• Get involved.
    We want your input!
    Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.

    After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
    If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.

    After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
    https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/

    Thanks in advance and have fun!
    RadioDiscussions Administrators

WDEL drops Sean

W

WTUX

Guest
Starting yesterday, Sean Hannity is no longer on 1150 WDEL. Seems ABC wanted them to carry 2 more hours daily of ABC talk and they refused. Makes sense when losing Rush and adding local talk beefed up their ratings.

They have added an hour more local talk (but the guy sounds REALLY BAD) and moved back to a two hour afternoon newscast from 4-6pm. Back in the early 90's, the 4-6pm news was their highest rating period of the day, handily beating WILM for those two hours. Good to have it back.
 
...and implements new sounders

WTUX said:
Starting yesterday, Sean Hannity is no longer on 1150 WDEL. Seems ABC wanted them to carry 2 more hours daily of ABC talk and they refused. Makes sense when losing Rush and adding local talk beefed up their ratings.

They have added an hour more local talk (but the guy sounds REALLY BAD) and moved back to a two hour afternoon newscast from 4-6pm. Back in the early 90's, the 4-6pm news was their highest rating period of the day, handily beating WILM for those two hours. Good to have it back.
Click to expand...

I guess that's why they implemented new sounders yesterday as well, to celebrate the new era at 1150. Can't say I like the new sounders. Which is why I'll stick with WILM. D*mn, I'll miss the t-o-h pitches for that week's Eagles broadcast (and I assume t-o-h pitches for that night's Phillies broadcast have gone in the Shipley Road dumpster too).

ixnay
 
Good idea ixnay...Stick with WILM because you like their liners! Forget the fact that their local news coverage has become nothing but crap, as well as most of their local news people.

Enjoy!
 
Sounders and liners certainly do not decide what station I listen to, but I have to admit I do not like the new ones at WDEL. I also can't stand Jerry during the 3-4 time slot. But WDEL is still the best for news.
 
I admire their "fortitude" in holding their ground.

I was never much of a Rick Jensen fan when I lived in the area, sounded full of himself. But live and local beats syndicated for me any day, unless the live and local sucks.
 
In this case, the "live and local" is overkill. I didn't have a problem with Allan Loudell and the Rolodex
of reporters in Turkey (or whatever Middle Eastern nation is getting him worked up this week) for the
1 hour per day, but now, another hour of just Gerry Fulcher (gag) and 2 more of Allan in the afternoon is
just nuts.

Mascitti is entertaining, Jensen, while full of himself completely, is better with Fulcher than without him. Still,
you mean to tell me that WDEL couldn't think of ANYTHING other than more of the same?

I'm ok with getting rid of Hannity. Just have a plan when you do it. Whatever time crunch you were under,
you could have done something than have Loudell re-read the same stuff he did at noon.
 
Rick and Gerry is a bit much and another hour of Gerry by himself is another hour too much.

I do like Alan, however.
 
DERadio said:
Good idea ixnay...Stick with WILM because you like their liners! Forget the fact that their local news coverage has become nothing but crap, as well as most of their local news people.

Enjoy!
Click to expand...

I went back to flipflopping between WDEL and WILM in drive time on Monday, after the shock value wore off.

I do agree WILM should get better sounders. WILM's traffic sounder sounds like a pair of sneakers in an otherwise empty dryer.

Oh, and kudos to WDEL for not dropping its toh pitches for that week's Eagles broadcast.

ixnay
 
Something Screwy

This is screwy.

ABC Radio announced weeks ago that Mark Levin (fed 6 pm to 8 pm) had added WILM as an affiliate.
This was before WDEL announced they were dropping Hannity.
One wonders who dropped whom here.
Will the other shoe fall in the new year and Hannity goes to WILM as part of the deal?

If not, what other ABC Radio syndicated shows was the company looking for WDEL to pick up?
- Mark Davis 12 pm to 2 pm (A conservative out of WBAP, Ft. Worth)?
- The Satellite Sisters 12 pm to 3 pm (five well to do White women sitting around talking)?
- Larry Elder 6 pm to 9 pm (A Black libertarian out of KABC, Los Angeles)?

All of the above are third-string shows. None of them making much of a dent (except for Davis and Elder in their home markets).

Clear Channel is cutting local and live programs (and the people who produce and host them) on all but a handful of their news-talk stations. With the exception of those few heritage major-market blowtorches, Clear Channel talk stations are becoming all syndicated, all automated, all the time. Look for WILM to pick up Hannity (and other syndicated shows) and become a turnkey operation, as well, early in the new year (even if it gets sold - which is also a possibility).

Yes, the traffic sounders are pathetic. Even more pathetic, outside of AM and PM drive they just read items off the DelDOT scheduled roadwork list. So does WDEL.

Loudell's "Rolodex" (actually a ring binder) is impressive only in his own self-aggrandizing fantasy rants. He brags of a huge "Rolodex" but keeps calling the same people repeatedly (most of whom work for CBS, Fox and a few other news organizations which make these people available as a means of promotion). Fortunately nobody listens closely, although many people are impressed that he makes overseas phone calls during the news, so he doesn't get caught rounding up the "usual suspects." Apparently the main purpose of any of these "interviews" is to give Loudell the chance to try to demonstrate how he knows more than the person he's calling ("Thank you, Mr. Know-it-all").
 
