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Steve Harvey vs. Rickey Smiley

R

radiofan86

What's the current state of the syndicated morning shows for R&B?
At one time, Tom Joyner was the king. Then Steve Harvey came along and commanded big numbers.
Is that still the case or has Rickey Smiley leveled the playing field? Is Steve's show still as good as it once was?

I enjoy both shows, curious how other radio pros and listeners feel, particularly in the markets where both shows go head-to-head.

I will say, Steve's crew records the show the day before and all still work remotely, never returning to in-studio after the pandemic. I know that's the new way of the world, but it seems to take away a bit of the immediacy, or the "in the moment" feel I get listening to Rickey's crew, who are mostly all in the same room in Dallas. No different than talking to a colleague in the room in front of you, or talking to them via Zoom.
 
I'm no pro, but personally, I would take Rickey Smiley any day over Steve Harvey. Not only for the reasons you stated, but I love the features on their show and the energy they bring. Steve Harvey on the other hand, just sounds boring, "nursing home-ish", and with all the drama lately, a little depressing...
 
There has been a lot of rumors about Steve's marriage. Then Shirley Strawberry, his co-host, her husband landed in jail and there were leaked phone calls where Shirley apparently made comments about Harvey and his wife. I think they eventually addressed it on the show.

But yeah, one of the big features of the SHMS is their relationship advice. It's certainly ironic.
 
radiofan86 said:
There has been a lot of rumors about Steve's marriage. Then Shirley Strawberry, his co-host, her husband landed in jail and there were leaked phone calls where Shirley apparently made comments about Harvey and his wife. I think they eventually addressed it on the show.

But yeah, one of the big features of the SHMS is their relationship advice. It's certainly ironic.
Click to expand...
Good Lord…. Sounds like Strawberry isn’t that sweet!
 
Steve Harvey works soooo much. A morning radio show that starts at 6 a.m. on the East Coast while he's mostly in LA where the show starts at 3 a.m. Then there's the TV work, syndicated Family Feud, plus whatever network show he might also be doing. You gotta figure all this work is taking a toll. There were reports he talks to hardly anyone at the TV shows. A memo was circulating saying to staff, do NOT talk to Steve Harvey. Now I see he may be having marriage problems.

Never the less, his morning show is a big draw. He's got one of the top wake up shows in multiple markets. He's in the top five in NYC and may even be #1 in a few markets. Someone above thinks he records his radio show the afternoon before it airs. And I imagine it's not in real time. He's not hearing any of the songs. And someone above says none of the stars of the show are actually in the studio together. But that's our modern post-Covid world.
 
radiofan86 said:
There has been a lot of rumors about Steve's marriage. Then Shirley Strawberry, his co-host, her husband landed in jail and there were leaked phone calls where Shirley apparently made comments about Harvey and his wife. I think they eventually addressed it on the show.

But yeah, one of the big features of the SHMS is their relationship advice. It's certainly ironic.
Click to expand...
And that's why I choose Rickey...
 
Gregg. said:
Someone above thinks he records his radio show the afternoon before it airs. And I imagine it's not in real time. He's not hearing any of the songs. And someone above says none of the stars of the show are actually in the studio together. But that's our modern post-Covid world.
Click to expand...
While I've not listened to Steve Harvey's radio show in some time, if it's anything like the morning shows hosted by folks like Ryan Seacrest and Mario Lopez, very little if any of it is actually live (as is the case with Harvey, both Lopez and Seacrest also have a handful of other gigs). The interviews with "stars" and personalities can be done nearly anytime, anywhere. The rest of the show is generally made up of bits and pieces that are pre-recorded and can be put together along with voice tracking to form a "show".

Long gone are the days when Tom Joyner used to fly daily from Chicago to Dallas to do mornings live in Dallas, and afternoons in the Windy City because expectations and technological limitations of the time dictated he be live in the studio for both.
 
Mikey Radio said:
While I've not listened to Steve Harvey's radio show in some time, if it's anything like the morning shows hosted by folks like Ryan Seacrest and Mario Lopez, very little if any of it is actually live (as is the case with Harvey, both Lopez and Seacrest also have a handful of other gigs). The interviews with "stars" and personalities can be done nearly anytime, anywhere. The rest of the show is generally made up of bits and pieces that are pre-recorded and can be put together along with voice tracking to form a "show".

Long gone are the days when Tom Joyner used to fly daily from Chicago to Dallas to do mornings live in Dallas, and afternoons in the Windy City because expectations and technological limitations of the time dictated he be live in the studio for both.
Click to expand...
No more "Fly Jocks"....
 
neosolbrudda said:
I'm no pro, but personally, I would take Rickey Smiley any day over Steve Harvey. Not only for the reasons you stated, but I love the features on their show and the energy they bring. Steve Harvey on the other hand, just sounds boring, "nursing home-ish", and with all the drama lately, a little depressing...
Click to expand...
No he don’t he have great show
 
Gregg. said:
Steve Harvey works soooo much. A morning radio show that starts at 6 a.m. on the East Coast while he's mostly in LA where the show starts at 3 a.m. Then there's the TV work, syndicated Family Feud, plus whatever network show he might also be doing. You gotta figure all this work is taking a toll. There were reports he talks to hardly anyone at the TV shows. A memo was circulating saying to staff, do NOT talk to Steve Harvey. Now I see he may be having marriage problems.

Never the less, his morning show is a big draw. He's got one of the top wake up shows in multiple markets. He's in the top five in NYC and may even be #1 in a few markets. Someone above thinks he records his radio show the afternoon before it airs. And I imagine it's not in real time. He's not hearing any of the songs. And someone above says none of the stars of the show are actually in the studio together. But that's our modern post-Covid world.
Click to expand...
He not having marriage problems that’s rumor
 
And I don't dislike Steve's show, and he can genuinely make me laugh. I'm just sensing it's not as good as it was previously, and wondering if Rickey has picked up steam in the ratings where they go head to head. Steve is also, what, 66? Shirley is a few years older than that.
 
We can talk all day about which show is better, but the fact is that Harvey is an iHeart talent, and Smiley is Urban One. In DC, which is Urban One's home base, Steve Harvey rules morning drive on WHUR. Urban One owns several urban stations, but they put Smiley on WWIN in Baltimore, keeping their owned stations in DC live & local.

www.insideradio.com

Washington, DC Morning Shows, By The Numbers: All-News WTOP Is, Yes, On Top.

What gets the nation's capital going weekday mornings? This week's edition of Inside Radio's “By The Numbers” shines a light on Washington, DC's most popular morning shows, based on Nielsen's
www.insideradio.com www.insideradio.com
 
Good point on iHeart and Urban One.
I found some other articles on insideradio after you posted that one. Seems there are few markets where the shows are on equal footing at least of the big markets. Charlotte is one where both are on large signals that each get high ratings. In many cases, it's one show or the other, or one is on a weaker signal. Detroit and Memphis only have Harvey. Cleveland and Houston only have Smiley.

In Atlanta, one of Urban One's most important markets, they actually carry Harvey on their Urban AC, and Smiley on the R&B Oldies translator.
 
Steve Harvey hands down because his show has had a big LA following since his days on the defunct 100.3 The Beat during the early 2000’s. I listen to his show every now and then which is rare because I don’t really listen to the radio anymore.
 
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