The rumor mil is stirring again, not only will CBS let Stock go, but now Bob Agnew will also be replaced. Hopefully "Pacific MVP" aka Mr. Agnew can respond or comment or maybe Jay F has heard something in the CBS hallways?
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KXNT PD OUT?
- Thread starter The Teacher
- Start date
In addition, maybe Mr. Agnew can write another inappropriate and highly insensitive e-mail to a competing radio station to explain. Anyone hear about that? I got a chance to read the email that he sent to Beasley and it was unbelievable that he would insult a radio station (KDWN) that was raising funds for cancer kids.
P
PacificMVP
Guest
Sorry Teach, this ain't Bob Agnew. If I was, I'd at least have the decency to fall on my sword after dismantling KXNT's listenership by bungling my way through programming decisions in a market I know nothing about.
Looks like the rumors were true. Agnew's out at KXNT as of today. I'm not dancing on his grave, just posting an update.
HH
KDWN
HH
KDWN
The culprit for Ag's ouster is "falling ratings":
http://www.lvrj.com/columnists/norm...R-AFTER-RATING-CRASH---120683344.html?ref=344
I'm no member of the grave dancers union, either, but when you add an FM simulcast, there's only one direction the ratings should go.
http://www.lvrj.com/columnists/norm...R-AFTER-RATING-CRASH---120683344.html?ref=344
I'm no member of the grave dancers union, either, but when you add an FM simulcast, there's only one direction the ratings should go.
Interesting D tothe J......
Holland Cooke talks about the "FM Tsunami" and how News Talk stations switching to FM format is the wave of the future. Are the other FM talk stations throughout the country hurting as well?
Here's my theory...when things changed at KXNT more listeners flipped around the stations and found the consistent strong line up of Heidi Harris (who totally rocks), Glenn Beck, Jerry Doyle, Savage, etc...even this amazing doctor (tee-hee)...on KDWN. This whole PPM/Arbitron/ratings deal still confuses me, but it may be "consistency-driven". That's my humble diagnosis.......
Holland Cooke talks about the "FM Tsunami" and how News Talk stations switching to FM format is the wave of the future. Are the other FM talk stations throughout the country hurting as well?
Here's my theory...when things changed at KXNT more listeners flipped around the stations and found the consistent strong line up of Heidi Harris (who totally rocks), Glenn Beck, Jerry Doyle, Savage, etc...even this amazing doctor (tee-hee)...on KDWN. This whole PPM/Arbitron/ratings deal still confuses me, but it may be "consistency-driven". That's my humble diagnosis.......
FM talk is not hurting throughout the country, it's actually booming. Especially when an established brand moves or simulcasts on FM. WSB/Atlanta for example saw a huge ratings increase. The demos usually get younger as well. So KXNT is bucking the trend.
What changes should the next KXNT PD make to improve ratings? Or is there something unique about Las Vegas where FM talk will do poorly no matter what?
What changes should the next KXNT PD make to improve ratings? Or is there something unique about Las Vegas where FM talk will do poorly no matter what?
I don't claim to be an expert on any of this, and of course the ones who do claim to be experts are often wrong, but here's a thought: I was talking to someone the other day who opined that news talk in this town will never be #1 because of the number of uneducated people who live here.
Although some of the smartest, most sensible people I know don't have a college degree, I thought it was worth considering.
As for FM talk...some are believers, some are not. Once again, this market may not support it, even if others have. So far all it's done is split the existing audience, as many predicted it would. It remains to be seen, and the rumors are that CBS will only give it a few more months and then flip it back to music.
I think that rather than constantly trying to appeal to a new audience (isn't that what Katie Couric admitted to trying?), talk should appeal to their core audience. You know, the people who are old enough to vote, pay their own bills, and worry about their kids' future.
That's another reason lib talk doesn't succeed. Not because there aren't good hosts, like my buddy Ed Schultz, (who's very good), but because for the most part, libs aren't that engaged in politics. I would argue that if they were more knowledgable, they wouldn't be libs...LOL. But I digress.
There's a reason "target demos" exist for every TV show, radio station, etc. They don't sell beer spots on HGTV, and they don't sell vacuums during the Barrett Jackson Auto Auction. No product or show will appeal to everyone.
And if you spend all your time trying to skew younger, you'll insult the intelligence of your more mature audience, and lose them.
Once again, it's not that I have it all "dialed in", but that's my two cents worth - although at today's prices, it may not be worth that much!
Heidi Harris
KDWN
Although some of the smartest, most sensible people I know don't have a college degree, I thought it was worth considering.
As for FM talk...some are believers, some are not. Once again, this market may not support it, even if others have. So far all it's done is split the existing audience, as many predicted it would. It remains to be seen, and the rumors are that CBS will only give it a few more months and then flip it back to music.
I think that rather than constantly trying to appeal to a new audience (isn't that what Katie Couric admitted to trying?), talk should appeal to their core audience. You know, the people who are old enough to vote, pay their own bills, and worry about their kids' future.
