KGO: No FM, New 10-1 Host ... And Renel?

[BossRadioDJ]

The outstanding S.F. Peninsula Press Club blog reports on several items concerning KGO:

* Mickey Luckoff has told SFPPC that "there are no plans at this time for KGO to add an FM signal."

* On a recent Ronn Owens show, Luckoff announced that KGO would name a permanent host for its 10 PM-1AM shift "very soon."

* Luckoff also noted that he has been in contact with Renel, telling the SFPPC that he's "a great admirer of Renel's, I think she's a terrific talent, and we are actually looking into where she wants to be next."

 

[LKellerIII]

The outstanding S.F. Peninsula Press Club blog reports on several items concerning KGO:

* Mickey Luckoff has told SFPPC that "there are no plans at this time for KGO to add an FM signal."

* On a recent Ronn Owens show, Luckoff announced that KGO would name a permanent host for its 10 PM-1AM shift "very soon."

* Luckoff also noted that he has been in contact with Renel, telling the SFPPC that he's "a great admirer of Renel's, I think she's a terrific talent, and we are actually looking into where she wants to be next."

I've stated my personal opinion before that KGO should now leave news up to KCBS and NPR, and put talk shows in morning and afternoon drive. So here's my suggestion to Mickey: Renel in the Morning with funny side-kick Ed Baxter, plus Jennifer Jones with news and traffic. ;D

 

[RadioStarOne]

Renel on KGO in morning drive? You're all out of your minds! But never discount the idiots running radio these days. Heck! You may has well let Ronn do morning drive with Ed Baxter. Now there is an idea! Let John Rothman do 9 to noon! Renel? Get real Micky!

 

[LKellerIII]

Renel on KGO in morning drive? You're all out of your minds! But never discount the idiots running radio these days. Heck! You may has well let Ronn do morning drive with Ed Baxter. Now there is an idea! Let John Rothman do 9 to noon! Renel? Get real Micky!

Uh...I was the one that suggested Renel in KGO morning drive. Please note that the obnoxious little happy face symbol ( ;D) indicates joke.

I don't think Luckoff was suggesting that either - just that he thinks Renel is talented.

 

[BossRadioDJ]

Much More Mickey: In Sunday morning's Chronicle, Mickey Luckoff is quoted regarding the drop in ad revenue among television and radio stations, and on the Web:

"Never seen it this bad. Never," said Mickey Luckoff, president and general manager of KGO-AM, who has been at the station more than three decades, much of that time with the news-talk broadcaster on top of the ratings chart. "It's as close to a depression that I've seen in my lifetime."

TV, radio, Web ad revenue taking big hit:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/05/16/MNH217LDF5.DTL

 

[LKellerIII]

Much More Mickey: In Sunday morning's Chronicle, Mickey Luckoff is quoted regarding the drop in ad revenue among television and radio stations, and on the Web:

"Never seen it this bad. Never," said Mickey Luckoff, president and general manager of KGO-AM, who has been at the station more than three decades, much of that time with the news-talk broadcaster on top of the ratings chart. "It's as close to a depression that I've seen in my lifetime."

TV, radio, Web ad revenue taking big hit:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/05/16/MNH217LDF5.DTL

Well yeah - his lifetime and probably a number of years before that. How many times have we heard the phrase: "the worst recession since the Great Depression?" Mickey's a real radio veteran, but I don't he was in the business in the mid 1930s.

 

[BossRadioDJ]

Well yeah - his lifetime and probably a number of years before that. How many times have we heard the phrase: "the worst recession since the Great Depression?" Mickey's a real radio veteran, but I doubt he was in the business in the mid 1930s.

How bad did the Great Depression hit radio? On the one hand, I'm guessing radio thrived because it was basically free, and you could build a radio using a piece of wood, a galena and a cat's whisker. On the other hand, much of your audience didn't have two dimes to rub together...

 

[LKellerIII]

Well yeah - his lifetime and probably a number of years before that. How many times have we heard the phrase: "the worst recession since the Great Depression?" Mickey's a real radio veteran, but I doubt he was in the business in the mid 1930s.

