• Get involved.
    We want your input!
    Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.

    After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
    If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.

    After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
    https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/

    Thanks in advance and have fun!
    RadioDiscussions Administrators

Talk radio

U

Unregistered

Guest
seems WTEL---610 or WWJZ---640 could go Talk &
easily challenge low rated WNTP & WPHT.
 
106.9 took that challenge, and didn't exactly light the world on fire. There just isn't that big an audience waiting to be tapped.
 
If 610 or 640 went talk with some good hosts it may be able to
take listeners from WPHT, & WNTP.
except 640 has a poor night signal, Not sure if it can be upgraded,
 
They'd have to find some compelling talkers that aren't ultra right wing, as WNTP and WPHT already have that covered and neither are taking Philly by storm. Let's face it, Rush/Hannity/Beck are the biggies and get the best ratings in most markets. In Philly, not so much. Interestingly NPR News and Informational programming via 90.9 WHYY-FM gets better numbers than either 990 or 1210. Only 1060 KYW [all news] and 94.1 WIP-FM [Phillycentric Sports Talk] get better numbers than WHYY-FM in terms of non-music programming.

Given all the spoken word programming available on Philly radio which include: the other two Sports Talk stations 97.5 WPEN [Phillycentric/ESPN sports talk] and 610 WIP-AM [CBS Radio Sports Talk] not sure what other talk format would attract an audience to improve 610's low numbers or 640's.

Maybe topical talk that's non-political, or female gossipy type talk [a day time Dahlia] assuming you could get women to make the jump from FM to AM, which is doubtful. Only leaves Religion and Ethnic programming.
 
It's so tough for a new Talk station to gain a foot hold. And even tougher in Philadelphia, where no Conservative Talk station has really ever been successful. If you go back a few decades when 96.5 WWDB was a mix of liberal, moderate and a few slightly conservative voices, it was always in the top 10. It was local and live 24/7, no syndicated programming.

But these days you could probably count on one hand, with a few fingers left over, stations that fit that bill, even allowing overnight syndicated shows, such as KFI Los Angeles and KIRO-FM Seattle. So unless you have a 50,000 watt AM, like KFI, or a full power FM like KIRO, and lots of money to invest in local talent and news, I don't see much of a future for a new Talk station.
 
It would be nice to have an alternative to WPHT. Anything but the current sports format. 94.1 and 97.5 have that genre covered. Not everyone is a sports fan.
 
They'd have to find some compelling talkers that aren't ultra right wing, as WNTP and WPHT already have that covered and neither are taking Philly by storm. Let's face it, Rush/Hannity/Beck are the biggies and get the best ratings in most markets. In Philly, not so much. Interestingly NPR News and Informational programming via 90.9 WHYY-FM gets better numbers than either 990 or 1210. Only 1060 KYW [all news] and 94.1 WIP-FM [Phillycentric Sports Talk] get better numbers than WHYY-FM in terms of non-music programming.

Given all the spoken word programming available on Philly radio which include: the other two Sports Talk stations 97.5 WPEN [Phillycentric/ESPN sports talk] and 610 WIP-AM [CBS Radio Sports Talk] not sure what other talk format would attract an audience to improve 610's low numbers or 640's.

Maybe topical talk that's non-political, or female gossipy type talk [a day time Dahlia] assuming you could get women to make the jump from FM to AM, which is doubtful. Only leaves Religion and Ethnic programming.

Maybe a radio version of the TV show the View..which is cancelling by the way..

.....and I 'm available to host by the way..
 
Well, have we forgotten WKXW? I think they do a decent job for daytime talk. Sure the deeper you get into chester county the signal fades a bit, but it's not too bad.
 
its not New York -- its not Philadelphia---- its New Jersey 101.5.
 
Having one conservatalk station and one NPR station hardly makes for an adequately served market. WHYY is mostly all day with minimal call-in opportunities. NJ 1015 should be the model for any local oriented talk station. From WPHT's numbers, it is clear that the conservative sheeple listening pool in the area simply is not substantial. Why IQ didn't balance out the Hannity/Rushbo acquisition with moderate or "liberal" hosts to provide a station one could listen to for all angles of a topic is something we'll never know. When the notoriously vicious Michael Savage announces a change in the angle of his show from covering strictly politics to a broader cultural (and pop cultural) range, we can only hope the head honchos at WPHT are paying attention. However, I'd love to see the new 640 owners or Beasley with 610 hire some local hosts to provide a local, general talk alternative that is not offered anywhere else in town.

The fact that just a few states away in Boston there can be a CBS station in WBZ-AM that knocks it out of the park in terms of local talk production in evenings and overnights while WPHT management turn a deaf ear blows my mind.
 
I disagree that NJ 101.5 provides meaningful local talk for anyone in this area outside New Jersey. That's not a criticism. That's simply what they advertised, "Not New York, not Philadelphia...". And so it isn't.
 
The bigger issue is how many YOUNGER listeners will tune in to AM radio if they like the programming? If one of Philly's FM's went to conversational/topical/ non-political talk, or "girl talk", or mixed music with light talk then you might be able to make a case where that station could build a demo advertisers want and that actually gets listeners younger than 55+.

Sadly, especially in a major metro market like Philly, where most radio's pick up all the Philly stations, plus the nearby Wilmington, Trenton, and Allentown stations all on FM. So getting that YOUNGER listener, especially the female younger listener, to switch to AM is going to be almost impossible. Too many choices they like on FM.
 
The bigger issue is how many YOUNGER listeners will tune in to AM radio if they like the programming? If one of Philly's FM's went to conversational/topical/ non-political talk, or "girl talk", or mixed music with light talk then you might be able to make a case where that station could build a demo advertisers want and that actually gets listeners younger than 55+.

Sadly, especially in a major metro market like Philly, where most radio's pick up all the Philly stations, plus the nearby Wilmington, Trenton, and Allentown stations all on FM. So getting that YOUNGER listener, especially the female younger listener, to switch to AM is going to be almost impossible. Too many choices they like on FM.

Younger listeners wouldn't listen to AM if it looped Justin Bieber 24/7 (or whatever the kids like these days). They don't know exists.

You want a age 40ish talk audience? Run a station in a market that's young and conservative. North Dakota, etc. They'll listen to AM if that's where the talk is, but you're still drawing an average age of 45 instead of 60. Girl talk and lifestyle talk might work in the right area on an FM, but an AM station is best just using the tried and true formula.
 
Girl talk and lifestyle talk might work in the right area on an FM, but an AM station is best just using the tried and true formula.

Right now in Philly, the FMs are making too much money with music or sports to risk a frequency on talk.
 
Why IQ didn't balance out the Hannity/Rushbo acquisition with moderate or "liberal" hosts to provide a station one could listen to for all angles of a topic is something we'll never know.

I'd submit it's not complicated, and the same reason you'd be hard pressed to find many stations, let alone successful ones, that take such an approach. There aren't enough people who want to hear differing philosophies. Heck, as noted, it's not terribly easy to find an audience of significant size, and of demographic appeal, that will tune in to a station with a consistent voice.
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom