J
Jul
Guest
Do you think that CBS is taking a big risk in having a mostly local lineup during the weekdays on 1210 WPHT, a plan that didn't work for WCAU during its later years, causing some syndicated programming to air weeknights?
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Shut down all the Philly AM's except 1060 and 1210. Keep the news on KYW and move all the foreign brokered jokers to WPHT in order to free up the band for other clear channel signals nationwide.
Live and Lame WPHT
Yes. Cheapo controversy-adverse CBS will get ratings commensurate with what they are willing to pay for tepid programming. Live and Lame.Julius May said:
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jhguthlac
Guest
WWDB went out of the talk business for a very important reason: only a few people cared. If they got a couple of callers an hour, they were lucky. And this was from the hosts!
The reason for the success of people like Rush and Hannity is that few markets can generate enough callers day after day to keep talk shows flowing. National shows overcome that.
1210 is going to find that their local talk format is going to get old fast. Hosts talking to themselves all day/every day is just not interesting long-term.
The reason for the success of people like Rush and Hannity is that few markets can generate enough callers day after day to keep talk shows flowing. National shows overcome that.
1210 is going to find that their local talk format is going to get old fast. Hosts talking to themselves all day/every day is just not interesting long-term.
Local talk does get the same callers over and over again.
What about having a pair of hosts for a show? At least they can talk to each other. I rather hear a conversation, whether it's with a host and co-host, host and caller, or host and guest than hear one person preach.
New Jersey 101.5 seems to do pretty well with having two hosts instead of just one. And they've also realized that they shouldn't try to maintain that over the weekend. All music, all weekend.
What about having a pair of hosts for a show? At least they can talk to each other. I rather hear a conversation, whether it's with a host and co-host, host and caller, or host and guest than hear one person preach.
New Jersey 101.5 seems to do pretty well with having two hosts instead of just one. And they've also realized that they shouldn't try to maintain that over the weekend. All music, all weekend.
J
jhguthlac
Guest
When Tom Bigby was PD at 1210, following the try at all sports, he tried the 2-host system. At 10am, following Imus, he had two women talking to themselves and each other. Then he tried Big Jay Sorenson teamed with Hillary Barsky. But he insisted on dropping CBS TOH news and going straight to the local talk at 10am. Whether you like Imus or not, his show is well produced. With both teams of hosts it sounded you going from a well produced show to Amateur Hour.
The drop in quality at 10am was painful to hear. I e-mailed Tom suggesting a return to TOH news. He replied that would never happen. A week after he was replaced as PD, they returned to CBS news!
But that wasn't enough to save Jay and Hillary. The two hosts only work if there is a chemistry. And that seems to not be normal in the Philadelphia market.
I fully agree it is pointless to air local talk hosts on weekends. Music is great. But most stations go the infomercial route to bring in extra revenue.
The drop in quality at 10am was painful to hear. I e-mailed Tom suggesting a return to TOH news. He replied that would never happen. A week after he was replaced as PD, they returned to CBS news!
But that wasn't enough to save Jay and Hillary. The two hosts only work if there is a chemistry. And that seems to not be normal in the Philadelphia market.
I fully agree it is pointless to air local talk hosts on weekends. Music is great. But most stations go the infomercial route to bring in extra revenue.
The new afternoon drive show is a team. Buzz Bissinger and Steve Martarano. Based on bizzinger's attacks on Romney today on twitter, Martarano's frequent attacks on republicans when he co-hosted with Rich Zeoli and Gary Rnel attacking Romney the other night, the station is taking a turn decidedly left. There are three conservatives left on the station. Chris S, Dom G, and Rich Z. But since Rich isn't full time, that really only leaves 2 conservative hosts. I predict 106.9 will scoop up one of these 3 at some point.
A station in a Top 10 market like Philadelphia should be able to run with a mostly local staff without needing syndicated programming except late nights. The other CBS Talk stations are mostly locally programmed and in smaller markets: KDKA Pittsburgh, WCCO Minneapolis, KMOX St. Louis, WTIC Hartford. (The latter two run Rush but that's it for daytime syndication.)
WGN Chicago is local 24/7. KFI Los Angeles, KIRO-FM Seattle, KTAR-FM Phoenix, KOA Denver, WLW Cincinnati, WBAL Baltimore and WTMJ Milwaukee are mostly local.
