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Is WVKO AM in trouble??

gr8oldies said:
As for "hearing the truth about GWB and John McCain (according to their detractors)" those listening to the other side aren't interested, and everyone will be bombarded by political advertsising on all radio and TV stations soon enough (including Obama commercials on right wing talkers!).
Click to expand...

What I have noticed is the the left wing guys all say that they can't get on because of the conservative owned media outlets who won't give them the time on air. On the other side you have Rush (and his clones) ranting about the "drive by media" putting out lies about GWB and sabotaging the Republican primary process. Which is it guys?

The reason that "Progressive Talk" has a hard time is that except for Stephanie and Ed it is mostly un-listenable. If you want them to tune in you have to have an atractrive presentation. Especially in drive times when most radio listening occurs you can't be putting the audience into a trance.

As far as WVKO is concerned they have a better line up than the Clear Channel owned KTLK, Los Angeles, where you don't get Ed Schultz at all anymore because he got dropped when they tried a local afternoon show that tanked in less than a year. They juggled the lineup to keep Rachel and Randi so there was no room for Ed. Now he is on an hour only on a competing independent station between Glenn Beck and Michael Jackson (not the one you think).
 
WVKO is getting better local ads. For example Rosi Windows, Happy Greek Restaurants, Original Mattress Outlet, and the Columbus Zoo. WTDA doesn't air ads form the Columbus Zoo. Plus if you don't promote the station then people will not listen.

San Diego does have some sort of progressive talk still. They have Michael Jackson, Ed Schultz, Stacy Taylor, Stephanie Miller, and Lionel.
 
willcail said:
San Diego does have some sort of progressive talk still. They have Michael Jackson, Ed Schultz, Stacy Taylor, Stephanie Miller, and Lionel.
Click to expand...

But they're carried on XESURF, which is effectively a repeater of LA's KGIL outside of drive time. They also air right-wign shows like Savage, etc.
 
DToTheJ said:
willcail said:
San Diego does have some sort of progressive talk still. They have Michael Jackson, Ed Schultz, Stacy Taylor, Stephanie Miller, and Lionel.
Click to expand...

But they're carried on XESURF, which is effectively a repeater of LA's KGIL outside of drive time. They also air right-wign shows like Savage, etc.
Click to expand...

They carry Stephanie Miller on 540 in San Diego because they replaced the Savage replay in the mornings with Glenn Beck who is already on another station in SD. They carry a mix of progressive and conservative hosts. Michael Jackson and Alan Colmes and Ed Schultz all air on both signals as well as Dr. Pinsky, Lou Dobbs and Lars Larson. However Savage is now on live in the PM drive time and is in my mind an anomaly in their lineup which is generally more moderate in tone. KGIL and it's sister station KKGO, Go Country105, are locally owned and operated.
 
Savage is being relegated to late nights, 10-midnight, as of 8/4. Which on that signal is like being relegated to a burning hell. No matter, though; Michael Savage was never even a rumor in Los Angeles.
 
DToTheJ said:
Way to go, 'VKO! That's one hurdle - now stay above it...
Click to expand...

The next hurdle for 'VKO' is to knock down WTDA-FM according to Sean
Now that would be a testimony for the the Progressive Talk format in Columbus
because 'VKO' dose not seem to have an advertising budget. They have not
advertised anywhere as far as I can tell. WTDA-FM has been advertising in The Other Paper for over a year now and I think they have a few billboards around town.

If they were actually able to beat WTDA-FM in the ratings, which could happen,
then WTVN-AM would no doubt be their next target. Now that is a scary thought. :eek: WTVN-AM would be shacking in their boots

This is what Sean has to say about the WVKO-AM ratings:

http://www.wvko1580.com/forums/topic.php?id=235
 
I found this interesting article on the web from The Toledo Blade of December of 2006.
The old WTPG-AM 1230 PD said he was dropping progressive talk on 1230 AM after
eighteen months on the air because of poor ratings. He thought that conservative talk would produce
higher ratings for 1230 AM. Fact forward 18 moths and conservative talk WYCS seems to have lower overall ratings then it's predecessor.

So, dose this mean the end is near for Conservative talker WYTS-AM 1230 talker?

During this rating period WTVN-AM is #1 in the ratings and WYTS-AM is dead last. The argument in
changing WYTS in the first place was that Conservative talk is a lot more successful formant then
Progressive talk. That argument did not seem to pan out in this case.

I like some of the shows on WYTS!

Click here for the rest of this article:

http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061230/NEWS24/612300395

Article published Saturday, December 30, 2006
Columbus station going conservative as key state positions turn Democratic
Radio switches dial from left to right
By RYAN E. SMITH
BLADE STAFF WRITER

(QUOTE)
WTPG-AM (1230) is turning in its "progressive talk," featuring the likes of Al Franken, and trading it for conservatives like Michael Savage and Laura Ingraham. It changed its call letters to WYTS recently and will begin its new programming Jan. 9.

The move to the other end of the political spectrum at the Clear Channel station is purely about good business, program manager Bruce Collins said.

"The reason for the change is just due to lack of ratings performance by the radio station," he said.
(QUOTE)
 
Thanks for the sentiments, guys. :)

But we're not about the break out the box wine on South Fourth Street just yet.

