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Local vs. Syndicated

A

agentUrge

I'm sure this has come up a bazillion times but I just felt the need to ask anyway....and this is targeted more to the radio professionals, but anyone can weigh in with thoughts...I'm not even involved in radio, myself.

Why isn't Atlanta stronger with local talk radio? Is it fair to say that somewhere up the food chain, someone felt like it was a better financial move to go with syndicated programming rather than a local talk. It seems clear the motive to go that route is financially based rather than content based.

Just interested in your thoughts as professionals.
 
agentUrge said:
Is it fair to say that somewhere up the food chain, someone felt like it was a better financial move to go with syndicated programming rather than a local talk.
Click to expand...

Financially, you keep 100% of the money with local programming. When you run syndication, a percentage of the money, either through spots or dollars (sometimes both) go to the syndicator. With a local host, you can also do other things, like local ad campaigns, personal appearances, and more.

The issue isn't local vs. syndicated. It's which host attracts the bigger audience. Which host has more credibility. Which host is more entertaining. Even in terms of salary, a station will gladly pay whatever it costs for a local host if they can make money with him. The problem is that too few hosts are actually very good. Even of the syndicated folks.

If all it took was plugging a local guy into a slot, you'd see more of it. But being local isn't enough. Talent isn't a function of geography. At one time, the public would listen to anybody. Not anymore.
 
Might it be an issue of the lack of decent AM signals in the ATL?  Nobody is going to go out on a limb with local talk on FM, and nobody is going to invest in an AM daytimer. 

Once you get past WSB, WGST, WQXI, WDWD, WCNN, and WGKA, there's not much left on the AM side.  WSB is the 50k class A blowtorch, WGST is CC's "Rush Radio" placeholder in ATL, you have the two sportstalkers (some would say one too many), Radio Disney, and Salem's placeholder in ATL for their syndicated talk.

After that, you have, what?  WNIV, which is Salem's syndicated preacher; WCFO, which is third-tier syndicated talk; WAFS (1190, Salem again), and WGUN.  All daytimers (not counting their lightbulb signals at night). 

There are some other unlimited signals like WFOM and WLTA, but they are too far out and too weak to provide good metro coverage.

Big radio (CC, Salem) uses their O&Os to serve up their nationally syndicated programming, if for no other reason than to get it on the air in the #7 market to help with ad buys.  That also seems to be the reason for WCFO's existence, despite their crappy signal. 

I could see someone turning Quixie, being the weaker sportstalker, into a local talker (reminiscent of the old Ring Radio).  But sportstalk is already quite local itself.  Would that really be more attractive than what they are doing right now?

That leaves WGUN.  Probably the biggest waste of 50k during the day.

Now, to the NE you can look at what Jacobs is doing with the WDUN semi-simulcast...

Remember, Neal Boortz, Clark Howard, Martha Zoller, Mike Malloy, and Sean Hannity all got their big breaks as local talkers in the ATL.  And WSB has Herman Cain, and tried Royal Marshall.  WGST had the Kimmer and Ralph from Ben Hill, and Ian Punnett.

It also seems to me to be both an issue of a lack of talent and a lack of signals. 

Please forgive the rambling but I don't see a clear-cut answer here.
 
In smaller markets, especially w/music formats) the satellite has an advantage (especially w/"older music" formats).

You can rest assured that the pronunciation of artists names is correct. (example) Don't mean to paint with a broad brush, but if you hire a broadcasting school grad or college kid who is
21, they may not KNOW many 40's/50's60's artists name pronunciation, (eg; Perez Prado/Ferrante & Teicher/"Abba" is NOT (long A) Abba, etc.) of the history of the artist/song. Really!

Most syndicators do drops, community announcements, etc. for free, and if you know what you are doing, it's quite simple to make a satellite delivered format sound local. Plan Ahead.

Instead of poor announcers you may hire better salespeople.
 
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