• Get involved.
    We want your input!
    Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.

    After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
    If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.

    After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
    https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/

    Thanks in advance and have fun!
    RadioDiscussions Administrators

Michael Reagan: Stick a fork in him - he's done! (Well, almost.)

FTL_Ian

FTL_Ian

As you probably know, back in October, Radio America announced that it was dropping Michael Reagan's weeknight program in favor of Roger Hedgecock as of Jan 5th. (Hedgecock left his affiliates high-and-dry for two months.) At that time, Reagan had not yet announced what his plans were, but did mention that he intended to continue in syndication. Now, just days before his removal from Radio America, Reagan places the following announcement on his website:
"American Family Radio is pleased to announce our new relationship with veteran talk show host Michael Reagan. Michael's new one hour program will begin airing on 130 AFR stations on January 5, from 5 – 6 p.m. central. Michael's new show will feature his conservative, high energy, intelligent conversation with guests and listeners about the current events of the day while mixing in his Christian worldview to the discussion..."
Click to expand...

So, his show is changing time slots to begin at 5p instead of 6p CT, and is being cut from three hours per show to a measly one! If that weren't bad enough, good luck to any current affiliates who wanted to stick with his show. Not only will you have to reorganize your air schedule to deal with his new timeslot, but you'll also likely have to get a new satellite dish and point it at AMC-1. Most professional radio content comes down on AMC-8, which is at a completely different position in the sky. Also, professional content is delivered via C- band, while Reagan's new network, "American Family Radio", is delivered via the rain-fade-susceptible Ku-band. Based on all that, I wouldn't expect to see many Reagan affiliates following him to his new network. Spending thousands of dollars on a new dish installation and receiver sure is a lot to ask for a one hour-per-night show! So, while he's not really "done", it's unlikely he'll be popping back up on many commercial news/talk stations. Those 130 affiliates he's launching with are virtually all Christian stations at front of the FM dial. Reagan had this to say about his new gig,
“I am truly excited about working with AFR. We have been friends for many years and to be able to headline their new talk effort I feel is a great opportunity I could not pass up.”
Click to expand...
He's the "headliner" with a one-hour weeknight show?
 
Sounds like you have something against this competitor of yours.

Just wait a decade or so and your show too may be outdated (in the eyes of radio PDs) and you may not have as many affiliates then as you now have.
 
Er...I meant it doesn't look like AFR is offering Mr. Reagan to stations outside their own network, a handful of full-power FMs mostly in the Deep South, and over 100 translators elsewhere...
 
Don62 said:
Sounds like you have something against this competitor of yours.

Just wait a decade or so and your show too may be outdated (in the eyes of radio PDs) and you may not have as many affiliates then as you now have.
Click to expand...

I predict differently, but if that's the way the cookie crumbles, so be it! My show is already profitable, so I'll have created plenty of wealth for myself by then. ;)
 
FTL_Ian said:
Don62 said:
Sounds like you have something against this competitor of yours.

Just wait a decade or so and your show too may be outdated (in the eyes of radio PDs) and you may not have as many affiliates then as you now have.
Click to expand...

I predict differently, but if that's the way the cookie crumbles, so be it! My show is already profitable, so I'll have created plenty of wealth for myself by then. ;)
Click to expand...
There's nothing at all "wrong" with Michael Reagan's show (though I haven't heard it in years), just like there's nothing wrong with shows by Bruce Williams, Chuck Harder, Jim Bohanon. It's just that radio's establishment relegates those shows to smalls signals in small markets, for the most part.

A decade from now and many of today's shows will be viewed as "outdated" or "not appealing to our 'demos'."

Your's won't be any exception.
 
It is what it is. Michael Reagan is indeed dated, and when Savage came in and started taking evening (ET) clearances, Reagan's affiliate list fell through the floor. And of course, ABC's Mark Levin is coming up behind Savage with a strong affiliate list now.

But as I noted - a point no one seems to have noticed - it would appear The Michael Reagan Show, 2009 version, will be the exclusive product of the new "AFR Talk" in-house network. It won't, unless I'm missing something, air on ANY existing secular commercial talk stations.

If a station which carried Mr. Reagan via his most recent RadioAmerica syndication wishes to continue doing so this year, they won't be able to do so, assuming that I'm correct in this.

At least Bruce Williams is still available to commercial talk radio stations, even in 2009.

I wouldn't put Jim Bohannon in that list. He's still carrying a decent affiliate list via Westwood One, and hasn't been pushed down into the second-tier and third-tier syndicators yet, or onto his own a la Williams.
 
OhioMediaWatch said:
It is what it is. Michael Reagan is indeed dated, and when Savage came in and started taking evening (ET) clearances, Reagan's affiliate list fell through the floor. And of course, ABC's Mark Levin is coming up behind Savage with a strong affiliate list now.

