Ed Schultz, Stephanie Miller - National Ratings - Jones/AA convergence?

[raymond_shaw]

Here in Rochester, NY our low rated AA affiliate - (0.8, W06 book - really bad signal, no live morning show) also runs Stephanie in mid mornings and Ed in afternoon drive. Randi is tape delayed in evenings. I think they are the 2 most entertaining shows in the lineup. Anyone know how they are doing in other markets as opposed to AA? I personally wish they could be part of the AA lineup or vice versa. That's maybe wishful thinking for right now. Any thoughts?

 

[fred flintstone]

I personally wish they could be part of the AA lineup or vice versa. That's maybe wishful thinking for right now. Any thoughts?

I don't follow. Your local station picks what it considers the best shows for multiple sources (AAR, Jones, WOR). Those shows ARE part of your station's line-up. Why does your station need to take programming from just one distributor? Personally, I think competition improves progressive talk for everybody.In general, the progressive talk stations with the best numbers are those that also cherry pick syndicated programs - plus do a local progressive talk show in morning drive. That is the part of equation currently missing in your market.

 

[Scribbler]

Here in Rochester, NY our low rated AA affiliate - (0.8, W06 book - really bad signal, no live morning show) also runs Stephanie in mid mornings and Ed in afternoon drive. Randi is tape delayed in evenings. I think they are the 2 most entertaining shows in the lineup. Anyone know how they are doing in other markets as opposed to AA? I personally wish they could be part of the AA lineup or vice versa. That's maybe wishful thinking for right now. Any thoughts?

By "AA" I assume you don't mean Alcoholics Anonymous or American Airlines. Air America Radio is usually referred to as "AAR." Any station is free to carry Miller and/or Schultz and/or any show they want from AAR. So why do you want Miller and Schultz under the AAR banner? I don't especially like Miller (and all other "morning zoo" type shows) or Schultz (much too "moderate" for me), but whatever floats your whatever. The most successful progressive talk station by far, KPOJ, in Portland, runs Thom Hartmann (doing a local morning drive show), Franken, Schultz (from Noon to 3pm), Rhodes (in PM drive), Majority Report, and Mike Malloy.

 

[jh]

AAR is just the most recent attempt to offer a "turn-key" talk network to local stations. There have been others, going back to Chuck Harder's "For the People" network and ABC's old Talk Radio network. They never really work because each market is different... some shows simply aren't as popular in some areas as others... and there are different competing shows on other stations in each market.Local stations will always do better picking individual shows from a variety of sources, combined with local programming, than just airing one network's offerings 24/7.The only exception seems to be the sports talk networks, such as ESPN. But even then, it's the local programming and play-by-play that make those stations successful.

 

[fred flintstone]

And in large and major markets, ESPN does not do that well up against local sports talk outlets.Turn-key networks (AAR, Salem, ESPN, Fox Sports, Sporting News) are lucky if their stations break a one share. The exceptions to that are stations which selectively take national shows individually - mixed with local programming.