Just how pathetic is evening talk radio in this city

[westfield60]

I rarely listen to KFI talk radio after John and Ken since Tim Conway Jr is probably the dumbest radio personality out there (even though Bill Carroll is a close second). This guy has been essentially a loser his entire life even though he had the privillege of growing up with a famous father, but he smoked pot most of his life and accomplished nothing. He now is the towel boy and appears on three or four stations hocking everthing under the sun. On his regular show he hardly makes any intelligent argument for his positions and generally contradicts himself if you listen long enough for the night. What I do like is Friday and this is solely due to Doug Steckler who is both entertaining and intelligent compared with that poster boy for mediocrity.

This evening I dared venture back to KABC and frankly it was even worse. That GLEE teacher John Phillips was putting on his yuk yuk radio voice and interviewing some idiot and they were absolutely talking about nothing. They were talking about Andy Rooney's nails. Yes John Phillips hates them. They were talking so informally as if they were in a bathouse together. I couldn't believe this crap is on radio. There was no effort at "entertaining" the audience. I think there has been zero listeners at KABC for such a long time now that they themselves do not even make an effort anymore at pretending they are producing a talk show. Listening to this was more painful than getting a root canal.

I cannot believe how bad talk radio in the evenings is in this city. Is it that no one except bloggers and other unipods listen to talk radio in the early evenings that program directors have entirely given up on producing something half way entertaining? I just don't get it.

 

[Uncle Rob]

I rarely listen to KFI talk radio after John and Ken since Tim Conway Jr is probably the dumbest radio personality out there (even though Bill Carroll is a close second).

One thing i've noticed about Tim Conway Jr. is you either (long e) love him or hate him. There doesn't seem to be a middle ground. As for me, I love him, He cracks me up something fierce. The "What the Hell Did Jesse Jackson Say?" is, to me, one of the funniest bits on radio. Have to admit that I don't listen on Fridays because I can't stand his sidekick Mr. Steckler. But yea, I'm a fan. I do miss Matt Drudge on Sunday nights though.

 

[MC]

I don't think KFI cares much about that time slot. They had Wayne Resnick, Kennedy and Suits, and John Zigler and it didn't seem those people cared much about their job there either. Kennedy split to take care of kids, I think Suits went to Oregon and Resnick had another job anyway. Zigler (who left KGIL as well) seems to have problems dealing with the fact that he doesn't own a radio station and he has to eat a certain amount of excrement to keep a job, any job, nowadays.
As Art Bell said, these people are news chewers, and by 7 pm the days news is all chewed up.

 

[ercjncpr]

Coast To Coast is the only thing keeping AM radio afloat between sunset and sunrise

 

[Uncle Rob]

So who would you put on in the evening if you ran a station, let's say KABC?

 

[calguy]

As far as Conway goes, for me the only thing that I find good about his show is "What did Jessie say?", other than that, well, he's not a very good host. He spouts off about things that he knows nothing about, get what facts he does know wrong and has to rely on others to correct him. He repeats himself constantly, even running the same recorded gags, bad ones at that, over and over again. Oh, and how many times does this guy have to remind you about living in the valley and having a wife & kid. We get it, even though you have a famous father, you're just a regular guy. Sadly, he does bring some color to nights at KFI, but could he at least try to prepare a little before his show?

 

[nmoore6676]

I don't think that in any city you will find the top tier shows in evenings. At least KFI is trying to be live and local and I do enjoy Tim Conway. As for Ziegler he was the best they had at "serious" talk in the evenings but he got into a urination match with John Kobylt which led to his leaving KFI. He didn't leave KGIL, KGIL left him for another of their annual format flips, back to standards as I recall.

Of course I think that KFI erred in dumping Phil Hendrie because as alluded to above pretty much all of the news is discussed to death by 6pm. So having a more entertainment focused show again not that farfetched and after the blowing up of FM talk they had a chance for Conway and took it. The Suits, Suits-Kennedy experiment was just floundering after Zig exited and it would have been cancelled no matter who left the show.

When I was growing up late nights became the prime time for talk as most stations were still playing music daytime so talk came to the forefront in the wee hours of after midnight pre-sunrise. Nobody ever has done it as well as Art Bell and unfortunately he may have retired for the last time. George Noory is trying but he has big shoes to fill and he seems like a nice man and comes across as such but he just doesn't get it as good as the man who founded Coast to Coast.

By the way when I was a real little kid, late nights on a lot of the big 50KW blasters were country or gospel music played between sales pitches for live chicks and miracle cures for every ailment known to mankind. Kind of like the infomercial shows on weekends now, except I guess no one buys baby chickens anymore.