But as I noted - a point no one seems to have noticed - it would appear The Michael Reagan Show, 2009 version, will be the exclusive product of the new "AFR Talk" in-house network. It won't, unless I'm missing something, air on ANY existing secular commercial talk stations.

If a station which carried Mr. Reagan via his most recent RadioAmerica syndication wishes to continue doing so this year, they won't be able to do so, assuming that I'm correct in this.

At least Bruce Williams is still available to commercial talk radio stations, even in 2009.

I wouldn't put Jim Bohannon in that list. He's still carrying a decent affiliate list via Westwood One, and hasn't been pushed down into the second-tier and third-tier syndicators yet, or onto his own a la Williams.
Click to expand...

You didn't mention hard luck Charlie Harder.

At one time he was on something like 300 stations, albeit mostly small ones. (Not dissing small stations). Does he even have any remaining affiliates?
 
As far as I know, Chuck Harder never really made it out of the third-tier as far as syndication goes.

He was only ever heard on one station around here, Canton's WRCW/1060, a 5,000 watt daytimer that had to duck out of the way of KYW/Philadelphia at night. The station wasn't even a full-fledged talker...I think it had "For the People" and one other show in afternoons, and AC music in the mornings.

It's now WILB/1060, owned by the Living Bread Radio (religious) folks.

I thought crosstown WCER/900 carried Harder at one point, but doesn't anymore. He'd fit right in the schedule...in addition to Dr. Laura and Dave Ramsey and Lou Dobbs, WCER carries conspiracytalker Alex Jones twice a day.
 
Don62 said:
There's nothing at all "wrong" with Michael Reagan's show (though I haven't heard it in years), just like there's nothing wrong with shows by Bruce Williams, Chuck Harder, Jim Bohanon. It's just that radio's establishment relegates those shows to smalls signals in small markets, for the most part.
Click to expand...

Sounds like you're looking for a debate where there wasn't one. I never suggested there was anything "wrong" with Reagan's show - I've never heard a moment of it, so how would I know?

A decade from now and many of today's shows will be viewed as "outdated" or "not appealing to our 'demos'."

Your's won't be any exception.
Click to expand...

Thank you for your prediction, I believe I addressed that in my earlier post.
 
I think we would all agree that Reagan's relevance as a talk show host has run it's course but the question I have is why you feel it's your job to post this? Did his failure make you feel better? Do you have a little case of Schadenfreude?
 
I feel great as it opens opportunities for me to snag his former commercial radio affiliates. ;)

I like following the circumstances of my competition and revel in creative destruction - especially when I stand to benefit.
 
Additionally, this *is* the News/Talk forum and Reagan's move had yet to be broached. My post was just a cut-and-paste of an email I sent to my industry list: http://industry.freetalklive.com
 
If Michael Reagan indeed makes this change, that sends signals that various stakholders will view in a variety of ways.

The "mainstream" talk shows are on commercial networks and the hosts have a primary attachment to a POLITICAL point of view.... and most of them attach to a political view that has found it convenient and expedient to in turn have a strong, strong relationship with the Evangelical church movement.

American Family appears to be a network that is primarily an EVANGELICAL RELIGIOUS view.... and these "Church First" folks have found it convenient and expedient to in turn have a strong, strong relationship with one particular political party.

This can scramble up how listeners view a talk show host, how advertisers view the talk show, and how ad agencies view the talk show.

It was another era with a different set of players and issues, but I once paddled my boat down the stream of Talk Show Married to Evangelical ideology. Mr. Reagan should be advised that the waters can be breacherous.
 
FTL_Ian said:
I feel great as it opens opportunities for me to snag his former commercial radio affiliates. ;)

I like following the circumstances of my competition and revel in creative destruction - especially when I stand to benefit.
Click to expand...

Fair enough Ian...at first blush I just thought it was a bit rough.

Reagan had just a bit more relevance than G Gordon Liddy and now will have little or no relevance. It just goes to show how tough this business is!
 
I'm not sure who's the most shameless self promoter, Holland or myself. I'll defer to him as he has years of experience over me. ;)
 
FTL_Ian said:
I'm not sure who's the most shameless self promoter, Holland or myself. I'll defer to him as he has years of experience over me. ;)
Click to expand...

I don't know Ian...Holland doesn't have the sweet logo'd bowling shirts that FTL does! ;)
 
Signal_Faded said:
FTL_Ian said:
I'm not sure who's the most shameless self promoter, Holland or myself. I'll defer to him as he has years of experience over me. ;)
Click to expand...

I don't know Ian...Holland doesn't have the sweet logo'd bowling shirts that FTL does! ;)
Click to expand...

True, nor does he wear them to the convention parties. :D
 
FTL_Ian said:
I'm not sure who's the most shameless self promoter, Holland or myself. I'll defer to him as he has years of experience over me. ;)
Click to expand...

Do my thousands of posts with my Internet station's info in my signature count as being a shameless self-promoter? :D
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom