State of Tulsa Radio....

[kjl]

KTBZ: What are this station's ratings these days? CP and JP doing afternoon's 2-6p. Enjoy the show but I wonder how many people are listening to this station.

KZLI: AM 1570, doing itself proud. Nice assortment of talk. Doing the best it can with what it has to work with.

On the FM side.... anything new? No morning show changes to speak of.

Are any stations actually doing any live programming outside of mornings? Something tells me everything I hear is voice-tracked.

I don't listen to KTBZ because it isn't sports talk that engages the listener. The hosts just basically agree with everything the callers say. At least JP appears to have a differing opinion from time to time. I'm sure CP is a great guy, but I tired of him long ago. How he wound up with a weekend gig on Fox Sports Radio, I'll never know.

KYAL has a live local morning and midday show. It isn't mind-blowing radio, but it is a change from the norm when it comes to sports radio.

KZLI seems to me to be more conservative talk, though not as abrasive as KFAQ and KRMG.

I'll still take KTBZ over KYAL. Those live shows aren't as good as P&P. Those two (P&P) beat the other twelve or how many that appear on those other shows. You can only take so much Kevin Ward and Coach Jones. The rest of the time its the other Tulsa guests hating on OKC having a pro team, talking horse racing?, trying to be funny and taking ignorant calls. Don't get me started on what is better P&P or the OKC Animal in the afternoons. P&P > Jim & Al. In my opinion KYAL does much less with more. I am mad at them after they cut Geoff Haxton in the mornings, who made that 9a-11a listenable. Too much OU homerism (James Hale's OU spin on morning show everyday and Eschbach.)

 

[Glenn Quagmire]

Amen kjl!

I try to listen to KYAL at various times and I end up wanting to drive into a brick wall at 90mph.

Kevin Ward show---Boring boring boring radio. zzzzzzzzzzzz's.....combined with OU Homerism. It's one thing to talk about OU football, it's another thing to talk about 3rd string linebackers in excruciating detail or what Bob Stoops puts on his corn flakes. No one cares. Not even OU fans. I know there are some OU fans who eat, live, and breathe Bob Stoops/4th string Punters, but really? Is this how you make compelling radio, people want to listen to? No. It sucks.

Middle of the Day Festival---What the hell kind of show is this?

Al Jerkens: Let's go to Tom on line 1. Tom?

Caller Tom: Hey Coach, Hey Al.

Al and Pat in unison: Hi Tom.

Caller Tom: What do you think about Nebraska going to the Big 10 and what it means to OU's defense?

Al: (Annoyed) Well....I mean...it very well could....

Pat: (Interrupting) Well it reminds me of this time in Miami when I was with Jimmy Johnson and we were doing some drills with the defensive line...... (5 minute story)

Caller Tom: Well what about Bob Stoops?

Pat: Well it reminds me of this time I was with the Oakland Raiders (5 minute story)

Al: Ok, Tom, anything else?

Caller Tom: No, I love your show.

Al Jerkens is capable of doing better radio than this. His show on 1430 back in the day with Ryan Rahal was a very good local program. Pat Jones is a character. But every show seems to follow the dialogue mentioned above.

The horse racing comes from Jerkens' father who is a very famous horse trainer. I know Chris Lincoln is all about the ponies, so when they're on together you're going to hear about horse racing.

I wish Plank and Poplin would dive into major league baseball more. I feel like they devote an incredible amount of time to the NFL, NASCAR, and MMA. Local NFL talk is fine around the draft and during the season.

I don't hear Don King as much as I used to. He's usually very insightful or has a funny story to share.

 

[Glenn Quagmire]

Okaster, I suspect he is instructed to "relate" to his audience by telling such stories.

Odds are, some focus group told them he needed to "connect" with his audience.

Joe never struck me as an ego-maniac. Perhaps I just wasn't around him enough... but I see him more as a person very good at keeping his job because he follows instructions to the letter.

You'd be amazed what higher-ups will tell you is the "right" thing to do. If you want to stay employed, you do it, no matter how ridiculous you think you sound.

Interesting....in today's world of radio people are just cardboard cutouts of themselves. It's okay to veer off of the script every now and then.

 

[OKCRadioGuy]

Just for the record, Jimmy Hill uhhh James Hale
is at KREF these days not the Urinal.

 

[kjl]

Yes that is a true statement, but James Hale comes on the Tulsa version of the Animal at the end of Ward's show to put a OU spin on things even when OU cheats.

I agree about the old "sports cage" show that was a good show, Big Al was better with Rahal, by the way what happened to that Matt Hutson sp? guy who used to run the shows with the deep voice? I would say Coach Jones is better cohost with Al than Jimbo. I would say there is too much homerism (OU mostly) on 97.1, 1430 admits jokingly their homerism. IMO 97.1 has been better. I wish they would atleast get Geoff Haxton back on.

 

[OKCRadioGuy]

Ahhh. I didn't realize Hill was doing that on 97.1. Do you think it's over the sooner sports network? I know he did the football wrap up show in the past ( the show no one generally listens to, just before the network broadcast totally signs off for the day's event).

 

[OKCRadioGuy]

Does he do a lot of taped interview crap on 97.1 too?

If OU had a butt to smooch, Hill would be first in line to do it. Homerism is an understatement with that guy lol!

