How would YOU IQ?

[PhillyWatch]

Consensus is we could all program more compelling radio than what's currently on-air. So, post your dream lineup!

5-9am Lionel & Michelle (live) (perhaps with someone else in the mix to counter Lionel's perspective)
9-12pm Larry Mendte (live)
12-3pm Alex Jones (live)
3-6pm Dennis Miller (delay) (currently buried on 990)
6-10pm Buzz Bissinger & Steve Martorano (live) (lol those days are well & gone!)
10-1am Artie Lange (live)
1-3am Loveline (live)
3-5am Overnight America w/ Jon Grayson (live)

Go!

 

[crossmymind]

Well, with that line-up at least you'd know where all the crazy people are at all times.

 

[joshzz]

Bring in new, fresh local personalities that won't attract a bunch of old geezers. Mistake is to start a talk station as IQ did and bring in people like Hannity and Limbaugh that attract only grumpy old men.

If any of the new personalities on the new talk station emulates old curmudgeons like Hannity, Limbaugh, Savage and the like, throw him out the door and tell him to never come back.

Really, there ought to be a warning at the top of every hour when Limbaugh/Hannity/Savage is being broadcast telling people that the program is devoted entirely to blasting Democrats. Anything that comes out of the mouth of a Democrat your talk show host will criticize. Callers have been screened to assure they agree with the host.

 

[EZway2go]

Without coming up with a complete schedule, here are some things I would add...
9AM-Noon Laura Ingraham
Afternoons—some kind of financial or consumer affairs program such as Clark Howard
For evenings, I would mix things up a bit with rotating programs—News You Can Use—like what Harry Gross or Dr Jim Corea used to do, and maybe add someone like Roberta Gale (who used to be on NJ101.5) for general cultural stuff. On Fridays, have a "Scholastic Scoreboard" featuring the latest in college and area high school sports.
Overnights (12-5AM) America's Trucking Network
Kim Komando on the weekend

3-6pm Dennis Miller (delay) (currently buried on 990)

I would want all my hosts to be live, but that's practically impossible, isn't it? So many of them either broadcast at the same time or have overlapping time slots. I tried to see when Dennis Miller is, in fact, live, by going to his website, and it looks like it's 10AM-1PM. That would be hard to schedule... I wish some of these hosts had 2-hour shows so you could fit them in without cutting anything. Sometimes I wonder how talk show hosts are able to keep it up for 3 hours a day, 5 days a week, but they do. That's something I couldn't do.

 

[MB1370]

Alex Jones? SERIOUSLY????? In place of El Rushbo?

No offense, but this line up is a recipe for disaster! Not a knock against Mendte.... But the rest is pure Shiite!

"If it ain't broke..."

 

[John1]

Any music format in place of boring 'preaching to the choir, kissing up to the host' talk. Considering the demos of the station right now, a music format to appeal to the same age group would be the old "soft AC" of Magic/Kiss/Sunny (without the disco, please) with softer pop/folk/rock/r&b vocals of the 60's - 80's.

 

[FredLeonard]

I'd turn Walt Sabo loose and have him recreate the magic he did with NJ101.5.

 

[radiophiler]

Talk is an incredibly difficult start-up format, unless you have a very under-served audience as was the case with NJ 101.5. Other than sports talk, IQ took the easiest way to get ratings quickly ... they brought back talk hosts who were previously on in Philadelphia, with the exception of morning drive.
I'm not convinced that, other than the syndicated hosts IQ is already using, that there is another viable talk alternative that would get ratings and revenue.
Even for music, I can't think of an obvious wide-open music hole for Philadelphia radio. You'd have to do a niche format or go head-to-head with one of the big guys, like B 101. Possible niches: A classic rock station that focuses more on the 80s than WMGK which seems to be stuck in the 70s (I know, WYSP kinda tried this --- I just think in the case of YSP it was poorly executed). In the same way, an updated classic hits station that plays music from the late 70s, 80s and early 90s. Unlike Ben-FM, it would not play newer music.
Sell it to CBS and simulcast KYW. That would be the best use of the signal, IMHO.
Could a deal be made during the NAB show next week for IQ? We'll find out soon enough.

 

[JH_Radio]

Your late 70's thru early 90's music sounds like 80's rock, the former WPOI St. Peatersburgs.
I likeSoft AC and 50's-60's Oldies too.
Al Gardener and Larry Mendte 5-9 AM. I really liked how the morning drive went when the station first launched, with Jeff McCay doint traffic.
I always like local radio so the local hosts they braught in when the station first launched is cool. I like Lio Laporte and Kim Kamando both but prefer lio . Dont know if Lio runs on any other station in the Philly area (my guess is not, or they wouldn't air him sunday afternoons.)
I'd prefer local talk over national.
I honestly dont listen to talk radio like i used to so dont have a strong opinion on what they do with the rest of the day time to be honest other than mornings. I also dont know the business of add sails to say which is easier to sell (local or national.)
I was gonna say that Philly knows beck, russ, etc but think people would know of the local hosts from NJ 101.5 as well.

