More commercials on Glenn Beck soon

[livingfruitvirus]

In mid-December, Glenn Beck's ad inventory is increasing from 5 minutes to 6 minutes per hour, demonstrating again that the days of Clear Channel's "less is more" campaign are long gone. The segments-per-hour will drop to 4 from 5, and will be the same for all 3 hours. Meaning no more Paul Harvey friendly third hour with a hard out at 42 past.

Maybe I'm just exaggerating because it's just one more minute per hour, but that still results in only 36 min 50 sec per hour of program content. That feels like so little show when you crunch the numbers. It's still more than Sean Hannity, who now has 34 min 50 sec per hour of program content.

 

[The Ultimate Warrior]

The "less is more" strategy was never a talk radio strategy, it was about the music stations.

 

[Signal_Faded]

Sure one minute doesn't seem like much but that is fifteen minutes a week and 780 spots a year...that's a decent little chunk of revenue for stations who are struggling to make ends meets right now. It seems in their need for more cash at the top they forget that stations at the bottom are having a tough time right now too.

 

[The Ultimate Warrior]

I sometimes wonder if anyone who reads/writes on these boards actually works in radio.

Local stations aren't maxed out on inventory and this move makes no difference to them. Beck however is probably going to sell that extra minute.

 

[Signal_Faded]

I sometimes wonder if anyone who reads/writes on these boards actually works in radio.

Local stations aren't maxed out on inventory and this move makes no difference to them. Beck however is probably going to sell that extra minute.

That's funny...I heard the EXACT opposite from a small group owner when Hannity started making more requirements (daily one minute feature required and additional spot per hour as well as extra outside inventory)...he complained saying that they are slowly killing the people that brought them to this level. And yes...I do work in radio.

 

[The Ultimate Warrior]

I sometimes wonder if anyone who reads/writes on these boards actually works in radio.

Local stations aren't maxed out on inventory and this move makes no difference to them. Beck however is probably going to sell that extra minute.

That's funny...I heard the EXACT opposite from a small group owner when Hannity started making more requirements (daily one minute feature required and additional spot per hour as well as extra outside inventory)...he complained saying that they are slowly killing the people that brought them to this level. And yes...I do work in radio.

Not the same thing. This is not adding 2 minutes to your morning drive inventory. This is in show.

 

[Signal_Faded]

I sometimes wonder if anyone who reads/writes on these boards actually works in radio.

Local stations aren't maxed out on inventory and this move makes no difference to them. Beck however is probably going to sell that extra minute.

That's funny...I heard the EXACT opposite from a small group owner when Hannity started making more requirements (daily one minute feature required and additional spot per hour as well as extra outside inventory)...he complained saying that they are slowly killing the people that brought them to this level. And yes...I do work in radio.

Not the same thing. This is not adding 2 minutes to your morning drive inventory. This is in show.

I completely disagree...it IS the same thing. It is syndicators thinking stations are sooooo lucky to have their product that they can slowly take a minute here or a minute there or three hours 'best of' in prime time weekend hours. At some point the owners (except CC who make money in this deal) will begin to push back. I have seen it where stations are giving up, the once sacred cow, Hannity because of his requirements and they sit there and suck it up as Rush asks for more and more money. If Beck isn't asking for money he soon will be...just wait.

 

[The Ultimate Warrior]

I sometimes wonder if anyone who reads/writes on these boards actually works in radio.

Local stations aren't maxed out on inventory and this move makes no difference to them. Beck however is probably going to sell that extra minute.

That's funny...I heard the EXACT opposite from a small group owner when Hannity started making more requirements (daily one minute feature required and additional spot per hour as well as extra outside inventory)...he complained saying that they are slowly killing the people that brought them to this level. And yes...I do work in radio.

Not the same thing. This is not adding 2 minutes to your morning drive inventory. This is in show.

I completely disagree...it IS the same thing. It is syndicators thinking stations are sooooo lucky to have their product that they can slowly take a minute here or a minute there or three hours 'best of' in prime time weekend hours. At some point the owners (except CC who make money in this deal) will begin to push back. I have seen it where stations are giving up, the once sacred cow, Hannity because of his requirements and they sit there and suck it up as Rush asks for more and more money. If Beck isn't asking for money he soon will be...just wait.

Did he take a minute of their inventory or add a minute to his?

Also, this is a free market. Dump Beck, Rush or Hannity and they will be scooped up.

I understand the station in SC are not thrilled that Rush Radio is coming to town and they are losing him.

I am all for it more jobs for me. Holland I know you rep WPTF... call me.

 

[livingfruitvirus]

I sometimes wonder if anyone who reads/writes on these boards actually works in radio.

Local stations aren't maxed out on inventory and this move makes no difference to them. Beck however is probably going to sell that extra minute.

