Levin's LV Status

[ABQTom]

O'Really and Big Ed get the same amount of listeners 12+ 6a-MID according to talkers magazine. Since Vegas has three all conservative stations, one of them should just take Big Ed and expand their demographic to include people left of center.

Phil Boyce didn't answer my question - Why do you choose KXNT for Brinker, Hannity, and Levin given their lower coverage in the Henderson null? Why not choose KDWN where there are no nulls whatsoever within the Vegas Valley and Henderson? KDWN should get Bob Brinker.

And also, Phil, why do you allow KXNT to broadcast Paid Programming over the first hour of Brinker on Saturday? That's poor affiliate relations marketing when there are several other stations who would LOVE to have Brinker for their weekend ratings.

 

[ajhenderson]

KXNT has plenty more listeners. That's what matters. If they trounce KDWN in the ratings, their lesser signal should give them ever more credit.

As to the weekends, this fascination with Bob Brinker is a bit silly... no one cares about his show. He's lucky he's on as many stations as he is. As with all buy 3 or 4 national news/talk shows, syndicators mostly take what they can get.

 

[doberd]

Soooo where is Phillip Dampiers list of stations that have Mark Levin that don't want him? For a coat-tail grabber who only gets on the air if we threaten to pull Hannity, you would think there would be a long list of stations sitting in that unfortunate predicament. So go ahead, name a few.

I'll wait.

PB

Phil Boyce
There are others here waiting also. Perhaps Phil D. needs more time to reply with some kind of list that sounds credible to others who tend to think that way about "The Great One", after all its' only been a few days.

 

[Phil Boyce]

Doberd says:

Perhaps Phil D. needs more time to reply with some kind of list that sounds credible to others who tend to think that way about "The Great One", after all its' only been a few days.

Well now it has been almost a week...and poor Phillip is still working on this list of stations that carry Mark Levin but really hate him. Because if Mark is as bad as Philip says, surely NO station would carry him unless ABC brought out the Hannity Whippin Stick.

His argument was bogus. There are NO stations that carry Mark because they were forced to and do not want him. The fact that we just moved into a live clear in Las Vegas on KXNT following Hannity only proves my point. The PD there was NOT forced to take Levin...he came to us and ASKED for him. You know why? Because he looked at the stations that have Rush + Sean + Levin all over the country including WABC in New York and realized how well those stations do building that synergy.

Sorry Phillip...I knew you would not be back. Nice first name though.

pb

 

[ABQTom]

"The fact that we just moved into a live clear in Las Vegas on KXNT following Hannity only proves my point. The PD there was NOT forced to take Levin...he came to us and ASKED for him. You know why? Because he looked at the stations that have Rush + Sean + Levin all over the country including WABC in New York and realized how well those stations do building that synergy."

It will be a tough sell against KDWN with the highly appealing Heidi Harris locally 9A-NOON + Jerry Doyle and Michael Savage. And, Doug Basham/Lydia Cornell mornings on KLAV against Alan Stock/KXNT. The KXNT strategy is not guaranteed to work and this just isn't a good talk market. The IBOC KXNT signal is weak under power lines and in buildings in Henderson, Nevada. When we get Ed Schultz back here it will be a 5-6 way split.

 

[Phil Boyce]

So Tom....if KXNT beats KDWN with a much weaker signal ... that would really tell you something about the strength of their lineup...right? I just want to get you on record with that one.

PB

 

[ajhenderson]

No, Phil, but you'd better be worried, because the vitamin show on KLAV might beat Mark!

Granted, I'm not personally a fan of Mark's show, but God bless the free market for people to determine what should and should not be heard. What I do know is that if I were KDWN, I'd snatch Dr. Laura away and put her on live... she'll move to almost any station that will move her to a live clear. Jerry Doyle's uninspiring borefest barely cut it when he was the only political talker in that daypart on a station with any kind of market coverage. Now that he's up against Hannity, who do you think's going to win? Counterprogram against Hannity and they might at least remain competitive.

 

[LVRadioguy]

I bet that if KDWN drops Jerry Doyle, Savage could go to KXNT. That makes sense since their other talk station on 1140 is already carrying O'Reilly. They could easily put Doyle and other TRN shows there. Rush, Hannity, Savage, Levin (or Levin, Savage) on KXNT would put KDWN out of buisness, with or without Dr. Laura.

KDWN is better off where they are now.

