John and Ken National AP Story

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Proof that local radio hosts on a well programmed station can still garner national press coverage.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110314/ap_on_go_ot/ca_california_budget_political_shock_jocks

 

[calguy]

I would say that it must have been a slow news day, but with what's happening in Japan and the Middle East that would not be a true statement. I guess someone needed to hand in a story to their editor.

 

[Uncle Rob]

While I am a J&K fan their influence is minimal. Political Human Sacrifice had no effect Recalls, voting out incumbents, etc.. Numerous other things they do have virtually no effect. What they do well is educate the listeners about what is going on. But has it changed anything? No.

 

[ChannelFlipper]

While I am a J&K fan their influence is minimal. Political Human Sacrifice had no effect Recalls, voting out incumbents, etc.. Numerous other things they do have virtually no effect. What they do well is educate the listeners about what is going on. But has it changed anything? No.

I would disagree. There have now been several newspaper stories over the last few weeks discussing a common theme - that state Republican assemblymen have very much "adjusted" what they support and don't support and that not a single budget negotiation between state Republicans and Democrats takes place that does not reference John and Ken, with Republicans living in dread fear of getting on the wrong side of them. It can be argued they have more power than some of the elected representatives themselves. The most recent proof is Governor Brown's failure to get enough Republican votes to get the tax increase continuation on the June ballot. John and Ken will be doing a victory lap on that one.

 

[stevechang]

For years John and Ken have been featured in numerous newspapers and media reports about their influence. However every election day most of the candidates and propositions that they endorse fail. Even a lot of their on-site rallys have drawn embarrassingly low turn outs. So I sense the media types like to think they have an influence but generally not. I sense it is because everyone else is so pathetically bad locally (Tim Conway Jr, Larry Elder, Bill Carroll) that in comparison John and Ken look like geniuses and real power brokers. So it all a matter of perception.

The dirty secret that few admit is that it really is all John Koybalt. Ken Champiou couldn't draw an audience by himself even if he tried. John makes the points and intelligent arguments on their show and on their KTLA news spots. Ken is the empty headed barbie of the group.

 

[davideduardo]

While I am a J&K fan their influence is minimal. Political Human Sacrifice had no effect Recalls, voting out incumbents, etc.. Numerous other things they do have virtually no effect. What they do well is educate the listeners about what is going on. But has it changed anything? No.

You are not taking into account the influence that these entertaining show elements has on politicians. None wants to run the risk of a recall, nor the negative publicity that such a thing creates.

The principal reason these guys do that sort of thing is that they do work... they increase ratings.

It really does not matter if they influence politics. But it's obvious that the fun and games on the air do influence the politicians in question... as well as government agencies and other public sector employees.

 

[davideduardo]

For years John and Ken have been featured in numerous newspapers and media reports about their influence. However every election day most of the candidates and propositions that they endorse fail. Even a lot of their on-site rallys have drawn embarrassingly low turn outs. So I sense the media types like to think they have an influence but generally not. I sense it is because everyone else is so pathetically bad locally (Tim Conway Jr, Larry Elder, Bill Carroll) that in comparison John and Ken look like geniuses and real power brokers. So it all a matter of perception.

The dirty secret that few admit is that it really is all John Koybalt. Ken Champiou couldn't draw an audience by himself even if he tried. John makes the points and intelligent arguments on their show and on their KTLA news spots. Ken is the empty headed barbie of the group.

If all the shows were so bad, people would simply not listen to any of them.

As an example of how you are confusing what you don't like with what others do like is Bill Carroll. That show gets almost identical AQH persons levels in all hours as Rush Limbaugh does; if the show were, as I have said, a bad show. Few shows or stations get above a 5 share. And for every single AQH listener to a 5 share station, there are 190 people in the market who are not listening. Whether you like the station (or perhaps you work at the competition or were fired there...) or not, they are doing well over at KFI, what with being one of the 5 or so highest billing stations in America and all.

The fact is that John and Ken cume around one million people in the LA market and surrounding markets. That does not happen because they aren't entertaining.

