Great News/Talks

[livingfruitvirus]

Well-stated. There's a place for syndicated shows, but c'mon, this is radio, not some repeater or translator station.

Now, this doesn't apply to small market stations, such as Salina, Kan., or Grand Junction, Colo., where market demographics woudln't likely support a big live and local presence, so most of the day is understandably "off the bird."

But the "legacy" talk stations, such as KLIF, Dallas, KGO, Frisco, KMBZ, Kansas City, should and do have strong local talkers.

I like how legendary WIOD, Miami, recently dumped their morning syndicated host (moved him to evenings) and brought back a market talk radio veteran, th Footy show.

I heard the show a couple of weeks ago when part of the city was locked down after a vicious killer killed a cop and was on the loose. The veteran host did what Beck, Limbo or others could never do- provided interactive talk and updates about the situation, and bringing in many people on the phone who could talk about the breaking situation.

It was true "talk rado" at its best.

What I like best was the host in normal times isn't always mouthing off or whining about how bad certiain politicians or political parties are, unlike that Wallbanger pipsqueak Slantity.

Sounding opposite of the cookie-cutter stations also makes for a good talker.

While I'm grateful that IOD brought back more local content, I still think they should devote more time to it. Preferrably the 6-10 PM block. Limbaugh does fine and Schnitt is a huge draw so I don't mind them there. When I lived in Miami I would go to my night class while listening to the local evening news hour they had from 6-7 PM, which included Paul Harvey. I felt that was always a nice feature and would like to see it brought back. If they could find a local evening host from 7-10 PM, I'd be perfectly comfortable with their lineup.

Unfortunately they decided a few years back that they needed to get Sean Hannity on. I believe they have him just to keep him locked up and unable to compete against Schnitt (see also: 970 WFLA), and now they have to carry Mark Levin as well. As much as I want to suggest WIOD to drop Hannity/Levin I know that another local station, most likely WFTL, would pick them up in a heartbeat and run them live, and Joyce Kaufman would be thrown to the wolves without hesitation.

 

[ajhenderson]

WFTL is a West Palm Beach station. Hannity is already on there; WJNO has him at night.

 

[livingfruitvirus]

WFTL is a West Palm Beach station. Hannity is already on there; WJNO has him at night.

You wouldn't think it when you look at their website: http://www.850wftl.com .

 

[tomservo]

My question is: Is syndicated programming really such a bad thing? Ideally, there should be room for a lot of local hosts and syndicated programming, but many towns have to strike a balance. I'd love to have a real alternative to the statewide "Supertalk Mississippi" FM network, which focuses mostly on Jackson/state politics. There is no local talk here and no real solid lineup of national hosts. Frankly, I'd rather have a few more national shows to chew on since I'm a recent move-in to this area. There's a technically decrepit AM down in Greenwood who carries Limbaugh and some B-level national shows, but it isn't in any shape to be listened to day or night. And they don't have any local hosts at all as far as I can tell.

Is it so wrong to want more choices? I mean, I'm no fan of the big hosts like Limbaugh or Hannity, but they aren't even available over large areas of the state. Don't even ask about lessers like Boortz, Beck or any of the Air America shows. Seems like the variety would do talk radio fans some good. All this lack of choice has done for me is drive me to XM (O&A, Ingraham, Beck, Air America), podcasts (Don & Mike) and live internet streams (Boortz, Clark Howard).

 

[ajhenderson]

I know WFTL wants to be a Miami station. So does its sister WMEN. James Crystal and other small operators love to be so aggressive with their coverage to the point the areas they market to can't even hear them. Look at the new talk station on 95.9 in "Indianapolis". It barely city-grades 10% of the metro area!

 

[livingfruitvirus]

Well then I can't think of another station that would take Hannity off WIOD's hands. Unless someone was willing to flip a format, which is unlikely.


While I'm at it, one station I think is a wasted potential is 104.7 FM WPGB in Pittsburgh. Its competitor is KDKA with mostly local programs, but WPGB has a great signal and a mere 2 hours of local programming a day, which is in the late afternoon. And I know that Quinn and Rose in the morning are WPGB based hosts but they do national topics.

 

[ajhenderson]

WPGB has begun to really clobber KDKA, which has cut back on its local talk programming and inserted some syndicated shows and some hours of news blocks, which appeals to people on their deathbed.

Besides, there are some markets where local is hot, but counterprogramming is important. WPGB is national in focus, younger, and edgier. People like it. Why mess with something that is really working? KDKA is dying, but if you want local talk on boring issues, it's your station.

I'm against unnecessarily endless syndication as much as the next guy, but if a station is GOOD and (almost) all syndicated, who cares?

 

[Don62]

My question is: Is syndicated programming really such a bad thing? Ideally, there should be room for a lot of local hosts and syndicated programming, but many towns have to strike a balance.

I like both. I just don't like it when a legacy station is entirely syndicated (except for the morning show). I can understand when a relative talk radio newcomer, such as WWBA, Tampa, is mostly syndicated, but major stations like WFLA should have stronger local shows.
I may get bored listening to either, so it's good to have a choice.

While I'm grateful that IOD brought back more local content, I still think they should devote more time to it. Preferrably the 6-10 PM block. Limbaugh does fine and Schnitt is a huge draw so I don't mind them there. When I lived in Miami I would go to my night class while listening to the local evening news hour they had from 6-7 PM, which included Paul Harvey. I felt that was always a nice feature and would like to see it brought back. If they could find a local evening host from 7-10 PM, I'd be perfectly comfortable with their lineup.

That sounds like the kind of talk radio I'd enjoy listening to.

I used to listen to KOA, Denver, one of the country's most powerful AM stations, in the 1980s when they had a night time local host. (I think they have one now, but I'm not in the region so can't tell. This isn't a criticism of the station, BTW).

Their talk competition that sprung up later, like 710 KNUS, would become mostly syndicated, though they too had good local daytime and evening programs. Ken Hamblin, who worked for both stations, comes to mind.

While there's certainly a place and importance for hosts such as Limbaugh, Hannity (arrgggghhh), Savage, Beck or O'Reilly, in terms of national topics, none of them or even Big Ed Schultz can hold a candle to compelling, interactive local shows, such as the one I described on WIOD when like half of the city was on lockdown after a cop-killer was on the loose.

Eventually, once the current generation of bean-counters lose control of radio they have seized, we may well haver real radio return.

 

[livingfruitvirus]

WPGB has begun to really clobber KDKA, which has cut back on its local talk programming and inserted some syndicated shows and some hours of news blocks, which appeals to people on their deathbed.

Besides, there are some markets where local is hot, but counterprogramming is important. WPGB is national in focus, younger, and edgier. People like it. Why mess with something that is really working? KDKA is dying, but if you want local talk on boring issues, it's your station.

I'm against unnecessarily endless syndication as much as the next guy, but if a station is GOOD and (almost) all syndicated, who cares?

I wouldn't consider WPGB hosts like Limbaugh, Jerry Doyle or Sean Hannity "edgy." And how is KDKA dying? Every time I look it's in the top 3.

I listen to a lot of syndication. All my favorite shows currently on the air are syndicated. While I try not to be a "local is always better" guy who sounds like a total shut-in and never left his own city, if a station with big ratings is all syndicated, bills high, and is in a medium-big city, I would encourage them to drop a weaker syndicated show and give local a chance.

My question is: Is syndicated programming really such a bad thing? Ideally, there should be room for a lot of local hosts and syndicated programming, but many towns have to strike a balance.

I like both. I just don't like it when a legacy station is entirely syndicated (except for the morning show). I can understand when a relative talk radio newcomer, such as WWBA, Tampa, is mostly syndicated, but major stations like WFLA should have stronger local shows.
I may get bored listening to either, so it's good to have a choice.

And in some cases the station is entirely syndicated period. Look at WHLO. Syndication top-to-bottom. WWKB is another, and they have a massive signal.

 

[ajhenderson]

WWKB is a throwaway station. That's unfortunate considering its signal, but as long as it's co-owned with WBEN, it will never live up to its full capability. Any other owner could program it with Beck, Hannity, and strong local talent and do well, but why would the current ownership want to compete with itself. 'KB is a perfect example of my point as to why local isn't always better - other than Rush, NONE of the top syndicated talents are taken. Perfect opportunity for another station in Buffalo to step up. Syndicated isn't intrinsically bad; it's when stations have Tammy Bruce on during the week that you know it's a broom closet operation that no one really cares about.

WHLO is also a throwaway. I'm from the area, and WTAM booms in during the day in Detroit, Columbus, Wheeling, and Pittsburgh. Seeing that Akron is much closer than those places, WHLO serves to clear Premiere talk product and allow CC to fill out their cap of up to 3 AMs in the market. It generates a few bucks and gives the company a good place to dump shows and give Quinn and Rose a home, which was part of the deal to get them to WPGB. And now that we've come full circle, yes, KDKA does well in the beauty contest, but the audience is dying. The standards station in Vegas had over a 5 share 12+ when it flipped. But having a very large audience of people in nursing homes doesn't do much.

 

[tomservo]

Ken Hamblin, who worked for both stations, comes to mind.

Say, whatever happened to the ol' Black Avenger anyway? He was one of the first talk radio programs I ever listened to regularly as a (gulp) young man. His show seemed to be pretty entertaining and informative back in the 90's.

