Jack Silver Exits PD Post At KLOS & KABC-AM

[westfield60]

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.

LOL. I can't think of a single host over there that makes me want to listen for more than 5 minutes. It's not that I haven't tried, but Listening to Terri_Rae Elmer fumble every single newscast is really torture, listening to Larry Elder proclaim he knows legal law better than the dean of Irvine Law School is simply unbelivable, listening to John Phillips get his panties in a twist when a caller disagrees with him or listening to Peter Tilden and not understanding a single word this man says is insane. Why would anyone listen to that station?

The signal strength, the AM/FM frequency are minor compared with the fact that the hosts over there are wholly responsible for their pathetic ratings.

 

[wadio]

When McIntyre returns from vacation, I wonder if he'll be able to resume playing jazz bumpers and not be so constricted by the clock.

 

[ChannelFlipper]

There really isn't a lot of reason for optimism on this station because it is not seen by its owners as a stand-alone station, but as simply another cog in their poorly built syndication strategy. They could turn the station's fortunes around in a heartbeat if they would drop the syndication nonsense (Geraldo? Puh-leeze) and get David G Hall to come in, give him the room he needs to work (that means no meddling from New York) and take on his old station, KFI. The hosts would all have to step their games up for DGH or be replaced by others who will. The horrible formatics of the station would be the first thing to go and ratings would definitely improve, even with the limited signal.

 

[ChannelFlipper]

There really isn't a lot of reason for optimism on this station because it is not seen by its owners as a stand-alone station, but as simply another cog in their poorly built syndication strategy. They could turn the station's fortunes around in a heartbeat if they would drop the syndication nonsense (Geraldo? Puh-leeze) and get David G Hall to come in, give him the room he needs to work (that means no meddling from New York) and take on his old station, KFI. The hosts would all have to step their games up for DGH or be replaced by others who will. The horrible formatics of the station would be the first thing to go and ratings would definitely improve, even with the limited signal.

Actually, ever since the Whitney Houston incident, John and Ken have simply not been at the top of their game and whatever reins have been put on them by management behind the scenes is starting to show through to the lower quality of the program. One example I have noticed is their recent coverage of the Sandusky story. He has already been convicted for a couple of weeks now and will be spending the rest of his life in jail. The story is over already. Move on already. But there they were at it again the other day with "new details in the case" when everyone else has been talking Obamacare ruling and Fast and Furious. They came off as really out of step with what is going on while beating their own dead horse.

J&K are still kings of afternoon talk, but that doesn't mean they are invincible. They are vulnerable to compelling personalities with strong talk topics and presentation. It's just that they can count on that not coming from KABC now or anytime in the near future. In short, they are coasting with less than their best material and are getting away with it for lack of competition.

 

[calguy]

There really isn't a lot of reason for optimism on this station because it is not seen by its owners as a stand-alone station, but as simply another cog in their poorly built syndication strategy. They could turn the station's fortunes around in a heartbeat if they would drop the syndication nonsense (Geraldo? Puh-leeze) and get David G Hall to come in, give him the room he needs to work (that means no meddling from New York) and take on his old station, KFI. The hosts would all have to step their games up for DGH or be replaced by others who will. The horrible formatics of the station would be the first thing to go and ratings would definitely improve, even with the limited signal.

Hall had his chance at KABC before and failed miserably. He didn't do very well at KNX either, so what would he do this time that he couldn't before? I don't see it happening. I never thought that he or Robin were genius PD's. KFI hit the right chord at the right moment and even in the early days when they started seeing success at KFI they were still trying to find their way in several dayparts. They finally found the right people during the day and rose to dominance. But nights has been a revolving door, weekends too. Robin may have had to juggle those shifts, but she inherited a pretty stable daytime lineup until Dr. Laura bailed. A signal alone won't make you number one, but if the programming is liked by the listener, that signal helps keep them tuned in over a much wider area, and that cannot be discounted.

 

[davideduardo]

I never thought that he or Robin were genius PD's. KFI hit the right chord at the right moment and even in the early days when they started seeing success at KFI they were still trying to find their way in several dayparts. They finally found the right people during the day and rose to dominance. But nights has been a revolving door, weekends too. Robin may have had to juggle those shifts, but she inherited a pretty stable daytime lineup until Dr. Laura bailed. A signal alone won't make you number one, but if the programming is liked by the listener, that signal helps keep them tuned in over a much wider area, and that cannot be discounted.

KFI is often in the top 5 in 25-54 at night, a really rare thing for an AM talker that does not do sports. Obviously, the evenings have been strengthened.

