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New WILM PD and "morning drive personality"

R

radiophiler

DCRTV.com reports that WBAL Saturday morning conservative talker Bruce Elliot is the new PD and "morning drive personality" of WILM.
Guess this means the morning news block is becoming a talk show.
 
I could envision a lively local AM drive time talkshow on both WILM and WDOV using Phil and Val for news /sports updates, along with traffic /weather together. If Bruce does a good job, this could give WILM an edge over WDEL.

Of course, CC Delaware would have to spend some money and advertise the show on Billboards around the metro area and Dover so people would know about the change. Any idea how soon the new WILM/WDOV format will debut?
 
Looks like CC has stepped up and paid some extra money already this year. The folks over at Shipley must be taking notes. I still wonder if they will blow up 92.9 and put WILM FM there, then put the ticket on WDOV. It would give both stations much more coverage.
 
Good ideas but let's not forget we are talking about Cheap Channel. They own billboards so if there are any empty ones around, that's a possibility for promotion.

CCI has never, ever, liked spending money. "You have to spend it to make it" is not their business philosophy. Their philosophy is Income minus expense equals profit, so if we cut expense we have more profit.

That said, I am surprised they are bringing in talent from outside to go local and live in the morning. Counter-programming a news block with talk makes sense. And this does explain Mark Fowser's departure.

If they are putting more money into morning drive (which again makes sense) they could well be looking to cut elsewhere, like late morning. This could make putting Beck on in Wilmington (as well as Dover) even more likely.
 
Another conservative talk show host? Good luck with that!

WILM's problem: Its signal is obviously best in the City of Wilmington, and - with a few exceptions - Wilmington does not provide a hotbed of support for conservative talkers.

Having said that, WILM would end up with a more consistent air-sound (conservative talk) EXCEPT for John Watson (although John swings right on law & order, and U.S. military interventions).

By the way, if CC tries to give Watson the boot, look for significant protests from Wilmington's African-American community! Not that the old civil rights leaders could FORCE CC to make an about-face, but Watson's following in the city was one of the few things CC still had going for it.
After all, he's been a fixture on WILM since the mid-1980's. That would produce a new dilemma for the new PD: He'd be under even more pressure to keep, or retain, Harmon Carey's Saturday morning show, which is abysmal.

The paradox now: Watson, occasional replacement host Ted Efaw, and morning news co-anchor Valorie Mack are all liberal or even progressive.

It'll be interesting to see what happens with WILM under this new PD.

By the way, CC management apparently reached out to other people before making this hire.

The continuing conundrum: Wilmington is not a market where advertisers seek to put their ads on controversial talk-shows. Yet a controversial host is what draws attention.

Wilmington is not a market where there's a waiting line for advertisers wanting talk-show hosts to do live "reads", and testimonials.

When it comes to A.M. radio in Wilmington, advertisers buy traffic, weather, stock reports, news, sports, state legislative reports, snow closings, etc. That introduces another difficulty for the new local host: For advertising avails, WILM might have to retain many of those "elements". But if WILM does so, the new talent will end up with a very truncated show.

(This happened some years ago when Carlotta Bradley defected from WILM to WDEL. At 'DEL, she ended up hosting a talk-show in P.M. drive. But she got very frustrated with all the interruptions, which to her -- killed the momentum for her show! Callers often wouldn't wait through the interminable breaks.)

Another point: With the flip-flopping of formats and networks between WILM & WDEL, a share of WILM's listeners migrated to WDEL. Younger listeners are on FM or new media. Even if they're conservative, it's doubtful they will discover the "new" WILM in the morning, absent the incredible advertising / marketing effort Clear Channel is loathe to do.
 
WILM could run their clock like this:

0:00:00 on the hour Fox news;
0:2:00 leave Fox for local newsheadlines/traffic/weather/spots,
0:6:00 go to talk;
0:15:00 go to traffic/weather/ sports headlines/spots;
0:21:00 more talk;
0:30:00 Fox half hour newsbreak/local newsheadlines/traffic/weather/spots;
0:36:00 more talk;
0:45:00 traffic/weather/sports headlines/spots;
0:51:00 more talk to top of the hour.
 
The above schedule does look like a truncated show. This kind of "truncation" has hurt a lot of morning drive talk shows around the country. Curtis and Kuby, late of WABC, comes to mind.