How bad did the Great Depression hit radio? On the one hand, I'm guessing radio thrived because it was basically free, and you could build a radio using a piece of wood, a galena and a cat's whisker. On the other hand, much of your audience didn't have two dimes to rub together...

I wasn't really trying to compare today's radio to radio in the 1930s, DJ. Radio was in its infancy then. Many station owners in those days were businessmen that saw radio primarily as a way to advertise what they were really selling - cars, a bank...whatever. So I imagine any revenue they made from their stations was considered a bonus, but not their main goal.

 

[BossRadioDJ]

I wasn't really trying to compare today's radio to radio in the 1930s, DJ.

Llew, I was asking it as a general question. I'm thinking that radio back then was different (most of the schedule was ten- or fifteen-minute segments, sort of like "Vaudeville On The Radio"), unlike today when it's becoming increasingly voicetracked and less locally-driven. Still, it was truly a listener-friendly medium back then.

Now, it seems to be a mostly cost-driven business, with the emphasis on economy of scale rather than entertainment.

 

[TVradioguru]

I wasn't really trying to compare today's radio to radio in the 1930s, DJ.

Llew, I was asking it as a general question. I'm thinking that radio back then was different (most of the schedule was ten- or fifteen-minute segments, sort of like "Vaudeville On The Radio"), unlike today when it's becoming increasingly voicetracked and less locally-driven. Still, it was truly a listener-friendly medium back then.

Now, it seems to be a mostly cost-driven business, with the emphasis on economy of scale rather than entertainment.

According to my father who was working for Westinghouse back in the 1930's and 1940's; radio was a cost-driven business at that time too. The original premise was to promote the parent companies products or services. If radio had voice tracking and automation back then, they would have used it too.

The obvious reason radio was the most popular medium for decades is because it was the only electronic entertainment medium. There are a lot more options now.

 

[LKellerIII]

I wasn't really trying to compare today's radio to radio in the 1930s, DJ.

Llew, I was asking it as a general question. I'm thinking that radio back then was different (most of the schedule was ten- or fifteen-minute segments, sort of like "Vaudeville On The Radio"), unlike today when it's becoming increasingly voicetracked and less locally-driven. Still, it was truly a listener-friendly medium back then.

Now, it seems to be a mostly cost-driven business, with the emphasis on economy of scale rather than entertainment.

According to my father who was working for Westinghouse back in the 1930's and 1940's; radio was a cost-driven business at that time too. The original premise was to promote the parent companies products or services. If radio had voice tracking and automation back then, they would have used it too.

The obvious reason radio was the most popular medium for decades is because it was the only electronic entertainment medium. There are a lot more options now.

It's been noted before, but is worth repeating - automated programming is not new to the "computer age." Most early FM (50s and 60s) was either simulcast with AM, or automated. It was the only thing that made economic sense - advertisers didn't want to buy time on the FM band because few people were listening. Bill Drake programmed two very successful automated formats in the late 60s and early 70s - Hit Parade and Solid Gold. (Oldies).

Beautiful music ("easy listening") stations got HUGE ratings in the 60s and 70s - in the Top 5 in most markets. Stations like KABL and the pre-rock KFOG were almost totally automated on AM and FM. In the late 60s, the number 2 Top 40 station in LA (KRLA) tried an early voice-tracking system for a couple of years.

 

[DavidKaye]

I wasn't really trying to compare today's radio to radio in the 1930s, DJ. Radio was in its infancy then. Many station owners in those days were businessmen that saw radio primarily as a way to advertise what they were really selling - cars, a bank...whatever. So I imagine any revenue they made from their stations was considered a bonus, but not their main goal.

Let's see. KPO (now KNBR) was owned by Hale Bros department store and the Chronicle. KFRC was owned first by the City of Paris department store then by Don Lee Cadillac. KQW, KRE, and various other stations were owned by churches. KWBR was owned by the Warners who sold and fixed radios. KLX was owned by the Oakland Tribune.

It seems that the stations that were run in order to make money on advertising such as KYA, were sold to new owners about every 6 months.

I think KGO was really the only Bay Area exception. It appears that GE wasn't trying to use KGO to sell light bulbs or transformers or anything.