Kava: More Cuts At KGO Today

[DavidKaye]

The reason Leo has seemed "in a hurry to get his moment done with, no personality, no quick witted responses to anchors" for awhile is because he was told to make his reports shorter - no wishing anybody a happy birthday, just the weather, please. I did not hear this from a buddy of his, I heard it right from his mouth. He would have been more than happy to inject a little personality into his reports.

Well, he definitely used to show way more personality. He used to be a fun listen. Asking him to shorten his weather on the one hand while bringing in LLY and letting him loose on the other hand seems strange. Leo was much more palatable (in before asked to shorten) than LLY.

What I find most reprehensible is that these people were let go without even the common courtesy of a two-week notice.

That's a mixed bag. Few personalities (and for that matter, few employees in any line of work) are given notice because their work tends to deteriorate in those 2 weeks. There's also the problem that they could poison the company esprit de corps during that time. Or if the firing is dramatic, the personality could let loose with nasty on-air comments during that time. I remember the time a KFRC DJ suggested that Richard Nixon be charged with treason.

All in all, given the tenure of Leo Ciolino I'd think they could have waited until his retirement or given him a sendoff or something.

 

[BossRadioDJ]

There is more stability at KGO radio than any other broadcasting entity in the United States.

Unfortunately, I think that this has led to the "graying" of KGO -- and KCBS, for that matter. You've got stability, and yet you're doing little to develop or attract new talent.

KGO proclaims that it is working hard to attract the coveted 25-54 listener, yet its high-profile talk show hosts rarely fall into that category. (Who are the youngest hosts on KGO? Brian Copeland, and...?)

Meanwhile, the heart of KGO's batting order is moving rapidly out of the target demo the station is trying to attract and keep. Out of Ronn Owens, Gil Gross, Dr. Dean Edell, Len Tillem, Ray Taliaferro, Gene Burns, Dr. Bill Wattenburg, Joannie Greggains, John Hamilton and John Rothmann, who is actually in the 25-54 group?

(This is NOT a knock on any of them -- they are unquestionably among the very best and brightest in the business.)

 

[coppersmom]

wellboss...you have a point about youth...but generally..unlike t.v. anchoring..where all one does is read off a teleprompter and look cute or avuncular..in talk radio..as long as your voice isn't cracking from age..it really does take a lifetime of experiences to have a well of knowledge from which to pull an opinion on any subject..the most popular talk host in america is over fifty. yes? an anyone name any immensely talented talk hosts under fifty? ones with national prominence?

 

[LKellerIII]

wellboss...you have a point about youth...but generally..unlike t.v. anchoring..where all one does is read off a teleprompter and look cute or avuncular..in talk radio..as long as your voice isn't cracking from age..it really does take a lifetime of experiences to have a well of knowledge from which to pull an opinion on any subject..the most popular talk host in america is over fifty. yes? an anyone name any immensely talented talk hosts under fifty? ones with national prominence?

My own (admittedly un-expert) analysis is that KGO's "problem" is not the age of its talent, but the AM only problem. After all, this is radio, not TV - the audience is not looking at the gray hair and wrinkles. Somebody posting here recently stated that many of the Bay Area's veteran DJs (Bobby Ocean, etc.) were not regularly on the air because of their age. So I checked the staff photos on the website of the Bay Area's number one music station - KOIT. There's a lot of gray hair in that group - median age about 50, I'm guessing... http://www.koit.com/Hosts/3954764

NOTE: the two younger looking hosts (Grauer and Cassidy) are the weekend and fill-in hosts. Not shown, of course, is Bobby Ocean, who also fills in.

I don't think the age of the talent is a major consideration unless you're appealing directly to a young audience (Wild 94.9, KMEL, MOViN) and need young jocks to make public appearances at local nightclubs...or sock-hops ;D

Remember the fiasco that was 106.9/Free-FM had younger hosts and tried to appeal to a younger audience by talking exclusively about subjects younger people supposedly cared about. Putting aside the bizarre personal problems of the hosts (London, O'Toole) the talk was superficial, stupid, and there was no compelling reason to listen - for anybody, young or old.

