes what she is saying. Big difference.

I, for one, can't wait for President Hillary Clinton to file charges on George W. Bush. It is going to be fun!
Think of the ratings for Boston's Progressive Talk!

 

[racconradio]

>>General Electric yanking Keith Olbermann off the air for a week

ever see the "Schoolhouse Rock" parody that aired once--ONCE--on Sat. Night Live (it was one of those TV Funhouse deals)--which pointed out how NBC's owner, GE, could influence the news coverage? So could ABC's owner, CBS, etc...Then it got pulled...

http://youtube.com/watch?v=YgwaW5rGsm0&search=TV funhouse

Just for a change, let's have a Democrat win the Presidency and the Republicans can whine about it being stolem Rush demands a recount!! (sorry if I seem to be having fun with a serious subject but I see the humor in politics...hey, let's energize the base! Start talking about flag burning again...about bringing back the draft...about gay marriage...etc.! At least it'll get talk radio going...and speaking of which, believe it or not a Hillary presidency would be the best thing that could happen to conservative talk radio....it would
"energize" the Right, and the fur would fly

but in all seriousness though, as a certain guy from North Cambridge once said, All Politics is Local (you
remember him--Speaker of the House--would pal around with Reagan despite their political differences)...
thus why doesn't Boston's Progressive Talk have a _local_ talker? "Oh, they don't want to pour the money in to a local host". It doesn't have to be someone making 800 large like Howie. Just one host to talk
the LOCAL issues. Heck, even the low-rated ESPN Boston has local stuff with Felger (OK, comparing sports talk with politics but you get the idea)...They might be more than just a blip in the ratings if they would do so.
You gotta spend a little money to make a little money.

 

[racconradio]

by the way in a post above I said:

>>all-national-all-the time WWZN 1510, WAMG 890, and WLLH 1400

But I forgot 890/1400 _does_ have some local content, Felger in afternoon.
So _mostly_ national shows...

If they put him in am drive they could run a jingle: "The best part of waking up/
Is Felger in your cup"

 

[JustinT]

but in all seriousness though, as a certain guy from North Cambridge once said, All Politics is Local (you
remember him--Speaker of the House--would pal around with Reagan despite their political differences)...
thus why doesn't Boston's Progressive Talk have a _local_ talker? "Oh, they don't want to pour the money in to a local host".

I'm not one to get involved with this debate, but if you check out the WKOX message board on the station's website, Joe Public (is he the PD?) hints that after the signal upgrade, they will be looking into local host(s).

 

[racconradio]

ah, OK..haven't checked that out lately...well at least they're going local. You need to have some local content, esp. in a politically savvy place like Boston!

 

[takanotees]

Thanks for agreeing with me that the dawn of the Manchurian Corporations and the Halliburtons owning radio - most of radio - is a bad thing. General Electric yanking Keith Olbermann off the air for a week because he was investigating the Ohio vote comes to mind as one good reason these "outlets" are shills for whoever is in power giving them tax breaks. So add TV to the mess.

In light of Rolling Stone's article re: the Ohio vote, the Supreme Court ordering Bush to change course,
and the problems O'Reilly and El Rushbo are having, Randi Rhodes' opinion of a man who failed to actually
win the presidency twice isn't a crime. Truth is, Bush is not president, thus, she can say whatever she likes about him. She actually served in the military, Bush should've been dishonorably discharged. That's what
happens with privilege. Normal people aren't given so many passes on so much misconduct. Depetro does hate speech to try to get ratings; Randi criticizes Bush & Co. because she really and truly believes what she is saying. Big difference.

I, for one, can't wait for President Hillary Clinton to file charges on George W. Bush. It is going to be fun!
Think of the ratings for Boston's Progressive Talk!

wow. ok you had me up until this.. i can agree on a lot of points you made about the big companies, etc etc.. but come on. you've got an agenda going here. this isnt fact, or "truth". this is all that tin foil getting into your brain.

why not just say you don't agree with right wing policy and you dont agree with what some stations are airing, and thats that. i mean thats at least a respectable opinion, unlike spewing all this nonsense about "hes not the president! he should be charged.. blah blah blah" thats making you look like the ultraliberal cruisader. i mean the second you brought bush into it is the second you lost most of your audience and your credibility.

so lets try that one again, with less conspiracy theory, and more general opinion.