Any race-based protests about dropping Watson would be on principle only. He does not have a significant following in the minority community and his positions are often opposite those of their leadership. One of radio's big problems is it has never learned to "arrange" graceful exits for people, allowing them to retain face and depart with some dignity. It's amazing when you consider how often the industry fires people that it has never learned to do it right. (Exhibit A is Juan Williams.) I notice that when someone posts critical comments about a station, another poster (based on zero evidence) will dismiss the first poster as a "disgruntled" ex-employee. Most businesses have to let people go and they have human resource people to keep those newly departed gruntled (exit interviews, job placement help). Both sides keep bridges unburned. Not radio. They do terminations the way movie Mafiosi do hits.
 
Wouldn't drive time listeners want that information? That's why I set up the clock as I did. It's less often than WILM now does the traffic/weather and spot breaks, but often enough that the traffic data can be helpful to you while driving to work. Even WHYY-FM (NPR) does something like this, because even though their listeners want the news magazine format of ATC or Morning Edition, they also want that local info.

Industry has learned, possibly from radio, how to do the mafia hit firings and layoffs. They show up with security guards to walk you out, so that you can't destroy or steal files, mess up the computer, its network, or delete any important documents, or save important documents, inventions, etc, on a USB memory stick. Radio does it, because they don't want you going postal on air.

We also need to clear up the use of words. Being fired IS NOT the same thing as being LAID OFF, or Down Sized, etc. Being fired means you did something the corporation can not tolerate like didn't sell well enough, did get the results desired, or what you did was illegal, unethical, immoral so you're history. You CAN NOT collect Unemployment when you've been fired.

Being Laid off, as so many have been with this lousy economy nationwide is when, the corporation, can no longer afford your services, or we do not have the work for you to do. So even though you've been a good employee who's done a great job, etc, we have to let you go. In this case you are entitled to Unemployment and those companies quite often do try to assist you in finding another job, either within their corporation or somewhere else.
 
I see no one responded directly to my point that a conservative host might not fare well on a station where the signal is strongest in Wilmington and immediate environs.

I see no one responded directly to my point that it's difficult to "sell" talk in the Wilmington market.

Let's be clear: Even when coverage of the first Gulf War - and Rush Limbaugh's first few months on a Wilmington station - thrust WILM to a 5.8 overall Arbitron rating (the best for either WILM or WDEL since 1990), that overall rating did absolutely nothing for sales. Nothing.

In fact, advertisers clamored to keep their commercials AWAY from Rush, no matter the ratings. Based on the local public service announcements or other non-local-commercial inserts airing during Rush and Hannity now, not too much has changed.

One Wilmington Italian restaurant guy tried to start a "Rush room" at his restaurant. That lasted about a week or two, after one customer after another said they'd boycott the restaurant.

There is a reason Wilmington had two stations with morning news blocks for so long when far bigger markets did not: It was vastly easier to sell the "elements".

The vicious circle remains: For a morning host to get noticed, he must be controversial. But if he is deeply controversial, good luck with the advertising.

(In fact, with a conservative guy in the morning, and right-wing syndicated talk from 12 Noon onwards, John Watson's show might become the ONLY repository for local spots!)

To Matt Parker's assertion: "He (Watson) does not have a significant following in the minority community..."

Perhaps we can quibble over the definition of the word, "significant".

But has Matt seen Watson interact with African-American clergy, lawmakers, civil rights types, etc.? Although he's quite the introvert in certain situations, the warmth appears to be genuine.

Watson's a longtime member of the "Monday Club", the oldest Black men's social club in Delaware.

He enjoys a small niche in civil rights history, as the student leader of a strike in his native Farmville, Virginia, trying to desegregate the schools. This factoid has come up during certain civil rights events.

So watch him at an NAACP dinner, or in the halls of cable channel 28 on a Sunday night.

Sure, it's an older demo, and some of it is dying off....

But a clumsily handled termination of Watson - with Beck as his replacement - could cause further alienation for Clear Channel in this market.

Both African-Americans and commercial clients.
 
DX, I think that a local host may not have such a disadvantage as Rush/Hannity/or Beck in the Wilmington market. WDEL's own local Rush wannabe, Rick Jensen seems to have plenty of spots on his show and in many ways he's far more obnoxious than Limbaugh (for my ear).

WILM's signal during the day does get down to the Smyrna area well outside of the Wilmington city limits (even at night their signal gets to Bear, New Castle, North to about Silverside Road, and into Pike Creek Valley), and with WDOV also carrying this new show the coverage area is even greater. So it might not be as hard a sell for WILM/WDOV airing a local conservative host as WDEL has already broken the ice and cut the path so to speak.

