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FM Talk who's next?

P

pocket-radio

"Some estimates are that the performance royalty could cost radio $1 billion a year, or even much more."
Also listeners can carry every song known to man on their ipods.. Free music is everywhere...

The evidence is mounting, the trends for radio are less music and more talk. More stations are flipping or simulcasting AM long form talk on FM and it's working.

This brings me to Renda's constant flipping of 100.7. Once again Jacksonville has 3 country stations and playing country classics is an obvious weak, sleazy, desperate ploy to bring down WQIK by peeling off some their older demos.

While thinking in the box, Renda In my opinion blew a bigger opportunity for FM Talk.

You're saying who can compete against Rush and Sean insanity?

Michael Savage, Alan Colmes, Glen Beck, Imus in the Morning and more are all available at no cost in exchange for ad avails. Plus Fox news/sports & CNN are available. And the best part is, this format can be streamed online without paying the RIAA.

It's a matter of time before a player thinks out of the box and makes this happen..

Hopefully soon..
 
Didn't the only FM talk station in Los Angeles just flip to top-40? And LA only has 1 full market coverage AM station. Maybe FM talk is starting a downward turn. I mean, the whole country follows what LA does, at least in English, doesn't it?
 
All these guys that you mention make a line from a Led Zep song come to mind, "Oh pilot of the storm who leaves no trace, like thoughts inside a dream". ::)
 
FM Talk is a growing trend. It works in every market where it is programmed correctly. But (just like any other format), it fails when programmed incorrectly. CBS could have saved a lot of money in LA by actually programming their FM Talker to the Talk radio audience. Talk is just like any music format. You gotta play the hits. They didn't do that in LA. btw, Beck works. Colmes doesn't...and there is a reason. As someone who programmed FM Talk (and beat the AM station in my market that aired Rush), I know what I am talking about. By all means - whether you are AM or FM - Rush is the most important show for the success of your lineup. But if you are an FM Talker and you can't have him, it is possible to beat the AM station that does. What Renda is doing in Jax mystifies me. I don't know how you sell Men 55+. But I know how to sell FM Talk.
 
"it fails when programmed incorrectly" What more could be said! Renda is praying classic country will reach adults 35-54, but in reality more of the audience being men 55+... And playing more hits from the 80's up begins to clash somewhat with Gator. Plus, FM talk with Glen Beck, lou Dobbs and others hits home with younger informed listeners concerned about paying more taxes, keeping their jobs and the worldwide recession which is likely to last years. OKV does a great job, but Rush and Sean Insanity are puppet clones and they get old. Jacksonville is starving for local news and content. We have enough jukeboxes already..

Play the talk hits..
add local news & content
take news feeds from fox news, CNN & the local TV affiliates.
hello....
 
Beck is a no-brainer. He is the third most listened to talk show in America (and the most listened to for his time slot). Although Dobbs is certainly interesting on TV, the jury on his radio show is definitely out. It is just like O'Reilly. He is top dog on TV. But his radio show never stood a chance going head-to-head with Rush. You don't put just anybody (no matter how popular he is in a different medium) on against the most listened to talk show in America (Rush) or even the second most listened to show (Hannity). Do not underestimate either one of them. I would not take a chance on Dobbs until he proves himself on radio. But as I mentioned, it is possible to be quite competitive even if you are handicapped by not having Rush. It makes the job much more of a challenge - but not impossible.
 
Here's part of the problem:


pocket-radio said:
add local news & content
Click to expand...

That = $$$ that no one is willing to spend, overall.

WOKV is as close as Jax will come to FM talk for the foreseeable future. It's been tried at least two other times here without results.

Unless you count "Dubya Jayexarr"

G
 
my guess will be WTKE-FM, as the only talker, 1260 puts out a shit signal period. it's a 5K station by day, almost 0 K at night. and we've lost all of our coast to coast am affiliates too.

