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txrad
Guest
Inside Radio is reporting that WHK has dropped Michael Savage. Market GM went so far as to refer to Savage as a "knucklehead". I'm not normally a huge fan of Salem, but I heartily applaud them for this move.
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Considering what Salem's really about as a company, I can buy that. You don't want a christian-based network getting into it with questionable hosts like Savage.
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whatsittoya
Guest
what a loss! I am not a fan of Savage, but this smacks of censorship.....on second thought, this doesn't smack of censorship, it IS censorship! And don't give me this "Hate Speech" business. Who declares what is hate speech and what isn't? YOU? The government? You are on a slippery slope!
The letter below was published in yesterdays Columbus Dispatch.
I asked the WYTS PD last year if he would drop Savage and was told that they CAN'T because they are under
contract to carry him. Buy WHK in Cleveland was also under contract to carry him and they dropped him.
That seemed like a lame excuse at the time.
http://www.dispatch.com/live/conten...hilders_ART_07-25-08_A10_ACAR325.html?sid=101
Talk-show host lives up to his name
Friday, July 25, 2008 2:58 AM
(QUOTE)
Why isn't Clear Channel putting up billboards promoting radio station WYTS (1230 AM)? This might be why: One of the hosts in the station's all-neocon lineup is Michael Savage, who recently called autism a "racket." Savage claimed on the air that people with autism are "faking it" so they can scam money out of the government. Columbus' Clear Channel management has said that hosts like Savage are "too valuable" to let some other station have, so Clear Channel replaced the station's Air America format with these "valuable neocons" -- and then refused to promote the station.
I could say Clear Channel is not proud of these extremist talk-show hosts, but that would suggest it feels responsible for using the airwaves for the public good. Clear Channel only seems to want to air talk-show hosts who parrot the neocons' talking points. No, I would guess that as long as they can prop up the station and claim "freedom of speech," Clear Channel will continue to air the aptly named Savage.
**RUSS CHILDERS**
Chairman Ohio Majority Radio Columbus
(QUOTE)
I asked the WYTS PD last year if he would drop Savage and was told that they CAN'T because they are under
contract to carry him. Buy WHK in Cleveland was also under contract to carry him and they dropped him.
That seemed like a lame excuse at the time.
http://www.dispatch.com/live/conten...hilders_ART_07-25-08_A10_ACAR325.html?sid=101
Talk-show host lives up to his name
Friday, July 25, 2008 2:58 AM
(QUOTE)
Why isn't Clear Channel putting up billboards promoting radio station WYTS (1230 AM)? This might be why: One of the hosts in the station's all-neocon lineup is Michael Savage, who recently called autism a "racket." Savage claimed on the air that people with autism are "faking it" so they can scam money out of the government. Columbus' Clear Channel management has said that hosts like Savage are "too valuable" to let some other station have, so Clear Channel replaced the station's Air America format with these "valuable neocons" -- and then refused to promote the station.
I could say Clear Channel is not proud of these extremist talk-show hosts, but that would suggest it feels responsible for using the airwaves for the public good. Clear Channel only seems to want to air talk-show hosts who parrot the neocons' talking points. No, I would guess that as long as they can prop up the station and claim "freedom of speech," Clear Channel will continue to air the aptly named Savage.
**RUSS CHILDERS**
Chairman Ohio Majority Radio Columbus
(QUOTE)
I don't think one embarrassing host on a talk station's line-up would lead the corporation to decide not to put up Billboards. Here are a couple of other guestimates:
1. Since conservative talk radio tends to work, the feeling may be that there is no need to spend the cash for promotion, like billboards.
2. Not spending lots of money on promotion is one way for the corporation to lower its overhead which could have a positive impact on the bottom line. In other words, if the station does "just-ok" ratings-wise,
maybe they could still make a reasonable amount of coin thanks in part to low overhead costs.
1. Since conservative talk radio tends to work, the feeling may be that there is no need to spend the cash for promotion, like billboards.
2. Not spending lots of money on promotion is one way for the corporation to lower its overhead which could have a positive impact on the bottom line. In other words, if the station does "just-ok" ratings-wise,
maybe they could still make a reasonable amount of coin thanks in part to low overhead costs.
Michael Savage's act is that of a loose cannon. It's not surprising that he made a controversial statement.
The outrage rings hollow to me because that's what one should expect from a host like him. I think he was good on WHK because he brought some conservative diversity to their line-up. The only "saucy" host they have now is Laura Ingraham. She's nowhere near as biting at Michael. I will miss Savage because he's so over-the-top that he's entertaining. I realize, however, that others would just be shocked and not entertained. But, if that's the case change the station...turn the radio off...go watch TV...go to websites for political talk...do something else.
The outrage rings hollow to me because that's what one should expect from a host like him. I think he was good on WHK because he brought some conservative diversity to their line-up. The only "saucy" host they have now is Laura Ingraham. She's nowhere near as biting at Michael. I will miss Savage because he's so over-the-top that he's entertaining. I realize, however, that others would just be shocked and not entertained. But, if that's the case change the station...turn the radio off...go watch TV...go to websites for political talk...do something else.
johnbasalla said:
ABC/Citadel host Mark Levin (i.e., "F. Lee Levin" on Rush's show and "Dr. Levin" on Hannity's show) is replacing Savage in the 9p-11p timeslot on 14K. I'm not making this up. Salem actually went out and made a decent programming move for WHK.
Mark's no Savage or Hannity... but he's a distinctive voice, that's for sure. Not in the Savage level, but he's far and above better than Hugh Hewitt (who I don't really hate... he's more known as a blogger and commentator than as a radio host). Sooner or later, they should really switch timeslots.
"Kelly & Company" in the 11pm hour is an interesting move. It's time-brokered by local writer Tom Kelly, who has hosted like programs on WERE/1300 and WRMR/850 in afternoon drive many, many years ago. I'm quite frankly surprised - not only that he was still on the air - but that he took such a late hour on the air (which I presume is prerecorded).
Plus, I doubt that anyone at Talk Radio Networks is really pleased about WHK's GM calling their top personality a "knucklehead..." But then again, this is a cluster that employed Mike Luczak.
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neilparks2
Guest
No it is not "Censorship". If you think that this has anything to do with "censorship" then you don't know what the word means. You can read what "censorship" is here:whatsittoya said:
http://www.answers.com/censorship?gwp=13
Censorship occurs when a government determines in advance what may or may not be published.
Salem Communications is not a government. Salem never had any obligation to put Savage on the air in the first place. In putting him on, Salem did not acquire any moral obligation to keep him on.
"Mark's no Savage or Hannity... but he's a distinctive voice, that's for sure"
Distinctive voice? What are you talking about?
I've heard him, and his show is interchangeable with Rush, Hannity and the other dozen national right wing radio hosts who fill their entire show with rants about terrible, awful Liberals and virtually nothing else.
The only difference is that Hannity calls his show "The Stop Obama Express" (replacing the evidently cancelled "Stop Hillary Express"); Rush says "the only hope for America is to stop Obama" and Levin says "we have to do everything in our power to stop Obama".
Creative bunch, eh?
Even the callers sound the same. Mostly people who agree 100% and call the host "a great American" or the occasional caller who disagrees, the call-screener making sure that they are either a flower-child woman or an extreme left wing crazy.
Distinctive voice? What are you talking about?
I've heard him, and his show is interchangeable with Rush, Hannity and the other dozen national right wing radio hosts who fill their entire show with rants about terrible, awful Liberals and virtually nothing else.
The only difference is that Hannity calls his show "The Stop Obama Express" (replacing the evidently cancelled "Stop Hillary Express"); Rush says "the only hope for America is to stop Obama" and Levin says "we have to do everything in our power to stop Obama".
Creative bunch, eh?
Even the callers sound the same. Mostly people who agree 100% and call the host "a great American" or the occasional caller who disagrees, the call-screener making sure that they are either a flower-child woman or an extreme left wing crazy.
Yep, a real bunch of geniuses over at Salem. Beck owned WTAM and they never picked him up. Hannity owns talk radio nationally and they won't pick him up.
Savage is still on plenty of other Salem stations. Apparently they actually have PDs at Salem stations. Of course, it's basically a title only. Not too many decisions to make... "hmm... I have to run Bennett, Prager, Medved, Hewitt, and Gallagher on delay".
Savage is still on plenty of other Salem stations. Apparently they actually have PDs at Salem stations. Of course, it's basically a title only. Not too many decisions to make... "hmm... I have to run Bennett, Prager, Medved, Hewitt, and Gallagher on delay".
"Savage is still on plenty of other Salem stations. Apparently they actually have PDs at Salem stations. Of course, it's basically a title only. Not too many decisions to make... "hmm... I have to run Bennett, Prager, Medved, Hewitt, and Gallagher on delay"."
The Salem PDs also look at rotten ratings for their talk stations, but they are secure in the knowledge that Big Daddy Salem will fund the whole thing regardless of ratings performance. Hell, they even just cleared a whole New York station a few days ago as a reward for their fine performance.
As I have said before, the height of irony was Hugh Hewitt making fun of Air America's lack of ratings a few months ago! Must be nice to have a rich Daddy, eh Hugh?
The Salem PDs also look at rotten ratings for their talk stations, but they are secure in the knowledge that Big Daddy Salem will fund the whole thing regardless of ratings performance. Hell, they even just cleared a whole New York station a few days ago as a reward for their fine performance.
As I have said before, the height of irony was Hugh Hewitt making fun of Air America's lack of ratings a few months ago! Must be nice to have a rich Daddy, eh Hugh?
Hugh Hewitt is a nobody, and his company may have cash, but you could take it over for well under $100 million plus the debt.
They're flipping the old WWDJ to Spanish, so that's a different story.
They're flipping the old WWDJ to Spanish, so that's a different story.
I think you meant WTTT in Boston, which flipped to conservatalk back in April. They took the WWDJ calls as a result of Salem's recent NY doings. (Not that I'm complaining...) And WTTT was a station that actually aired ABC News, Hannity and Paul Harvey on their lineup. Which doesn't say much for those PDs in corporate that actually try to run a station... I think that was the only one.
The fact Salem is putting a gigantic 50,000 watt waste in New York ("970 The Apple") is so their fifth-tier hosts can bill more nationally. They couldn't care less if no one has ever heard of Hugh Hewitt... it's more money from the Three-Step Plan, E-Harmony, et al. Even as the NY station will fail spectacularily (more so because Ingraham and Savage already have higher-profile clearences in the market).
Nothing new. KRLA/LA, WNTP/Philly, KSKY/Dallas are all ratings failures and respective 50,000 watt wastes. "970 The Apple" will ALSO be a failure and a waste. (And chances are, had WKNR gone to conversatalk, they too would've been lumped in the same boat.) But they allwill be propped up by Salem's corporate ideology. They don't care... they never have. If any sensible broadcasting firm was ever intent on developing successful talk stations, they normally would have a decent head start on such a project.
Which makes me wonder: how can Salem communicate their ideology properly when only four or five people will listen to a badly programmed, ineptly run station with a questionable lineup of fifth-tier hosts?
The fact Salem is putting a gigantic 50,000 watt waste in New York ("970 The Apple") is so their fifth-tier hosts can bill more nationally. They couldn't care less if no one has ever heard of Hugh Hewitt... it's more money from the Three-Step Plan, E-Harmony, et al. Even as the NY station will fail spectacularily (more so because Ingraham and Savage already have higher-profile clearences in the market).
Nothing new. KRLA/LA, WNTP/Philly, KSKY/Dallas are all ratings failures and respective 50,000 watt wastes. "970 The Apple" will ALSO be a failure and a waste. (And chances are, had WKNR gone to conversatalk, they too would've been lumped in the same boat.) But they allwill be propped up by Salem's corporate ideology. They don't care... they never have. If any sensible broadcasting firm was ever intent on developing successful talk stations, they normally would have a decent head start on such a project.
Which makes me wonder: how can Salem communicate their ideology properly when only four or five people will listen to a badly programmed, ineptly run station with a questionable lineup of fifth-tier hosts?
You're right, Nathan. 970 may well do worse than the stations you mentioned, though, I think.
KJCB said:
Salem will be damned lucky if it even charts in the ratings. Given WABC and WOR's clout in the market, that will never be the case.
It's a good thing that WOR finally added some more political talk. With all that talk about Broadway shows they had (and still do to a lesser degree), its enough to drive away a real news/talk listener.
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