I have no idea what sort of numbers John Watson gets as compared to Al Messitti, but as Watson's show does sell local spots, I'd assume WILM would keep Watson on until he's ready to retire (he does seem to have a following) and then possibly move Ted Efaw (who in my opinion is a far better talk host than Watson) to even grow that time slot after John retires. My guess is, as long as WILM is making money doing the local talk from 9am to 11:30am, they'll keep doing it. If the spot load drops off too much then look out, Glenn Beck will be on the scene from the bird.

That's my spin.
 
Good points, Mike, except that morning drive is a very different proposition.

A certain number of people - even those who enjoy ideological talk - just want to be assured in the morning that the world didn't blow up, and then get the local & national/international news, weather, traffic, sports, business... basically all the fixtures.

That's why some of the traditional full-service, 50,000-watt "blow torches" - even the ones which air highly opinionated talk later in the day - have a rather saccharin morning show.

But a saccharin morning show is most likely not going to suddenly draw audience to WILM. And I've already noted the advertising Achilles' Heel for a controversial host.

And over years, listeners' loyalties to news/talk formats "lock in". That's why it took the Clear Channel-driven, "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" event at WILM - and a flip of syndicated talk and network affiliations - to alter the chemistry between WILM and WDEL.

As for Rick Jensen, is he really that acerbic? Unlike John Watson, he doesn't constantly interrupt his callers. And on local issues - for example, open government or disdain for the previous Minner administration - Jensen and Al Mascitti are often simpatico. Plus, Jensen is a Rotarian and does a lot of public service, which can take the "edge" off.

But, my point stands: This is not a market where advertisers wait in line for talk-show hosts to do live copy reads and testimonials.

As for Ted Efaw: He obviously has a more lively & youthful sound than Watson, but, at least, when I hear him (which admittedly isn't often), I don't hear a passionate discussion of local issues. National issues are fine but predictable. You've got to weave the local with the national.

But the greater obstacle for him: Program directors today regard ideology as a "format".

(Traditional, full-service stations might be able to get away with a more varied approach.)

But particularly on a station which now airs Limbaugh, Hannity, Savage, and Levin, to hear a liberal from 9---11:30 or 9---12 Noon sounds like playlisting Abba, Bread, Seals & Crofts, and Air Supply on a 1970's album rock station. It didn't used to be that way. It now is.
 
I see your point and it may be a hard climb for WILM and may not work I guess we'll have to wait to hear what they actually do, but as to Rick Jensen, it's more of how he says what he says that just grates for my ears. Rush is full of himself, but has a sense of humor and wit that I just don't hear with Rick. I don't mean to be critical of him, but he sounds like an older guy trying to be hip, sort of like seeing that 50 year old woman who's shape left several decades ago wearing a skimpy bathing suit on the beach. Rick just doesn't sound natural, it sounds put on and phony to my ear, and he's so biased, so I rarely tune in.

I agree completely with you about John Watson. He interrupts everyone. I haven't listened to his show for years for that reason. I remember when during one of those droughts we had, he was interviewing the president of Artesian Water. Watson interrupted her so much that the interview was a total waste of her time and the listeners time. That was the last time I tuned in to his show.
 
DX: I am not speaking of Watson's personal relationships in the local Black community. Just of his radio show, which to my knowledge does not have much of a Black audience.

Mike: I agree completely with your description of Watson on the air. I'd add his interminable rants, the same few callers day in and day out and all the times he doesn't know what he's talking about (plus his inability to admit when he doesn't know something). Mike, you hardly have an unkind word to say about anyone and if you can't stand to listen to the guy, he's got to be pretty bad.

Radio is often ruled by imitation and inertia. If they do it, it must be the right thing to do. If we've always done it, it must be the right thing to do. Traffic reports started about 50 years ago with the development of big city freeway systems: Large number of drivers on a few main routes, expecting to go fast and hitting frequent back-ups (which was not what they were promised when homes and businesses were torn down to build them). Then a guy in a chopper could pretty much keep track of all the main routes. Now there are cameras and monitoring systems (when they work) and the information is less current and less accurate. Traffic reports don't do much except to tell you why traffic is not moving ("Knowing why is the booby prize of life." - Werner Erhard). They are seldom useful at helping you avoid a problem. Even with the limited value of traffic reports, there are now far better ways to distribute the information. Maybe traffic reports fit in a news block but they can kill a talk show and they are not worth it to a talk show.
 
To the point about Black listenership of John Watson (or WILM): For many years, WILM easily had the highest African-American listenership of any station in the Wilmington area, after - of course - the Black urban stations in Philly. McDonald's bought WILM as a 'Black' station.

