> > One of the most intriguing rumors on the Stern show came
> > last month, when show comedian Artie Lange revealed that
> > he had been approached by Infinity to take over Howard's
> > morning radio show with producer Gary "Ba Ba Booey"
> > Dell'Abate. Lange claims that his agent was pitched a five
> > year, multi-million dollar deal.
> >
> > My question to everyone is: If Infinity was able to make
> > these two defect, would their radio succeed?
Their popularity is based largely on their interaction with Howard. If he's not there for them to interact with and react to, it's hard to see how they could sustain it for long. They probably understood that and opted for the safer course---moving to Sirius as part of Howard's team.
CBS seems to have approached a lot of people during the year long search for Howard's successor(s)...they talked to Mancow in Chicago (who wisely decided to stay put rather than try to immediately follow Stern's act), Jon Stewart (who has better things to do on the tube), and any number of other national comedians or regional hosts. They all turned Joel Hollander down, figuring they had nothing much to gain and potentially a lot to lose. No one who WAS available and interested, emerged as a potential national breakout act. That's when the regional strategy took shape. The risk is lower both for CBS and for the various hosts. If a show flops in 10 markets a replacement's easier and less costly to recruit, while the failed host hasn't necessarily ruined his career nationally just because things didn't work out in NY or LA or DC.
If they ALL flop at once, of course, it means more people to replace. But CBS is gambling that someone will at least catch on in his/their own region of the country. I give Adam Carolla in California the best chance of survival as a regional morning act because he's a seasoned radio guy with name recognition and experience as part of a talk format. He at least will know what makes a successful show work, and that's a big step toward doing a successful show of his own. I don't know enough about the Junkies or Rover to have an opinion (we get Rover in Rochester, while Buffalo gets no one but the Jack computer). Someone who has heard Rover in his Cleveland home market or the Junkies in DC can give us an assessment. And I wonder if David Lee Roth will have the discipline, endurance or understanding of the medium to make the transition from good guest to good host. He'll have to move from being funny in the spotlight for a half hour at a time every once in a while, which we know he can do, to interacting with and leading a team and sharing a spotlight effectively with guests day after day, which he may or may not be able to do.