That's another reason lib talk doesn't succeed. Not because there aren't good hosts, like my buddy Ed Schultz, (who's very good), but because for the most part, libs aren't that engaged in politics. I would argue that if they were more knowledgable, they wouldn't be libs...LOL. But I digress.
There's a reason "target demos" exist for every TV show, radio station, etc. They don't sell beer spots on HGTV, and they don't sell vacuums during the Barrett Jackson Auto Auction. No product or show will appeal to everyone.
And if you spend all your time trying to skew younger, you'll insult the intelligence of your more mature audience, and lose them.
Once again, it's not that I have it all "dialed in", but that's my two cents worth - although at today's prices, it may not be worth that much!
Heidi Harris
KDWN
Jay F said:
I think Las Vegas FM has a more youthful, liberal mindset...mind you we are flooded with people from Los Angeles each week so the city as a whole leans to the left. But I think FM talk would work if it wasn't an AM simulcast but rather a line up of entertaining talkers. This is Las Vegas, the entertainment capital of the world, and our FM talk radio should exemplify this. We should have some politics and local issues, but also a fun line up of health talk, entertainment news, sports and even stand up. Fox 5 News have been masters at appealing to all ages in an entertaining manner. Whomever takes over FM talk should follow their lead....hmm, not sure if my grammar was correct on that one.
oh, just saw what Heidi wrote....yep what she said also. LOL!!! ;D
No doubt Las Vegas is a blue-collar town. There is a way to make talk radio work in a blue-collar resort town. Miami and Tampa built stellar talk radio stations in the 80's in such markets. But it
has to be about looking for confrontation and not always with the usual suspects of talk radio. Not always with the usual IDEOLOGIES of talk radio. The two biggest stars in those markets in the 80's were a misanthropic liberal (Tampa) and a misanthropic GAY liberal (Miami).If you plug in cookie-cutter syndication, you will get cookie-cutter results.
I get the "stay in your lane" demo talk, but truly great radio stations through history have built not ONE audience, but a COALITION of audiences. The lane for talk radio in Vegas -- educated non-minority upper-demo -- isn't very big. No station can be all things to all people, but
talk stations could be more things to more people than they are right now. "Sticking to the core" is what left the old pre-Beasley KDWN sitting in a 1970's time warp complete with reel-to-reels and carts, running infomercials to pay the bills. (Has that much changed?)
Every conservative host and PD (yes, most are), has a theory about why liberal talk "Failed" (clearly someone failed to copy Schultz, Stephanie Miller, Thom Hartmann and several others on that memo) but here's the simplest explanation: Corporate told them to take an AM and put liberal talk on it. They resented the "cramdown" and resented an ideology that conflicted with their own. Subconsciously, they wanted it to fail. They picked the weakest, most unlistenable signal, then expressed shock (Shock! I tell you!) that it pulled a 0.3. Sales departments (as in the case of KLSD, San Diego) actually DISCOURAGED clients from buying their own station! Then they pulled it off after six monhs or so.
has to be about looking for confrontation and not always with the usual suspects of talk radio. Not always with the usual IDEOLOGIES of talk radio. The two biggest stars in those markets in the 80's were a misanthropic liberal (Tampa) and a misanthropic GAY liberal (Miami).If you plug in cookie-cutter syndication, you will get cookie-cutter results.
I get the "stay in your lane" demo talk, but truly great radio stations through history have built not ONE audience, but a COALITION of audiences. The lane for talk radio in Vegas -- educated non-minority upper-demo -- isn't very big. No station can be all things to all people, but
talk stations could be more things to more people than they are right now. "Sticking to the core" is what left the old pre-Beasley KDWN sitting in a 1970's time warp complete with reel-to-reels and carts, running infomercials to pay the bills. (Has that much changed?)
Every conservative host and PD (yes, most are), has a theory about why liberal talk "Failed" (clearly someone failed to copy Schultz, Stephanie Miller, Thom Hartmann and several others on that memo) but here's the simplest explanation: Corporate told them to take an AM and put liberal talk on it. They resented the "cramdown" and resented an ideology that conflicted with their own. Subconsciously, they wanted it to fail. They picked the weakest, most unlistenable signal, then expressed shock (Shock! I tell you!) that it pulled a 0.3. Sales departments (as in the case of KLSD, San Diego) actually DISCOURAGED clients from buying their own station! Then they pulled it off after six monhs or so.
This Agnew individual has an impressive resume. I wonder if corporate got in his way when it came to making decisions. That's not too surprising these days.
I think that may be right on the nose. I think anyone who watched what happened to KDWN when they tried an all news morning show should have seen it would not work in Las Vegas. It also does not help that KXNT let the wrong people go over the last 4 to 5 years and kept some who should have been gone a long time ago.
KXNT hired a new PD.. Andrew Paul from Boise where he programmed an AM talk/FM sports.. Before that he programmed a sports station in Albuquerque. With his extensive sports background will KXNT shift more in a sports direction? I wouldn't think so since two fulltime sports station already exist. Plus a station everyone forgets about..AM 1400 K-SHOP runs some sports programming.
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