Imus Unloads on the Dickey Brothers

[Kelly A]

That's a good analogy!

 

[TheBigA]

No doubt you or someone close to you has some involvement with the decision making process at WABC

You're wrong again.

 

[TheBigA]

A manager needs to understand the sales and programming process. Cookie cutter won't cut it (pun). The Dickeys tried to adapt an approach they had some success with in medium to small markets and it failed.

I might be willing to agree if this was only a Cumulus problem, but it's not. All of the AM talk stations in NYC are in trouble.

 

[wadio]

The time for Imus to have made his remarks was about 15 years ago when the slippery slope began. This is a so called "broken windows" issue. One or two broken windows (infomercials) are all it takes to start the ball rolling. If the windows aren't fixed the decline begins, continues and accelerates.

It's hard to argue that much can be done for WABC, nor AM radio in general, today. The question is, could the sorry state of affairs Imus refers to have been prevented? The infomercials were merely patches or boarded up windows at the time.

If we take WABC to mean "WABC Talk Radio," not just the AM frequency, maybe the programming could have been kept more innovative, cutting edge and younger skewing (you can blame the stagnation caused by syndication for that. Maybe it could have moved to FM (blame deteriorating AM reception for that need.)

We keep saying the Internet isn't ready to replace radio yet due to technical limitations, but look at what people are willing to put up with, for example, when it comes to cellphone service. The quality and the reliability suck but people use it because they're motivated to do so. "WABC Talk Radio" needs to motivate listeners.

The Imus rant is way too little, far too late. It's a bit like lamenting the long-term decline of a neighborhood when the bulldozers are on the way to level it and start over.

 

[TheBigA]

The time for Imus to have made his remarks was about 15 years ago when the slippery slope began. This is a so called "broken windows" issue. One or two broken windows (infomercials) are all it takes to start the ball rolling.

I think you're obsessing about these infomercials. As I've said throughout this thread, no one's forcing you to listen. It's your choice to turn them into a problem. Like most people who live in an entitlement society, you believe you should get what you want when you want, and not have to pay for it. Unfortunately, that's not the way life works. Everybody has to pay in some way for the things we want. For popular radio stations, the ones in the Top 5, that payment comes in the form of commercials. Listeners of popular radio stations complain about spotloads. Too many commercials. Greedy owners. Listeners to the less popular stations complain about infomercials. But it's the same complaint. You want what you want, and you don't want to pay. You have no solution to the pay situation.

You bring up the internet. You think you're making a threat by saying you'll go to the internet. OK, tell me all of the internet talk show hosts. Tell me about all the internet all-news stations. The ones that offer live, local information 24/7. Tell me about how you can get what you want from the internet without some kind of cost. Go ahead. Tell me.

 

[Rusty Bridges]

The time for Imus to have made his remarks was about 15 years ago when the slippery slope began. This is a so called "broken windows" issue. One or two broken windows (infomercials) are all it takes to start the ball rolling. If the windows aren't fixed the decline begins, continues and accelerates.

The Imus rant is way too little, far too late. It's a bit like lamenting the long-term decline of a neighborhood when the bulldozers are on the way to level it and start over.

After all the back and fourth, on topic and off, yours is probably the best assessment of the situation.

 

[Steve Green NEPA]

Great discussion. Just a few thoughts if I may ....

....... Imus probably was aware, long ago, that you don't carry on too much about how much your employer's product (stinks) ......

....... I once jocked and MD'd at a station where the ratings were starting to tumble. We were an AM daytimer being pushed slowly off the AM dial anyway. The sales department's answer to the cash register problem was that of the 5:00 minute commercial. We jocks called them 'Wynnefomercials', after their forebearer Jess Wynne .....

....... The big reason for our tumble was that a new FM pop station came to town and started blowing everyone away. Those 5:00 commercials certainly didn't help us -- certainly not in the middle of the music broadcast week. The sales department went about their tradeouts and their struggles. The big new FM's market domination became total after a while. Our AM daytimer's 'fortunes' got worse. This was over forty years ago, incidentally .......

