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Jack Silver Exits PD Post At KLOS & KABC-AM
- Thread starter ajc_trw
- Start date
Fine leadership from the man who thought Danny Bonaduce was a good fit as Adam Carolla's sidekick. What a history of great programming decisions he had during his tenure at KABC. What other stations will he apply his Midas touch to? One wonders what miracles he could work for The Answer.
This genius was the one who brought Larry Elder back and went on the air saying that a "terrible wrong had been corrected" referring to Larry being fired by the previous PD.
At last check the egomaniac Elder was drawing less than 70,000 listeners compared with several million for J&K. Yeah Jack you really know your stuff. Don't let the door hit you on your way out.
At last check the egomaniac Elder was drawing less than 70,000 listeners compared with several million for J&K. Yeah Jack you really know your stuff. Don't let the door hit you on your way out.
westfield60 said:
In the LA MSA, in adults more like 350 thousand for Elder, and one million for J&K over an average of several books.
Given that KABC does not fully cover the LA metro, a little adjustment has to be done for that, too.
Geraldo's a bad fit. T-Rae is an over-priced hire that hasn't brought over the KFI ratings magic, and the kabc ratings are in the tank! Why SHOULD Jack stay!!? Robin Berto couldn't even turn this turkey around!
Bug on the rug said:
Robin Bertolucci is smart: she came to LA from 50 kw clear channel (lower case here) KOA in Denver and is with 50 kw clear channel KFI in LA. She knows the benefit of having a market's best signal.
KABC is a 5kw regional channel station in one of the largest markets anywhere in terms of geography. KABC simply can't compete on signal with KFI, and if they can't hear you, they can't listen.
DavidEduardo said:
Having the best signal is no guarantee of long-term success. You don't think, if given the choice between crappy programming on a clear signal and quality programming on a crappy signal, many people would simply choose not to listen to radio at all? Sure, the station with the better signal always "wins", but if so many listeners have abandoned the format altogether because they have bad choices then it's an empty victory. A station that's only thriving because it's the only good signal in town for its genre won't thrive for much longer. This is why I get irritated at naive claims that KFI's success is just because of their 50,000 watts. It rests on the assumption that people will always listen to radio even if there's only one station that can be heard. Quite an arrogant assumption if you ask me.
Honestly I don't share the view that Robin is some programming genius. I think she just got lucky because KABC was so bad for the last decade and continues to be really bad. She has no competition from KABC. If you look at her programming choices on the weekend, they are just as bad as any KABC PD has made over the past decade. The Fork Report, Lisa Walters, Mo Kelley, Brian Suits and Wayne Resnik are probably some of the worst broadcasters period. I stop listening after Leo Laporte. Bill Carroll and Tim Conway are useless as well. With so many bad choices KFI would have sunk had it not been that KABC PD's have been brainless over the last decade.
Then her recent political correctness moves have been astounding. Her constant suspending of J&K is clearly a sign of her insecurity at losing it all.
I don't know why KABC doesn't bring Leykis on board during the drive time slot. I think he used to beat everyone particularly in the prized younger demographics when he was at KLSX. He would offer good competition to J&K and we can see where the ratings go. Right now the pathetic Larry Elder offers no competition at all and never has. Peter Tildon, the Morning show, the rednecks at night, John Phillips and that disastrous morning show are just further examples of how that station cannot be fixed. I hope Cumulus basically just decides to can the whole idea and change formats on KABC.
Robin needs real competition to show how good she is or isn't. I think her image of a genius has been a fascade.
Then her recent political correctness moves have been astounding. Her constant suspending of J&K is clearly a sign of her insecurity at losing it all.
I don't know why KABC doesn't bring Leykis on board during the drive time slot. I think he used to beat everyone particularly in the prized younger demographics when he was at KLSX. He would offer good competition to J&K and we can see where the ratings go. Right now the pathetic Larry Elder offers no competition at all and never has. Peter Tildon, the Morning show, the rednecks at night, John Phillips and that disastrous morning show are just further examples of how that station cannot be fixed. I hope Cumulus basically just decides to can the whole idea and change formats on KABC.
Robin needs real competition to show how good she is or isn't. I think her image of a genius has been a fascade.
pjc1961 said:
Between the lines, I get the vibe that Cumulus wanted something done (staff changes, format adjustments) that Jack pushed back on and got fired for his trouble.
SimiRadioListener26 said:
The argument is usually phrased "all things being equal, the biggest signal wins".
I don't think anyone argues (and certainly not David Eduardo) that KFI succeeds only because of its signal. Before David G. Hall and Rush Limbaugh, KFI was one of the lowest-rated radio stations in town.