 

[joshzz]

If talk is going to be viable on any station it's got to be appeal to women. NJ 101.5's talk format is a winner. It appeals to all groups and to both men and women.

IQ was doomed the day it started. Right from the start there were numerous digs at the Democrats on the morning program. They even bashed the Dems in the morning news segments. That might appeal to the right but you have alienated have your potential customers so to speak. Someone that listens to Limb and Ham might think it's ok but if your goal is to gain the largest audience possible, the station failed right out of the starting blocks.

I would rather have Alex Jones do your mornings as he is an equal political party basher than the people currently manning the station.

The only solution for IQ is to emulate NJ 101.5 or go Christian Contemporary.

 

[wprt949]

go Christian Contemporary.
[/quote] Yeah mabye if Salem Brought them I doubt Merlin would do something Like that

 

[PhillyWatch]

I'd just like to say for the record that I really welcome the addition of Jon Batchelor's show to the Philly market. A bare-bones news and story presenter who leaves it up to his guests to present their cases.

 

[MDefl]

Bring in new, fresh local personalities that won't attract a bunch of old geezers. Mistake is to start a talk station as IQ did and bring in people like Hannity and Limbaugh that attract only grumpy old men.

If any of the new personalities on the new talk station emulates old curmudgeons like Hannity, Limbaugh, Savage and the like, throw him out the door and tell him to never come back.

Really, there ought to be a warning at the top of every hour when Limbaugh/Hannity/Savage is being broadcast telling people that the program is devoted entirely to blasting Democrats. Anything that comes out of the mouth of a Democrat your talk show host will criticize. Callers have been screened to assure they agree with the host.

How have they lasted so long? Must be a conspiracy!

 

[MDefl]

As for the list, I would love to see a lineup like this one:

Morning Drive - Keith Olbermann
Mid Morning - Dennis Miller
Lunch - Rush (the 1994 version - not this one)
Late afternoon - 2006 version of Michael Smerconish (when he discussed local stuff and wasn't so boring)
Mid-evening - John Stossel
Later Evening - throw in a rotating cast - Al Franken, Dom G, whatever...

 

[FredLeonard]

It says something about radio that most of the suggestions here are for syndicated hosts. Radio is in a sad state is all anybody thinks of is syndicated and party line rants and attacks.

None of the other syndicated hosts is likely to do better than they syndicated hosts they already have.

As an individual, I wouldn't buy stock in a radio company. And as a radio company, I wouldn't try to spend money to start a local talk station of any kind.

 

[joshzz]

FredLeonard,

I would take it one step further and say that the United States is in a sad state if all anybody thinks of is syndicated and party line rants and attacks. There really is something wrong with our society and us as a people for us to believe that "Political Party Bashers" are ok to listen to. The truth is it's just not healthy.

My wife is in the medical field and she has spoken with numerous people that had to wean themselves off the Political Party Basher Talk Shows for health reasons. Two major problems she has seen in those that listen to it: High Blood Pressure and Depression --- I have offered a viable solution and would encourage all those reading this to take me up on it. Listen to the LIFT FM Morning Show. With a slogan like, "We Lift You Up", how can you go wrong? Do it for your heart, your family, and future. LIFT FM is based locally here in South Jersey and is all about making you feel/do better in life.

 

[DG02816]

Josh,
You just about nailed it for me. Political talk seems to be mere muckraking, designed to raise anger and blood pressure. I pretty much prefer the light hearted goofiness of sports talk. Shame that a Philly version of NJ101.5 never materialized after 96.5 went to music.

 

[joshzz]

HI DG02816, You wrote, "Shame that a Philly version of NJ101.5 never materialized after 96.5 went to music."

I agree wholeheartedly! NJ 101.5 has stellar ratings not one station in Philly has tried duplicating the winning format.

Also, LIFT FM is a great format station and would be a good choice of any Philly station.

 

[JH_Radio]

Also, LIFT FM is a great format station and would be a good choice of any Philly station.

What is Lift FM? do you mean Reach-FM? They have a translator on 97.1 which reaches parts of Philly.

 

[FredLeonard]

Lift-FM is a religious broadcaster on the three LPFMs in Bridgeton, Millville and Cape May, NJ. The signals are pretty much limited to those three towns. The schedule is mostly preachers who buy time on the station and the rest of the time filled in with "Christian Contemporary" music and volunteer DJs (plus some local high school sports).

Salem already offers pay to play preaching on 560 and "kinder, gentler" conservative talk on 990. There are also several LPFM or non-commercial "Christian Contemporary" format stations in the Philly market.

The way radio is going, in a few years religious broadcasters may be all that's left.

Much as I admire NJ 101.5, if somebody had tried that format in Philly, it might have worked. Now it may be too late to start up a new format and build an audience from scratch. And talk radio stations have historically taken time to build an audience. The format requires a strong local staff, which costs money. Not sure any bean counters would be willing to spend that much money long enough.