So, let's say if Rational Radio did leave the airwaves or move elsewhere

[little1]

My guess is that the lease paymkents are a lot lower these days- what with the crappy economy and all...

But just for laffs- if it''s 60K, that's 15K a week. 2-3 grand a day (depending if they can sell weekend time). Even if they just sell daytime hours, they've got to sell a couple hundred bucks worth of spots per hour to make that 60K. And I'm with you chip- whenever I check them out, there's a lot of PSA's, cross-promotion of other shows, etc etc. Very few paying spots, and the few 'real' spots I hear aren't exactly high-dollar advertisers (for example- there's a hair dressing salon and a mexican resturant that I hear advertise- neither are chains (where they could spread the advertising cost around), and I find it hard to belive they're paying BIG money)

Even if the lease is half the 60K, I really don't hear the spots to make enough to pay that AND pay any kind of decent salary to all those people...

I freely admit I could be wrong, maybe they're billing a ton from the adverttisers they've got...If some of you people who listen regularly want to log all their advertisers for an hour or two, it might give us mnore of a clue of what they've got on...

 

[salemjedi54]

It's a big gamble for MRBI for letting Rational Radio go (if they are paying the bills) and let this DJ run (or screw up) 1360.

If said person now has his act (and humility) together and can put together a good lineup of local talkers, run it well and really promote it, Hot Talk may work. Nights could be syndicated or local niche programming. Otherwise it could be a disaster.

What you describe (local talkers/hot talk) sounds pretty much like what rational radio already is. It is reasonably professionally done, hard to think that someone would do it much better. I think some of it would work on FM. But even as a liberal, I can't stand extremist viewpoints left or right and so turn it off if it goes off the deep end. I prefer some thought process and understanding that the world is shades of gray and not black and white. That doesn't exist anywhere on the radio (not NPR either). I focus more on NPR because they at least have somewhat in-depth discussion and analysis even if it is clear that they leave out the middle and right view mostly.

But i still say we need to chuck AM altogether and expand the FM band and give the AMs a new FM assignment. Simulcast for 1-2 years and turn the AMs off. Why are we dragging this pain out?

KTCK is not having problems and its on a pissant signal. Didn't they bill over 25 million in 2007-2008??????

 

[billyg]

KTCK is not having problems and its on a pissant signal. Didn't they bill over 25 million in 2007-2008??????

True, but the Ticket has been on the air since the mid 90's and has built up a loyal audience over time.

Rational is still a new station. And if any Ticket or WBAP listener tuned to 1360 during the mornings and heard somebody bashing conservatives or republicans they'll immediatly think "This is a Liberal radio station" and tune somewhere else.

 

[ButtnPushr]

KTCK is not having problems and its on a pissant signal. Didn't they bill over 25 million in 2007-2008??????

True, but the Ticket has been on the air since the mid 90's and has built up a loyal audience over time.

Rational is still a new station. And if any Ticket or WBAP listener tuned to 1360 during the mornings and heard somebody bashing conservatives or republicans they'll immediatly think "This is a Liberal radio station" and tune somewhere else.

Good point, billyg. Is it safe to say there's just no real demand for "Liberal Talk" Radio? I mean Air America isn't much of a powerhouse network these days. Is it fair to say Conservative Talk has the market cornered? I mean everyone knows Rush, Hannity, and Glen Beck. But who are the household names of Liberal Talk? I'm sure the radiophiles on this board may know, but if you go ask some dude on the street he wouldn't know. Maybe they need to just throw in the towel on the format. Besides, shows like Pugs and Kelly and Jack E jet are hardly Liberal Talk. They're celebrity and pop culture driven. That's more "Hot Talk" anyway. Those shows don't really fit the format. Come to think of it neither do the Pogo Show, Rear Naked Radio, or The Hi-Fi Club.

 

[grantchester]

no real demand for "Liberal Talk" Radio?

