Liberal talk debuts in Chattanooga, TN this Monday

[robmidmi]

From the Chattanoogan.com on September 29, 2005:
<a target="_blank" href=http://www.chattanoogan.com/articles/article_73374.asp>"WDOD Moves To Liberal Format, Keeps Some Local Programming, News"</a>

According to the above article, this is the Monday - Friday schedule for WDOD 1310 AM in Chattanooga, Tennessee beginning this Monday (Oct. 3):
* 7:00 AM – 8:00 AM: The Bill Press Show
* 8:00 AM. – 9:00 AM: Chattanooga’s Street Talk
* 9:00 AM - 12:00 Noon: The Stephanie Miller Show
* 12:00 Noon - 3:00 PM: Al Franken
* 3:00 PM - 7:00 PM: The Randi Rhodes Show
* 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM: The Majority Report with Janeane Garofalo (and Sam Seder)
* 10:00 PM - 1:00 AM: The Mike Malloy Show

 

[MattNC]

I was wondering the other day what had happened to this rumor. Guess it's no longer rumor. I'm not convinced by any means it'll succeed here though.

 

[dampier]

> From the Chattanoogan.com on September 29, 2005:
> "WDOD Moves To Liberal Format, Keeps Some Local Programming,
> News"

Oh this is definite proof AAR is failing.

 

[tbetz]

> * 7:00 AM – 8:00 AM: The Bill Press Show
> * 8:00 AM. – 9:00 AM: Chattanooga’s Street Talk
> * 9:00 AM - 12:00 Noon: The Stephanie Miller Show
> * 12:00 Noon - 3:00 PM: Al Franken
> * 3:00 PM - 7:00 PM: The Randi Rhodes Show
> * 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM: The Majority Report with Janeane
> Garofalo (and Sam Seder)
> * 10:00 PM - 1:00 AM: The Mike Malloy Show

Good choices! Bill Press for early, local for the late morning drive, Majority Report in the evening (which, though I have a hard time listening to it mostly, gets good young numbers for political talk) and Stephanie Miller instead of Jerry.

It will be interesting to see what they run overnights and weekends.<P ID="signature">______________
also known as tombetz.</P>

 

[bierkenstock]

Surprising Choices

No Jerry Springer
No Ed Schultz
Why pass on the two strongest contenders?


> > * 7:00 AM – 8:00 AM: The Bill Press Show
> > * 8:00 AM. – 9:00 AM: Chattanooga’s Street Talk
> > * 9:00 AM - 12:00 Noon: The Stephanie Miller Show
> > * 12:00 Noon - 3:00 PM: Al Franken
> > * 3:00 PM - 7:00 PM: The Randi Rhodes Show
> > * 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM: The Majority Report with Janeane
> > Garofalo (and Sam Seder)
> > * 10:00 PM - 1:00 AM: The Mike Malloy Show
>
> Good choices! Bill Press for early, local for the late
> morning drive, Majority Report in the evening (which, though
> I have a hard time listening to it mostly, gets good young
> numbers for political talk) and Stephanie Miller instead of
> Jerry.
>
> It will be interesting to see what they run overnights and
> weekends.
>

 

[OldAkronite]

Re: Surprising Choices

> No Jerry Springer
> No Ed Schultz
> Why pass on the two strongest contenders?

Has Jerry Springer gotten a lot better since I last bothered to listen to him? Yecch. He's on here (on otherwise conservative news/talker WTAM/1100), but he was still pretty weak, IMHO. He's the "biggest name" in libtalk next to Franken, but I would easily make the choice to go with Stephanie Miller over him, both as a listener and an armchair programmer.

While I would rather listen to Randi vs. Ed, personally, I do wonder why they didn't pick up Ed.

-OA<P ID="signature">______________
Ohio Media Watch - <a target="_blank" href=http://ohiomedia.blogspot.com>http://ohiomedia.blogspot.com</a></P>

 

[gr8oldies]

Re: Surprising Choices

Especially in Tennesee! I'd think Ed would be a lot more compatible than a screeching Randi Rhodes.<P ID="signature">______________
Greetings from Ohio-where the governor wants everyone to know he's sorry.</P>

 

[FloridaBear1776]

> I was wondering the other day what had happened to this
> rumor. Guess it's no longer rumor. I'm not convinced by
> any means it'll succeed here though.
>

This is still hard to believe, and I'm no AAR- or libtalk basher.

Perhaps they're softened up after hearing Fran Drescher's voice on "The Nanny", but I'm sure many a Tennessean's skin will crawl and their teeth (insert bad joke by changing plural to singular) will hurt when they hear Randi Rhodes' voice for the first time.

