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Verdict on the new KFI midday Monks & Merrill Show

sdwulfdawg

sdwulfdawg

So after two weeks now that they are settled in, what does everyone think of the new KFI Monks and Merrill midday show?

Personally, I find that the show is not bad, but it has one big flaw: they both come off as fast and blabby. They are both well in command of topics which they cover, but they both have a bad habit of talking really fast which after awhile becomes ponderous and difficult to listen to. I find myself having to shut it off after awhile as they become no different than several kitchen black flies in the middle of summer buzzing-buzzing-buzzing-buzzing.

If others find this irritating, this may end up buzzkilling their relative TSL (Time Spent Listening) and AQH (Average Quarter Hour).
 
I haven't listened to it enough to properly comment.

I think a new high profile daytime show with hosts that are younger, is necessary.. KFI needs to look to the future. Bill Handel is in his mid-70's, Kobylt and Conway are in their 60's.

They are trying to avoid a KGO scenario, and age themselves out of existence.
 
KilowattKat said:
I haven't listened to it enough to properly comment.

I think a new high profile daytime show with hosts that are younger, is necessary.. KFI needs to look to the future. Bill Handel is in his mid-70's, Kobylt and Conway are in their 60's.

They are trying to avoid a KGO scenario, and age themselves out of existence.
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This is true. But even putting on really great, somewhat youthful hosts all day, the station is facing what so many AM stations face. Unless you get an FM simulcast, I don't think you can hold back your fate.

KFI is the best talk station in the U.S. Handel is fun and the rest of the staff sound good. Sometimes it's talk about politics but plenty of other things too. Quick news and traffic updates every 15 minutes, and best of all, no pre-programmed conservative talk hacks, where everything Republicans and Trump do is good, everything Democrats do is bad and foolish. Even if that were my political leanings, I'd find that so lazy and tiresome.

Did you know as recently as 2009, KFI was Clear Channel's third best billing station, just behind KIIS-FM and WLTW? It was in the top ten billing stations on the BIA Kelsey list until a few years ago. It still does great for an AM only station. But every year it falls further down the list.
 
Gregg. said:
Did you know as recently as 2009, KFI was Clear Channel's third best billing station, just behind KIIS-FM and WLTW? It was in the top ten billing stations on the BIA Kelsey list until a few years ago. It still does great for an AM only station. But every year it falls further down the list.
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I was going to ask rhetorically who the top talents anchoring KFI were in 2009 that made them so successful, until I noticed something else. Both Google and Grok seem to be completely befuddled as to who held down the 9:00 am to 12:00 noon slot. Since they both consider propaganda Wikipedia to be a primary source for their searches, I guess I understand why.

I DO happen to know who held down the slot and if anyone asks, I promiss to reveal the apparently unknown secret. Really.
 
ChannelFlipper said:
I was going to ask rhetorically who the top talents anchoring KFI were in 2009 that made them so successful, until I noticed something else. Both Google and Grok seem to be completely befuddled as to who held down the 9:00 am to 12:00 noon slot. Since they both consider propaganda Wikipedia to be a primary source for their searches, I guess I understand why.

I DO happen to know who held down the slot and if anyone asks, I promiss to reveal the apparently unknown secret. Really.
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Rush Limbaugh?
 
KilowattKat said:
Rush Limbaugh?
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Wow, I had forgotten that. I guess at that point Clear Channel didn't have an all-day roster of Rush clones, just Rush by himself. And since we're talking about Rush on KFI from 9 to noon, who was noon to 3pm? Dr. Laura.

Clear Channel/iHeart decided it would take KTLK 1150 and end its Progressive Talk format. In 2014, it became KEIB "The Patriot" airing Rush and the network's other syndicated conservative talk hosts. KFI only retained Coast to Coast AM for late nights on 640. All other hours on KFI, even weekends, would be live and local. (Some of the weekend KFI shows are recorded and syndicated to other iHeart talk stations. Handel on the Law, The Tech Guy, The Jesus Christ Show. But they are done from KFI.)
 
Gregg. said:
In 2014, it became KEIB "The Patriot" airing Rush and the network's other syndicated conservative talk hosts.
Click to expand...

This came after Rush's infamous Fluke incident and the resulting ad boycott. Moving Rush to his own station meant KFI wasn't affected by the ad boycott and continued to cash the checks. CC made a similar move in a few other cities. Rush ultimately built his own group of advertisers who still wanted to reach Rush's audience, and the rest is history.
 
KilowattKat said:
They are trying to avoid a KGO scenario, and age themselves out of existence.
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KGO did not really age itself away, or at least that was only part of it.

What killed KGO was the PPM, which showed much shorter TSL than the diary methodology did. And, unlike nearly all music formats, there was no "phantom cume" that listened but not enough to make the listener think of writing it in a diary. Many stations increased cume by 25% to 50% with the PPM. KGO did not increase at all... either you listened or you didn't.
 
Weekend programming changes on KFI....

Saturday
5-6 pm The Crest Report - new financial show
6-8 pm Gary and Shannon (repeat)
8-10 pm Monks and Merrill (repeat)

Sunday
4-7 pm Lou Penrose
7-9 pm True Crime Tonight (podcast)
9-10 pm Revisionist History
 
henry said:
I mean, I *try* to listen to KFI on 103.5 HD-2, but it disconnects 50% of the time.
(Only because I'm a weird radio guy who paid extra for an HD radio)

Versus the iHeart app which is up 99% of the time.
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With HD Radio, if you are too far from the transmitter, you lose the HD signal, even if you are within the range of the primary signal. You may have trouble getting HD channels if you are 35 or 40 miles from the transmitter. Of course, with Mount Wilson being more than 3000 feet above average terrain, Los Angeles HD signals like KOST's may have a wider range. And you also have to wait a few seconds when you tune in an HD signal for it to connect.

How far from Mount Wilson are you? Maybe with Mount Wilson being so tall, there is a shadow for HD signals? When WCBS News Radio 880 was on WCBS-FM-HD2, I had no trouble hearing it within 35 miles of the Empire State Building. I only tuned in 880 kHz if I were traveling further out.
 
Well... as the crow flies? 59 miles. And there's a hill.

Analog works great (because it's analog)
iHeart app works great (because it's on a network of cell towers)
 
Gregg. said:
KFI is the best talk station in the U.S. Handel is fun and the rest of the staff sound good. Sometimes it's talk about politics but plenty of other things too. Quick news and traffic updates every 15 minutes, and best of all, no pre-programmed conservative talk hacks, where everything Republicans and Trump do is good, everything Democrats do is bad and foolish.
Click to expand...
I listen to Monk & Merrill quite a bit, driving around San Diego. They're doing a great job so far.
 
TheBigA said:
My take is that Merrill came from a station that fits really well with what KFI does. He knows the format.
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They're a smooth segueway from Gary & Shannon, who are also terrific -- but have a husband-and-wife-ish vibe. Monk & Merrill take the newsier Gary/Shannon topics & go more in-depth.
 


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