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Randy Michaels To WBBM: I Don't Need Your Stinkin' Listeners!

DToTheJ

DToTheJ

The radio industry magazine Radio Ink caught up with Randy Michaels for an interview in its latest issue, and not only did he think CBS "overreacted" by blowing up Fresh 105.9 in favor of a simulcast of the market's top-billing all-news WBBM-AM, in what may have been an attempt to beat Merlin Media to the punch with their own WWWN (FM News 101.1), but Randy had some choice words for WBBM's listening audience:

"I don't think we are targeting them. When you look at WBBM or WCBS, the audience is incredibly old. My gosh, if you took the [NFL's Chicago] Bears out of WBBM, they don't have many people under 60. I have no interest in the audience that listens to BBM. I think they will continue to listen to WBBM."

Wow. I hope WBBM's listeners remember this the next time they decide to give the new FM news station a chance.

http://www.radioink.com/Article.asp?id=2297660&spid=24698
 
DToTheJ said:
The radio industry magazine Radio Ink caught up with Randy Michaels for an interview in its latest issue, and not only did he think CBS "overreacted" by blowing up Fresh 105.9 in favor of a simulcast of the market's top-billing all-news WBBM-AM, in what may have been an attempt to beat Merlin Media to the punch with their own WWWN (FM News 101.1), but Randy had some choice words for WBBM's listening audience:

"I don't think we are targeting them. When you look at WBBM or WCBS, the audience is incredibly old. My gosh, if you took the [NFL's Chicago] Bears out of WBBM, they don't have many people under 60. I have no interest in the audience that listens to BBM. I think they will continue to listen to WBBM."

Wow. I hope WBBM's listeners remember this the next time they decide to give the new FM news station a chance.

http://www.radioink.com/Article.asp?id=2297660&spid=24698
Click to expand...

Isn't WBBM one of the top billing stations in the country?
 
Let me see if I understand this....

The business model is to answer "incredibly old" with "incredibly bad".
 
Every time I think I've heard it all, here comes Randy.

This guy is either really smart and the rest of us can't see it, or the most ignorant person on the face of the earth.

One thing is for sure he is arrogant beyond belief!

Randy you have less listeners in Chicago than little suburban stations that hardly reach Chicago.

With the way your station sounds now, I don't see that changing much.

You should be grasping for any possible ear you can get.

You spent a pretty penny for that million seat stadium, you might want to fill more than 2,000 seats......
 
Insulting the intelligence of the female listeners Merlin is trying to attract in New York...

Insulting the intelligence of people that listen to the established, all-news leader in Chicago...

Two balls, two strikes.
 
DToTheJ said:
Wow. I hope WBBM's listeners remember this the next time they decide to give the new FM news station a chance.
Click to expand...

I like the part where you think any listener in Chicago will ever see that quote. It's an industry rag. The only reason why Randy says this stuff is because only radio fanatics will see it, and they'll get worked up. You're basically doing exactly what he wants.
 
If the research shows females 18-49 (pick your demo) want a certain type of news/topical information format (pick your format).......
And you're well funded......
And the money guys have pulled the trigger - they say "do it"........
Then why would you not have a comprehensive and coherent strategy? It seems you would come out of the gate with a marketing campaign, a well planned on air presentation,a killer digital presence - at least a decent web site, and support staff all on the same page regarding station plans and goals.
Randy, as someone said in an earlier post, is either so intelligent that we, the unwashed, can't understand the dimension he operates in......or he's been an awfully lucky dullard. There is a school of thought that says you don't make millions if you're an idiot. That has not been proven as scientific fact.......
 
Let's not say the average listener will never see the Randy Michaels' quote. Smart businesspeople don't speak to an industry magazine thinking only industry insiders will know. I'm sure Robert Feder and others will reprint these quotes the next time they do stories about the status of FM News 101.1. Michaels cuts his own throat declaring he wants none of WBBM's listeners.

And Michaels is silly in saying the audience he's seeking and the WBBM audience are totally different. So he's saying young adult women currently won't listen to WBBM when they want news? But there are enough untapped young women yearning for an All-News station that they'll give FM News 101.1 incredible ratings?

Sometimes I watch Headline News or The View and say, well maybe we have to give FM News 101.1 a chance. These TV efforts have figured out a way to get young women to watch a program that's primarily news and information, and may be aimed dumber than we'd like, yet gets ratings. I haven't heard whether Time-Warner is happy with HLN's ratings these days but it's clear they're targeting younger women, mixing gossip with news just as FM News 101.1 does. And no one can deny The View is a big ratings success, even though men may think it's simply a bunch of gossipping women talking over each other.

The trouble is I don't think Merlin Media is doing a good enough job, even on their own terms. At least with HLN and The View, you sort of know where things are. The top stories are dealt with first, then in descending order we get to the fluff. On FM News you don't know what you're going to get or when. Fluff is interwoven with the real news so that we may hear about the recall of a crib or last night's American Idol well before we hear about an earthquake overseas that kills hundreds or the latest unemployment rate.

The product Mr. Michaels is offering is too consfused and not thought out. I doubt young women will listen. HLN is one of 100+ cable channels. For it to be a success the rate of viewership is much smaller than the ratings a radio station with a a very large payroll needs to succeed. Even The View only has to win with women because it's on the air at an hour when mostly women are in the TV audience. FM News must compete 24 hours a day for its audience and it's not even competing for men... almsot asking them NOT to listen with its choice of news stories.

Meanwhile the two traditional All-News stations that currently exist on FM, WTOP Washington and KCBS San Francisco, are both Top 5 stations in the 25-54 demo. (KOMO in Seattle has an FM simuclast but it's closer to Tacoma, not really a Seattle signal. And I don't know KOMO's 25-54 numbers.) Just by being on FM KCBS and WTOP have lowered its demos. You don't have to dumb down the news or pander to attract a 25-54 audience.


Gregg
[email protected]
 
Gregg said:
Let's not say the average listener will never see the Randy Michaels' quote. Smart businesspeople don't speak to an industry magazine thinking only industry insiders will know. I'm sure Robert Feder and others will reprint these quotes the next time they do stories about the status of FM News 101.1. Michaels cuts his own throat declaring he wants none of WBBM's listeners.

And Michaels is silly in saying the audience he's seeking and the WBBM audience are totally different. So he's saying young adult women currently won't listen to WBBM when they want news? But there are enough untapped young women yearning for an All-News station that they'll give FM News 101.1 incredible ratings?

Sometimes I watch Headline News or The View and say, well maybe we have to give FM News 101.1 a chance. These TV efforts have figured out a way to get young women to watch a program that's primarily news and information, and may be aimed dumber than we'd like, yet gets ratings. I haven't heard whether Time-Warner is happy with HLN's ratings these days but it's clear they're targeting younger women, mixing gossip with news just as FM News 101.1 does. And no one can deny The View is a big ratings success, even though men may think it's simply a bunch of gossipping women talking over each other.

The trouble is I don't think Merlin Media is doing a good enough job, even on their own terms. At least with HLN and The View, you sort of know where things are. The top stories are dealt with first, then in descending order we get to the fluff. On FM News you don't know what you're going to get or when. Fluff is interwoven with the real news so that we may hear about the recall of a crib or last night's American Idol well before we hear about an earthquake overseas that kills hundreds or the latest unemployment rate.

The product Mr. Michaels is offering is too consfused and not thought out. I doubt young women will listen. HLN is one of 100+ cable channels. For it to be a success the rate of viewership is much smaller than the ratings a radio station with a a very large payroll needs to succeed. Even The View only has to win with women because it's on the air at an hour when mostly women are in the TV audience. FM News must compete 24 hours a day for its audience and it's not even competing for men... almsot asking them NOT to listen with its choice of news stories.

Meanwhile the two traditional All-News stations that currently exist on FM, WTOP Washington and KCBS San Francisco, are both Top 5 stations in the 25-54 demo. (KOMO in Seattle has an FM simuclast but it's closer to Tacoma, not really a Seattle signal. And I don't know KOMO's 25-54 numbers.) Just by being on FM KCBS and WTOP have lowered its demos. You don't have to dumb down the news or pander to attract a 25-54 audience.


Gregg
[email protected]
Click to expand...
Very well thought out and written Gregg, you put the perfect perspective on the FM news situation.
 
At the risk of repeating myself I ask......just exactly what research was this approach based on?
Has anyone given the first thought to marketing and positioning? I'm not in either market.....is there a coherent plan to attract female news listeners?
The on air product is not to major market standards.The mechanics are still awkward. New York seems to be a similar train wreck. Take a look at the digital. The website is about as poor as any I've seen......most college stations have a better digital presence.
It seems you would come out of the box swinging in a market like NYC or Chicago. All the t's crossed and i's dotted. This just seems like a lackadaisical attempt and I expected better considering the people involved.
 
When there's more comparisons to college radio and less praise for two major-market FM news stations one full ratings period out of the gate, expectations have to be lowered quite a bit...

Meanwhile, those WBBM listeners that Randy Michaels has more or less written off are coming back to haunt him:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-1005-fm-news-20111005,0,2424639.story

"I think that we're still in the process of revamping and finding the right approach."
 
DToTheJ said:
When there's more comparisons to college radio and less praise for two major-market FM news stations one full ratings period out of the gate, expectations have to be lowered quite a bit...

Meanwhile, those WBBM listeners that Randy Michaels has more or less written off are coming back to haunt him:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-1005-fm-news-20111005,0,2424639.story

"I think that we're still in the process of revamping and finding the right approach."
Click to expand...

WOW! WWWN is doing worse in Chicago than WEMP is doing in New York! WBBM will do just fine with its news simulcast on 780 AM and 105.9 FM.

IMHO, spoken word is the future on FM radio but it comes down to product. A news-based talk station would have a better chance to be successful than whatever this is Randy Michaels is trying to sell! :)
 
What can you expect from an old white guy who has kept his disk jockey name even when given big time corporate posts? He has been incredibly lucky in getting chances to spend other people's money, but has yet to demonstrate that he is a leader, innovator or programmer, to say nothing of providing lasting value for his investors.
 
This may be the most disappointing format launch in a major market since ... WCBS-FM got Jack'd? Although Jack got ratings!
 
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