Speculation on Huckabee Eventually Replacing Limbaugh on WABC

[fybush]

Take the Yankees and Red Sox out of the equation, and my Rays are the the American League division champs every year.

(I love baseball analogies.)

Jeff in Sa-ra-so-ta!

Me too.

So, consider: in baseball, there is a very definite financial advantage that comes from a championship. Your fans are more engaged, you can sell more tickets and charge more for each one, and the revenue that comes from that in turn allows you to hire better players who'll give you a better chance of staying on top.

The Yankees are one of the most valuable sports properties in the entire world. The Rays probably don't even crack the top 100.

I would submit that the linkage between being "number one" in radio ratings doesn't have quite so automatic a financial gain associated with it these days. WFAN isn't at the top of the ratings, but it brings in more revenue than some of the stations with twice its ratings.

Are Lew Dickey and the Atsingers (Salem) and the Buckley heirs (WOR) in it for ratings...or for revenue and profit? I think I know my answer to that question.

 

[recto101]

Well to see evidence that cumulus did get rid of Rush. You have to go back to New Years week in San Francisco when Rush moved to 910 AM KKSF the CC Newstalk station from Cumulus KSFO-AM in the market. Also the former KGO talk hosts like Gil Gross, Len Tillem, Rosie Allen, Ed Baxter, Gene Burns and former KOFY TV 20 Owner James Gabbert were fired out of Cumulus KGO 810 to 910 AM in SFO. I know during the Noon hour KFBK's Tom Sullivan has a show on 910 am. But Tom Sullivan show intro would say "from Fox News Radio".

I know Gil Gross did hourly News on ABC/Cumulus and did a talk show. But also I heard Gil was a former WCBS-AM host.

New ratings came out today in SF, CC's KKSF (formerly KNEW) surpassed KSFO in the cume for the first time! KSFO without Rush is rushing downhill.

http://www.radio-info.com/markets/san-francisco

Yes KKSF got a 1.0 in the books some listen to former KFBK stars Rush Limbaugh and Tom Sullivan.
others go for the ex-KGO stars like Rosie Allen and Len Tillem.

 

[badjef]

Take the Yankees and Red Sox out of the equation, and my Rays are the the American League division champs every year.

(I love baseball analogies.)

Jeff in Sa-ra-so-ta!

Me too.

So, consider: in baseball, there is a very definite financial advantage that comes from a championship. Your fans are more engaged, you can sell more tickets and charge more for each one, and the revenue that comes from that in turn allows you to hire better players who'll give you a better chance of staying on top.

The Yankees are one of the most valuable sports properties in the entire world. The Rays probably don't even crack the top 100.

I would submit that the linkage between being "number one" in radio ratings doesn't have quite so automatic a financial gain associated with it these days. WFAN isn't at the top of the ratings, but it brings in more revenue than some of the stations with twice its ratings.

Are Lew Dickey and the Atsingers (Salem) and the Buckley heirs (WOR) in it for ratings...or for revenue and profit? I think I know my answer to that question.

I remember reading a quote in '84 from the (then) GM of the original KPRI 106.5, when asked why they switched from Rock to a more mainstream AC format as KLZZ "Class", his response was that "there were no Mercedes in the Parking Lot." Meaning: there wasn't the money in the Rock format as there was in AC, or more mainstream music.

That statement spoke loud and clear to me.

Jeff in Sa-ra-so-ta!

 

[borderblaster]

If it came down to it, Premiere would do what it took to land Rush on WOR, even if it's an even barter deal and some percentage. I really could see Huckabee landing on 970 or WIND in Chicago at first to let it see if it gains some traction before putting Huck on the big gun signals.

 

[HHH]

I would not be surprised if Huckabee is being groomed as the new heir apparent to midday, network talk.

Rush has a number of problems.

1) Aging demos.

2) An enormous salary that may no longer match his overall results.

3) An act that is stale. Every damn day it is the same stuff said the same way with the same terms with callers saying the same things.

4) His name does not mean "instant boost". Look at Boston. CC moved him to a 50KW, which they even named "Rush Radio" and only a blip.