Long forgotten, but Carlotta Bradley hosted "NewsTalk P.M." at night for a couple of years. Since WILM at that time was news EXCEPT for Watson and Bradley, so that made WILM the only non-urban station in America to have two Black talk-show hosts. And later, Stormin' Norman Oliver hosted Friday nights for a number of years. But the addition of all conservative syndicated talk from 12 Noon onwards has eroded that listenership.

To traffic reports: Yes, in theory, motorists can get the information elsewhere, but STILL... people go to A.M. news/talk stations for traffic. You can go around and around and around that most traffic is utterly predictable, but it remains a vital ingredient. Theory: Just as ideological talk listeners like to have a talk-show host reaffirm their world view (or prejudices), motorists just like to hear traffic.

Snow closings are similar: Yes, many people go to the web, but it would be premature to banish most of them from the airwaves. Just returned from a high school classroom literally today where we talked about parents waiting to hear closings on the air! When closings become massive, it does make sense, though, to direct listeners to websites for further info.
 
Matt, just to be clear. I worked with John Watson when I was at WILM on weekends and he is a very nice person who has a vast knowledge of the radio business. I always enjoyed talking with him at work. DX is correct, Watson is very active in the community. I just don't like how he does a talk show. I did a talk show at WILM on Saturday nights for 3 years, my style was very different from John's. Our approaches to doing a show is different.

Rick Jensen at WDEL, I don't know personally (met him once for about 5 minutes), but do not like his talk show either as I've stated in previous posts. My guess is, Rick is a decent person and I'd probably enjoy working with him, again we'd approach our respective shows in a different manner.

So even though I'd not listen to either Watson or Jensen there are many others who enjoy those shows. To each his own. That's why there is an ON/OFF switch and a station tuner on every radio.
 
DX: Yes, WILM once did court the Black audience. As you pointed out, ideology is the format and WILM today is a right-wing talk station. It's not format likely (or intended) to do well with Black listeners. Watson might be conservative in many areas but he's just not very good at his job. Beck would strengthen the line-up, provide more consistency throughout the day and cost less. If management did not fear protests from Black activists, Watson probably would have been gone with the others inherited from the previous owner.

Yes, some people like traffic. People even like it on TV, where traffic is even less useful and less relevant than on the radio. My theory is traffic gives the illusion of control. But traffic is no longer essential to a good many people. It may fit in a news block, which is a series of short and unrelated segments but it may do more harm than good in a talk show.

High school kids talking about parents (not themselves?) waiting to hear school closings? Was this last winter or when these students were in elementary school? A decade ago the Internet and how people used the Internet were quite different. Most people still had only dial-up connections and many accessed the Internet only through services like AOL. Radio stations were just getting started putting information online. Why wait for school closings today? And school closings only directly affect families with school age children. News and talk skew older and school closings may drive away "empty nest" listeners.
 
You're correct, repetitive snow closings can drive away listeners. It's a great dilemma.

Interestingly, in the Wilmington market, the four traditional radio stations - WDEL, WILM, WSTW, and WJBR - ALL do closings and cancellations, although the FM's don't put as much emphasis on cancelled evening meetings, for example. The stations that don't do closings are minor factors in the market. Admittedly, this doesn't necessarily prove cause-and-effect.

As for the John Watson discussion, his show clearly doesn't have the energy of past years. Plus, under Clear Channel, he's booked a lot of 'boring' public service guests, undoubtedly because Clear Channel management has asked him to... to satisfy public service / ascertainment requirements. Between Watson's voice, and the audio processing, his delivery sounds muffled, not dynamic.

Beck would solidify the conservative 'format' we've discussed. But again, just wait for all those "holes" instead of local commercials! Beck will not sell in the Wilmington market. And ratings wise, only Rush can rise above the competition, and in Wilmington, not dramatically so. WDEL beats Hannity in P.M. drive. WDEL beats Savage at night.
 
DX, you raise the $64,000 Question. Does either AM talk station sell? As an independent, WILM had a very light spot load. Now, a friend in the ad business has told me, both Clear Channel and Delmarva heavily discount the rate card for their FM stations and throw AM in for free. Doesn't sound like either AM talker is selling.

Mike: I don't know these people as you do. I don't think the issue is how nice they are personally. Just what works or doesn't work on the air. Given all the posts I've seen including personal attacks on people in radio on these boards, I'd just as soon leave personal character (good or bad) out of the discussion. Radio is both a business and a performance art and anyone's work is subject to fair comment (understanding that comment on someone's work is not a reflection on their character).
 
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