Weekends on talkers are generally revenue sources, not ratings getters. Again, the only ones with big weekend numbers are ones with sports.

As I mentioned in another post, KFI isn't unique in being Top 5 in 25-54 as an AM talker... in PPM there is at least one other AM only that does as well (but it is in a barely-top-50 market).

You don't maintain and grow an AM the way KFI has done with mediocre programmers. Robin, who I have never met, is obviously very good at the main job of a talk PD: herding cats. N/T is a daily crisis and a daily episode of training and reinforcing.

The nearest AM talker that does as well in under-55 demos that I can think of is about 6,000 miles away.

 

[westfield60]

I never thought that he or Robin were genius PD's. KFI hit the right chord at the right moment and even in the early days when they started seeing success at KFI they were still trying to find their way in several dayparts. They finally found the right people during the day and rose to dominance. But nights has been a revolving door, weekends too. Robin may have had to juggle those shifts, but she inherited a pretty stable daytime lineup until Dr. Laura bailed. A signal alone won't make you number one, but if the programming is liked by the listener, that signal helps keep them tuned in over a much wider area, and that cannot be discounted.

KFI is often in the top 5 in 25-54 at night, a really rare thing for an AM talker that does not do sports. Obviously, the evenings have been strengthened.

David, what what is the audience size of the "top 5" showing at night. Point being you may have 100 people listening and make it to top 5 status but that is hardly anything for "terrestrial" radio to celebrate. What was the audience 5 or 10 years ago.

I tend to think PD's just celebrate these days if they get a few listeners. How else would you explain KABC's pathetic ratings and yet the hosts over there seem like they are constantly pampered by their management if you judge them by their ego's.

 

[davideduardo]

David, what what is the audience size of the "top 5" showing at night. Point being you may have 100 people listening and make it to top 5 status but that is hardly anything for "terrestrial" radio to celebrate. What was the audience 5 or 10 years ago.

First, KFI is top 5 in 25-54 6 AM-Midnight Monday to Sunday.

At night, about half the number of 25-54's who listen in morning drive are listening. That is about the number that we have always seen since the PPM was introduced to LA.

We can't compare PPM data with the diary directly because the use of radio is different in all dayparts. But looking at the relationship between morning drive and evenings in the diary in 25-54, an average for 2007 shows mornings having 3.5 times the audience of 7 to Midnight. In PPM, mornings have 2 times the evening audience.

 

[youngsag]

Perhaps the exit of Jack Silver will hasten the departure of John Phillips. Substituting this week for vacationing Doug McIntyre in the morning drive slot, Phillips has provided a clear demonstration of why KABC is the Titanic of talk radio in this market.

I challenge and defy any one of the Cumulus Media executives listen to any two hours -randomly selected- over, say, the last two days of Phillips' morning broadcasts and to then honestly attest publicly that these programs were even close to decent, properly done radio broadcasting on any one of many levels.

I submit that no executive will take the challenge. That Cumulus cannot forthrightly state that they are proud of the programs Phillips puts on the air.

In the "be careful what you ask for" category, I have long criticized McIntrye and Teri "mumbles" Rae on KABC. I have called for their program to be replaced. But certainly as bad as the shows they do are as they mark time and walk through their shows each weekday, nothing that I can recall in talk radio going back to my start as a teen at KLAC in the late 60s up to and including today, has revolted and disgusted this poster as much as Phillips. In my personal and professional opinion, his next stop at KABC should be the exit door. His program represents the worst in KABC - the "legendary" KABC as they proclaim it to be - of an already poorly programmed station which needs to be cleaned out with a fresh start to begin the climb back to prominence here in this market.

 

[davideduardo]

...the "legendary" KABC as they proclaim it to be - of an already poorly programmed station which needs to be cleaned out with a fresh start to begin the climb back to prominence here in this market.

As has been mentioned by a number of posters, in this age of CFLs, SCRs, CPUs, dimmers and poor power line maintenance, a 5 kw station in the immense LA metro survey area is not going to ever get back to the kind of levels it had 40 years ago.

They can clean it, dye it and blow dry it but it will never be "prominent" again.

 

[SimiRadioListener26]

...the "legendary" KABC as they proclaim it to be - of an already poorly programmed station which needs to be cleaned out with a fresh start to begin the climb back to prominence here in this market.

As has been mentioned by a number of posters, in this age of CFLs, SCRs, CPUs, dimmers and poor power line maintenance, a 5 kw station in the immense LA metro survey area is not going to ever get back to the kind of levels it had 40 years ago.

They can clean it, dye it and blow dry it but it will never be "prominent" again.

There's nothing stopping it from being GOOD. "Prominence" isn't everything. Why can't they set their ratings sights lower? There's nothing wrong per se with being a low-rated station, provided you're not spending on it as if it were a top-tier station. They could downsize, expect lower ratings but still demand QUALITY, and they could succeed in their own right. Look at all the stations in the lower ranks that manage to stick around. If a Farsi-language station can draw an audience in L.A., why not KABC? Their problem, I suspect, is overspending and unrealistic expectations. Maybe they should stop trying to be competitive with KFI.

 

[michael hagerty]

...the "legendary" KABC as they proclaim it to be - of an already poorly programmed station which needs to be cleaned out with a fresh start to begin the climb back to prominence here in this market.

As has been mentioned by a number of posters, in this age of CFLs, SCRs, CPUs, dimmers and poor power line maintenance, a 5 kw station in the immense LA metro survey area is not going to ever get back to the kind of levels it had 40 years ago.

They can clean it, dye it and blow dry it but it will never be "prominent" again.

There's nothing stopping it from being GOOD. "Prominence" isn't everything. Why can't they set their ratings sights lower? There's nothing wrong per se with being a low-rated station, provided you're not spending on it as if it were a top-tier station. They could downsize, expect lower ratings but still demand QUALITY, and they could succeed in their own right. Look at all the stations in the lower ranks that manage to stick around. If a Farsi-language station can draw an audience in L.A., why not KABC? Their problem, I suspect, is overspending and unrealistic expectations. Maybe they should stop trying to be competitive with KFI.

In an absolute sense, you've got a great idea. But when you start dealing with fixed costs, the fact that quality talk hosts and newscasters do not and should not work cheap and the steep drop in revenue once you get below a certain point in the numbers, it's actually a recipe for going broke. Sadly, there's a reason why, once the gravy train stops, stations go cheap and it never improves.

An advantage to the Farsi-language station: It's not competing with 50 other signals for the ad buys.

 

[SimiRadioListener26]

quality talk hosts and newscasters do not and should not work cheap

This is where you're wrong. If such people are desperate enough to work for a low-rated station, they should expect to work cheap. Nobody has a God-given right to be paid well. Yes, they might deserve it in an ideal situation, but if the reality is that there is only one station that's flush with cash and they're not hiring, then even quality broadcasters who are out of work have to bite the bullet if they want to be employed.

 

[michael hagerty]

quality talk hosts and newscasters do not and should not work cheap

This is where you're wrong. If such people are desperate enough to work for a low-rated station, they should expect to work cheap. Nobody has a God-given right to be paid well. Yes, they might deserve it in an ideal situation, but if the reality is that there is only one station that's flush with cash and they're not hiring, then even quality broadcasters who are out of work have to bite the bullet if they want to be employed.

If they want to be employed in radio, yes. But many simply realize that their talents are transferable and other lines of work will allow them to pay the mortgage, feed the family and send the kids to college...not to mention provide for their own retirement.

22-year old DJs would work in San Diego back in the day for $900 a month simply to say they were on the radio in San Diego. Quality (and remember, that's the premise you had here...that it has to be quality) talk hosts and newscasters are for the most part experienced folks who aren't desperate enough to work for KABC unless there's a compelling financial reward. Take that away and you might as well see if L.A. can handle another Farsi-language station.

 

[henry]

$900 a month? Yikes!

I thought living off $1400 a month I make in radio was bad!

And my rent ain't San Diego prices, either.

 

[michael hagerty]

$900 a month? Yikes!

I thought living off $1400 a month I make in radio was bad!

And my rent ain't San Diego prices, either.

"Back in the day" meant mid-late 70s. Rents were cheap in SD then. Still, the same airshift at KHJ was a $50,000 gig.

 

[equalinercard]

Latest ratings: KABC = #33. Any questions?

 

[ChannelFlipper]

Latest ratings: KABC = #33. Any questions?

I guess Drew Hayes wasn't the problem after all? Who knew?

 

[youngsag]

I had the time yesterday to listen to Geraldo for two hours. That's Geraldo "Ya Know" Rivera. Say what you want about an ego run amok and starting off with a guest at :56 past the hour (terrible idea), at least he takes calls! A talk format that takes calls. What a concept.