 

[radio777]

Tim Conway Jr's Thursday show is hilarious and it is the only one I can tolerate in this evening radio show wasteland.
KLAC has two buffoons with Mike North and Lincoln Kennedy and A Martinez on 710 KSPN must get paid by the word for
the radio equivalent of watching grass grow.

While Tim comes across bitter with some of his takes, it's also what makes some amusing, entertaining radio when he
starts to rant about some obscure insipid celebrity suddenly finding success. Hope he sticks around longer than
Zigler.

 

[radiocph]

I guess no one buys baby chickens anymore.

Try a Latino or Asian neighborhood. Plenty of stores selling live poultry.

 

[nmoore6676]

I guess no one buys baby chickens anymore.

Try a Latino or Asian neighborhood. Plenty of stores selling live poultry.

Not too many Latino or Asian neighborhoods in Ottumwa, Iowa or Springfield, Ohio for that matter. However I was referring to a time in my childhood when I stayed up all night with a pair of "Brush" headphones clamped on my head, so my parents wouldn't know I was up much too late, listening to distant stations on skip and hearing them sell baby chicks in between the music. Yes they also sold those plastic Jesus dashboard statues immortalized by Paul Newman in "Cool Hand Luke". Wolfman Jack as I recall was a great wee small hours huckster. Alas those days are gone and nobody IS selling poultry live or otherwise on overnight radio anymore.

No really great overnight talkers anymore either as talk radio has become a daylight staple now. I can recall my mom's radio picking up KDKA and WBZ all night as she was a bit of an insomniac at times. If she were still alive all she'd get, even on the after midnight skip, would be Coast to Coast wall to wall across the dial. No poultry sold there either though there are some other fascinating pitches.

 

[robnokshus06]

Alas those days are gone and nobody IS selling poultry live or otherwise on overnight radio anymore.

I too lament the lack of live poultry on the LA airwaves.

 

[MC]

Zigler's website claims he was let go at KGIL because of format change, but then they did not go to music exclusively. He is not happy with KGIL. Read his website. He also went from a big Sarah Palin fan to claiming she let him down. I didn't think he was that great. Always complaining the world did not treat him right.



Try listening to Gene Burns (on net) at KGO in SF, he does politics but other topics as well.

 

[davideduardo]

However I was referring to a time in my childhood when I stayed up all night with a pair of "Brush" headphones...

I thought my ears would be permanently flattened from those Bakelite earpieces.

...and hearing them sell baby chicks in between the music. Yes they also sold those plastic Jesus dashboard statues immortalized by Paul Newman in "Cool Hand Luke".

I remember others on XERF as well. The resurrection plant was a cactus of some sort that arrived shriveled and brown and then went all green if H-2-O was added. There truly was an autographed picture of Jesus (autographed by the preacher who sold them). Best, though, was the preacher who had 25Hz tone on a cart, and he would tell the listeners, "put your hand on your radio and feel the power of the Lord" at which point the 25 Hz tone was played, making most radios vibrate something awful, and provoking a multitude of faith offerings.

I recall some years back the story Rollye James, the talk host, told me. She was raised in a condo apartment in Miami Beach, and her mother generally had some appearance-conscious friends over at tea time. Imagine the ladies when the XERF mail order was fulfilled and a box of 100 chicks, only about half of which were still chirping, arrived at their anything-but-bucolic abode.

A friend, Sergio Ballesteros, was manager of XERF in the early 60's. Innocently, he asked a preacher who offered $1, $5 and $10 blessings on the air what the difference between the one buck blessing and the sawbuck one was. The preacher replied, "Nine dollars, of course."

 

[emailfailed]

Speaking of border blasters of days gone by, has anybody read this book yet?

http://www.amazon.com/Border-Radio-Yodelers-Pitchmen-Broadcasters/dp/0292725353

 

[Ultimajock]

...funny how a discussion of nighttime talk radio in L.A. is invariably reduced to which yakker's arm fits the swastika armband best (Junior Conway, Ziegler, Kennedy/Suits). Of course, Chump Channel can't bring itself to put anyone on KTLK worth a damn in that daypart either (Mike Malloy has become a shell of his best period's work on WLS Chicago, and Phil Hendrie is a one-gag pony without material). Six-year-old podcasts of Tom Leykis are still fresher than the lot of them...

 

[westfield60]

...funny how a discussion of nighttime talk radio in L.A. is invariably reduced to which yakker's arm fits the swastika armband best (Junior Conway, Ziegler, Kennedy/Suits). Of course, Chump Channel can't bring itself to put anyone on KTLK worth a damn in that daypart either (Mike Malloy has become a shell of his best period's work on WLS Chicago, and Phil Hendrie is a one-gag pony without material). Six-year-old podcasts of Tom Leykis are still fresher than the lot of them...