If you keep hearing the same callers over and over, that's the fault of the screeners. Most stations have a once-a-week policy for callers. The hosts should be able to talk on their own or generate callers. Someone said some negative things about the late 96.5 WWDB. But that had been a highly rated station for much of its history, even in an era where FM radio was still not in every car or on every home radio, and where there were few other FM Talk stations. WWDB was live and local, 24/7, originally. I don't think they had trouble generating enough callers, even at 4am on a Sunday. I remember it getting as high as #6 in the ratings.
WWDB's downfall started when they were sold to a large corporation and the new owners put Rush and Dr. Laura on the station, WWDB's first weekday syndicated programs. That's when the station started dropping.
I'm glad WPHT has hired some hosts who, like Michael Smerconish, are not predicable in their politics. As in real life, some of us lean to the left, some to the right. But few of us are Rush or Hannity, always, always with the same opinion that only one party is totally right and only one party is totally wrong. I can't remember any time in Philadephia radio history where an always far right conservative radio station, like WABC NYC, has done well.
Ratings for Talk stations across the country are dropping. Stations that were reliably top 10, like WABC, are now struggling. In the largest ten markets, only three Talk stations make the top 10: KFI LA, WGN Chicago, and WSB Atlanta. (WLS Chicago is #11.) So it's an uphill battle for WPHT. But let's see how they do and how badly WWIQ performs with their mostly syndicated far-right line up.
Gregg
[email protected]
WGN Chicago is local 24/7. KFI Los Angeles, KIRO-FM Seattle, KTAR-FM Phoenix, KOA Denver, WLW Cincinnati, WBAL Baltimore and WTMJ Milwaukee are mostly local.
If you keep hearing the same callers over and over, that's the fault of the screeners. Most stations have a once-a-week policy for callers. The hosts should be able to talk on their own or generate callers. Someone said some negative things about the late 96.5 WWDB. But that had been a highly rated station for much of its history, even in an era where FM radio was still not in every car or on every home radio, and where there were few other FM Talk stations. WWDB was live and local, 24/7, originally. I don't think they had trouble generating enough callers, even at 4am on a Sunday. I remember it getting as high as #6 in the ratings.
WWDB's downfall started when they were sold to a large corporation and the new owners put Rush and Dr. Laura on the station, WWDB's first weekday syndicated programs. That's when the station started dropping.
I'm glad WPHT has hired some hosts who, like Michael Smerconish, are not predicable in their politics. As in real life, some of us lean to the left, some to the right. But few of us are Rush or Hannity, always, always with the same opinion that only one party is totally right and only one party is totally wrong. I can't remember any time in Philadephia radio history where an always far right conservative radio station, like WABC NYC, has done well.
Ratings for Talk stations across the country are dropping. Stations that were reliably top 10, like WABC, are now struggling. In the largest ten markets, only three Talk stations make the top 10: KFI LA, WGN Chicago, and WSB Atlanta. (WLS Chicago is #11.) So it's an uphill battle for WPHT. But let's see how they do and how badly WWIQ performs with their mostly syndicated far-right line up.
Gregg
[email protected]
J
jhguthlac
Guest
Greg, my negative comments on WWDB come from the hosts themselves. Often times, the phones simply did not light up.
I was tuning in on WPHT's stream when they were talking about Jerry Sandusky and his conviction. WPHT was there taking calls about the Jerry Sandusky affair While IQ106.9 was carrying Dave Ramsey. This is at 12:30 to 1:00 AM on Friday after the verdict was read. This is the reason live and local is sometimes Good but it takes me back to the old days of WCAU. If this is what live and local means they should bring back some of the talk hosts they had way back when. 
Gregg said:
WABC is struggling because it is 100% syndicated Mon-Fri. WOR and WNYM do not provide a mostly local alternative. Talk radio in NY is the worst in the country! A local or mostly local talk radio station is not available in NY, which is why talk is struggling in NY. A NY centric talk format, well marketed and programmed would be a winner but no one has the guts to do it!
It is disgraceful that talk radio in market #1 is on a par with market #200!
J
Jul
Guest
Its obvious that WPHT has learned some things from WCAU. BTW Rich Zeoli, the one that hosted that show last night will be on from 9-11 PM tonight with another special show.richllewis said:I was tuning in on WPHT's stream when they were talking about Jerry Sandusky and his conviction. WPHT was there taking calls about the Jerry Sandusky affair While IQ106.9 was carrying Dave Ramsey. This is at 12:30 to 1:00 AM on Friday after the verdict was read. This is the reason live and local is sometimes Good but it takes me back to the old days of WCAU. If this is what live and local means they should bring back some of the talk hosts they had way back when.
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