What the hell happened to kabc? alternatives?

[JonIrenicus]

It's basically an infomercial/sports talk station now. Is there no other station that can serve that up?


I remember the hay days, sort of, when they had Doug at night, Mr KABC at night, and Al Rantel in evenings. The beginning of the end started when Mark levin bumped out Mr kabc... only to be moved to a completely different evening time slot anyway... so what was the point of getting rid of mr kabc? of forcing him to move so much later or else leave?


I tried listening to Levin, but he comes across as pure shtick to me, of feigned outrage. I understood why people might have been upset over Al Rantel seeing as that he sort of turned his whole ideology on his head by voting for Obama (which is fine, but his reasons were pathetic, if he became more liberal just say so)

Fortunately I found krla, though from checking numbers on this site, that seems to be a lower rated station (not sure why, Medved is a much smarter and informative talker than Sean Hannity, the "great american" talker)

So maybe my tastes are just outliers with no one taking the same line. Then klsx refugees have begun infecting other stations, frostie heidi and frank, ugh, I though LA was spared that vapid fluff when klsx switched, same goes for Tim Conway, not as bad, but it's an empty show.


... this is kind of ranty, but oh well.

 

[musicfan101]

KABC is still here, it has gotten better with the addition of FHF.

 

[almaniac27]

Fortunately I found krla, though from checking numbers on this site, that seems to be a lower rated station (not sure why, Medved is a much smarter and informative talker than Sean Hannity, the "great american" talker)

KRLA is owned by Salem Communications, which does business more from an ideological perspective than a ratings one, since their stations across the country get mediocre at best ratings. I'm not an insider, but I believe they get most of their money from the paid programming on their Christian formatted stations. They stand behind their beliefs, which I respect, but it often means they'll park a format that no one listens to on a frequency and stay there forever.

 

[nmoore6676]

It's basically an infomercial/sports talk station now. Is there no other station that can serve that up?


I remember the hay days, sort of, when they had Doug at night, Mr KABC at night, and Al Rantel in evenings. The beginning of the end started when Mark levin bumped out Mr kabc... only to be moved to a completely different evening time slot anyway... so what was the point of getting rid of mr kabc? of forcing him to move so much later or else leave?


I tried listening to Levin, but he comes across as pure shtick to me, of feigned outrage. I understood why people might have been upset over Al Rantel seeing as that he sort of turned his whole ideology on his head by voting for Obama (which is fine, but his reasons were pathetic, if he became more liberal just say so)

Fortunately I found krla, though from checking numbers on this site, that seems to be a lower rated station (not sure why, Medved is a much smarter and informative talker than Sean Hannity, the "great american" talker)

So maybe my tastes are just outliers with no one taking the same line. Then klsx refugees have begun infecting other stations, frostie heidi and frank, ugh, I though LA was spared that vapid fluff when klsx switched, same goes for Tim Conway, not as bad, but it's an empty show.


... this is kind of ranty, but oh well.

Maybe you should listen to KABC or at least check their website. Doug is essentially back in his original slot, not the mornings but Red Eye Radio.

As to Levin they put his feigned outrage on to counter John and Ken's feigned outrage on KFI. The difference is that J & K are so much better at it, they've made it an artform.


Mr. KABC has made more than a couple of laps around the block since he was Mr. KABC.

Sean Hannity is hoping to stick around long enough to take the mantle from Rush when or if he decides to take his money and retire. I think the Laura Ingraham has the somewhat same aspirations but she is too intelligent to catch on with the crowd that likes Limbaugh and Hannity.

KABC could have probably picked up Glenn Beck when News/Talk blew up on KGIL but they didn't. That could have helped move them to a more serious stance as a talk station. Oh well when you are up against KFI what can you do?

 

[ChannelFlipper]

>>Oh well when you are up against KFI what can you do? <<

KABC for years has tried all but the most obvious solution - "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em."

They already have Hannity, they could add Beck, Ziegler and a few "other push the envelope" type conservatives and go after KFI. Could they dethrone KFI? Probably not. KFI has market position, heritage image, and is backed by a superior company. But at least KABC could be a legitimate number 2 on the AM dial.

Over the years, because of bad ownership ("Make-No-Waves" Disney, and the completely liberal and inept Citadel) they have steadfastly refused to pursue this approach. They have opted for low-key "safe conservatives" - you know, the kind that will catch the fever, lose their senses and logic, and vote for Barack Obama. Nobody wants a bland choice. If you are going to do something, go all they way - that is what has made KFI successful all these years, but KABC won't do it, so they are closer to niche KRLA than top-dog KFI.