If you look elsewhere on the Chattanoogan website, you'll see the biggest controversy locally is over a church's efforts to get the authorities to shut down a neighboring haunted house. (It's all about the zoning, they'll assure you.) On WGOW-FM, a secular station, callers were questioning the salvation of talk radio hosts who ridiculed the loud and obnoxious street preachers who often surround the city's crown jewel, the Tennessee Aquarium. In Chattanooga, liberals are not just the guy down the street with whom you disagree; they're limousine-riding creatures from another planet.

Those of you who hope that Gloria Wise, or AAR Associates, or some other mini-scandal will sink the liberal talk radio boat had better make your stand here.
If liberal talk succeeds in Chattanooga, it may well be unstoppable.

 

[OldAkronite]

Re: Surprising Choices

> Especially in Tennesee! I'd think Ed would be a lot more
> compatible than a screeching Randi Rhodes.

I agree that Ed would be a more compatible drive-time host for TN. I do think Randi would still work in nights, though I don't know Chattanooga well.

-OA<P ID="signature">______________
Ohio Media Watch - <a target="_blank" href=http://ohiomedia.blogspot.com>http://ohiomedia.blogspot.com</a></P>

 

[ajhenderson]

Re: Surprising Choices

> No Jerry Springer
> No Ed Schultz
> Why pass on the two strongest contenders?
>

Wouldn't call Springer the top contender, but what are they running in early morning drive? As to the claim that Majority Report is getting good young numbers, don't think these 20-something college art majors are going to drop what they're doing to tune into an unheard of AM station at night just to listen to one show. I'd add Lionel if I were them, too.

 

[ajhenderson]

> Those of you who hope that Gloria Wise, or AAR Associates,
> or some other mini-scandal will sink the liberal talk radio
> boat had better make your stand here.
> If liberal talk succeeds in Chattanooga, it may well be
> unstoppable.

More radio stations than ever, more losing money than ever. 43 stations in Chattanooga (market 100-what?). I guess not every station can have a stellar programmer... I'd rather have a station that offended people with Leykisesque hosts; at least half the population could identify with that.

 

[FloridaBear1776]

Leykis was kicked out of Chattanooga after one week, FYI (n/t)

... and Bubba the Love Sponge lasted two days, FWIW.

> > Those of you who hope that Gloria Wise, or AAR Associates,
>
> > or some other mini-scandal will sink the liberal talk
> radio
> > boat had better make your stand here.
> > If liberal talk succeeds in Chattanooga, it may well be
> > unstoppable.
>
> More radio stations than ever, more losing money than ever.
> 43 stations in Chattanooga (market 100-what?). I guess not
> every station can have a stellar programmer... I'd rather
> have a station that offended people with Leykisesque hosts;
> at least half the population could identify with that.
>
L

 

[doc9464]

Re: Surprising Choices

Im a little surprised not to see Ed Schultz following Randi bumping Majority report to late night. Thats the strategic schedule...if you are worried about the "red-state" aspects of scheduling....Tom Betz was the first person to point out the live and local morning schedule seems to help lib talkers....and i think that is the plan here....MS not being picked up here is not an issue as far as i can tell...i think. I hope they have maddow in her slot before the local show..thats a very strong morning start...

.....but from a preference schedule, I like this schedule just fine as well (my opinion)...I haven't heard Bill Press (hes a moderate but I like him very much from his work in the past) but having a local host in morning schedule has helped stations in Denver and Portland....Schultz is not my favorite host....so im not sad to see him off the schedule.

Maybe they plan to have Springer and Schultz available on weekends/alternative times to remove the remaining best of schedule AAR plays before the excellent weekend shows...? Who knows but schedules can be adjusted if needed.


I like the ownership....they are making a strong committment to providing an unabashed alternative to right wing talk unlike stations like WHJJ which wouldn't commit ....i hope it works well for the area. This is a tough challenge for AAR and I hope it works...if not, there are now plenty of alternative choices and thats good too

Through letters, I have been floating the suggestions that best-of slots be filled with other liberal talkers shows....i think it would help stimulate interest in other hosts......live when possible.....but the idea is to give good hosts more exposure....(jay marvin comes to mind out of Denver).

I may suggest this as well to PD in Chattanoga...