 

[Preacherdude]

WBT Charlotte, with Keith Larsen and John Hancock as the best of the best. Lots of local, great news department, local radio that keeps me from turning the XM on as I drive through Charlotte!

And when Limbaugh is on or I get a bit tired of the afternoon guy, WFNZ 610 and 1660 is good local sports talk. (I am a conservative and appreciate Rush, just a little tired of him.)

 

[SeanMGilbow]

WWKB is a throwaway station. That's unfortunate considering its signal, but as long as it's co-owned with WBEN, it will never live up to its full capability. Any other owner could program it with Beck, Hannity, and strong local talent and do well, but why would the current ownership want to compete with itself. 'KB is a perfect example of my point as to why local isn't always better - other than Rush, NONE of the top syndicated talents are taken. Perfect opportunity for another station in Buffalo to step up. Syndicated isn't intrinsically bad; it's when stations have Tammy Bruce on during the week that you know it's a broom closet operation that no one really cares about.

WHLO is also a throwaway. I'm from the area, and WTAM booms in during the day in Detroit, Columbus, Wheeling, and Pittsburgh. Seeing that Akron is much closer than those places, WHLO serves to clear Premiere talk product and allow CC to fill out their cap of up to 3 AMs in the market. It generates a few bucks and gives the company a good place to dump shows and give Quinn and Rose a home, which was part of the deal to get them to WPGB. And now that we've come full circle, yes, KDKA does well in the beauty contest, but the audience is dying. The standards station in Vegas had over a 5 share 12+ when it flipped. But having a very large audience of people in nursing homes doesn't do much.

The Buffalo scenario is similar to what Clear Channel did in Columbus until about a year ago: main talker with Rush and progressive talk on the other AM signal. That was until Clear Channel decided to compete with itself and dumped Stephanie Miller, Ed Schultz and Randi Rhodes and replaced them with Laura Ingraham, Jim Rome and Michael Savage. The new format is now dead last in the market behind the Spanish station and Cincinnati's WLW.

The one thing in WWKB's favor from the beginning has been minimal reliance on Air America (just airing Randi Rhodes) and having a former local host name Leslie Marshall.

Now, more about Akron, my hometown.

As for WHLO...program dump would describe it. It will never be able to make a dent on WNIR's dominance.

I must correct my previous post here about WNIR. The local talk powerhouse is #2 in the Akron market.

And while WTAM may be beating WAKR at present, it's only a matter of time before WAKR's award-winning news team gets the attention of listeners from elsewhere in northeast Ohio. Actually, that already started when WTAM dropped Paul Harvey and listeners in Cleveland's south suburbs had to tune in to WAKR to catch him.

With Clear Channel pondering more cuts, it's also only a matter of time before WAKR has northeast Ohio's largest news team.

As for what would really boost WAKR's ratings over WTAM in its own market...expand the music mix to focus on songs from the 60s until now. The station's biggest success was as a full-service AC as late as 1991. Akron has no AC station, and Cleveland AC WDOK is among the top 5 stations in the Akron market. I agree about avoiding music aimed at the nursing home crowd.

Nonetheless, Akron provides a perfect example of how local ownership makes for great radio.

 

[Don62]

yes, KDKA does well in the beauty contest, but the audience is dying. The standards station in Vegas had over a 5 share 12+ when it flipped. But having a very large audience of people in nursing homes doesn't do much.

Gotta disagree with you on this point.

There isn't much music radio appealing to anyone over 50 years of age, so why not try to find some way to serve the most loyal of radio's listeners, the older ones? They have much more experience - and an appreciation of - than that stupid 16 year old who like never heard of AM radio and only wants to hear rap or Brittney.

 

[SeanMGilbow]

yes, KDKA does well in the beauty contest, but the audience is dying. The standards station in Vegas had over a 5 share 12+ when it flipped. But having a very large audience of people in nursing homes doesn't do much.

Gotta disagree with you on this point.

There isn't much music radio appealing to anyone over 50 years of age, so why not try to find some way to serve the most loyal of radio's listeners, the older ones? They have much more experience - and an appreciation of - than that stupid 16 year old who like never heard of AM radio and only wants to hear rap or Brittney.

Keep in mind the AC artists that continue to stand the test of time--Phil Collins, Cher, Rod Stewart, Hall and Oates, Elton John, etc.--are all eligible for AARP cards. Or in the case of artists like Cheryl Crow, very close to qualifying for one.

 

[MikefromDelaware]

What has become a great news/talker for Wilmington DE, is WDEL. They went all live and local during the dayparts and have a good lineup. Morning drive is all news, then 9am-12noon a liberal local talker, 12noon-1pm a midday newshour that includes live interviews with newsmakers and national print and radio reporters from various sources. 1pm-4pm more live and local with a conservative host (the PD). Then 4pm-7pm an afternoon drivetime newsblock. Then at 7pm to the bird for Laura Ingraham and the overnight satellite shows they air. No a bad daytime lineup for market #75, a medium market station.