I too have wondered about this. John Phillips had Ann Coulter on for the entire duration of his show the other night and she used KABC's supposed three hour valuable air time as an uninterrupted commercial for pushing her book and for her positions. John Phillips like the idiot that he is, just gleefully agreed with everything she spewed out. I just don't get it. Lately Doug McIntyre too has given some fringe guests air time pushing their radical adgendas. I truly don't think most Americans think like this. They are worried about their jobs, want someone to represent them in washington, they are politically in the middle and do not incessantly read bloggers and their opinions. We want someone to entertain us since that is what the readio medium is supposed to be before it became a pulpit of polticial preachers. Leykis was geat in that he did entertain.

I think Station management, particularly in this town are so out of touch.

 

[nmoore6676]

However I was referring to a time in my childhood when I stayed up all night with a pair of "Brush" headphones...

I thought my ears would be permanently flattened from those Bakelite earpieces.

My ears do seem to be flatter than most so called ordinary people. Actually XERF's predecessor was the ultimate vender of patent medicine but also was the broadcast home for The Carter Family before they went onto WSM and The "Opry" but by then they were Mother Mabelle and her daughters. All those shows were sent across he border on acetates and I believe Gene Autry was among the talent also sandwiched into the goat gland sales pitches.

...funny how a discussion of nighttime talk radio in L.A. is invariably reduced to which yakker's arm fits the swastika armband best (Junior Conway, Ziegler, Kennedy/Suits). Of course, Chump Channel can't bring itself to put anyone on KTLK worth a damn in that daypart either (Mike Malloy has become a shell of his best period's work on WLS Chicago, and Phil Hendrie is a one-gag pony without material). Six-year-old podcasts of Tom Leykis are still fresher than the lot of them...

I too have wondered about this. John Phillips had Ann Coulter on for the entire duration of his show the other night and she used KABC's supposed three hour valuable air time as an uninterrupted commercial for pushing her book and for her positions. John Phillips like the idiot that he is, just gleefully agreed with everything she spewed out. I just don't get it. Lately Doug McIntyre too has given some fringe guests air time pushing their radical adgendas. I truly don't think most Americans think like this. They are worried about their jobs, want someone to represent them in washington, they are politically in the middle and do not incessantly read bloggers and their opinions. We want someone to entertain us since that is what the readio medium is supposed to be before it became a pulpit of polticial preachers. Leykis was geat in that he did entertain.

I think Station management, particularly in this town are so out of touch.

When you are the third, or lower, tier talk host in the market, Phillips, you get guests by letting them pitch their projects. So not much different than selling snake oil.

As for Doug McIntyre he is overnight and you get what you get. At least he can do good interviews and he does want to be controversial because that is what most people seem to want or why else are John and Ken so listened to. At least he is not playing with the tin hat guys and alien abductees so he is a viable alternative to Coast to Coast.

 

[SimiRadioListener26]

...funny how a discussion of nighttime talk radio in L.A. is invariably reduced to which yakker's arm fits the swastika armband best (Junior Conway, Ziegler, Kennedy/Suits). Of course, Chump Channel can't bring itself to put anyone on KTLK worth a damn in that daypart either (Mike Malloy has become a shell of his best period's work on WLS Chicago, and Phil Hendrie is a one-gag pony without material). Six-year-old podcasts of Tom Leykis are still fresher than the lot of them...

Ah yes, the usual "right wing = Nazi" stereotype. How very mature and erudite of you.

 

[henry]

The original poster doesn't show much love for Conway's show. Too bad. I listen nearly every night ... and I'm not even in the Los Angeles market. One of the best shows in radio, imo.

 

[Ultimajock]

...funny how a discussion of nighttime talk radio in L.A. is invariably reduced to which yakker's arm fits the swastika armband best (Junior Conway, Ziegler, Kennedy/Suits). Of course, Chump Channel can't bring itself to put anyone on KTLK worth a damn in that daypart either (Mike Malloy has become a shell of his best period's work on WLS Chicago, and Phil Hendrie is a one-gag pony without material). Six-year-old podcasts of Tom Leykis are still fresher than the lot of them...

Ah yes, the usual "right wing = Nazi" stereotype. How very mature and erudite of you.

...it's the plain truth. "Talk radio" has degenerated into propaganda designed to appeal to the listener's hatreds. Neither Jack Kennedy or Barry Goldwater would recognise today's Democratic or Republican parties as their own...