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The Real Howie Carr Show (prelude to departing RKO?)

raccoonradio

raccoonradio

On his show today Howie Carr announced a new website http://www.howiecarr.us which contains
videos, his public appearances, and other stuff related to his show...and he has a mailing list people
can sign up for: "so I can let you know where I'll be in case I wind up somewhere else". This and
other not-so-obvious hints show that he'd like to try another station when his contract expires in the fall--and one would think if it were handled correctly this time (not like before when he let the cat
out of the bag re: Greater Media) he may indeed head elsewhere. Note:

--one Greater Media bigwig said awhile back they wouldn't be interested in him. But wbo knows

--Clear Channel? 1200 and that wonderful signal? Hmm.

--BZ? Doubt it. They have Rea and Leveille and that's about it.

--He may wind up back at RKO if the others can't match his demands, but no matter what happens,
hosts are making less these days (see: Ordway, pay cut in half) and who knows which station
might ultimately meet his demand. And does RKO want him back? As long as they don't plan
on turning into True Oldies 680 or ethnic, I'd say they do.

The site does not say Copyright Entercom L.L.C. A WHOIS search via Network Solutions says
the domain is registered to Howie Carr but the address given is 20 Guest St Boston (aka
WRKO/Entercom) and phone number seems like a Brighton/WRKO exchange (617-779 etc). The contact e-mail is through "fatboy.cc" which is Howie's Ted Kennedy site.
The domain was apparently registered through a German firm. I can't tell if Entercom is behind
this but other than the "20 Guest St" address, there is no mention of them.

The fall of 2012 might lead to Howie landing elsewhere, but then again the way the market
is (talk radio) he may wind up back at RKO anyway.

(The pic on the start page does show Howie with the RKO logo behind him. Interestingly enough,
the name of the site--which says copyright 2012 Howie Carr--is The Real Howie Carr Page, a name
perhaps inspired by WEEI's name of its own Pats postgame show. EEI doesn't have the Pats
play by play but they invite listeners to hear the REAL postgame show rather than what their
competitor has. So again, interesting that Howie seems to have started this site up
and the implication is that this is where he can tell people where he's landed if indeed
he does go elsewhere, and that this is HIS site not Entercom's (which owns howiecarr.com))
 
I guess it's about time, since he always promotes HowieCarr.com which is no more than his RKO page inside a frame.

GM is his best bet. Sure they said they're not interested, but that was expected.

What time slot do you think he'd get at 96.9?
 
The Howie Carr Show - Today

Speaking of Howie .....

If you're a fan, you'll want to catch the show today since the Tim Murray crash data was just released.
 
Yes...
Entercom owns the HowieCarr.com domain name and it contains things like promos for his books, but from what I can gather the new site is his alone. Supposedly Greater had registered something like
howiecarr969.com when they attempted to sign him and a page with his show was all ready to go,
then it was not to be. Howie got to give away the 96.9 "Carr (chocolate) Bars" at some appearances
and was sometimes seen wearing at 96.9 hat, even after he wound up back at RKO.

Yes, he could well wind up at 96.9 despite the "denial". He'd like mornings (E&B can be moved
elsewhere) or who knows, they could put him in pm drive and move Graham to a diff. slot.
 
raccoonradio said:
--one Greater Media bigwig said awhile back they wouldn't be interested in him. But who knows
Click to expand...
And Rex Ryan says he won't go after Peyton Manning.
What a crock of radio.
 
I don't think that '96.9 Boston Talks' will go after Howie. However, Howie may go after them. Inotherwords, I think Howie may approach the station but the station will not pay him anywhere near what he makes now. The ball is in WTKK's court!
 
Entercom sure made a play to keep him. They could have let him go to 96.9 in '07 but a legal
challenge resulted in him having to stay. Things are indeed different now, though (witness the
salary-chopped-in-half Ordway situation), true, but Entercom for now are sticking with him
(if he isn't performing why are they keeping him on air? True he may not be getting gangbuster
ratings but he must be bringing in some money).

WTKK--possible (a "name" talk host)
WRKO--may wind up back there. What do they replace him with, Jerry Doyle (synd.) live in pm drive?
A local host (who?)
WXKS--He could wind up there though they might have to get rid of Katz or Severin (doubtful)
to have room for his salary.
He prob won't make 800 large or whatever the salary is and his new contract may not have
the performance incentives....

Or who knows, maybe RKO sticks with him till the end of the contract, and then throws on...who?

>>Radio in 2012 doesn't have the listenership to support high paid
talent.

Rush Limbaugh, 2008: $50 million a year for 8 years. It was said at the time Rush
brought in big advertisers, nationwide. Radio doesn't have the listenership? We'll see
how Rush does at contract's end in 2016, though

If I'm GM I'd hire Howie, move Graham elsewhere or get rid of him, or get rid of Meehan. One way or another Howie will make a play to get on FM and we'll see if GM goes for it.
 
It'll be great watching "the captain" crawl back to Entercom with his tail between his legs after years of twisting the knife into the back of his employer.
 
Howie seems very unhappy at WRKO from the tidbits I read here.
I am sure he is aware of the changed market, but that's for all stations.
So if all stations make a similar offer why would he stay at WRKO ?
Maybe if they let him have a hand at picking the line-up ?
 
if i were him anything it would take to get out of there i would do it!! even at reduced money i think he would end up on wtkk, i would listen!!
 