KABC stuck again at #33 in the market. Maybe they will never hit the top ten again given the signal and tech problems that many have set forth over time. But I cannot be persuaded that excellent, talk radio programming on KABC cannot give the station a big ratings and revenue boost. The idea being that one has to put forth excellent programming always and that the lack of good, involved, smooth, well done and well defined talk programming always, notwithstanding signal issues, can make money and ratings. The opportunities for KABC in LOS ANGELES are great. Many, many people can listen to KABC. They just do not want to do so given the Titanic-like horrors of the station that begin at 5:00 a.m.

Doug and Teri "Mumbles" Rae have to go. What a waste. Who is producing that show? Rather, who is sleeping through the show as producer? Exec producer?

John Phillips has the most disgraceful, shameful program on radio that I have ever heard. Exit door. I renew my challenge and defy any exec in authority at parent Cumulus to listen to any two straight hours of the Phillips show and then attest to the excellence of the program. Cannot be done. The show turns the stomach.

Tilden loves "live and local" at night, or so goes the promo (paraphrase). Well, he was live and local mornings and he failed, in part, because he fell into the same trap McIntyre has fallen into: Bizarre and other weird crime stories that have no place in AM radio, reading the paper on the air (remarkable mistake made by many), failure to plan out a cohesive, entertaining, energetic show IN ADVANCE (another novel concept!).

I refuse to listen to Larry Elder. I can but but only assume that the critical remarks about the "SAGE" (who said?) are on target. He cannot beat the competition regardless of time slot.

Live, local, entertaining, stop commercial clusters, traffic on the 2s is too much break in program continuity, do news and make news with newsmaker calls, take calls from listeners (another novel concept on KABC "legendary" talk radio - ugh!!), dump some shows, revamp others, get rid of the exec producers who keep doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result (see Nathan Baker), do some news (for real, not just previews never fulfilled with substance. Amazing!), play ABC news full newscast each hour (that would help more than you know), be creative, forceful, and, well, alive.

Do some of the above well and kick out the dead weight who care about contract not radio, and KABC will perhaps not break the top ten but can make the top 20. Can be done. Hello, earth calling Cumulus!

 

[westfield60]

I had the time yesterday to listen to Geraldo for two hours. That's Geraldo "Ya Know" Rivera. Say what you want about an ego run amok and starting off with a guest at :56 past the hour (terrible idea), at least he takes calls! A talk format that takes calls. What a concept.

KABC stuck again at #33 in the market. Maybe they will never hit the top ten again given the signal and tech problems that many have set forth over time. But I cannot be persuaded that excellent, talk radio programming on KABC cannot give the station a big ratings and revenue boost. The idea being that one has to put forth excellent programming always and that the lack of good, involved, smooth, well done and well defined talk programming always, notwithstanding signal issues, can make money and ratings. The opportunities for KABC in LOS ANGELES are great. Many, many people can listen to KABC. They just do not want to do so given the Titanic-like horrors of the station that begin at 5:00 a.m.

Doug and Teri "Mumbles" Rae have to go. What a waste. Who is producing that show? Rather, who is sleeping through the show as producer? Exec producer?

John Phillips has the most disgraceful, shameful program on radio that I have ever heard. Exit door. I renew my challenge and defy any exec in authority at parent Cumulus to listen to any two straight hours of the Phillips show and then attest to the excellence of the program. Cannot be done. The show turns the stomach.

Tilden loves "live and local" at night, or so goes the promo (paraphrase). Well, he was live and local mornings and he failed, in part, because he fell into the same trap McIntyre has fallen into: Bizarre and other weird crime stories that have no place in AM radio, reading the paper on the air (remarkable mistake made by many), failure to plan out a cohesive, entertaining, energetic show IN ADVANCE (another novel concept!).

I refuse to listen to Larry Elder. I can but but only assume that the critical remarks about the "SAGE" (who said?) are on target. He cannot beat the competition regardless of time slot.

Live, local, entertaining, stop commercial clusters, traffic on the 2s is too much break in program continuity, do news and make news with newsmaker calls, take calls from listeners (another novel concept on KABC "legendary" talk radio - ugh!!), dump some shows, revamp others, get rid of the exec producers who keep doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result (see Nathan Baker), do some news (for real, not just previews never fulfilled with substance. Amazing!), play ABC news full newscast each hour (that would help more than you know), be creative, forceful, and, well, alive.

Do some of the above well and kick out the dead weight who care about contract not radio, and KABC will perhaps not break the top ten but can make the top 20. Can be done. Hello, earth calling Cumulus!

Well stated.