Well, a station I listened to back in Florida sure acted like they needed it. They were an Ed Schultz affiliate. His show has 5 segments, with the fifth being the smallest, and the station never played that segment. They just played commercials to the top. Just one example I know, but I wonder if more stations actually do this. Premiere has lately been removing those tiny fifth segments from a couple of their programs and reducing them to four. All the new talk shows they've been launching also have four segments.

Sure one minute doesn't seem like much but that is fifteen minutes a week and 780 spots a year...that's a decent little chunk of revenue for stations who are struggling to make ends meets right now. It seems in their need for more cash at the top they forget that stations at the bottom are having a tough time right now too.

Eighteen actually. There's a Glenn Beck Weekend show that many affiliates are required to play. I don't know if there's any exterior inventory like ROS ads, and there's no morning featurette.

I completely disagree...it IS the same thing. It is syndicators thinking stations are sooooo lucky to have their product that they can slowly take a minute here or a minute there or three hours 'best of' in prime time weekend hours. At some point the owners (except CC who make money in this deal) will begin to push back. I have seen it where stations are giving up, the once sacred cow, Hannity because of his requirements and they sit there and suck it up as Rush asks for more and more money. If Beck isn't asking for money he soon will be...just wait.

An Erie, PA station recently dropped Rush because his fees were too high. I'm sure Rush landed elsewhere on the dial.

 

[smedge2006]

That's funny...I heard the EXACT opposite from a small group owner when Hannity started making more requirements (daily one minute feature required and additional spot per hour as well as extra outside inventory)...he complained saying that they are slowly killing the people that brought them to this level.

That seems to be job one in radio syndication. Dump the ones who brought you to the dance once you make it.

An Erie, PA station recently dropped Rush because his fees were too high. I'm sure Rush landed elsewhere on the dial.

Nope. Still off the air in Erie. Rush fans are listening to out of market stations. It took him more than a year to land a new affiliate when he was dumped in Fargo.

Unfortunately, stations won't have much pushback ability until they start biting the bullet and hiring people instead of leaving those talk studios empty for most or all of the day.

 

[livingfruitvirus]

That's funny...I heard the EXACT opposite from a small group owner when Hannity started making more requirements (daily one minute feature required and additional spot per hour as well as extra outside inventory)...he complained saying that they are slowly killing the people that brought them to this level.

That seems to be job one in radio syndication. Dump the ones who brought you to the dance once you make it.

And until they push back, there's no stopping the syndicators. The one that did cave to affiliates was Talk Radio Network, who got rid of their Michael Savage ROS inventory. Remember the giant thread from a year or two ago about WDEL dropping Hannity because ABC wanted the station to carry Mark Levin? Another station came in and bent over for the new requirements. I wonder how that cluster is doing.

I too hate those stale weekend cramdowns. I don't know who listens to them either. WIOD in Miami has their weekend schedule crowded with Rush, Hannity, and Beck reruns, and the rest of the weekend is mostly infomercials. They used to carry other syndicated shows, but all got cut, including 13 year staple Cigar Dave. WIOD was his first affiliated station. If the syndicator wants weekend time too, I would rather they have the station carry one of the network's live weekend shows. Maybe Hannity affiliates could have the option to carry Gary Sullivan or Ron Wilson instead. Every time I listen to them, they don't appear to have all their inventory sold.

An Erie, PA station recently dropped Rush because his fees were too high. I'm sure Rush landed elsewhere on the dial.

Nope. Still off the air in Erie. Rush fans are listening to out of market stations. It took him more than a year to land a new affiliate when he was dumped in Fargo.

Unfortunately, stations won't have much pushback ability until they start biting the bullet and hiring people instead of leaving those talk studios empty for most or all of the day.

Still? Guess even the competitors don't want to cough up the money.

At this point I think Rush is being silly by refusing to allow his show to simulcast on satellite radio. He claims it's a loyalty issue, but Sean Hannity is on XM and Sirius, and he is still #2. I haven't heard his loyalty questioned either. It's Limbaugh's playground though, and he can do as he wishes. No one's going to tell him how to run his show.

 

[Bob1370]

"In mid-December, Glenn Beck's ad inventory is increasing from 5 minutes to 6 minutes per hour, demonstrating again that the days of Clear Channel's "less is more" campaign are long gone. The segments-per-hour will drop to 4 from 5, and will be the same for all 3 hours. Meaning no more Paul Harvey friendly third hour with a hard out at 42 past."

Of course, with no more Paul Harvey, that's not an issue any longer. Another question is, what if you create an extra availability per hour and nobody buys it? Beck's not an easy sell these days, if what's happened to his TV show (with the documented desertion of a number of sponsors) is any indication.

 

[livingfruitvirus]

Maybe the radio show isn't being attacked like the TV show is. I heard about those sponsors leaving, but have new sponsors come in to buy up the spots? I'm not hearing anything about that. Not that I would expect someone to report on it.

I think Premiere will be able to sell the spot. At least at first. The additional spot is actually a live read. They're also converting another :60 into a live read. These will be replaced with recorded spots during Weekend or best-of/guest hosts.