A few obvious things/questions/comments:
1. Martin sees the writing on the wall. There's not much left to radio these days, and the days of salaries he once had are long gone. Better grab the money while some idiot's willing to pay it. And it's been just enough time for most people to have forgotten his little tiff with the law, and nearly too much time for him to fall into irrelevancy.
2. Has Clear Channel bothered to play back those first Martin shows on KYNG where he relentlessly lambasted CC and the horse they rode in on? 'Forgive and forget' is really a stretch in this case.
3. I always thought part of Martin's ratings issues those last few years is that his listeners simply "outgrew" his schtick. So, you're wanting a new generation of teen-somethings and 20-somethings to embrace him, not knowing who he is or what blather this guy over twice their age is talking about? (You can wear the rock-n-roll veneer all day, but when you're 50, well, you're still 50.) Me, I know I'd be pissed having my music taken away in the mornings...and now with only one station playing that type of music, well, this 'ain't' like flipping from The Zoo to Q-102 to avoid the 'morning jerks.'
4. Then again, I always felt that Martin was afraid of mornings, that he wouldn't risk being put up against the Dorseys and the Hal Jays and the Jodys and the Bo and Jim's of the local radio scene. It was bad enough doing battle with just one station in the afternoons, The Ticket. Will this new timeslot be a vehicle to newfound/re-found success, or will it expose him as yet another aging radio hack trying to get a morning audience with too many competitors on the dial?
5. Is CBS really stupid enough to let CC buy out a contract that will let CC compete directly with KRLD-FM? (Different formats, but talk is talk...esp when it's 'trying' to be cutting-edge, "hot" talk.) If all CC is going to do is buy out Martin's contract at face value, then why would CBS even care? Or is just some Purdy-good favor under the counter? (And part of the reason why CBS won't program a Modern Rock station to go up against KEGL? Or any other kind of conflicting format?)
6. Sure, The Eagle needs help. It needs a programmer, for one. But acts have come and gone relentlessly there for the last 29 years, and I see no reason that will change. But if CC thinks they're getting the 'old' show and the 'old' crew from Martin, they'd better pocket their money. This would be like Howard without Robin, Jackie and Fred...but perhaps with Elephant Boy instead as the sidekick. Unlistenable, painful, and a hell of a way to wrap up one's radio career.
7. I still get some satisfaction when some ego-driven person starts touting his/her ratings---a 2.0, to me, means that 98% of people listening to the radio right now are NOT listening to that person. Isn't that the right math for that? Yeah, and there's the PPM now...too easy for station management to see specifically what makes people tune out. Once the new wears off, I think there's going to be a lot of disappointment going around. Me, I'll still be listening to KEOM.
8. The Observer made it sound like Martin had this long, rich history at KEGL. If I'm not mistaken, he left for the Satellite Music Network for several years before returning to KEGL as a jock, then as Howard's local board op, then jocking after Howard went off, then to his own show at some point.
9. For all the Martin worshippers who seem to come out of the woodwork on this board, are there any other places on the web that this discussion is going on? I'm sure the Observer had some comments on the article, but for all the power and success that some of you attribute to Martin, why is some radio-only discussion board the only place that such a high-profile, God's-Gift-To-Radio person is talked about? He should be part of every major blog, and on the front page of most magazines and newspapers. In reality, it's a big candle being held up by a small group of people. And even the mention of Martin's name is good fodder to start arguments with here.
10. There's always the OFF button, and 60~ other choices on the dial.