What is Liberal? Save the whales? End the war? Tax the rich? Gay marriage? Reparations for slavery? Composting?
Conservatives have a clear and defined agenda. Liberals? All over the map. Air America, from what I heard, is just reaction, with no entertainment value whatsoever. It was like being in a college class and being expected to take notes so you would be able to pass a test when you converse with your conservative friends.
Bilious screeds are not my cup of tea. Name-calling does nothing for me. If someone wants to come up with a talk format that will attract listeners, they better have something to say and something to offer. And it better be witty, amusing, creative, clever and FUN.
Rational Radio has no presence, no promotion, no connection, no nothing.
Maybe the station can find a niche serving some under-served demographic. Like Sousa fans. Or polkanistas. Or how about a ragtime format. Folk music? Or novelty songs. Classic comedy bits. 24 hour traffic. School lunch menus and obituaries. Okay, I'm grasping at straws, but there's got to be something they can do to attract and keep an audience.

 

[Albert19X]

Liberal talk radio will never be the carnival that characterizes conservative talk simply because liberals aren't entertained by the type of shouty clowns that populate the AM dial. Nor are liberals all over the map. Let me refine your list of liberal agenda items. Foreign policy that doesn't lead with saber rattling. Tax equity. Responsible natural resource and ecological policies. Granting gay couples the same rights under the law as hetero couples. Slave reparations? That's not on the table with mainstream liberals.

Having a position on more than one issue doesn't make the liberal agenda all over the map. And that is what makes conservative talk radio so boring. Because conservative talk has just one position, to paint all liberal initiatives, regardless of content or reason, as socialism/communism/crypto-muslim terrorism that must be stopped at all cost. Bilious screed and name calling are the hallmark of conservative talk for they have cornered that particular market.

But back to KMNY. It would be a shame to see them drop their liberal programming, if that is indeed the subject of today's announcement. The AM band in Dallas has been the exclusive domain of conservative talk, yet 57% of Dallas County voted Democratic in the last presidential election. To have one AM station reflect such a large segment of the population hardly seems unreasonable.

 

[salemjedi54]

KTCK is not having problems and its on a pissant signal. Didn't they bill over 25 million in 2007-2008??????

True, but the Ticket has been on the air since the mid 90's and has built up a loyal audience over time.

Rational is still a new station. And if any Ticket or WBAP listener tuned to 1360 during the mornings and heard somebody bashing conservatives or republicans they'll immediatly think "This is a Liberal radio station" and tune somewhere else.

I was talking about your quote about getting rid of AM radio. 2 of the top billers in this market are AM radio stations. So AM radio is not dead.

 

[txchipk]

Liberal talk radio will never be the carnival that characterizes conservative talk simply because liberals aren't entertained by the type of shouty clowns that populate the AM dial. Nor are liberals all over the map. Let me refine your list of liberal agenda items. Foreign policy that doesn't lead with saber rattling. Tax equity. Responsible natural resource and ecological policies. Granting gay couples the same rights under the law as hetero couples. Slave reparations? That's not on the table with mainstream liberals.

Having a position on more than one issue doesn't make the liberal agenda all over the map. And that is what makes conservative talk radio so boring. Because conservative talk has just one position, to paint all liberal initiatives, regardless of content or reason, as socialism/communism/crypto-muslim terrorism that must be stopped at all cost. Bilious screed and name calling are the hallmark of conservative talk for they have cornered that particular market.

Liberal radio is just as one-sided and full of venom as conservative radio is. The old KXEB 910 carried the entire Air America line-up in this market. It was full of nothing but "shouty clowns" like Randi Rhodes, whose sole topic was to bash conservatives who should "be stopped at all cost." The majority of people that listen to either left-wing or right-wing radio are tools who are on the fringes of each party.

 

[MarcB]

Just for laughs when Air America launched about 6 years ago, I checked them out via flagship station WLIB 1190 out of NYC and I thought they were very boring. In fact they were so boring I fell asleep.

Also the people that were behind Air America were pompous a**h****. There was a documentary on HBO about the launch of the network. The network was set to come on the air at 12Noon. It showed a person at 11:35AM turn the radio onto AM 1190 and they were playing their previous all-Caribbean Music format. The person from Air America said "That's our station playing that shi* music."

Granted it wasn't on the radio, but gee you call Caribbean Music shi*. Guess you wont have any Jamacian's listening to your network.

 

[grantchester]

The majority of people that listen to either left-wing or right-wing radio are tools who are on the fringes of each party.

PT Barnum said "If you want to draw a crowd, start a fight.
I think I'll become a venomous radio talk show host. I'll use the airname Billy S. Creed. ;D

 

[Albert19X]

The majority of people that listen to either left-wing or right-wing radio are tools who are on the fringes of each party.

PT Barnum said "If you want to draw a crowd, start a fight.
I think I'll become a venomous radio talk show host. I'll use the airname Billy S. Creed. ;D

LOL. You should copyright that name right now!

 

[Albert19X]

Liberal radio is just as one-sided and full of venom as conservative radio is. The old KXEB 910 carried the entire Air America line-up in this market. It was full of nothing but "shouty clowns" like Randi Rhodes, whose sole topic was to bash conservatives who should "be stopped at all cost." The majority of people that listen to either left-wing or right-wing radio are tools who are on the fringes of each party.

Which may be why Air America never got support from mainstream liberals. Liberal radio won't succeed if they simply ape the Limbaugh/O'Reilly/Bortz model.

 

[billyg]

Liberal radio is just as one-sided and full of venom as conservative radio is. The old KXEB 910 carried the entire Air America line-up in this market. It was full of nothing but "shouty clowns" like Randi Rhodes, whose sole topic was to bash conservatives who should "be stopped at all cost." The majority of people that listen to either left-wing or right-wing radio are tools who are on the fringes of each party.

Which may be why Air America never got support from mainstream liberals. Liberal radio won't succeed if they simply ape the Limbaugh/O'Reilly/Bortz model.

I agree, had Air America started out as a politically moderate network without any bashers it might have gone over, not only with liberals but with conservatives who wanted a different viewpoint.

 

[Scotpfv]

It seems 1360 will become "the talk I'll be missing".
I fit into their demo and liked most of the programming. (Pugs & Kelly are fine for what they do, but for us political junkies who do not watch reality television it just seemed an odd fit).

Internet webcasting is indeed the future (key word being future). I listened to 1360 on my shower radio in the mornings. (Don't think it is a good idea to take my laptop into the shower). One day I'm sure we will have automobiles capable of picking up internet streams (but I just got my first car that has a CD player last year, so it might be a while for cheapskates like me).

An on-line presence would help, I've seen nothing of the sort attempted over the last 1&1/2. Facebook, a blog, interactive stuff? Any of those would help.

I liked Rational Radio but even most of my friends had never heard of it before I told them, and I only knew of it from reading this board.

Sad to see a progressive voice leave the airwaves, Best wishes for all at KMNY in the future.

PS to Mike Shannon if he sees this: What is the future of the Hi-Fi Club? That show is the reason I actually got an I-Pod.

 

[MikeShannon914]

PS to Mike Shannon if he sees this: What is the future of the Hi-Fi Club? That show is the reason I actually got an I-Pod.

Oops, I never intended to do ANYTHING that would undermine the ongoing viability of terrestrial radio!!

For right now, there are a couple of questions I likely won't get answers to until January 1. I know a little bit more than what everyone's been told, but can't really say much at the moment. I'm assuming that this Sunday's show will be the last one over 1360, but not the last one we'll do for Rational Radio. We'll definitely be streaming and podcasting still, and this won't affect anything with the other affiliates. Ray and I taped Sunday's show today and there'll be plenty of discussion about everything...so tune in! (while you still can!)

 

[radioaircheck]

Well it's official, Rational Radio is gone! Don Ho music will start on the 1st with Russ doing morning drive and Pugs and Kely doing Middays and cloe to do afternoons

 

[jeffdfw]

I wish!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! At least that would be in English! Thank GOD for my iPod!!!!!!!

 

[TheRover]

Which may be why Air America never got support from mainstream liberals. Liberal radio won't succeed if they simply ape the Limbaugh/O'Reilly/Bortz model.

I consider myself conservative on most issues, but not all issues.

That said, I do NOT listen to, or enjoy Rush or O'Reilly, or Hannity (don't know Bortz...) --- Their over-the-top styles do not appeal to me, regardless of what views they appear to be espousing.

The same would hold true for any leftist "mirror" image of them...

Sorry to see Rational Radio leave 1360. But yes, it was a real drag to have the signal drop out at sunset! But in the the Brave New World we live in..... there wasn't enough 24 Hour Power AM stations for everyone.