Do you think Jerry Bowyer made a good career move

[Pratte4Life]

At first I had my doubts because I thought a religious station would have a limited audience.

But what I found was that WORD actually got better ratings than WPTT in the last book. So I realize now why they decided to change things up over there!

I'm interested in seeing what time slot he'll have, but I thought Bowyer was a bit lost in his time slot having to go up against Hannity and Honsburger, plus not really having much of a lead-in with Lynn Cullen.

Personally, I think that it was a good move for him. I felt that he was the top talent at WPTT (it's my opinion that Hoerth and Cullen are waaaaaaaay past their prime) and they didn't showcase him right.

 

[fromtheinsideout]

I believe the intent will be to put him in basically the same time slot, taking the old Marty Minto Show. This is a good move in that Jerry had been doing work for Salem affiliates in LA, usually as a fill in when there local talent was off, as well as doing an occasional fill in for Mike Gallagher.

As for the time slot Jerry had at WPTT, suffice it to say that was his own doing. He wanted out of the morning drive and WPTT accomodated his wishes.

 

[Radio_Realist]

This brings up another question. Which broadacasting niche would give Bowyer a better shot at syndication? Being on a purely local station that programs local liberal talk or being on a station that targets non-denominational Christians? Wouldn't Bowyer's chances of some day reaching a wider audience be better working for Salem than Renda?

And, could Bowyer's personal religious beliefs have played a part in his decision? After all, Minto was a Christian pastor first and talk-show host second. Did Bowyer encounter any situations on WPTT where he had to restrain himself from expressing his own religious beliefs? And when he's on WORD, will he continue to do a totally secular show, or will he include some religious content similar to what Minto had?

And, to take that theme one step further, might Bowyer's decision to move to a Christian station been more of a "life" decision than a "career" decision? Could his decision to move to a Christian station have been motivated by something other than a desire to get ahead in the business? I've known more than a few people in my life who have made similar decisions to take jobs that were more spiritually fulfilling even though they weren't steps up a career ladder to higher paychecks.

I don't know Bowyer personally, so this latter question is directed at those who do know him.

> I believe the intent will be to put him in basically the
> same time slot, taking the old Marty Minto Show. This is a
> good move in that Jerry had been doing work for Salem
> affiliates in LA, usually as a fill in when there local
> talent was off, as well as doing an occasional fill in for
> Mike Gallagher.
>
> As for the time slot Jerry had at WPTT, suffice it to say
> that was his own doing. He wanted out of the morning drive
> and WPTT accomodated his wishes.
>

 

[fromtheinsideout]

While this could be a "life" decision, it strikes me more as a "career" one. Bowyer had done numerous shows and show segments on religion while at WPTT, so I doubt he was ever given a mandate to tone it down, but WORD does fit more with him from a religious perspective, and like I said previously, he had been used as a fill in host previously duirng evening drive for the Salem affiliate in Los Angeles, so the idea of his show going toward a more national bent would also be a reason for him to move to the FM dial in Pittsburgh.