Just thinking out loud here, if they were smart they would make an offer to Sarah Palin. Would it be good radio? probably not, she has no radio experience and celebrity failures in radio are a dime a dozen. Would it last long? Probably not. But oh the publicity she would bring to the station. They would get more ink in the three months she is on the air than they have had in the last five years combined. In fact now through the November elections is the best time to have her. And with so much time on the air, she is bound to say something controversial and/or stupid that would get national headlines. This is a no-brainer.

 

[JonIrenicus]

I did not know Doug was back on late at night at kabc, will check it out, that was a better show than his morning show anyway.


As to krla being so niche, are there any numbers for specific hosts or time slots?

I ask because the difference in quality of the hosts is so striking it is a comedy.


Michael Medved is Soooooooooo much smarter and sharper and substantive than a Sean Hannity. Who out there could listen to both and PREFER Hannity? It boggles the mind.

As to kfi dominance, does it matter what their programming is really? Don't they get some sort of special legacy treatment with their signal allowing it to blast into far more markets?


John and Ken are not my kind of solid listening in the evening, Hugh Hewitt can get blinded from time to time, but at least he has good guests on and can have something useful to say. Am I just some elitist snob in my tastes?

Beck is either insane or a fraud, on some video you can SEE him visibly struggle to contain the laughter at his own ridiculous performances. The fake tears, the screams, he is not real.

Even on krla, once Hewitt goes off and Miller takes over, it's like wtf. Miller just talks about inane subjects, by his own admission, a mile wide and an inch deep approach.

Ok, I see it clearly now, I am a radio snob.

I like Medved more than his competitors because he can make actual ARGUMENTS backed up with hard data and examples! is not retarded and shtick loving, or just mindless babbling talking point after talking point with very little understanding like a Hannity. So lonely. So long as krla stays around for the day time, I'll be ok though.

but right now, my empty/vapid radio host list for la is pretty large

Hannity
Beck
Miller
Frostie Heidi and Frank
John and Ken
Levin
Tim Conway

 

[nmoore6676]

As to krla being so niche, are there any numbers for specific hosts or time slots?

I ask because the difference in quality of the hosts is so striking it is a comedy.


Michael Medved is Soooooooooo much smarter and sharper and substantive than a Sean Hannity. Who out there could listen to both and PREFER Hannity? It boggles the mind.

As to kfi dominance, does it matter what their programming is really? Don't they get some sort of special legacy treatment with their signal allowing it to blast into far more markets?


John and Ken are not my kind of solid listening in the evening, Hugh Hewitt can get blinded from time to time, but at least he has good guests on and can have something useful to say. Am I just some elitist snob in my tastes?

Beck is either insane or a fraud, on some video you can SEE him visibly struggle to contain the laughter at his own ridiculous performances. The fake tears, the screams, he is not real.

Even on krla, once Hewitt goes off and Miller takes over, it's like wtf. Miller just talks about inane subjects, by his own admission, a mile wide and an inch deep approach.

Ok, I see it clearly now, I am a radio snob.

I like Medved more than his competitors because he can make actual ARGUMENTS backed up with hard data and examples! is not retarded and shtick loving, or just mindless babbling talking point after talking point with very little understanding like a Hannity. So lonely. So long as krla stays around for the day time, I'll be ok though.

but right now, my empty/vapid radio host list for la is pretty large

Hannity
Beck
Miller
Frostie Heidi and Frank
John and Ken
Levin
Tim Conway

I would agree except for Glenn Beck. Yes he does use schtick but on the facts he is verifiable, i know I've checked. This is not to see that he is always right none of them, or us, are.

I think that the problem is that hosts like those on KRLA, me personal favorite is Dennis Parager, thend to be boring and dry which is not the taste of the average listener. There for I believe tht Beck sugar coats the pills to get people to swallow them.

In a way Doug McIntyre is the same, he is entertaining and yet at the same time passes along actual information. Humor is not bad so long as you can believe the person is also being sincere.

This is where John and Ken, Levin et al fall off my radar. Limbaugh has found a way to get ratings, the reason escapes me, so there are going to be a lot of copy cats trying to do the same with their own twist of that formula. Limbaugh and Hannity often take on a view and their premise is totally off base.