....... At an MoR/Beautiful Music station I worked, the sales force went crazy one Christmas season, having decided to 'dollar-a-holler' announcements. We'd play some Jerry Vale song and then have to launch what HAD to be one of the first spot-cluster elements ever. Then we'd play a short 'Jingle Bells' tune. 2:00 later, on they'd start. 'Christ our Saviour was born today. Season's greetings from Moshe's Deli, Route 62 ......' That was two years BEFORE the station with the 5:00 commercials.......

....... At one station, my late pal was copywriter, production manager and jock. All of those season's greetings wound up on two 30:00 carts. I'm certain that a lot of the revenue that came in for those charming announcements went toward paying for the 30:00 carts. My buddy labelled the carts 'Holiday Whorehouse Package Part I and II' .......



....... Am just saying that all of this infomercial overload stuff is not a recent tragedy. The AM daytimers were the first to go, long ago. Then the ones that have been referred to as 'regionals' started feeling the pinch (especially the directional ones). Conditions are now affecting the erstwhile clear-channel ones. No signal is safe from the deterioration. But I gotta agree that if the edgy communicator and entertainer Imus had pointed out more of these malfeasances earlier, then conditions as they are now might not be as advanced-stage as they've become.
Anyway, that's just a thought, as unfair as it might sound. Heck -- Who ELSE has been an AM voice for so long?

 

[TheBigA]

I gotta agree that if the edgy communicator and entertainer Imus had pointed out more of these malfeasances earlier, then conditions as they are now might not be as advanced-stage as they've become.

The fact is that Imus is a big part of the problem, and really has been a has been since he got fired from CBS. As a result, he's in a much weaker position than he was then, and I doubt anyone cares what he says anymore, since no one is listening.

 

[frankberry]

Don's time has passed. He's an old guy who refuses to admit it and retire.
In 1993, I was Chief Engineer for Infinity's WQYK-AM, the very first "Imus In The Morning" affiliate.
At that time, his show was topical, irreverent and entertaining.

 

[K.M. Richards]

When I was doing utility/weekends at Y97 in Santa Barbara in 1987 (before being promoted to afternoons the next year) I found myself having to cover the overnight shift for a few days, and out of sheer boredom I put the NBC network line into the cue channel -- our AM (KTMS) was the NBC affiliate for the market, and for some reason the network feed was also wired into the FM board -- and in-between newscasts, etc., they were feeding WNBC, so I got to listen to some of Imus back then.

Bearing in mind that this was closing in on two decades since he'd started there ... he was still funny, but a little grumpier than the airchecks I'd heard of him in the 1970s. He was already starting to phone it in, falling back on lines like "Charlie McCord'll be here in a coupla minutes to mumble his way through the news" several times over about three days.

He seemed to get his second wind when WNBC became the new frequency for WFAN and he was the only air talent who was kept on at 660, but it didn't last very long and the "nappy ho's" comment pretty much ended any way for him to get a third.

 

[wadio]

I think you're obsessing about these infomercials. As I've said throughout this thread, no one's forcing you to listen. It's your choice to turn them into a problem. Like most people who live in an entitlement society, you believe you should get what you want when you want, and not have to pay for it. Unfortunately, that's not the way life works. Everybody has to pay in some way for the things we want. For popular radio stations, the ones in the Top 5, that payment comes in the form of commercials. Listeners of popular radio stations complain about spotloads. Too many commercials. Greedy owners. Listeners to the less popular stations complain about infomercials. But it's the same complaint. You want what you want, and you don't want to pay. You have no solution to the pay situation.

You bring up the internet. You think you're making a threat by saying you'll go to the internet. OK, tell me all of the internet talk show hosts. Tell me about all the internet all-news stations. The ones that offer live, local information 24/7. Tell me about how you can get what you want from the internet without some kind of cost. Go ahead. Tell me.

WTF? If you read my posts carefully I don't think you'll find any reference to what I want. All I've done is try to analyze the reasons for WABC's obvious ratings decline over the last 10 or 15 years. And please note, I say reasons (plural) because infomercials are only one.

If you think infomercials don't create a long-term problem for radio stations, that's fine, but before accusing me of "obsessing" perhaps you should look at your post above and look in the mirror.