> No Jerry Springer
> No Ed Schultz
> Why pass on the two strongest contenders?
>
>
> > > * 7:00 AM – 8:00 AM: The Bill Press Show
> > > * 8:00 AM. – 9:00 AM: Chattanooga’s Street Talk
> > > * 9:00 AM - 12:00 Noon: The Stephanie MBiiller Show
> > > * 12:00 Noon - 3:00 PM: Al Franken
> > > * 3:00 PM - 7:00 PM: The Randi Rhodes Show
> > > * 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM: The Majority Report with Janeane
> > > Garofalo (and Sam Seder)
> > > * 10:00 PM - 1:00 AM: The Mike Malloy Show
> >
> > Good choices! Bill Press for early, local for the late
> > morning drive, Majority Report in the evening (which,
> though
> > I have a hard time listening to it mostly, gets good young
>
> > numbers for political talk) and Stephanie Miller instead
> of
> > Jerry.
> >
> > It will be interesting to see what they run overnights and
>
> > weekends.
> >
>

 

[tbetz]

Re: Surprising Choices

> No Jerry Springer
> No Ed Schultz
> Why pass on the two strongest contenders?

A) because WDOD is NOT a Clear-Channel progtalker, so it isn't locked into the contract to run Schultz live, and

B) because they are NOT the two strongest contenders. I, for one, can't bear to listen to Springer On The Radio. I love the guy as a person and as a politician (he gives great speech), but I hate him as a radio personality. Dishrag. Apologist. Schultz is too much of a Saul-On-The-Road for me, and he tries too hard to sound like Limbaugh.

The personalities WDOD has chosen, love 'em or hate 'em, are authentically themselves.

BTW, Bill Press is webcast (when the stream is up) at http://212.72.165.25:9156/listen.pls (KRXA 540 AM - Monterey, California). The stream was pretty good when it first went up, but then it went down for a week, and since it came back up, audio has been real distorted there, so I stopped recording/timeshifting it. There are plans for the Center for American Progress (from whose studio Press originates) to offer their own stream; we may hope those plans come to fruition soon.<P ID="signature">______________
also known as tombetz.</P>

 

[ajhenderson]

Re: Surprising Choices

> > No Jerry Springer
> > No Ed Schultz
> > Why pass on the two strongest contenders?
>
> A) because WDOD is NOT a Clear-Channel progtalker, so it
> isn't locked into the contract to run Schultz live, and

CC airs Schultz live because they are smart programmers, trying to build audience rather than preach to the choir. Randi is talented, don't get me wrong, but Schultz has wider appeal. Randi should be on, no doubt about it, but at night when a more ideological audience is listening.

> B) because they are NOT the two strongest contenders. I,
> for one, can't bear to listen to Springer On The Radio. I
> love the guy as a person and as a politician (he gives great
> speech), but I hate him as a radio personality. Dishrag.

Sounds good to me.

> The personalities WDOD has chosen, love 'em or hate 'em, are
> authentically themselves.

Many of the best talk hosts aren't authentically themselves, however.

 

[raccoonradio]

> From the Chattanoogan.com on September 29, 2005:
> "WDOD Moves To Liberal Format, Keeps Some Local Programming,
> News"
>
They win one, they lose one...Philadelphia's WHAT is dropping them.
<P ID="signature">______________
I am the REAL raccoonradio (2 c's). Accept
no substitutes!</P>

 

[gr8oldies]

Re: Leykis was kicked out of Chattanooga after one week, FYI (n/t)

Leykis as a political talker or a sex talker?<P ID="signature">______________
Greetings from Ohio-where the governor wants everyone to know he's sorry.</P>

 

[tbetz]

> > From the Chattanoogan.com on September 29, 2005:
> > "WDOD Moves To Liberal Format, Keeps Some Local
> Programming,
> > News"
> >
> They win one, they lose one...Philadelphia's WHAT is
> dropping them.

WHAT ain't much of a loss.<P ID="signature">______________
also known as tombetz.</P>

 

[FloridaBear1776]

Re: Leykis was kicked out of Chattanooga after one week, FYI (n/t)

> Leykis as a political talker or a sex talker?
>

It was about ten years ago, when he was just beginning the transition from one to the other, so I'd say a little of both.

 

[kaufcom]

> Perhaps they're softened up after hearing Fran Drescher's
> voice on "The Nanny", but I'm sure many a Tennessean's skin
> will crawl and their teeth (insert bad joke by changing
> plural to singular) will hurt when they hear Randi Rhodes'
> voice for the first time.

Deal with it. Randi is the real deal. Unlike Schultz she's a real lib talker, not a wanna be. Also, unlike just about everyone else in lib talk, Randi is the only host who actually lived in some of these small southern markets. She has lived and worked in places like Texas, Mississippi, and Alabama. She also served in Air Force. Remember you can take the kid out of Brooklyn, but you can't take the Brooklyn out of the kid.