Their competition across town is WILM, they are mostly from the bird with Rush, Hannity, Savage, and Levin. They do have a morning drivetime newsblock and a local talker liberal from 9am-11:30am then a half hour newscast before going to Rush at noon. Interestingly this medium sized market has been able for years to support two newstalk stations.

 

[oaktree]

What makes a great News/Talk station?

KGO 810 AM San Francisco

This speaks volumes. 28 years at number one in every book.
KMOX would be a distant second.

Oh, you asked for what makes them great? Relevance, production value, issue knowledge, personality, interaction with listeners, ability to respond as well as to react, understanding and knowledge of issues and topics, when to move to another topic or issue, preparation, community involvement, entertainment, information ... you know, all that stuff.

 

[livingfruitvirus]

WWKB is a throwaway station. That's unfortunate considering its signal, but as long as it's co-owned with WBEN, it will never live up to its full capability. Any other owner could program it with Beck, Hannity, and strong local talent and do well, but why would the current ownership want to compete with itself. 'KB is a perfect example of my point as to why local isn't always better - other than Rush, NONE of the top syndicated talents are taken. Perfect opportunity for another station in Buffalo to step up. Syndicated isn't intrinsically bad; it's when stations have Tammy Bruce on during the week that you know it's a broom closet operation that no one really cares about.

WHLO is also a throwaway. I'm from the area, and WTAM booms in during the day in Detroit, Columbus, Wheeling, and Pittsburgh. Seeing that Akron is much closer than those places, WHLO serves to clear Premiere talk product and allow CC to fill out their cap of up to 3 AMs in the market. It generates a few bucks and gives the company a good place to dump shows and give Quinn and Rose a home, which was part of the deal to get them to WPGB. And now that we've come full circle, yes, KDKA does well in the beauty contest, but the audience is dying. The standards station in Vegas had over a 5 share 12+ when it flipped. But having a very large audience of people in nursing homes doesn't do much.

I was wondering how Quinn and Rose landed so many stations at once, since they're not part of any real syndication network like Premiere Radio. The station I heard them on a couple months ago never rejoined properly half the time. I'd hear commercials, the station bumper, then it faded into something like "-sburgh's FM News Talk. 104.7" before the show came back from break.

Anyway, it's unfortunate that the concept of a throwaway station even exists now. I know, I know, "media ownership, maaaan!" and I know the history of the venture capitalists and the higher loans and why this all happened. At the same time there are times when it's sad to see an AM station forced into clipped-budget second banana state because its owner also owns the powerful AM signal and doesn't want the two to compete. In Cincinnati, it's hard for any AM station to make it because the three most powerful signals in the city, two of which are the city's Class A 50kw d/n stations, are all owned by Clear Channel. And they even own a fourth AM, which gets no ratings but they still posess it.

 

[ajhenderson]

Seeing that The Sports Animal has never really had any competition, the new 1360 should be the first station to pull halfway, and I mean halfway, decent numbers in some time.

 

[seanmoore]

I will add to the list a GREAT smaller-market station:

NewsTalk 710 KGNC - Amarillo, TX

Why they are great:

* Boomin' Signal -- 10,000 watts of noisy, wayward AM power, so even people in 100 mile-a-way New Mexico can get their daily Medved fix.
* Local News -- constant updates, severe weather break-ins, grassfires, traffic emergencies, great AM and PM newscasts.
* Local Sports
* A Variety of Hosts -- local morning show, farm stuff, local center-left Bush-hater guy, Rush, Michael Medved, Dave Ramsey.
* Good Image-Voice Guy -- You are constantly and competently reminded who you are listening to.
* An infectiously catchy jingle
* Well put-together -- seamless rejoins from news, weather, and commercials into bumper music and programming
* The occasional funny ad-lib from the newsguy when the above mentioned doesn't occur

In short, 710 is West Texas' Undisputed Information Portal, Limbaugh juggernaut, and has the best conservative afternoon show, The Michael Medved Show.

Forget about competing with other radio news departments, 710 is competitive with the TV stations in the market! KGNC understands the true power of radio -- intimate, instant immediacy.

In short, NEWSTALK 710 SOUNDS LIKE THEY ARE ACTUALLY THERE!

Even with syndicated shows, THEY STILL SOUND LOCAL AND ALIVE! A great anti-dote to those "talk" stations that have no local news, all syndicated hosts, never break-in for anything, and have dead air for HOURS before anyone notices or does anything about it. That's a lousy standard, but NewsTalk 710 holds to the highest possible standards no less, and all listeners in West Texas and Eastern New Mexico should be thankful.

No, I don't work for KGNC.