Could he go to another market besides Boston? These days, he wouldn’t even have to move, though I wonder if his schtick would work elsewhere.
 
He couldn't work anywhere outside of New England. And for the money he wants that means Boston. ABC, Superradio and Entercom tried to syndicate him and they all failed clearing him on stations outside of New England. I am not sure if he is still on a station in Florida. If you take away his institutional knowledge of local politics which is meaningless to an audience outside of the area he is a below average host.
I doubt a station would pay him the salary he expects to a guy who has never worked outside the market.

I know he was on KFI in LA for about six weeks 10 years ago and that didn't work pit to well either.
 
They did try to syndicate him outside New England but it didn't last long....Utah, Wisconsin, Ohio etc.
The New Eng. references, etc. don't play well.
The KFI deal was a fill in for extra money, not permanent.

(me on a messageboard in '06, under "WRKO axes news division"):
>>He tried but it didn't work out. At one time he was on
in places like Salt Lake City, Seattle, Hagerstown MD,
Newark OH (near Cincy), and down in Florida.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1740127/posts

WXKS' Jeff Katz has been known to do fill ins for local and regional hosts via ISDN line (recently he
was on the Todd Schnitt show which is nationwide and also on XM radio). Fill ins, though.
A friend of mine saw Howie's appearance in Peabody yesterday and he said he was hoping to get on
FM (he did try to jump to WTKK) for awhile, "AM is dying" (also he said there is interest in a poss.
TV series version of "Hitman"). Someone at the appearance had asked "why didn't you go over to
1200 when Rush did". The person didn't realize the diff. between Howie being under contract to
Entercom, and Rush's deal with getting on Clear Channel stations (as what just happened in S.F.)

They may have figured Rush and Howie were a kind of package deal. Reminds me of when Ch 4 and
Ch 7 switched networks--NBC to CBS and vice versa. Ch 4 had to run ads with Liz Walker saying,
"I'm still gonna be here...Jack (Williams)'s still gonna be here...", for those who figured the network
switch also meant Ch 4 news (Eyewitness or whatever) was going to suddenly change stations, too :)
 
Carr's situation is an interesting one. He delivers an audience, but the Scarborough data suggests it isn't that lucrative. Newstalk is not a currently a big format in Boston. Historically, all-talk stations have made it to No. 1, most notably the RKO of Burns and Williams in the 90s and EEI of Benzaquin and Westover in the early 70s.

Methinks the problem with newstalk in Boston is a programming issue, although the programmers try to cast it as a demographic or audience issue. The problem: There is nobody currently on air of whom you'd think "I gotta listen to Bloviatin' Bob to see what he has to say today." You know Howie's take on everything; you know Graham's take on everything; you know Finneran's take on everything -- all before they utter a syllable. It's all the righty vs. lefty stuff.

Unfortunately, the alternative is often seen as "hot talk" which seems to be a synonym for entertainment babble, quick changes in topic and program director's "research" showing "hot button" issues. But nobody ever says "did you hear what Bloviatin' Bob said today about Blah-blah-blah." It's because Bloviatin' Bob thinks the world is more interested in this righty-lefty nonsense.

They don't get it. There is no formula to talk radio other than doing good radio. Memo to J. Wolfe: Good radio means you never say "we'll be right back," "after the break," or "we pause now for ..." and you never, ever, ever, ever play bumper music in and out of stop sets. You never 'come back" you are always there.

Carr will get a deal, there may even be a bidding war. But his days of everything being on his terms are over; he'll get less than he's making now and his employer will make it quite clear that his days of phoning it in, talking about the same stuff day after day after day and of using his talk show to gather clever lines for his newspaper column are O-V-E-R.

Howie's got a date with reality.
 
Memo to J. Wolfe: Good radio means you never say "we'll be right back," "after the break," or "we pause now for ..." and you never, ever, ever, ever play bumper music in and out of stop sets.
Click to expand...

Avi Nelson has to be the worst offender. Every outro is either "we'll be right back on the other side," "we have to pay some bills" or some combination of those two.

You never 'come back" you are always there.
Click to expand...

One of the problems with the idea of news/talk is that "news" is part of the show, when it feels like a commercial. If you listen to a 3 or 4-hour show, you're getting the same news over and over.

The schedule is predictable. When Howie's show goes to break at :45, he comes back for ten seconds at the top of the hour, then it's "news" until almost ten past the hour. Who is sticking around during these breaks.

Carr will get a deal, there may even be a bidding war. But his days of everything being on his terms are over; he'll get less than he's making now
Click to expand...

True, but when you include the endorsements and graft, it's not a bad paycheck.
 
Y'know, I'm not even a conservative, but I still often listen to Howie. His commentary sometimes drives me nuts, but nevertheless he can be entertaining. What's more, as a Bay Stater who has lived in Maine for years, I find his show to be an engaging link to what is going on in my home state. Howie, in his own way, is as much a fixture of New England broadcasting as were Gus Saunders, David Brudnoy, and Carl deSuze (to name only three). His days at WRKO may be limited, but I suspect he'll be around for a long time nonetheless.
 
It's true that end of the hour there are a lot of ads, etc. plus the business update bit at the end of the 4 pm hour (Barry Armstrong) which sounds like a paid segment, etc. but take note Howie (and his fill ins like
Avi today) has program content for about a half hour without interruption at :07 or so past, each hour. But yes, later in the hour "we have to pay some bills"...
 
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