As some may remember, Clear Channel got numbers as high as 1.2 in the acutal books and 1.4 in the Arbitrends when it carried progressive talk on 1230.

Nonetheless, things are looking up when you consider we now have new advertisers which include The Original Mattress Factory and Rosati Windows.

That should decrease the need for infomercials in the long term. Plus the fact that the cash cow should start mooing later this month as WVKO becomes Columbus' home for high school football. 8)

Of course, a playoff berth for the Clippers will also help things.

Be sure to drop a personal note to GR as far as congrats. :)
 
This is embarrassing.  Can you imagine posters in boards for similar-sized markets getting excited about shares under 1, or even 1.5??  But that's what we're reduced to because of Columbus' severe under-radioing in decent signals (even if it's not quite as bad as it used to be).  And it's also all the more reason some big signals like BNS-FM should be considered hugely under-performing -- even when you key in on target demos.

Anyway, I don't think beating a 90-pound, self-imploding weakling like WTDA is much of a goal.  I said when TDA started that there is no non-pornographic or youth-reaction format that could consistently earn them a better 12+ than Ted did, without a big signal boost.

Getting back to VKO-AM, what *is* significant is that it's remaining above .5.  That might be a laughable accomplishment elsewhere in the Top 50, but in the sad context of signal-challenged Columbus, it is indeed noteworthy.  Going .5 to .6 means nada statistically, but if the next move is a .7, and then a .8, we might be seeing a bonafide trend developing.  Hope so.
 
Just realized I slightly under-stated some VKO-AM shares in the last few sentences of that last post. Nothing that would change any of the basic observations, except that they may actually be a tad further along in (hopefully) building a true up-trend.
 
You are correct that the fact that WVKO is showing marginal, yet potentially real upward growth is a positive sign for the station.

Numerous posters here have picked apart the station for inconsistancies with its' sound quality, its' "board work", etc. Yet, it does appear as though the station could be on the verge of true, upward growth.

If the major "problems" the station encountered with its launch continues to smooth out, then the station's reasonable consistancy could allow it to begin to gather a measurable, real following.

I only caution you to remember there is a "margin of error" in the Arbitron ratings, and, so far, WVKO's gains have not yet overcome that margin. But, having said that, I will not make any judgements on whether we're seeing margin of error, or real growth. I remain open minded.
 
People are STILL mad that 1230 AM droped Progressive Talk radio a few years ago here in Columbus.

The letter below was published in yesterdays Columbus Dispatch.

http://www.dispatch.com/live/conten...hilders_ART_07-25-08_A10_ACAR325.html?sid=101

Talk-show host lives up to his name
Friday, July 25, 2008 2:58 AM

(QUOTE)
Why isn't Clear Channel putting up billboards promoting radio station WYTS (1230 AM)? This might be why: One of the hosts in the station's all-neocon lineup is Michael Savage, who recently called autism a "racket." Savage claimed on the air that people with autism are "faking it" so they can scam money out of the government. Columbus' Clear Channel management has said that hosts like Savage are "too valuable" to let some other station have, so Clear Channel replaced the station's Air America format with these "valuable neocons" -- and then refused to promote the station.

I could say Clear Channel is not proud of these extremist talk-show hosts, but that would suggest it feels responsible for using the airwaves for the public good. Clear Channel only seems to want to air talk-show hosts who parrot the neocons' talking points. No, I would guess that as long as they can prop up the station and claim "freedom of speech," Clear Channel will continue to air the aptly named Savage.

RUSS CHILDERS
Chairman Ohio Majority Radio Columbus
(QUOTE)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Another Letter to the Editors was published in the Columbus Dispatch on this topic here. Savage is not getting any noteworthy ratings for WYTS so what
is his point here?

Click here to see this letter in it's entirety:

http://www.dispatch.com/live/conten...SAT_MUST_ART_08-02-08_A9_KBATFL2.html?sid=101

Radio stations are in the business to make money
Saturday, August 2, 2008 3:03 AM

(QUOTE)
I respond to Russ Childers' July 25 letter "Talk-show host lives up to his name," in which he attacked Michael Savage and Clear Channel Communications.

Attacking Savage for his comments on autism or his comments on many things isn't what bothers me. However, Childers did so in a way that reflects his own ignorance.
(QUOTE)
 
Actually, I have opinions about the two letters written in response to Childers, whom I know personally, but I'm not going to take the time to respond right now. Let's just say if anyone is still mad, they haven't heard yet about us.
 
Big Ed Sclultz will be in Columbus next week.... I already have my ticket.

It was a SMART move by WVKO when they STOPPED preempting the first thirty
minutes of his show with the "gold show". Big Eddie has made it very clear on the air
that he has a big ego. If his live show in Columbus was preempted by the '"gold show",
Big Eddie would take a very dim view of that. :mad:

Here is more info on tickets for those who are interested:

http://www.wvko1580.com/products-page/tickets/ed-schultz-show-tickets/

To WVKO: Thanks for bringing Big Eddie back to town. :)
 
At the risk of eating my words, cancellation won't happen.

The Bill Press event was cancelled due to production and logistical issues at the time.

When Ed Schultz was first here, the event was put together without any knowledge of Clear Channel (until I told them). Team Fargo will be prepared for anything.

I'll see you at the event. I'm a co-sponsor.
 
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