As to who has what role in the show, who cares? The formula works, and the show is very successful.

 

[ercjncpr]

For years John and Ken have been featured in numerous newspapers and media reports about their influence. However every election day most of the candidates and propositions that they endorse fail. Even a lot of their on-site rallys have drawn embarrassingly low turn outs. So I sense the media types like to think they have an influence but generally not. I sense it is because everyone else is so pathetically bad locally (Tim Conway Jr, Larry Elder, Bill Carroll) that in comparison John and Ken look like geniuses and real power brokers. So it all a matter of perception.

The dirty secret that few admit is that it really is all John Koybalt. Ken Champiou couldn't draw an audience by himself even if he tried. John makes the points and intelligent arguments on their show and on their KTLA news spots. Ken is the empty headed barbie of the group.

If all the shows were so bad, people would simply not listen to any of them.

As an example of how you are confusing what you don't like with what others do like is Bill Carroll. That show gets almost identical AQH persons levels in all hours as Rush Limbaugh does; if the show were, as I have said, a bad show. Few shows or stations get above a 5 share. And for every single AQH listener to a 5 share station, there are 190 people in the market who are not listening. Whether you like the station (or perhaps you work at the competition or were fired there...) or not, they are doing well over at KFI, what with being one of the 5 or so highest billing stations in America and all.

The fact is that John and Ken cume around one million people in the LA market and surrounding markets. That does not happen because they aren't entertaining.

As to who has what role in the show, who cares? The formula works, and the show is very successful.

And that is a sad commentary on the state of the talk radio audience of 2011

 

[stevechang]

DavidEduardo

The reason J&K and even Bill Carroll may be "successful" is because there is absolutely nobody else on the air. KABC, KFWB, KTLK all have self destructed, so competition really doesn't exist for KFI. When Leykis was on during drive time, didn't he consistently beat J&K in the prized demographics?

I think if anybody half way entertaining was put on against them, they wouldn't be number one. They failed at KABC and they failed in their attempt to syndicate, so they are not the infallible radio gods you may think. The problem with other stations is that they put on clones of each other whereas the good thing about J&K is that can't be pinned down on all issues. They are liberal on some and conservative on others. I do like them for that.

 

[davideduardo]

The reason J&K and even Bill Carroll may be "successful" is because there is absolutely nobody else on the air. KABC, KFWB, KTLK all have self destructed, so competition really doesn't exist for KFI.

In part, that is due to KFI really dominating in the last decade or so.

KFWB, of course, only did talk as a cheaper alternative when it had to go into a trust due to market caps. Like KABC, it's signal is deficient for full market coverage, too.

After the game is over, does it really matter if you win due to the other team's bad defense or to your own brilliant offense?

When Leykis was on during drive time, didn't he consistently beat J&K in the prized demographics?

I took Spring books from 2003 to 2008 in 25-54. With KFI having a natural disadvantage with that demo against an FM, here is what happened.

Year KFI KLSX
03 3.9 3.9
04 3.8 4.2
05 3.6 3.5
06 4.7 3.0
07 3.2 2.7
08 3.5 2.5

Going further back, there was a time around '96 and '97 when the afternoon show on KTNQ, also a talker, was beating KFI in anything under age 55.

I think if anybody half way entertaining was put on against them, they wouldn't be number one.

Yet nobody has done that, and there has been opportunity.

They failed at KABC and they failed in their attempt to syndicate, so they are not the infallible radio gods you may think.

I don't think they are gods, but I think they are due some credit for having taken on, so far, all challenges.

Failing at KABC is, perhaps, a recommendation. If they could bring back Ronald Reagan and Jack Kennedy to do a show, it would likely fail.

Plenty of good shows fail in syndication... I recall the attempts to share some really good talents between KABC and KGO over a decade ago, and they failed, yet that does not diminish Ronn Owens in my mind.

The problem with other stations is that they put on clones of each other whereas the good thing about J&K is that can't be pinned down on all issues. They are liberal on some and conservative on others. I do like them for that.