And no one suggests that "crappy programming" on a big signal is a winner, either. Prime example, KGO in San Francisco...arguably the best signal in that market...and it's tumbled from a 30-year lock on #1 in the ratings to #16 as they've dismantled what made them successful.
The real point here is that you have to cover the metro with your signal, and KABC can't. I said it before a couple of years ago in another thread here...if you swapped frequencies...put KFI on 790 and KABC on 640...leaving both stations' programming exactly as is, both stations would be lucky to break a 2 share.
westfield60 said:
Two problems: KABC's signal makes anything above a 2 share pretty much a miracle, and Leykis' appeal to "prized younger demographics" is meaningless when those people don't listen to AM.
One can only hope that a new administration at KABC will begin the task of returning the station to programming and ratings success. We all know where they need to start: A wholesale removal of the sad morning show, Phillps, Elder, Tilden. Start there.
Silver wrote to me a year or more ago that the goal with KABC was to put on the air "compelling" programming. It was "compelling" to be sure. Compelled lots of people to turn to other stations.
Remember, KABC was the gold standard in talk radio for Los Angeles for decades. Those of us who sought to compete against it typically hit a stone wall. Times change.
Now, perhaps, a new chapter OR a return to the success of years gone by that can, through hard work and good, local oriented programs that are "live" and vibrant and have meaning to the lives of Angelenos, KABC can return to justified glory.
Silver wrote to me a year or more ago that the goal with KABC was to put on the air "compelling" programming. It was "compelling" to be sure. Compelled lots of people to turn to other stations.
Remember, KABC was the gold standard in talk radio for Los Angeles for decades. Those of us who sought to compete against it typically hit a stone wall. Times change.
Now, perhaps, a new chapter OR a return to the success of years gone by that can, through hard work and good, local oriented programs that are "live" and vibrant and have meaning to the lives of Angelenos, KABC can return to justified glory.
"Now, perhaps, a new chapter OR a return to the success of years gone by that can, through hard work and good, local oriented programs that are "live" and vibrant and have meaning to the lives of Angelenos, KABC can return to justified glory."
With Cumulus owning the station, what are you thinking it's never going to reach those numbers ever again, not in a million years not on AM at least. As a similcast station they might hit the jackpot although I wouldn't bet the farm on it. Not with the syndicated shows that are not on-air anywhere else in the market. But then again with Tom Leykis on both stations they may be able to make a splash or two! Tom would most likely turn them down for being too cheap with the cash!
And anyway a radio station doing "Gold Standard Talk Radio" is not what Cumulus wants to do with their stations or so it seems by recent events in the SF bay area. Gold standard news maybe but that remains to be seen also.
With Cumulus owning the station, what are you thinking it's never going to reach those numbers ever again, not in a million years not on AM at least. As a similcast station they might hit the jackpot although I wouldn't bet the farm on it. Not with the syndicated shows that are not on-air anywhere else in the market. But then again with Tom Leykis on both stations they may be able to make a splash or two! Tom would most likely turn them down for being too cheap with the cash!
And anyway a radio station doing "Gold Standard Talk Radio" is not what Cumulus wants to do with their stations or so it seems by recent events in the SF bay area. Gold standard news maybe but that remains to be seen also.
I won't believe they will switch KLOS to KABC-FM until I see it. That would be the dumbest radio move in this town in a long time. It would be cheaper to take wads of $100 bills and throw them out the window.
youngsag said:
Times change, but more than that the population in the areas KABC covers well has changed, with groups that don't index well against English language talk radio growing in numbers.
At the same time, the potential talk audience has moved north, east and south outside the KABC effective reach.
But even more important is that in the time since KABC was much of a factor, man-made interference has expanded almost exponentially, reducing the range of a low power station like KABC because the noise level from dimmers, computers, microprocessor-driven devices, CFL's and such causes previously listenable signal zones to be buried in interference.
KFI got the better of them, and now external factors make it hard to even attempt a comeback... unless it is in Korean.
westfield60 said:
OK, name me a few PPM market AM-only news/talk stations that have multi-month rolling averages that show them in the top 5 in 25-54.
I'll give you the first one for free... KLBJ in Austin.
You don't "get lucky" and have a consistent top-five 25-54 performer with an AM... it takes very hard work and considerable talent.
Or it may be brilliant promotion, getting one's foes to become your standard bearers.
I believe the mantra of KABC ownership is:
All targets met
All systems working
All customers satisfied
All staff eager and enthusiastic……
All Pigs fed and ready to fly
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