The iHeart Radio Holiday Morning Talk Show

[wadio]

This show is running on iHeart stations whose morning hosts have the morning off. I'm wondering :

• Will this be a trend for holidays?
• Will it be added to weekends?
• Will it morph into weekdays, ultimately making local content for radio stations (especially AM) unnecessary?

 

[TheBigA]

This show is running on iHeart stations whose morning hosts have the morning off. I'm wondering :

What would you prefer?

• Forcing the regular host to work holidays?
• Airing repeats of the regular host?
• Using sub-par local fill-ins?

The local morning show for many of these stations is the only source of revenue. But as revenue for radio continues to dry up, there will be a point where even the morning shows don't make enough to sustain them. That's already happening on iHeart's music stations.

 

[wadio]

What would you prefer?

• Forcing the regular host to work holidays?
• Airing repeats of the regular host?
• Using sub-par local fill-ins?

The local morning show for many of these stations is the only source of revenue. But as revenue for radio continues to dry up, there will be a point where even the morning shows don't make enough to sustain them. That's already happening on iHeart's music stations.

I think it's fine. Just speculating about what this could lead to ... the slippery slope. Don't take my post the wrong way.

 

[PTBoardOp93]

Fundamentally, a syndicated talk show is not local, and the main reason people listen to WHAS or WLW is because they are local. Replacing a local host with a syndicated host is eliminating your own unique selling point.

Standing up a one day only syndicated talk show is fine. It is probably easier/cheaper than having 100 producers in 100 markets create a best-of program.

 

[radiofan2023]

Who was hosting it and what did they talk about?

 

[KilowattKat]

Great

Who was hosting it and what did they talk about?

Great question, for those of us who didn't get a chance to listen. Was it a serious News/Talk program, or light hearted non political talk, and yes, WHO was the host?

 

[wadio]

Sorry, I didn't catch the names. It was a man and a woman.

While I listened they talked about politics but also did a segment with a guest about grilling with charcoal vs. propane.

He was pleasant and professional, she was kind of loud and annoying, but it was definitely better than a "best of."

 

[gr8oldies]

Sorry, I didn't catch the names. It was a man and a woman.

While I listened they talked about politics but also did a segment with a guest about grilling with charcoal vs. propane.

He was pleasant and professional, she was kind of loud and annoying, but it was definitely better than a "best of."

At least there was something new today, with apparently some lighter stuff. Many years ago (still under Jacor), they would offer weekend talk on breaking news weekends, for stations with no local hosts on the weekend.

 

[Gregg.]

I noticed CBS Radio offered a holiday weekend show as well. It was hosted by Gil Gross, who in the early 2000s, had a national evening talk show on the CBS Radio Network. It was just a discussion of events for the holiday taking place around the country.

I heard it on the POTUS channel on Sirius XM. That channel also carries the first three minutes of CBS News on the hour. I guess it was the same premise. CBS Radio News affiliates could use it in place of a live local show

 

[Rusty Muck]

At least there was something new today, with apparently some lighter stuff. Many years ago (still under Jacor), they would offer weekend talk on breaking news weekends, for stations with no local hosts on the weekend.

That was the genesis of what is now The Weekend with Michael "Heck of a Job" Brown, which Mike McConnell originally hosted. IIRC it was at first WTAM simulcasting WLW on weekend afternoons when no baseball games played on either station.

 

[Rusty Muck]

I think it's fine. Just speculating about what this could lead to ... the slippery slope. Don't take my post the wrong way.

Most iHeart talkers in rural markets now have no local hosts to speak of, and they're all running the same Premiere suite of Michael DelGiorno, Beck, Travis and Sexton, Hannity, Jesse Kelly, Michael Berry, Lee Habib and Noory (some vary the schedule a bit, but the hosts are largely the same). Tiny stations like WMRN in Marion, Ohio, which used to have local hosts and news, lost both 6–7 years ago.

Also Premiere has a show clock for "emergency talk" and have since covid. I would assume this was used on Memorial Day.

 

[gr8oldies]

That was the genesis of what is now The Weekend with Michael "Heck of a Job" Brown, which Mike McConnell originally hosted. IIRC it was at first WTAM simulcasting WLW on weekend afternoons when no baseball games played on either station.

"The Weekend" featured rotating hosts before McConnell became the permanent host, lasting until Mike went to WGN. I think Joe Pags had it after that until the present guy. There were times it was pre-empted for sports on WLW.

 

[gr8oldies]

Most iHeart talkers in rural markets now have no local hosts to speak of, and they're all running the same Premiere suite of Michael DelGiorno, Beck, Travis and Sexton, Hannity, Jesse Kelly, Michael Berry, Lee Habib and Noory (some vary the schedule a bit, but the hosts are largely the same). Tiny stations like WMRN in Marion, Ohio, which used to have local hosts and news, lost both 6–7 years ago.

Also Premiere has a show clock for "emergency talk" and have since covid. I would assume this was used on Memorial Day.

Wonder when the last time there was "Emergency Talk"?