In other words, J&K are annoying and unpredictable. Those are stellar qualities!

 

[AM FM listener]

The dirty secret that few admit is that it really is all John Koybalt. Ken Champiou couldn't draw an audience by himself even if he tried. John makes the points and intelligent arguments on their show and on their KTLA news spots. Ken is the empty headed barbie of the group.

John and Ken are sort of like the singers Hall & Oates. Hall did all the singing with Oates just doing the aaaahhhh's and oooooo's but it worked and the two sold lots of records. Plus, every time Hall made a solo record, it was a stiff so there was something about Oates that contributed to the duo's success; perhaps it was behind the scenes. Perhaps Ken does more of the leg work before the show, I don't know. I, for one, could not listen to John rant all the time by himself. He needs Ken to balance out the flow of the show. For that matter, Terry Rae is very crucial to the show as well.

 

[Uncle Rob]

The best John and Ken moment ever, to me, was when they went to a neighborhood where a hotel was housing sex offenders and not notifying people that they were staying there. The hotel hired a PR firm and John is yelling and screaming about the CEO and the PR firm raising all sorts of hell. Then they went to a commercial break and the first commercial was a City National Bank commercial with the CEO of the same PR company talking about how great his business was doing because of the bank. You couldn't have planned it any better. I couldn't stop laughing at that one.

 

[the_wanderer]

DavidEduardo

The reason J&K and even Bill Carroll may be "successful" is because there is absolutely nobody else on the air. KABC, KFWB, KTLK all have self destructed, so competition really doesn't exist for KFI. When Leykis was on during drive time, didn't he consistently beat J&K in the prized demographics?

I think if anybody half way entertaining was put on against them, they wouldn't be number one. They failed at KABC and they failed in their attempt to syndicate, so they are not the infallible radio gods you may think. The problem with other stations is that they put on clones of each other whereas the good thing about J&K is that can't be pinned down on all issues. They are liberal on some and conservative on others. I do like them for that.

Ok time for a good old fashioned rant...

First I agree with most of what you said.

I can't stand those f_ckers J/K, so I don't listen to them anymore. I happened to be tuning over to KLAC and the tuner scanned past KFI for 20 sec. All I heard was them bitching about how some politicians said J/.K were entertainment whores or something like that and Ken said well at least they were whores for commercial radio. Does anyone see the tragic and f_cked up flaw in this sad logic? So there are different levels of being a whore!? So case in point, it really matters if you're in the 7th level of Dante's Inferno hell? or of the 5th? You're still in hell MoFo.

If you're going to be a whore for something, just be honest and admit it, especially when you're an "entertainer", these clowns try to pretend they're 'real', they 'care' about the audience, Pffffft, f_cking hell, excuse me while I roll on the floor and piss myself laughing. They're as phony as a $3 bill. They only thing they care about is getting and keeping their sponsors. They just try to play both sides and end up being schizophrenic, narcissistic, and highly annoying.

A long time ago, I heard john do a commercial for some eye doctor, he sounds like he has taken speech lessons from Shatner.

Call.800.laser.eye.because.I.must.say.each.word.like.it.is.its.own.sentence.

If they wanted to debate someone about their BS on an independent channel, I'd rip those f_cktards to shreds. They have left so many skeletons lying around of their outright lies, flipping opinions, etc, they're an easy target. Calling or talking on their show is stupidity in action as it only gives those dimwits J/K more opportunity to rant for more ratings (entertainment). J/K can't be taken seriously, just like Limbaugh/Stern, it's about entertainment and ratings, no morality just bow down, bend over to the almighty dollar/latest ratings.

Dimwitted suits only care about the bottom line and fail to see the big picture, a good quality show, takes time, effort and committed people. Throwing 'reality' turds against a wall and hoping to get ratings doesn't work. But current 'entertainment' industry is terrible, no creativity at all, look at all of the cheap garbage 'reality' shows and reboots, amount of creativity=0. In the modern era of youtube, entertainment is on demand, you have to work hard to find a cool niche that will draw people.