Liberal talk on 770

[Seltzer]

So I'm dialing around and I come across a liberal talk show on 770. Hasn't anyone noticed that liberal talk has failed miserably wherever it's been tried? This has got to be a time buy. right?

 

[Parttimer]

770 is brokered programming.

 

[cingram]

... except after 5 PM weekdays, 2 PM Saturdays, and 3 PM Sundays, when the automated oldies hold
sway (and what a fine bunch of oldies they are).

C.

 

[FreddyE1977]

Though I am a bit surprised that liberal talk did not get at least a tryout here in Pittsburgh.
(not counting whatever that was they were doing on 1530 back in the 90's)

Just judging from the people I come across in my day-to-day life it seems like there would have
been an audience here for it (though the real problem is that a lot of those folks really hate Capitalism.
Which is not a big selling point for advertisers. So there you go.)

 

[Goat Rodeo Cowboy]

So I'm dialing around and I come across a liberal talk show on 770. Hasn't anyone noticed that liberal talk has failed miserably wherever it's been tried?

Well, its never been ROSY for liberal talk, but it hasn't failed everywhere. There are a few stations that are working with it, and some of them owned by CC. (Madison WI is the one I am aware of.)

What conservative talkers want to talk about, get excited about, works well in cultivating "the base".

What liberal talkers seem to want to talk about does not seem to always be what liberals want to hear.

There is a lack of role models for wanna-be liberal talker to learn from, to emulate.

It may turn out that social-politico talk radio is a fad that will fade away eventually, and it may fade away before any liberal talkers figure out what works.

The MSNBC crowd on cable TV at night seem to have figured out something of a formula that is doing respectably well on TV, but they are in some ways a mirror image of conservative talk radio.

I'm not in Pittsburgh. Tell me if you think it is a seed-bed where liberal talk could get it's roots started and be transplanted to other locations, .... or is Pittsburgh a more hostile place to plant and grow a new variety of talk programs?

 

[Parttimer]

So I'm dialing around and I come across a liberal talk show on 770. Hasn't anyone noticed that liberal talk has failed miserably wherever it's been tried?

Well, its never been ROSY for liberal talk, but it hasn't failed everywhere. There are a few stations that are working with it, and some of them owned by CC. (Madison WI is the one I am aware of.)

Renda sort of tried it on 1360 with Lynn Cullen and Jerry Bowyer as local hosts, they also carried Thom Hartmann and I forget what else (I think Boortz was misplaced in the middle of that lineup for a while). Eventually Renda gave up and brokered the station to a guy who did business radio, which is now also gone for lack of support.

Outside of truly Liberal hotbeds like Portland and Madison, my knowledge is that it usually pulls a 1-share in places like LA and San Fran. I think Clear Channel moved it to an HD-2 in SF if I'm not mistaken. WKBW in Buffalo is doing OK (again, about a 1-share on a 50,000 watt graveyard signal at 1520) with Stephanie Miller, Ed Schultz, and Randi Rhodes.

In my opinion, Schultz, who is also "The Ed Show" on MSNBC, is good enough to play on some legit stations. It would never happen, but I honestly think KDKA could put him against Rush and do at least as well as the not-very-interesting local lineup they currently are running with. I think the mistake the Liberal shows make is wanting to be a mirror image of conservative talk, all idealogy all day. I worked with a guy who streamed Air America on his computer all day long a few years ago and it was just an endless stream of Al Franken whining "George Bush is a liii-arrrrr"... just not very entertaining. Some people who disagree with Rush can't see past his opinions to get this, but he understands it's a show. So does Beck, although he jumped the shark a few years ago.

A mix of some lib viewpoints with some entertaining shows might just have a chance. I'll take that any day over the FM talk formats like 102.5 in Tampa just started, where they are tasering mentally impaired people.