 

[TheBigA]

If you think infomercials don't create a long-term problem for radio stations, that's fine, but before accusing me of "obsessing" perhaps you should look at your post above and look in the mirror.

No obsession on my part. I'm just responding to you. If you read all of your posts in this thread, the only thing they've talked about is infomercials. You haven't mentioned anything else.

 

[landtuna]

In 1991(ish), I was Chief Engineer for Infinity's WQYK-AM, the very first "Imus In The Morning" affiliate.

I seem to remember "Imus In The Morning" back in the early 70's when I lived in NYC.

 

[wadio]

No obsession on my part. I'm just responding to you. If you read all of your posts in this thread, the only thing they've talked about is infomercials. You haven't mentioned anything else.

Really?

If we take WABC to mean "WABC Talk Radio," not just the AM frequency, maybe the programming could have been kept more innovative, cutting edge and younger skewing (you can blame the stagnation caused by syndication for that.) Maybe it could have moved to FM (blame deteriorating AM reception for that need.)

I challenge you to show me one place in this thread where I said I hate infomercials. This thread is about infomercials and Imus' remarks about them. So why make me the subject of a personal attack?

 

[TheBigA]

So why make me the subject of a personal attack?

What "personal attack?" I just said you're obsessing about infomercials. Nothing personal nor an attack about that.

If you want to talk about why WABC's ratings have declined, why not point the finger at the I-man himself? If the station isn't making money in morning drive, it can kill the rest of the day. He's been there for almost ten years now.

 

[mikerock]

Sometimes I wonder what the A stands for in TheBigA. :}

 

[TTalkradio1]

What "personal attack?" I just said you're obsessing about infomercials. Nothing personal nor an attack about that.

If you want to talk about why WABC's ratings have declined, why not point the finger at the I-man himself? If the station isn't making money in morning drive, it can kill the rest of the day. He's been there for almost ten years now.

You've defended Imus in the Morning, claiming that no other show could go on and do better, even though he's old.

 

[TheBigA]

You've defended Imus in the Morning, claiming that no other show could go on and do better, even though he's old.

I don't call that "defending" Imus. I call that stating a fact. They have to replace him. The bad news is there aren't many other options that can improve ratings. Sure, they can return Curtis & Kuby to mornings, but if their current audience moves with them, that's not going to return WABC to it's 2005 ratings. That's the catch 22 talk radio has. It needs to replace its aging shows. The bad news is those heritage hosts are why anyone listens in the first place. The talk audience isn't interested in change. Take a look at WOR. They brought in a fresh new show with fresh hosts and a new attitude. How's that working out?

 

[secondchoice]

....... At one station, my late pal was copywriter, production manager and jock. All of those season's greetings wound up on two 30:00 carts. I'm certain that a lot of the revenue that came in for those charming announcements went toward paying for the 30:00 carts. My buddy labelled the carts 'Holiday Whorehouse Package Part I and II' .......

I wish I had came up with that!

WABC is intended to be a for profit operation. It is a function of management / ownership to pay the bills and have some left over.

Based on the Cumulus financial outlook, I bet there is going to be a lot changes at WABC. It would be nice if the ratings / billings were strong enough that the Infomercials were not the best route to go revenue wise. Cumulus (or what ever it will be called) might be in a position of not having to pay debt for a quarter or two (depended on what kind of deal the lawyers can get from the Judge / trustee.) I am not sure what the gross profit is on average for a NYC station but for the sake of argument 30% of the billings could be available for market research and talent for a brief period. I hope someone knows how to use the time and cash.

 

[TheBigA]

I am not sure what the gross profit is on average for a NYC station but for the sake of argument 30% of the billings could be available for market research and talent for a brief period. I hope someone knows how to use the time and cash.

You'd like to have a 30% margin, but given what I know about operating costs in NYC, that's probably unrealistic. If you get 30% margin, there's a long line of people in the building with their hands out. Capital equipment, marketing, human resources, to name a few. So to expect programming to get 30% of the billings might be unrealistic. Unless the talent brings in some of the billings, which brings us back to infomercials.