Has Talk Radio reached it's peak?

[TheBigA]

While I agree that the current model of political talk radio is past its peak, I think there are non-political areas within talk that haven't. But because so many people are trying to be the next Rush, radio is missing a lot of non-political opportunities.

 

[umfan]

Without a new format, talk radio has peaked, but there is always the possibility of a new talent invigorating interest in radio. It doesn't have to be politics based and could be local or syndicated. It just needs to resonate with people.

 

[radioguy39nj]

Talk radio needs to go more local and talk about the issues affecting the market the particular station serves.

 

[mescutia]

While I agree that the current model of political talk radio is past its peak, I think there are non-political areas within talk that haven't. But because so many people are trying to be the next Rush, radio is missing a lot of non-political opportunities.

Bingo.

 

[TheBigA]

Talk radio needs to go more local and talk about the issues affecting the market the particular station serves.

That's easy to say...harder to accomplish. Not that much to talk about in most places.

 

[radioguy39nj]

Talk radio needs to go more local and talk about the issues affecting the market the particular station serves.

That's easy to say...harder to accomplish. Not that much to talk about in most places.

IMHO, top 20 (at least) markets have their share of local issues to talk about! They shouldn't ignore national issues, but markets like NY, LA, Chicago and others have lots going on in their respective backyards to merit spirited, compelling discussion.

 

[Talk_Dude]

How much of the same stuff over and over again can people take?

The same stuff over and over again doesn't seem to hurt music format radio. The only problem with talk radio is that the same people who liked it 20 years ago are the people who still like it today, and they are now too old for advertisers to care about any more.

 

[MikefromDelaware]

I think NPR offers a clue about the future of talk radio. NPR stations seem to be doing quite well ratings wise and seem to do fine in donations and corporate underwriting.

Note that NPR's Talk of the Nation, Fresh Air, On Point, Radio Times, Diane Rhems Show, etc, are not exclusively political talk. They also do topics about science, health, international issues, music, the arts, history, sometimes even sports, AND political. So it isn't the same thing day in and day out. Granted NPR talk show hosts are tamer than the syndicated talk hosts, but why couldn't Premiere, ABC radio, CBS radio, Westwood One, Salem, etc, find knowledgeable people, who are a bit more cutting edge than an NPR host and offer the similar type of format?

Other than sports talk and NPR talk, the rest of talk radio is GENERALLY very predictable and very boring. There are some local talkers, I've heard, who are more interesting than their syndicated cohorts in talk, which might be why the rise in live and local talk is growing as people are simply burned out with GOP good, Dem bad talk. Most syndicated talk shows are right wing talk show's whose politics are the same from show to show: all Democrats and liberals are evil and are trying to destroy America. Republicans and conservatives, on the other hand, are the good guys who are trying to stop the evil Democrats from doing their dastardly schemes.

Maybe a commercial version of NPR talk with the variety of issues and topics might be the shot in the arm that commercial talk radio needs.

 

[DonTheTrucker]

Maybe a commercial version of NPR talk with the variety of issues and topics might be the shot in the arm that commercial talk radio needs.

John Batchelor?

 

[UpstateNYBill]

I think NPR offers a clue about the future of talk radio. NPR stations seem to be doing quite well ratings wise and seem to do fine in donations and corporate underwriting.

Note that NPR's Talk of the Nation, Fresh Air, On Point, Radio Times, Diane Rhems Show, etc, are not exclusively political talk. They also do topics about science, health, international issues, music, the arts, history, sometimes even sports, AND political. So it isn't the same thing day in and day out. Granted NPR talk show hosts are tamer than the syndicated talk hosts, but why couldn't Premiere, ABC radio, CBS radio, Westwood One, Salem, etc, find knowledgeable people, who are a bit more cutting edge than an NPR host and offer the similar type of format?

Other than sports talk and NPR talk, the rest of talk radio is GENERALLY very predictable and very boring. There are some local talkers, I've heard, who are more interesting than their syndicated cohorts in talk, which might be why the rise in live and local talk is growing as people are simply burned out with GOP good, Dem bad talk. Most syndicated talk shows are right wing talk show's whose politics are the same from show to show: all Democrats and liberals are evil and are trying to destroy America. Republicans and conservatives, on the other hand, are the good guys who are trying to stop the evil Democrats from doing their dastardly schemes.