 

[ionosphere]

Ahhh. I didn't realize Hill was doing that on 97.1. Do you think it's over the sooner sports network? I know he did the football wrap up show in the past ( the show no one generally listens to, just before the network broadcast totally signs off for the day's event).

KYAL isn't on the Sooner Sports Network. No, Hale makes a weekly appearance on the mid-morning show. He's unlistenable by any degree.

 

[OKCRadioGuy]

Amen on the unlistenable part.... Even for those of us that like OU, he's as stale as 3 week old toast.

 

[kjl]

I can't stand homerism on the radio, especially the OU kind :.

 

[andybwins]

;D So Glenn, if you are in My BIZ, then you know it's all about research, if you answer my phones here at Star-103.3. for the 6 hours I'm in the studio, you would hear your freinds requesting the same songs you hear...DUH!!!

 

[Glenn Quagmire]

;D So Glenn, if you are in My BIZ, then you know it's all about research, if you answer my phones here at Star-103.3. for the 6 hours I'm in the studio, you would hear your freinds requesting the same songs you hear...DUH!!!

I'm not saying people don't request the same songs over and over.....I'm saying radio has jumped the shark as a dominant medium. I would like someone in Tulsa to show me a thriving radio station chock full of quality local programming or a station that doesn't have the same predictable playlist of songs on an mp3 player set to shuffle.

 

[hello4]

And they're going to request the same garbage over and over because that's all they're being fed by you; the majority of your audience doesn't have time to be first-adopters and be out looking for all the music you're not exposing. I know I don't have time anymore; I've never been so far out of the loop. It was a miracle I discovered La Roux before everybody else jumped on that bandwagon.

 

[GeneSavage]

hello4, do you really see Star 103.3 listeners as people looking for NEW music?

You may want to check their format description... they're all about familiar pop / rock favorites of the 70s (and more & more the 80s).

Asking Star 103 to break new music is like asking a wedding DJ to break a new dance record. That's not what the audience wants!

Maybe another station, but not Star.

 

[ionosphere]

And they're going to request the same garbage over and over because that's all they're being fed by you; the majority of your audience doesn't have time to be first-adopters and be out looking for all the music you're not exposing. I know I don't have time anymore; I've never been so far out of the loop. It was a miracle I discovered La Roux before everybody else jumped on that bandwagon.

Here's the problem...the majority of the listening public (with disposable income) collectively has the attention span of a brick. They want to hear songs they are familiar with, which is why stations that play new and unfamiliar music (to most people) don't produce big numbers (for the most part). If you play more than 1 or 2 songs in a row that are NOT established hits by established artists, MOST people are going to start surfing stations.

Radio is accused of not taking risks with the kind of music it plays, and that's true. It would be GREAT if stations could afford to play some of the incredible underground-style music by independent and under-discovered artists like it did back in the the free form days. But radio is a business, and the music is really just filler for the commercials, because THAT'S what the stations really want listeners to hear.

Star 103.3 (not jumping on them in particular, only mentioning what has already been mentioned in this thread) does have a rather predictable playlist, but it works for them. As a Classic Rock station (although I think Star is more of a Classic Hits format), there is a ceiling to what they can play. But they're had the same format for 15 years now...and it works.

Wow...this turned into a little diatribe. My apologies.

 

[tom1269]

....by the activity and nostalgia driven posts on this board, I would say the state is like that of a wake :-(

Actually I would say the state of Tulsa radio sounds something like this 010101010101010 (the code of computers).

All lame jokes aside there is nothing going on in this city media wise with a few exceptions.

KFAQ: Added a M-F 12-1 local talk show and expanded Polo's program to 4-6p. I feel like the only people that listen to KFAQ are Beckalites and the malcontents always pissed off at city hall. Thoughts?

KRMG: Nothing new here either. JK seems to have gotten out of his Obama bashing rut. Kudos....

KTBZ: What are this station's ratings these days? CP and JP doing afternoon's 2-6p. Enjoy the show but I wonder how many people are listening to this station.

KZLI: AM 1570, doing itself proud. Nice assortment of talk. Doing the best it can with what it has to work with.

On the FM side.... anything new? No morning show changes to speak of.

Are any stations actually doing any live programming outside of mornings? Something tells me everything I hear is voice-tracked.

Personally I feel like radio and television have jumped the shark as "mediums." By that I mean no one's tuning in either one to get something they can't live without. Music, talk, information, etc...

Nothing put out by any local over-the-air station is generating water cooler talk these days, other than the periodic sporting event, scandal du jour, or politics. I also wonder if I'm the only one noticing this.

 

[hello4]

Okay, I misspoke slightly; I wasn't following this thread, I just clicked on it so it wouldn't keep showing as having new posts when I returned to the board. But to apply it to a station like this, if they researched a different 300 songs, and put those songs on exclusively, his listeners would start requesting those songs. He seemed to be implying any random listener would by default spontaneously request what's on his playlist currently; so that's where I go back to saying whatever 300 songs are on one's playlist are what's going to be top-of-the-mind to those goobers who still think it does any good to make requests.

 

[mattgleason]

Hi, my name is Matt Gleason. I'm a feature writer for the Tulsa World. I'm working on a story about the current state of Tulsa radio. I'm talking to a variety of Tulsa radio station general managers, on-air personalities and Tulsa-area residents to get their opinions. If you're interested in giving me your opinion, please email me at [email protected]. Please include your first and last name, your age and what town you live in.
Thanks.