Triv vs. Rizzo

[Ron Lee]

Rizzo with a more dominant presence on the show? Much less Hammer et al? Maybe he's got a shot at better ratings in PMD than Reghi and Roda. But Triv will eat his lunch with the current show. And since it's Triv, he'll eat that lunch on the air.

I have an idea in my head on what Rizzo's show should sound like in PMD to compete with Triv, but it'll never happen as long as they don't have solid programming direction (sorry, Gibbs and/or Hammer) at the Galleria.

I believe that Hammer, and his being in tight with management, affords him the chance to "call his shots". For that reason, he will never accept a smaller on air role with that show. Im sure that he feels whatever successes they have had are because of him and his presense and suggestions. I believe the run-away-ego we hear on the air is not a schtick, but is really his persona and if anyone is waiting for management to try to reduce his role, its not going to happen. Hell, he is management over there.

 

[Rusty Muck]

Rizzo with a more dominant presence on the show?  Much less Hammer et al?  Maybe he's got a shot at better ratings in PMD than Reghi and Roda.  But Triv will eat his lunch with the current show. And since it's Triv, he'll eat that lunch on the air.

I have an idea in my head on what Rizzo's show should sound like in PMD to compete with Triv, but it'll never happen as long as they don't have solid programming direction (sorry, Gibbs and/or Hammer) at the Galleria.

I believe that Hammer, and his being in tight with management, affords him the chance to "call his shots".  For that reason, he will never accept a smaller on air role with that show.  Im sure that he feels whatever successes they have had are because of him and his presense and suggestions.  I believe the run-away-ego we hear on the air is not a schtick, but is really his persona and if anyone is waiting for management to try to reduce his role, its not going to happen.  Hell, he is management over there.

That might be why - if Rizzo is moving to afternoons - why in the hell their management would consider such a stupid move (considering he has that pull after all). Goldhammer probably is so convinced that he, by being a part of tRBS, can take down Triv.

For that alone, I'd love for it to fail. Not for Rizzo to fail, but rather for Goldhammer and the station to be duly humiliated.

 

[1sttimecaller]

You guys make me chuckle.

While you personally may not appreciate the players on the show, it looks like WKNR is enjoying some of their highest ratings as far back as I can remember. The audience doesn't seem to mind gold hammer.

Nathan- it's not just Petros and Money that go off sports, most if not all, shows do. At least the good ones anyway. I sit in a sports bar with my buddies for hours some days, and if we talked sports the whole time I'd ask you to put a bullet in my brain.

 

[Rusty Muck]

You guys make me chuckle.

While you personally may not appreciate the players on the show, it looks like WKNR is enjoying some of their highest ratings as far back as I can remember. The audience doesn't seem to mind gold hammer.

Nathan- it's not just Petros and Money that go off sports, most if not all, shows do. At least the good ones anyway. I sit in a sports bar with my buddies for hours some days, and if we talked sports the whole time I'd ask you to put a bullet in my brain.

I draw the line at playing forgettable girlie pop songs as bumper music (another Goldhammer brain child).

To Petros Papadakis and Matt Smith's credit, at least they play reggae or other stuff that doesn't insult the audience's intelligence. Still, PMS is a bad sports show from a bad sports town (in LA), on a bad sports radio network (FSR aka SuperStation KLAC).

And I have yet to see a positive review of Goldhammer that ISN'T from station management.

 

[OhioMediaWatch]

You know what? Hammer has his role, and his place in the show.

A relative (not in the business, a 'KNR P1, really) said it best...he can't stand Hammer, but he listens to him and his "schtick". Not the "girly bumper music", but the contrarian stance, the interplay with Rizzo, etc.

It's my personal contention that the show should be a lot tighter and more focused, and needs "less" Hammer, but he's a part of it.

The off-sports conversation is not a problem. Craig learned well from his days interning at WIP. But it has to be more focused, and more accessible.

This all may not make sense to you, but as I said, I know in my head the kind of show Rizzo and company would have to do to compete with Triv. And even then, Triv/CC/WTAM have major advantages that Rizzo/Good Karma/WKNR probably can't overcome.

 

[gabigley1]

He won't harm Triv too much. Triv is a the killer in Cleveland radio.

What hurts Rizzo is the two boys he has working with him. Sound like high school kids trying to talk sports with the big boys.

Yesterday, Tiv said the rating are out and he is killing all the competition.

I don't think he is worried about competing head to head with Rizzo. I think he would say he would kill Rizzo in the PPMs if KNR were to place Rizzo head to head with his show. Triv is not
afraid to speak his mind when it some to his ratings on TAM and that speaks a big ego.

Click here for the first hour of his show were he mentions the ratings for his show.

http://www.wtam.com/cc-common/media...am.com&SITE_ID=1263&STATION_ID=WTAM-AM&TRACK=

 

[Capulet]

What is troublesome to me about this "Triv vs Riz talk" is WKNR is not competing with WTAM. WTAM is a news-talk station. They carry play by play broadcasts. They do not program sports talk.

Conversely WKNR is a sports talk station. They own the other station in the market that has the same format: WKNR-2-BadYouCan'tHearThis

WTAM does not have a news-talk competitor in the market. Few markets have more than one News Talker. It is expensive to operate, and usually is format exclusive. If a station really wanted to " compete " with WTAM from 2-6 they would need a signal that was 50K watts daytime and nitetime; a working news staff; a news network; traffic reports; sports reporters who could talk on air to the players and coaches on the three pro sports teams. ( The pro teams do not allow coaches/players to talk on WKNR. That's funny. They talk about these teams all the time but never can put the players on ther air! ) The first and last cannot happen here anytime soon. No one is going to pay for traffic-news-sports reporters bodies to make up a staff. Life with Triv on WTAM continues. Makes no difference to me. I dont listen.

 

[OhioMediaWatch]

The thing is...WTAM is really the dominant "sports station" in Cleveland.

Sure, Triv is not a sports talk show host in 2011. WTAM is not a sports station per se.

But when it matters, as Capulet very accurately pointed out, they can get "all the balls" in a row in a hurry. They have all the sports contracts, they have all the sports contacts, and when the (stuff) hits the rotating blades, people will flock to 1100 to hear about it...both for news AND sports.

Time and again, during major sports related news in this market, Triv and WTAM have blown WKNR out of the water. I've heard it myself at least a half dozen times when a coach gets fired or hired, etc. - 850 seems lost, and 1100 rules.

The only reason the Triv vs. Rizzo conversation happened - aside from Triv himself using social media to ignite an Old Fashioned Radio War (remember, HE is responsible for this thread!), is that Rizzo is a high-profile personality in the market.

But the tools behind the stations...well, WKNR doesn't have them, and WTAM does.

BTW, that segment gabigley posted here - Triv launches into his "we've got the best ratings ever" after a caller talks about Rover, who is in the same building at WMMS. Triv loves radio wars with everyone...people at the competition, people in his own building (he's poked at Lanigan forever!), etc...

 

[Capulet]

The thing is...WTAM is really the dominant "sports station" in Cleveland.

Sure, Triv is not a sports talk show host in 2011. WTAM is not a sports station per se.

But when it matters, as Capulet very accurately pointed out, they can get "all the balls" in a row in a hurry. They have all the sports contracts, they have all the sports contacts, and when the (stuff) hits the rotating blades, people will flock to 1100 to hear about it...both for news AND sports.

Time and again, during major sports related news in this market, Triv and WTAM have blown WKNR out of the water. I've heard it myself at least a half dozen times when a coach gets fired or hired, etc. - 850 seems lost, and 1100 rules.

The only reason the Triv vs. Rizzo conversation happened - aside from Triv himself using social media to ignite an Old Fashioned Radio War (remember, HE is responsible for this thread!), is that Rizzo is a high-profile personality in the market.

But the tools behind the stations...well, WKNR doesn't have them, and WTAM does.

BTW, that segment gabigley posted here - Triv launches into his "we've got the best ratings ever" after a caller talks about Rover, who is in the same building at WMMS. Triv loves radio wars with everyone...people at the competition, people in his own building (he's poked at Lanigan forever!), etc...

The irony? With the exception of baseball, everybody WATCHES the games on TV!

 

[gabigley1]

BTW, that segment gabigley posted here - Triv launches into his "we've got the best ratings ever" after a caller talks about Rover, who is in the same building at WMMS. Triv loves radio wars with everyone...people at the competition, people in his own building (he's poked at Lanigan forever!), etc...

Thank you for pointing that out. I was scratching my head because the last time I checked,
WMMS was owned by Clear Channel. It just seem odd to me that Triv would criticize air talent in the same building and get away with it. This just seems too good to be true. Was this staged by any chance?

Speaking of Clear Channel,
I recall Jim Albright of the WHLO 640 morning calling his boss an "idiot" on the air a couple of months ago. I asked Jim, how can you call your boss an idiot on the air and get away with
it. He said, "I can because he is" one. That is what I love about Jim, he can make me laugh.