My understanding is that WDEL's Hannity contract goes through mid-January. Everything hit the fan during re-negotiations...That's when DEL decided they didn't want Levin, and as a result, would no longer carry Hannity. Knowing Levin wouldn't be on WDEL, it was safe to make the the WILM announcement. So, the deal was done AFTER the future Hannity decision was already made, but before the on air change.

Dropping Sean before the end of the contract was a power play. WDEL still runs his commercials (which is all the contract requires), so no other station in Delaware (WILM) can have him yet. Yes, look for Sean on 1450, and hopefully, less of their God awful reporters.
 
Does Watson get dropped, too?

Now, inquiring minds want to know, when does Clear Channel dump Watson for a syndicated show?
Clear Channel/Premiere's own Glenn Beck?
Laura Ingraham (who WDEL almost picked up before they grabbed Al Mascetti)?
Maybe even the return of Mike Gallagher (the live feed this time)?

I'd bet my money on Beck, before the Spring diary period.

That leaves mornings?
Keep going with a downsized news-staff feeding Wilmington and Dover?
Imus in the Morning? (Biden talks to him more than he ever did to Loudell.)
Doug Stephan? (The friend of small, turn-key stations everywhere.)
 
My guess is, Watson will be at WILM probably until he decides to retire. His name is well known in the Wilmington area, much like Allan Loudell's. John Watson is local, he's popular. He's been doing talk in Wilmington for the past 20+ years that I can remember. Why would WILM want to get rid of their only personality that has a name that is as well known as his. He seems to have a fairly heavy spot load that has definitely increased since CC started selling spots for WILM. His style is different than Al Mescetti, who's on opposite of John. So they'd appeal to different listeners other than the "activists" who call both shows so that they can promote their particular political agenda. I've listened to both. Somedays Watson's topic is boring, to my ears, other days Mescetti's topic is boring to my ears. They each have their strengths and weaknesses as far as my ear is concerned. My guess is, rating's wise Watson is still holding his own even against the former News Journal columnist turn radio talk show host on WDEL. I just don't see WILM dropping their only live and local weekday talker for a satellite show, even Glenn Beck.

Frankly, when Watson retires, I think WILM should put Ted Efaw in that time spot. Ted's filled in a number of times for Watson at WILM. Ted has 10 years talk experience from previous stations. He has quite a list of national guests he seems able to contact and get on his show as guests. He had Helen Thomas on the other day. He also had Bill Press and some other national press folks, writers, etc. I don't necessarily agree with Ted's politics, but he has a good talk show that is interesting to hear and one that, my guess, would pull in a decent audience especially as a live and local talker.

What might be even a better idea would be to have Watson/Efaw on together, sort of like Jensen/Fulchur do on WDEL. Watson's a moderate-liberal, Efaw is a liberal. Could be an interesting program. New Castle County and the City of Wilmington is a blue county, that might be a real ratings winner.

If I were picking the programming at WILM, I'd keep the morning newscast to 9am, John Watson and Ted Efaw together till 12 noon, the mid day report till 1pm (with possibly some news analysis and commentary included), Glenn Beck from 1pm to 4pm, Afternoon Drive News 4pm-7pm, Limbaugh or Savage 7pm- 10pm, Bohannan and overnights.

As far as morning drive time. That has alway's been WILM's prime time in listenership as they've gotten the reputation for being there with the local news/weather/traffic, etc. I'd think that WILM feeding WDOV with a morning newscast is good for WDOV, but I've not seen any numbers so that may not be the case, but it should beat out airing some satellite talker on either WILM and WDOV during morning drive.

Sure Biden talks to Imus more than Loudell or Fowser. Biden knows Delaware will support him, it's the rest of the nation that is in doubt.
 
Watson popular? Apparently not with anyone in the Arbitron diary panel.

Progressives don't consider Watson a liberal, or even a "moderate-liberal." The Green Party of Delaware calls him a "hostile reactionary." What Liz Allen, a progressive Democrat activist, or Dana Garrett, a liberal blogger, might call him would probably get this thread deleted. One would have to be pretty far to the right to see Watson as a "moderate-liberal."

The only thing keeping Watson on the air is Clear Channel management's fear of a "Blacklash" and their perceived need to keep the EEOC and the affirmative action bureaucrats off their back. Unfortunately for him, Watson has alienated those most likely to rally when a Black talk show host gets sacked.

Once the station moves to new studios, it will be automation-capable and will no longer need a bunch of minimum wage warm bodes to keep the station on the air. Look for management to explode the neutron bomb (the building remains but the people disappear). And Clear Channel's pattern recently is to fire people making the most first. Well known names - not to mention well-liked names (which does NOT include Watson) cost money. Getting rid of them saves money. This is why most talk radio programming in this country is syndicated. Clear Channel syndicates talk radio programming. They have an incentive to clear syndicated shows they produce and in which they sell advertising on the stations they own. Even if you are not personally concerned with the economic and business aspects of broadcasting, you might consider that the people who make programming decisions are. By the standards of the "creative side" of broadcasting, Watson is bad radio. By the standards of the business side, a local show on an under-performing, low-power, medium market AM station is bad business.

Watson, whose show prep is USA Today, mostly does not talk about local topics. Mike Gallagher is also a well known name in the market. He does the angry, ignorant, intolerant bar-fly act better than Watson and is a lot cheaper.

I think a "creative" case might be made for keeping the afternoon news block and not picking up Hannity, but not for keeping Watson.
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom