Fred Thompson Leaving Radio?

[UpstateNYBill]

Is it any surprise that Fred Thompson is leaving radio or that few people even knew he had a radio show? The best thing the guy is for is to cure insomnia.

There has been wide wispers for years that Thompson has a poor work ethic. That was one of the reasons why his Presidential campaign crashed and burned so early.

 

[Signal_Faded]

Could be that WWI is just placing Doug Ubanski or Robert Wuhl in Fred's time slot and trying to get the few stations that he has left to pick up those products. It was a play that they tried when O'Reilly left radio.

 

[Talk_Dude]

Those last few posts indicate that radio is leaving Thompson, but they don't indicate that Thompson is leaving radio.

True, but he'd have to see the handwriting on the proverbial wall by now. He's talking basically to a few, close friends at this point, if these lists are any indication of his nationwide performance affiliate-wise.

Consider that Thompson is 68 years old, and had a very successful (and presumably lucrative) career as a lawyer, TV and movie actor, and US Senator, chances are he isn't hurting financially. He is still on demand on the lecture circuit. I imagine that's because while he might be boring speaking extemporaneously on the radio, when he delivers a pre-written speech he's a compelling speaker. I don't know Thompson personally, but if I was in the position of not needing to work for the paycheck, and if I enjoyed talking on the radio whether very many people were listening or not, I don't think I'd be in a hurry to quit a radio gig like Thompson has.

If he decides to thrust himself back into the national political scene, his radio show might be a good venue for getting his opinions out where bloggers and pundits can hear them and pass them along, even if the ratings are poor. And, keeping his radio show on the back burner could pay off if he decides to make a bid for elective or appointive office in 2012. I don't think he has even a remote shot at getting the GOP Presidential nomination, even though he took a shot at it in 2008. But, I can see him wanting to work for a GOP candidate with the idea of getting a cabinet post, or an ambassadorship. That's pure speculation, but I think it is reasonable.

Too many of us in this forum look at working in radio in isolation, and not in the context of larger career goals. If Thompson was just another Rush Limbaugh wannabe, and had minimal career history prior to working in radio, and no ambitions for anything beyond radio, then his show's performance would seem to indicate that he would want to move on. But if one looks at Thompson's radio show as just one tiny part of a much larger and varied career, and in the context of how it serves much bigger and diverse ambitions, then one could reach a very different conclusion.

 

[OhioMediaWatch]

If he decides to thrust himself back into the national political scene, his radio show might be a good venue for getting his opinions out where bloggers and pundits can hear them and pass them along, even if the ratings are poor.

Points well taken here, but...

The "ratings being poor" isn't the problem here. The problem is that very few stations actually air his show! Name ONE major station that carries Fred in even a medium market of any size.

Being in one or two stations in small markets per state is not a way to get people to talk about you. They have to be able to hear you to talk about you.

And there are plenty of opportunities to put yourself out there in the media and not waste two hours a day on a talk show with so few affiliates you could list them on the back of a business card.

Look at fellow former Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, for example. His radio turn, as the not-really-replacement for Paul Harvey, managed to at least hold onto some of Paul's affiliates, if not the wide base that Paul had. And he's quite visible as a weekend host on FNC.

If "keeping a toe in the political discussion" is his goal, this anemic little radio show isn't the vehicle he needs.

 

[DonTheTrucker]

Fred seems like the kind of guy who likes to try everything. Maybe he's ready to try something else.

 

[OhioMediaWatch]

OK, I just started checking states at random.

Texas:

Dallas KLIF-AM 570 11a-1p

There you go. A major station in a big market, and a live clearance to boot.

Except, KLIF's schedule lists a different story:

http://www.klif.com/ONAIR/ProgrammingScheduleWeekends/tabid/259/Default.aspx

10am - 1pm The Glenn Beck Show

(And really, for all of Glenn's warts, this is a no brainer.)

Here's Fred on the KLIF schedule:

Saturday
8pm-10pm The Best of Fred Thompson

Sunday
8pm-10pm The Best of Fred Thompson

Not exactly choice clearances. The station runs Rusty Humphries and Alex Jones before him, and infomercials ("Plastic Surgery Today!"), for crying out loud.

There are two other "Dallas" stations listed, but I assume those are micro market stations elsewhere in the Dallas TV ADI.

Let's try another huge Texas market, Houston. From Fred's list:

Houston KPRC-AM 950 10p-12a

Ah, a major talk station in a major market, even if delayed late into the night.

Looks like he still has this one:

http://www.the950.com/pages/sked.html

10:00 p.m.
Fred Thompson

Tennessee. He does well in his home state, and even manages an hour live clearance on the biggest FM talker in the state, WWTN:

http://www.997wtn.com/Onair/FredThompson/tabid/174/Default.aspx

FRED THOMPSON 12P-1P AND 11P-12A

His first live hour (11 AM-noon CT) gets clipped by the last hour of the local Michael Delgiorno show. Fred's followed by another TN native son, Dave Ramsey...I believe Dave started his radio career on the station.

 

[FTL_Ian]

Yep, looks like it has been confirmed via a DC blog:

Fred Thompson Ending Radio Show - 12/8 - A source tells DCRTV that Capitol Hill veteran Fred Thompson is pulling the plug on his syndicated radio show as of January 21.

 

[FTL_Ian]

Yep, looks like it has been confirmed via a DC blog:

Fred Thompson Ending Radio Show - 12/8 - A source tells DCRTV that Capitol Hill veteran Fred Thompson is pulling the plug on his syndicated radio show as of January 21.

As an aside - anyone recall when his show started? Doesn't seem like it was more than a year or two ago.

 

[KeyTimes950]

Back in 2007, it was noted that Thompson was filling in for Paul Harvey. Westwood One announced shortly before Christmas 2008 that Thompson would take over for Bill O'Reilly when the Fox Factor host dropped his radio show in February 2009. Of course, that didn't mean O'Reilly stations were going to pick up Thompson. KDKA in Pittsburgh, for instance, had run O'Reilly at 10 p.m. and when O'Reilly left KD went to its present 24-hour/5-day live format, picking up Jim Bohannon live at 10 p.m.

 

[static_cling]

OK, checked Ohio:

http://fredthompsonshow.com/stationfinder?action=stateSearch&state=OH

It lists two stations.

Canton's WHBC/1480, if it ever ran the show, is no longer...the nights/overnights (listed 12-2 AM) have been filled with Fox Sports Radio for some time. The station has never carried Thompson during the day, it airs WW1's Dennis Miller in that slot.

WHBC did carry Fred Thompson for several months, after opting to drop the Larry King Live simulcast earlier this year. Fred ran in his midnight timeslot until at last a few months ago.

 

[OhioMediaWatch]

Don't remember Thompson on 'HBC at ALL, and I'm still pretty sure he never aired in daylight hours.

Did 'HBC pick up Jim Bohannon back in the day? (Presumably an outgrowth of their prior carriage of the Larry King overnight show, which Bohannon took over....)