Maybe a commercial version of NPR talk with the variety of issues and topics might be the shot in the arm that commercial talk radio needs.

NPR is not a shot in the arm, it's a good treatment for insomnia.

 

[Bob1370]

The deletion of hosts like Beck and Hannity from some big signal stations in the big markets (at least those markets where the blowtorch talker isn't a Clear Channel-owned station and clearance of Premiere Network shows is essentially mandatory) tells us not that talk radio is peaking, but that 1990s-style talk radio, and the constellation of issues and positions it plays (like classic hits stations play music from a past era) is passing its peak. Talk isn't supposed to be a spoken word analogue of a classic hits station, it's supposed to be contemporary. That means it needs to renew itself just like CHR music radio does, and as of now, it hasn't yet--who, other than Beck (who's already starting to do a burnout) has even emerged as a star in the last dozen years? The same people who were listening in the early 90s, white males born between 1930 and 1955, are still talk radio's core today. They're still hearing the same hosts hit the same themes they were in the middle of the Clinton years, and last I checked, it's been 10 years since Bill Clinton left the White House. The Gen-Xers and beyond haven't joined in because no one's really talking to them. Some of them are listening to other radio formats, some listen to straight all-news stations like WCBS or WBBM, some listen to their local NPR affiliate, and some don't listen to or like spoken word radio at all unless it's speaking about sports. If commercial talk stations don't want to see their audience age out and eventually go to that major market in the sky, they need to renew and refresh the hosts, the issues, the whole approach of talk to reflect today's generation rather than reflecting the Tea Party types who are still Limbaugh's core. I'm not saying turf out your staff and go younger...just find some people who can play to issues and topics beyond Hannity's and Rush's hot rotation and offer their own take on today rather than fighting the culture wars of a decade or two ago.

Does that mean they need to turn left? Well, not necessarily...although it does mean these stations need to quit demonizing and insulting all the people who don't see things exactly the same way their traditional core listenership does, or else they'll never expand their audience beyond its current shrinking base.

 

[mescutia]

The Gen-Xers and beyond haven't joined in because no one's really talking to them. Some of them are listening to other radio formats, some listen to straight all-news stations like WCBS or WBBM, some listen to their local NPR affiliate, and some don't listen to or like spoken word radio at all unless it's speaking about sports.

Or we've moved on to Internet-based spoken-word programs (podcasts, live streams, etc.).

...that major market in the sky...

I guess that would be DMA #0.

 

[Goat Rodeo Cowboy]

The previous two posts sitting there adjacent to each other are rather profound. Good work, both of you.

I have sometimes thought about how radio will deal with celebrating the 100th anniversary of the industry. (We have trouble agreeing on which specific time and event is THE beginning.)

So here is my proposal. We will have a great pow-wow and agree on a year that is the official 100th anniversary. Each time someone born in the golden era of radio (1930 - 1955 ? ) dies that year, they will be buried with the radio station of their choice. (Kind of like the guy who asks to be buried with his favorite Harley Davidson.) We should run out of radio stations by the end of the year.

Then on New Year's Eve, Dick Clark and Ryan Seacrest can podcast the event and the R-I Discussion Boards can be buried in Times Square.

Then again, maybe some geniuses can bring new life to radio for another 100 years.

 

[radioguy39nj]

Talk Radio's future lies in greater coverage of local issues and events. WPHT Philadelphia dropped Beck and Hannity to go more local though they still air Rush. WTKK in Boston recently dropped Imus in favor of a local morning show.

 

[DonTheTrucker]

Talk Radio's future lies in greater coverage of local issues and events. WPHT Philadelphia dropped Beck and Hannity to go more local though they still air Rush. WTKK in Boston recently dropped Imus in favor of a local morning show.

I think most people want a balance between the two. Some station in Nebraska airing a full lineup of hosts based in New York is going to eventually have a disconnect with the audience. People still want to hear Rush or Hannity, but they also want to hear a guy who sounds like them and talks about things a little closer to home.