By the way - my 26 year old daughter has become a KGO fan. She especially likes Gene Burns. This is that same person who used to ride in the back seat of my car as a little girl, and claimed repeatedly that KGO made her car-sick.

 

[coppersmom]

and think of this..the most irreverent t.v. talk show in the nation is done by the 62 year old DAvid letterman..

this generation to which I belong..also brought bluejeans,psychedelics,rock n'roll,sexual liberation ..etc. to the world..not your average generation by any means..It is also a demographic with huge spending power moxie..whether arbitron accurately measures reality or not. If ..I'm an advertiser..I'm thinking..whose got discretionary income in this currect era....hmmm..not the young, not the middle-aged..it's the GEEZERS..AT LEAST THE YOUNGER ONES.

 

[coppersmom]

WHO'S

 

[BossRadioDJ]

and think of this..the most irreverent t.v. talk show in the nation is done by the 62 year old DAvid letterman..

this generation to which I belong..also brought bluejeans,psychedelics,rock n'roll,sexual liberation ..etc. to the world..not your average generation by any means..It is also a demographic with huge spending power moxie..whether arbitron accurately measures reality or not. If ..I'm an advertiser..I'm thinking..whose got discretionary income in this currect era....hmmm..not the young, not the middle-aged..it's the GEEZERS..AT LEAST THE YOUNGER ONES.

But ... two points: first, you are not an advertiser. Whether you believe what you are saying or not, I've heard it too many times for it not to be true: the advertisers want 25-54. You may have the spending power, but the advertisers do not care.

Mr. Eduardo has pounded that point home here continually. Because it's true.

Secondly, your point about David Letterman isn't valid here. That's TV. We're talking radio. TV is developing talent. TV is finding young stars. Radio isn't. Letterman is irreverant. But he's going to be gone in just a few years (probably by his own choice).

And Rush Limbaugh is not a good case in point. He's got a huge audience. He's one-of-a-kind. And he's going to be gone in a few years, too. Will the person replacing him be as good? Not a chance. There's only one Rush.

 

[LKellerIII]

and think of this..the most irreverent t.v. talk show in the nation is done by the 62 year old DAvid letterman..

this generation to which I belong..also brought bluejeans,psychedelics,rock n'roll,sexual liberation ..etc. to the world..not your average generation by any means..It is also a demographic with huge spending power moxie..whether arbitron accurately measures reality or not. If ..I'm an advertiser..I'm thinking..whose got discretionary income in this currect era....hmmm..not the young, not the middle-aged..it's the GEEZERS..AT LEAST THE YOUNGER ONES.

But ... two points: first, you are not an advertiser. Whether you believe what you are saying or not, I've heard it too many times for it not to be true: the advertisers want 25-54. You may have the spending power, but the advertisers do not care.

Mr. Eduardo has pounded that point home here continually. Because it's true.

Secondly, your point about David Letterman isn't valid here. That's TV. We're talking radio. TV is developing talent. TV is finding young stars. Radio isn't. Letterman is irreverant. But he's going to be gone in just a few years (probably by his own choice).

And Rush Limbaugh is not a good case in point. He's got a huge audience. He's one-of-a-kind. And he's going to be gone in a few years, too. Will the person replacing him be as good? Not a chance. There's only one Rush.

Mr. Eduardo has also pointed out repeatedly that having an AM only signal is a big problem. As proof, he's cited a number of news and talk stations across the country that have gained share in 25-54 by either starting to simulcast on FM, or by dumping the AM signal entirely and becoming FM only. KCBS is the most recent example of a station that has gained share, and I don't think younger listeners are tuning back out because Stan Bunger has gray hair.

There's an interesting thread on the LA board about KFI - Eduardo points out that the station - like KGO - has seriously lost 25-54 share, and had predicted that Clear Channel would find a way to simulcast KFI on FM. But others have said Clear Channel has no such plans because it would force them to write-down 640 AM as an "impaired asset," and CC does not want to do this in the current economy. Nowhere in the discussion was mention of the median age of KFI's hosts. They're younger than KGOs, I suspect.

This is not to say that your point is wrong, Boss - talk radio should be bringing along younger talent. Having said that, I'm happy to that more...uh...more "seasoned" hosts like Christine are getting air-time.

 

[coppersmom]

and you know what else?? the rockn'roll band that draws the biggest audience on tour......actually older than I am...the er..rolling stones.

 

[BossRadioDJ]

and you know what else?? the rockn'roll band that draws the biggest audience on tour......actually older than I am...the er..rolling stones.

Agreed. And I'll add that Paul McCartney sells out every show, too.

But, once again, that's not radio. (If you have any radio-specific argument, please feel free to use it!)

We can stay on this angle, though: when was the last time either the Rolling Stones or McCartney had a hit on the radio? (Not just a hit record, but a hit that was played on radio.) I'm guessing it was in the late 1980s for both of them -- two decades ago.

But the music industry continues to generate new stars, and new types of music. It continues to find new audiences.

Today, radio does not generate new stars (and by "generate" I do not mean "recycle from other media, such as television or newspapers"). Today, radio does not innovate. It does not create anything new or different.

(A final note about McCartney: the last time I saw him live, the building was packed with about 20,000 fans, and everyone knew the words to every song. And I'd also venture a semi-educated guess that the average age of those attending was decidedly outside radio's coveted 25-54 sweet spot.)

 

[coppersmom]

well I don't know about hits on radio..I do know that there has not been a band as charismatic as either the beatles or the stones..since...well the beatles or the stones. has there? my old friend from Santa Barbara Joe Walsh..who is now a geezer ..still draws huge crowds with his band..the eagles...maybe the music was all just really good..maybe the ideas of our generation still stir critical debate..maybe not.

 

[weav]

You young whippersnappers don't know DOODLY-squat. There hasn't been a band as charismatic as the TOMMY DORSEY ORCHESTRA since, well, the TOMMY DORSEY ORCHESTRA! [ptoo..... bong] Don't hand me any of that mophead Paul McCartney nonsense.

Here's your hat and what's your hurry...

 

[DeadAudicy]

Don't hand me any of that mophead Paul McCartney nonsense

It's mopTOP. What are you from squaresville? Get hip man. This is the swingin sixties not the farty forties, and you'd better buy yourself a helmet before the solid seventies come down on your narrow hair like a led leppard or...something really heavy.

And get off your own damn lawn.

 

[DavidKaye]

well I don't know about hits on radio..I do know that there has not been a band as charismatic as either the beatles or the stones..since...well the beatles or the stones. has there?

Nirvana. That was 20 years ago, though.

 

[BossRadioDJ]

Nirvana. That was 20 years ago, though.

Oh, yeah. Kurt Cobain simply ooooozed charisma.

 

[SFStatic]

...and probably a few controlled substances.

 

[coppersmom]

my generation brought you........marijuana..out-of date? hardly.

 

[Zeb Norris]

my generation brought you........marijuana..out-of date? hardly.

Louis Armstrong was a big pot smoker. Is THAT the genration you refer to?

 

[BossRadioDJ]

my generation brought you........marijuana..out-of date? hardly.

Your generation did no such thing. Musicians and actors were smoking "jazz cigarettes" in droves back in the 1920s. It was the narcotic of choice in Hollywood in the 1930s and 1940s. The Beatniks brought it to the mainstream in the 1950s.

 

[SFStatic]

Buddy Rich was smoking a big doobie on the band bus a couple months before he died (and he had had bypass surgery!)