But remember the Tim Conway and FH&F are basically on for entertainment so if you aren't into being informed they are ok, and a little entertainment in today's world is needed too. I suppose that it is a sign of the dumbing down of America. People like Edward R. Murrow and Walter Cronkite were real newscasters who you trusted while today's crop at all levels are just pretty faces reading off a teleprompter and I don't trust any of them.

Anybody else out there old enough to recall Gabriel Heater and H.V. Kaltenborn? And way back before Glenn Beck was born there was Drew Pearson.

 

[RBB05]

difference between John and Ken and Levin???? Maybe?
I am not sure John and Ken believe half the crud that comes out of their mouths. They just like sounding all worked up. They spent a week railing against some state legislator from Napa whom they accuse of being a loon and saying the governer or the state senate needs to take her seat away from her. She does show some signs of demetia, but anyone with a 4th grade education knows that the state constitution and a little thing called elections do not allow for the government to remove you from your elected post like that. They just kept on it because they had fun mocking a mentally ill person. While I have never seen Levin work I have a hard time believing he does not have a sheen of froth coming out of his mouth half the time. But he is one trick pony. Whether you like the current administration or not is not even the point. All show, every day Levin is "Obama is crook/thief/liar/incompetent boob/worst president ever." Every day during afternoon drive time in LA that is all you are going to get from him. John and Ken, for all of their many flaws, talk about state and local politics, which you are not going to find anywhere else. Levin's angle can be found on any number of other shows, just with less screaming. Beck is different than either of the above because he is a constant conspiracy theorist and claimed earlier in the month that God was talking to him about a plan for the country.

 

[almaniac27]

I did not know Doug was back on late at night at kabc, will check it out, that was a better show than his morning show anyway.


As to krla being so niche, are there any numbers for specific hosts or time slots?

I ask because the difference in quality of the hosts is so striking it is a comedy.


Michael Medved is Soooooooooo much smarter and sharper and substantive than a Sean Hannity. Who out there could listen to both and PREFER Hannity? It boggles the mind.

As to kfi dominance, does it matter what their programming is really? Don't they get some sort of special legacy treatment with their signal allowing it to blast into far more markets?


John and Ken are not my kind of solid listening in the evening, Hugh Hewitt can get blinded from time to time, but at least he has good guests on and can have something useful to say. Am I just some elitist snob in my tastes?

Beck is either insane or a fraud, on some video you can SEE him visibly struggle to contain the laughter at his own ridiculous performances. The fake tears, the screams, he is not real.

Even on krla, once Hewitt goes off and Miller takes over, it's like wtf. Miller just talks about inane subjects, by his own admission, a mile wide and an inch deep approach.

Ok, I see it clearly now, I am a radio snob.

I like Medved more than his competitors because he can make actual ARGUMENTS backed up with hard data and examples! is not retarded and shtick loving, or just mindless babbling talking point after talking point with very little understanding like a Hannity. So lonely. So long as krla stays around for the day time, I'll be ok though.

but right now, my empty/vapid radio host list for la is pretty large

Hannity
Beck
Miller
Frostie Heidi and Frank
John and Ken
Levin
Tim Conway

Don't apologize for having better taste than most of the American public. You demand something more from your radio, I'm the same way with music.

 

[radioguy39nj]

Where did Larry Elder finally end up?

 

[nmoore6676]

Where did Larry Elder finally end up?

http://www.larryelder.com/

Personally I'd rather see Fox News use him or Herman Cain over Juan Williams.

 

[RBB05]

Where did Larry Elder finally end up?

http://www.larryelder.com/

Fox uses Juan Williams because he is a self proclaimed conservative, who over the last year or two has come to disagree with many of the Fox talking points. This allows them to wave the "fair and balanced" flag. Putting Elder on would just add another voice to the same choir.

Personally I'd rather see Fox News use him or Herman Cain over Juan Williams.

 

[colininla]

Used to really enjoy Prager, too. But since the move to KRLA he's become increasingly smug and annoying. The conservative political proselytism leaves me cold.

Does anyone think Frosty, Heidi and Frank are going to last on KABC? They are vapidity personified.

 

[scott5]

How come nobody wants the savage nation in LA ?

 

[RBB05]

How come nobody wants the savage nation in LA ?

Political slant aside....seriously...the guy is just not intelligent.....
He is ranting that Obama wants to resign because he is in over his head, and then goes on about how he is not sure if any president in American history has resigned.....forget whether you like his politics or not, even my 10 year old daughter knows who Richard Nixon is....I enjoy political banter that differs from my viewpoint. I do not enjoy people who have such shows that are just intellectually challenged.