 

[OhioMediaWatch]

The irony? With the exception of baseball, everybody WATCHES the games on TV!

But don't underestimate the power of having the team on your station, especially the Browns (EVERYONE talks about the Browns, no matter how bad they are!). And it fuels all the other stuff we both talked about.

WMMS was owned by Clear Channel. It just seem odd to me that Triv would criticize air talent in the same building and get away with it. This just seems too good to be true. Was this staged by any chance?

Who knows how much of it is staged and not, but Triv going after everyone in the market, from competitors at WKNR, to Clear Channel co-workers, to even people at the same station (he used to rip into former "Sportsline" host Kevin Keane on nearly an hourly basis), is a key part of his act.

One day, I remember when he was ripping Lanigan, because a sponsor insisted that a spot with Lanigan's voice air on Triv's show. He blasted Lanigan, saying he was considering buying time on Lanigan's show for his son's restaurant ("Triv's" in Strongsville) just so he could insist on voicing the spots, but that they wouldn't let him do that on Lanigan's show.

Speaking of Clear Channel, I recall Jim Albright of the WHLO 640 morning calling his boss an "idiot" on the air a couple of months ago. I asked Jim, how can you call your boss an idiot on the air and get away with
it. He said, "I can because he is" one. That is what I love about Jim, he can make me laugh.

Assuming Jim was talking about Keith Kennedy, Keith was probably laughing along with him. It's all a part of the game, and Keith wouldn't be the first "boss" set up as a foil by on-air talent...not even that week!

 

[Speaker of Truth]

Until WKNR carries one of the Big Three--the Indians, The Browns, or the Cavaliers..it won't matter who they have or do not have in their stable..AM Radio is going to disappear in our lifetimes..likely in the next 10 to 15 years..and if you don't have an FM signal to put your programming on..you arent going to be around...

You can talk about sports all day for hours on end..but given how bad Cleveland sports is and will continue to be for the forseeable future, why would you want to listen to a station that beats that dead horse on a daily basis?

I work at a station that carries Petros and Money..the show isn't that bad..but its based out of L-A, as is Rome, and tends to be pretty funny at times..and has been pointed out numerous times, if you don't have the cash to invest in a news and sports staff, and find a way to get traffic information, WTAM has no real competition with which to contend..

 

[74WIXYGrad]

You can talk about sports all day for hours on end..but given how bad Cleveland sports is and will continue to be for the forseeable future, why would you want to listen to a station that beats that dead horse on a daily basis?

The Cleveland market will not support a full time sports talk station at this time, whether the PBP of all the major teams are on it or not. And sports talk during afternoon drive would only succeed in small doses, a championship run or something like that.

 

[Capulet]

You can talk about sports all day for hours on end..but given how bad Cleveland sports is and will continue to be for the forseeable future, why would you want to listen to a station that beats that dead horse on a daily basis?

The Cleveland market will not support a full time sports talk station at this time, whether the PBP of all the major teams are on it or not. And sports talk during afternoon drive would only succeed in small doses, a championship run or something like that.

Isn't 850 full time sports talk? Did you mean to say " support 2 full time sports talk stations "?

 

[Dave Sarnoff]

Isn't 850 full time sports talk?

Well, kinda.

 

[EnbyCee]

Rizzo fired back both at Triv and those accusing him of backstabbing Rome today just after 11. This is making for fun radio, even has me listening here in Toledo.

 

[Rusty Muck]

Rizzo fired back both at Triv and those accusing him of backstabbing Rome today just after 11. This is making for fun radio, even has me listening here in Toledo.

And yes, Rome's been ripping on WKNR during the first hour. Very similar to when Beck would rip on WTAM while he aired in exile on WHLO and WEOL.

 

[EnbyCee]

Yeah, Rome's been using the Cavs' losing streak as an excuse to open his show with Cleveland talk and then tell Cleveland in hour 2 "Oops, I said this and this in hour 1, but C-town missed it!"

 

[Capulet]

Yeah, Rome's been using the Cavs' losing streak as an excuse to open his show with Cleveland talk and then tell Cleveland in hour 2 "Oops, I said this and this in hour 1, but C-town missed it!"

and play alleged " c-town " callers. Right. He spends ten minutes telling the audience why he can't repeat a bit. Do you know anyone who calls Cleveland C-town?

This guy is annoying.

 

[Dave Sarnoff]

This guy is annoying.

He's an acquired taste...like scotch.