(93.7 enterprise, al switched to a country format, 870 new orleans switched to another overnight show)

-Rob
 
poledo said:
Didn't the only FM talk station in Los Angeles just flip to top-40? And LA only has 1 full market coverage AM station. Maybe FM talk is starting a downward turn. I mean, the whole country follows what LA does, at least in English, doesn't it?
Click to expand...

That one was a 'hot talk' station and not one dealing with strictly with news/political punditry.
 
<<WOKV is as close as Jax will come to FM talk for the foreseeable future. It's been tried at least two other times here without results.>>
How many years ago? And again, was it programmed correctly? Apparently not, or it would still be around. Talk radio in 2009 is much more competitive with more programming options available than five or ten years ago.
 
I agree that FM Talk is where the future is for radio in general... Music radio is boring, but talk radio has personality that once was heard on all music stations... WSKY-FM 97.3 Gainesville is a very good example of an FM Talk station that actually gets it and it works... They are always in the top three in the ratings...

Mark Tillery
General Manager
WELE-AM 1380
Ormond Beach - Daytona, Florida
Email: [email protected]
 
While I concur music radio is boring, I don't accept that it has to be this way or that it's too late to alter course. I wish more GMs would participate here but I can appreciate why that does not happen. We seem to be content in mediocrity here and doing things on the cheap even long before the economy tanked. I feel like I talk to myself on this board when I bring up subjects like expanded playlists, special weekend programming and the importance of having talent on the air in AM drive. I also do not accept that this is the way it is. To a typical listener, that I try to represent here, music stations put forth little effort and it shows with decreasing incentive to listen. If my career path took a different turn and I wound up programming a music station, such as Classic Hits, I would work my butt off keeping it interesting. You guys who are running things have an awesome responsibility to keep music radio alive, being the best you can be and actually make an advertiser want to buy time. But listeners need to listen more and that still can happen.

Back to talk, I don't think we can underestimate WOKV in Jax and they are truly excellence in broadcasting. While the Jax morning news and the syndicated weekly shows get the most attention and rightfully so, they also show and demonstrate their excellence on weekends. The weekend experts segment they have on Saturday mornings is very good and I'm finding I'm turning music off more even on the weekend as a result. They now have a brainstorm show later in the day and I've heard timely topics. It's obvious their talent are so much more than readers. I've heard Bob Schuman and Jeremy Ratliff, to name just two, do talk shows on the weekend, and they sounded great. They can pull it off. When Jax had a hurricane threat last year, Bob did one helluva job keeping the community informed even throughout the weekend. They have it so together there and I'm eagerly waiting for the P2 winter trends. They earn every rating point they get.

I've often been reminded that Jax, given it's market size, can't be expected to be as program-creative as bigger markets. I don't agree and I'm tired of hearing that as an excuse to offer medicority to the listener and just going through the motions. I envison something different in music programming that can be done, even with voice tracking. But until someone realizes their way of doing things is not the correct course, quit complaining about drying up revenue and decreased listener satisfaction. It's embarassing to hear the same voice on 3 Renda stations, formats that don't truly reflect the community as in 3 country stations and our fascination with 18 -25 year old male punks. No wonder WOKV will remain the leader of the pack by a mile.
 
I was too quick hitting the post botton this morning as I didn't get to what I wanted to in the first place and I didn't have time to correct. Anybody can come along and bring more talk to FM. This could be syndicated with some local but my point in bringing up WOKV is that they have established themselves as the news/talk leader. Run right and tight, WOKV has name recognition with really good personalities and newscasters, having a local news partner in Channel 4, who in my humble opinion is by far the best news outlet here and Fox News on the national scene that certainly does not lean left are all pluses for the station and this market. The mayor makes regular appearences (I think monthly) taking calls from listeners and anyone who is a local newsmaker has ties to the station. The point is whoever comes along who thinks they can compete would have a lot to overcome.

Realizing too some outfits are not interested in being on top of the ratings heap but are only interested in turning a profit. Nothing is impossible but turning FM into news/talk land amounts to the same thing as having all the same formats I brought up before. For a market this size, I wonder if we need another news/talker here but having alot of the same format doesn't seem to matter to those who make these decisions.
 
Music radio doesn't have to be boring. Many in radio hands are tied. The consultant says, the pd says, the research says, the owner wants' ratings & big profits, but won't spend money. It's a frustrating situation to say the very least. What's missing is Innovation and fun, entertainment! Plus as a loyal listener to music radio your P1's are hearing the same songs/artist over and over and over. It's a turn off to your most valuable listeners. But radio doesn't know the value of a customer, listeners are customers.

Talk is the trend as radio will be paying money to the labels and artist. The labels are in a shrinking business model too, and are squeezing radio for cash. Plus free music is everyplace today, radio doesn't own that niche any more and technology is advancing. Stand by for nationwide/free/internet wireless access in your car..

As for more GM's responding in this forum, Wouldn't that be fun? but they don't care what you or I think.
The only opinions that matter at the diary keepers and ownership.

Really it's a question of attitude and so far the attitude has been whats good for us. How much can I get without having to give much in return. Citi bank, charging 30% interest, whats good for me?
Playing 10 spots back to back, what's good for me, Clear Channel, Renda, COX...

As for playing jukebox radio, what ratings can I get without spending a dime.. it's a questions of attitude and so far the attitude has been, me...me ...me....me...me..me....me...me...you...get it..
 
Pocket, I don't need to "get it," THEY do. It's never been about who is right or wrong but rather what best serves the customer, in this case the listener. We so often hear radio is a business and must be lean and mean in order to survive and return profit to the owner(s). But it's gone way too far and it hurts the product.

I've never believed radio should be non-profit but I have been on a quest to question the practices that don't make good business sense. We as a society have been let down by so many who should have known better. Now we all pay the price and a heck of a lot of wealth has been wiped out as a result. For radio, owners, GM, PDs, the talent, the sales team, in fact everyone who is the business should not have to be reminded they have a tremendous responsibility in serving the public. As the old expression goes, if you take care of the customer - they will take care of YOU.

Pocket and others, the GM SHOULD care what we think. No matter who the owner, I have spun positive comments when justified and I have reported the lost opportunities. I have called it as I see it but it has to do with love of radio, not ego or retaliation. But can we really be honest here and look ourselves in the mirror and really say over the past several years that those in charge have made more correct decisions than wrong ones? The Point should never have been allowed to die. We will never know what would have happened had they had a more diverse playlist and took elements from Miami's Coast as I had recommended. So now they flipped and their target goes way smaller, displacing a lot of listeners. Movin' was a risk and many of us said that format needed more track-record. Perhaps in other hands, it would have done better but even with upward trends, it was decided to kill it. As you say, listeners and advertisers are ushered in and out. A helluva way to do business. Renda's oldies have been discussed to death but we were right about everything we said. They didn't listen, they should have, end of story. Over the years, many of us just gave up on TAMA. Scew up after screw up. They didn't listen either.

As this is a discussion about talk radio, let me take this opportunity to implore Cox Radio not to go cheap on WOKV. They serve you and the community very well. Don't blow it. While I've always believed a radio station's success should not be based on one talent in the line-up, it's good to see WOKV has done a great job in programming and they have sufficient reporters to cover the stories. This is a strategy for long-term survival. The other day when I saw Rush on TV and saw how he has gained a tremendous amount of weight, my first thought was he looked like a heart attack waiting to happen. Without Rush, WOKV would take a hit and Hannity's popularity would go down a few notches too but it has a lot of other things to offer the listener. They are positioned well. I've always been proactive about things and I have a feeling those running WOKV are too or at least I hope they are.
 