The problem is that local guys cost more than running most syndicated shows, which is why there are so many stations with no local coverage now. WPHT and other blowtorches still bill enough to hire a local morning guy. W--- in Moose Neck, Wisconsin probably doesn't.

 

[TheBigA]

The problem is that local guys cost more than running most syndicated shows, which is why there are so many stations with no local coverage now.

There's a cost to running syndicated shows...quite often cash and spots. The bigger problem is good talent is hard to find. Everyone has an opinion, but not everyone is qualified or has the credibility to host a talk show. That's the bigger reason why there aren't more local talk show hosts.

 

[DonTheTrucker]

There's a cost to running syndicated shows...quite often cash and spots. The bigger problem is good talent is hard to find. Everyone has an opinion, but not everyone is qualified or has the credibility to host a talk show. That's the bigger reason why there aren't more local talk show hosts.

And there's no talent because the last 10 years or so have been dominated by syndicated shows. Thereby no new talent has been cultivated. As older hosts retire, there is no one to replace them.

As for the price of a show being paid in spots, some of these stations have plenty of avails. Heck, some air nothing but network spots and PSA's.

I think we're starting to see a shift, though. Maybe the guys other than Rush won't have 600 stations anymore. Maybe they'll have 350. They'll still do well for themselves, but some stations may try something different. In some cases it will work, and in some cases it won't. Talk radio may have reached A peak, but not THE peak.

 

[TheBigA]

And there's no talent because the last 10 years or so have been dominated by syndicated shows. Thereby no new talent has been cultivated. As older hosts retire, there is no one to replace them.

Huh? Older hosts retire? Like who? Has anyone retired at WGN or WLW lately? That's where the clog is. Local stations are relying on the same local hosts who've been there for 40 years. Generations have been raised on the same local guys. And generations of new hosts have been overlooked because the previous generation refuses to move on. There are loads of young talkers in small markets hoping to some day get a job at a major so they can afford more than a 1-bedroom apartment. But no one is giving up their gig. Regis just announced he's quitting his TV show at age 80! How many generations of younger hosts would have loved to replace him. Now, most of them are too old. A lot of these talkers criticize politicians for staying in Congress too long. Look who's talking!

How many syndicated talk hosts have "dominated" radio for the past ten years? Really only one. The rest are pretty weak. There's lots of room for someone GOOD (and that's the problem) to come along. Stations know they can do more and make more money with local talent than syndicated. All they're waiting for is a qualified local talker to make them an offer they can't refuse. But once someone gets a good gig, they refuse to give it up. They want to be carried out in a box.

 

[MattParker]

Huh? Older hosts retire? Like who? Has anyone retired at WGN or WLW lately? That's where the clog is. Local stations are relying on the same local hosts who've been there for 40 years. Generations have been raised on the same local guys. And generations of new hosts have been overlooked because the previous generation refuses to move on. There are loads of young talkers in small markets hoping to some day get a job at a major so they can afford more than a 1-bedroom apartment. But no one is giving up their gig. Regis just announced he's quitting his TV show at age 80! How many generations of younger hosts would have loved to replace him. Now, most of them are too old. A lot of these talkers criticize politicians for staying in Congress too long. Look who's talking!

How many syndicated talk hosts have "dominated" radio for the past ten years? Really only one. The rest are pretty weak. There's lots of room for someone GOOD (and that's the problem) to come along. Stations know they can do more and make more money with local talent than syndicated. All they're waiting for is a qualified local talker to make them an offer they can't refuse. But once someone gets a good gig, they refuse to give it up. They want to be carried out in a box.

At least at WGN hosts didn't retire because they got fired.

And young people don't get jobs because major market radio stations keep hiring people from outside radio with name recognition.

 

[TheBigA]

And young people don't get jobs because major market radio stations keep hiring people from outside radio with name recognition.

Nothing wrong with that, and it tells young aspiring talk hosts what they must do if they want to be brought up to the majors. No question that when Rick Dees had a hit with Disco Duck, it helped propel him from Memphis to LA.