News Talk Radio in Atlanta

[Surfer]

OK, I'm curious. WSB, WGKA, WGST. I have listened to all 3 and have determined that each has a little of what I like...and dislike. WSB has the morning news BUT, WGKA has Bill Bennett and I enjoy his show. WGST is not a contender for me in the AM.

Middays, I far and away prefer WGKA's Laura Ingraham and now Mike Gallagher (what a hoot!). GST has Rush but frankly, his pompous attitude is getting old. WSB and Boortz is just not interesting.

Afternoons, if you like financial stuff, Clark Howard is good on SB but I still enjoy the Kimmer. Michael Medved is OK but he seems like a bit of a know-it-all. Maybe it's me.

As far as the evenings go, I think the best show out there is Hugh Hewitt on WGKA! He tackles issues nobody else even thinks of! SB (Sean Hannity) and GST (now taking either the Braves or Dave Ramsey) just don't cut it.

Plus, the promos and imaging being done on WGKA sounds much better than the other guys. Anyway, that's my opinion, I welcome yours...just try to stick to something about all THREE stations please and not just WGST. Thanks. :-X

 

[atlantascum]

WSB is the best at what they do. Boortz, Slade, Howard and Hannity are the undisputed champs. Their billing is probably the highest in the city.

WGST is just confused. They don't have any talent in front of the mic or behind it. They keep trying with new management and talent and nothing seems to work. Some day they will do something right.

WGKA is a relay station. They are not a radio station. They just rebroadcast national shows. Their hosts depress me. I don't think WGKA will ever be noticed. They are just hidden away. They put no effort into what they do.

 

[CONSultant]

I find myself listening to 920 WGKA more and more. I'm getting into Bill Bennett but Laura Ingraham is my favorite. I'm not a Denny hater and listen to him some if he has something interesting local on, if not I'm back to Ingraham. Boortz loses me everytime he goes off on one of his I'm so rich yippee for me rants. No one holds a candle to Clark Howard - love him. I don't get the popularity of Sean Hannity and I'm not crazy about Medved. Still listen to the Kimmer but it looks like CC is trying to run him off instead of paying out his contract. I hope he hangs in there.

 

[lilburncommunityradio]

WSB: Boortz is boring, and amen to the rants about being richer than thou!
WSB: Clark Howard is not my fave, and I miss Dave Ramsey On GKA.
WSB: Sean Hannity is nerve racking only because he drives me nuts about how pure is claims to be BULL {Edit}
WGKA: Great Relay Station, I agree relay station , but the hosts are entertaining, and like to talk about the issues.
WGST: No hope, Pull the plug, throw on oldies on this freq! I really think that WOULD work. No oldies outlets in town, and this would be a great freq for them.
WGST has no Hope End it now.

 

[70sdj]

WSB: Boortz # 1
WSB: Clark Howard #1
WSB: Hannity # 1

Thanks for coming!

 

[XTalker]

Talk radio is more like television. People don't watch only one television station, they chase their favorite program. Talk radio audiences (particularly in the younger demos) are similar (as evidenced by the several previous posts).

It is getting harder and harder for local talent to compete with the syndicated shows. If a local broadcaster put as much support into a local show as the syndicated folks get, it would be different. Local talk host have little pre-time or help. The syndicated guys have lots of staff to do all their homework and book guests, find sound bytes, etc.

You may not like Boortz or Clark Howard, but you can't argue with their success. They are not "wing it" shows - they have staff to help with the research and production values.

Too many talk GMs don't understand the importance of a good producer or research assistant. Too many producers have too many other responsibilities. It takes a great deal of time and effort to produce three good hours of talk radio!