 

[ajhenderson]

KDWN airs Hendrie at night, so I doubt TRN would pull the plug. Besides, they prefer a live clear, which Levin occupies now. The reality is Doyle does a marginal show at best.

As to KDWN being done, they should have stayed with the brokered time format and perhaps spiced it up with a real morning show.

 

[ABQTom]

"So Tom....if KXNT beats KDWN with a much weaker signal ... that would really tell you something about the strength of their lineup...right? "

Of course, Phil, but have you heard their hot morning host, Heidi Harris, and the award winning anchors and reporters on the KDWN morning news? And, their 24/7 newsroom and traffic reports? A vast improvement over the old KDWN. Vegas is the home base of Jerry Doyle and listeners here relate to him a lot better than Sean Hannity in Manhattan.

Due to the null towards henderson, NV, I'm not sure why KXNT broadcasts digitally. Under power lines the HD signal fades and there A LOT of power lines in Henderson/Boulder city with the Hoover Dam.

We'll see after a few books.

 

[ABQTom]

"The reality is Doyle does a marginal show at best."

"As to KDWN being done, they should have stayed with the brokered time format"

You must be kidding. Everyone laughed at K-Dawn with all those infomercials. It was ridiculous.

"and perhaps spiced it up with a real morning show"

Have you heard the KDWN morning news with Nathan Tannebaum? It's very professional and preceeds Heidi Harris at 830a-NOON, who used to be at KXNT doing mornings with Alan Stock. Both Alan and Heidi have been on the TALKERS HEAVY 100.

As for Jerry Doyle being marginal, I disagree. His ratings are good (Talkers survey, doing well) and his independent conservative politics attracts + lifestyle talk attracts a wide demographic.

 

[ajhenderson]

Of course people laughed at KDWN. They do at every station that runs infomercials. This is my business. But guess what... KDWN got the last laugh - on their way to the bank. That's what matters; not what someone on a radio board says.

Yes, I have DXed KDWN's morning news and it sounds halfway decent, although the production on the station is awful. I like to VO guy, but it lacks imagination, and they can never seem to fill a liner window correctly. I'm in Vegas plenty of times a year to listen to KDWN and their competition. Sure, KXNT isn't exactly exciting, but they're in the lead.

KDWN's biggest problem is it's on AM. If they want to offer 24/7 news, traffic, etc., fantastic, but the audience that wants that isn't on AM. Since they don't have any national shows that are strong with the under-50 crowd, I can only presume many of the grannies that used to listen are still around. And those people are in bed by 9-o'clock. I'm sure you'll mention their regional coverage, so I'll pre-empt that: BBGI doesn't care because it doesn't bring in money. Unless you follow my advice for that signal and sell it as a 50kW monster to preachers, peddlers, and health gurus.

KDWN is making some nice changes, although while Heidi is a nice addition, especially to be local against Rush, it didn't take much credibility on Charlotte's part to hire one of the bigger local names FROM THE SAME MARKET. After noon, however, the schedule sucks, save Savage. Doyle is a bore, put on 220-some stations as a result of TRN thrusting him on every Savage affiliate, or letting stations steal Savage if they clear Doyle, etc. I've seen it firsthand.

 

[smedge2006]

KDWN's biggest problem is it's on AM. If they want to offer 24/7 news, traffic, etc., fantastic, but the audience that wants that isn't on AM.

What makes you think it's on FM? From what I've seen, the AM talkers that have moved to FM have simply moved their old audience to FM -- they haven't picked up new listeners. Maybe nobody under 50 ~ wants news or traffic on any band. (I hope that's not true.)

I think KDWN got on the right track by dumping the grizzled weirdos of the survivalist-anti-illegal immigration ilk. Lest anyone point out the hotness of that issue in conservative talkland, let me add that the old KDWNers were the worst possible advocates for their own side. If I wanted the USA to welcome nocturnal border-crossers with open arms, the best thing I could do would be to let the old KDWN crowd yammer away.

Perhaps the biggest problem facing KDWN is market demographics. It's in a market full of retirees, blue-collar workers and Hispanics. The closest analogy would be some markets in Florida. The best markets for talk radio tend to have lots of white-collar workers -- Seattle, Portland and San Francisco are good examples.

With the notable exception of Brother Stair, I think even the preachers and peddlers are catching on that 50 KW AM signals aren't what they used to be for shaking loose the dough. Herbert W. Armstrong has been gone a long time.