WNZF, Palm Coast's new radio station happens to be newstalk. At 87k AM/250 fm, it's a much smaller version of WOKV. From 10 Am it's Laura Ingram, Glen Beck and Sean Insanity. But here's the biggest difference, from 7a-10a it's all local, as in news, & talk shows. For a peanut popper signal, I've heard more interesting local discussions than I've heard in years. The station broadcast local high school sports too. It's a class a example of what radio can do. The market loves this station.

It's small market radio, but sounds major market. It's one of the best sounding AM's and the people who work their have passion for what they do.

If you ask me, WOKV could do so much more during morning drive. And yes better serve Jacksonville.
That won't ever happen because what they're doing is working enough, so why bother..
Again how much can I get, while giving as little as possible.
 
While you might have a point that WOKV could do better, I like what they do. I turn it on to find out the weather and traffic most of the time before Neal Boortz comes on, and they do that very, very well.

One thing I am grateful for with their FM signal is that at night, it gives them better coverage. I live in World Golf Village and the AM signal does not come in very well at night. The FM signal comes in very well.

On a side comment, the balance of programming here in Jacksonville is poor, especially compared to what it was when I moved here in 1991. Back then, I thought the mix of stations was very good, especially for a market this size.

One more comment about WOKV. I lived in New Hampshire before I moved here, and the station up there that set the standard at that time was WBZ. They were at a very high level. When I moved here, WOKV did do some local programming, especially after Rush left the air. I believe his name was Mark Little, and he had a local talk show in the late afternoon. I thought he was ok. However, the overall quality of the programming has improved dramatically since I moved here, and I also think they are not far off from what WBZ did back then.
 
WOKV could be compared to any AM-Newstalk station that repeats national programing. You can find what WOKV repeats on the internet or in any market. And during morning drive they repeat same Jax news, weather and traffic.

I spent most of my life in New England too, I know WBZ, WOKV is no WBZ, at least not like it was, before Wall Street mangled everything.

Aside from Rush an Sean Insanity, their news department repeats the same news stories. It's called rip & read,
and a monkey could be trained to do the same thing. There's not much, if any tough investigative reporting, they wouldn't know how..

I'm not saying they do a bad job, but it is what it is. Public radio does a much better job reporting and anyalzing the news of the day.

Radio has been reduced to national repeater radio.

My hope is nationwide wireless internet access with car radios plugged in, will force these guys out of their shell and produce original content.....that requires research, thinking & writing..
 
pocket-radio said:
As for more GM's responding in this forum, Wouldn't that be fun? but they don't care what you or I think.
The only opinions that matter at the diary keepers and ownership.
Click to expand...

I happen to be a radio station GM that contributes on occassion to this board, and contrary to your opinion I DO CARE and value what the listeners want. If it were not for the listeners, our product (programming) would be meaningless, hence, we would have no advertisers resulting in no ad revenues...

It is my goal at WELE Ormond Beach (Daytona Beach) to make my station the best it can be... It will take time, of course, as with anything worthwhile, to make WELE the best News-Talker in the market and attract more listeners in the area...But, the point is, it CAN be done!!!

I'm familiar with WNZF-AM 1550 Bunnell, and I agree it is an excellent small market radio station... It's daytime signal reaches Ormond Beach. I also agree WNZF has a BIG sound for being such a small market station...They have their act together...

Although Jacksonville's WOKV is, indeed, a prime example of how radio should be presented, I agree that there is room for another News-Talker in the Jacksonville market on FM... And I'm not talking about placing it on one of the limited coverage class A FMs, but on one of the BIG 100kw sticks in the market... Tampa Bay is another market where there is definate room for News-Talk on FM...

With a solid local morning talk or news program followed by local news throughout the day and top rated syndicated talk shows, you will have a winner in most any market...

That's my opinion...

Mark Tillery,
General Manager
WELE-AM 1380
Ormond Beach - Daytona
Email: [email protected]
 
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