• 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

Why Doug McIntyre will once again fail on morning radio

W

westfield60

I love Doug and tuned into his morning show right at 5:00am on Tuesday and by the second day I am back listening to Handel. Here is why:

There is absolutely no morning show at KABC. They have so many commercials, station promos’, bumper music, and introducing each other that there so little time for actual content. This was the problem with his show two years ago and once again they fell right back into the same trap. Let me give you a real example.

7:30am they break for news (which lasts longer than KFI’s bottom of the hour news segment)
7:39am The bumper music starts which lasts almost a full minute (Handel doesn’t have bumper music and goes right into his show)
7:40am Doug starts talking and explains the bumper music, then introduces Terri-Rae for the 11,000th time and goes through the KABC line-up for the 20,000th time in two days.
7:41am Actually starts talking about a topic.
7:43am Back to Terri-Rae for the traffic update, news preview and promos.

It was maddening listening to him. He gets started on a topic but then aborts it very quickly since he now once again has to go into the weather, traffic or his KABC promos.

I had no option but to tune back to Bill. I realize all morning shows need to juggle the commericials, the news, the traffic and weather but Bill manages to get time to speak without feeling that he is rushed. It is possible to juggle these elements without leaving only 2 minutes to talk about a topic.

Unless KABC figures out how to do a morning show, McIntyre is doomed to fail once again.
 
westfield60 said:
I love Doug and tuned into his morning show right at 5:00am on Tuesday and by the second day I am back listening to Handel. Here is why:

There is absolutely no morning show at KABC. They have so many commercials, station promos’, bumper music, and introducing each other that there so little time for actual content. This was the problem with his show two years ago and once again they fell right back into the same trap. Let me give you a real example.

7:30am they break for news (which lasts longer than KFI’s bottom of the hour news segment)
7:39am The bumper music starts which lasts almost a full minute (Handel doesn’t have bumper music and goes right into his show)
7:40am Doug starts talking and explains the bumper music, then introduces Terri-Rae for the 11,000th time and goes through the KABC line-up for the 20,000th time in two days.
7:41am Actually starts talking about a topic.
7:43am Back to Terri-Rae for the traffic update, news preview and promos.

It was maddening listening to him. He gets started on a topic but then aborts it very quickly since he now once again has to go into the weather, traffic or his KABC promos.

I had no option but to tune back to Bill. I realize all morning shows need to juggle the commericials, the news, the traffic and weather but Bill manages to get time to speak without feeling that he is rushed. It is possible to juggle these elements without leaving only 2 minutes to talk about a topic.

Unless KABC figures out how to do a morning show, McIntyre is doomed to fail once again.
Click to expand...

Good post.

I've never been a big fan of bumper music on a talk station because it just takes away more show time, which as is noted above, can be a very small amount of time in the first place, particularly in morning and afternoon drive.But if it is to be used, it should be short and the audience should not have to be told what it is - if you have properly geared it to your audience, they already know what it is.

Also, the bumps should be integrated as part of the show. Larry Elder does a good job of this - same bumper music at the top each hour of the show, essentially transforming the bump into the show's unofficial musical theme. Then he uses Tom Petty's "I won't back down" on a regular basis which is relevant to Larry's own personal history and the overall tone of the show. The audience makes the connection between the music and the show and show host without having it "explained" to them.
 
I tuned in for a few minutes today...it was awkward with no flow at all. Terri-Rae was raising her voice a lot (was that her thing on KFI? - I never listened much there) and Doug could never get into a groove...as others mentioned, as soon as he'd start talking about something, it was time for traffic, news or whatever. Plus, there was a lot of the usual morning shtick - her doing the news and him commenting on it - all very forced and uneven, at least to my ears.

Doug was really at home with his "Red Eye" show...his dream gig for sure.
 
JPT said:
I tuned in for a few minutes today...it was awkward with no flow at all. Terri-Rae was raising her voice a lot (was that her thing on KFI? - I never listened much there) and Doug could never get into a groove...as others mentioned, as soon as he'd start talking about something, it was time for traffic, news or whatever. Plus, there was a lot of the usual morning shtick - her doing the news and him commenting on it - all very forced and uneven, at least to my ears.

Doug was really at home with his "Red Eye" show...his dream gig for sure.
Click to expand...

She is used to working with John and Ken, and Doug is nothing like them. So it would take some time even in the best of circumstances.
 
Again today (Wednesday), KABC morning show was simply awful. Big fan of McIntrye on overnight Red Eye Radio. Excellent spot for him. Someone came up with the foolish idea of ending that enterprise and sending Doug back to the Titanic aka KABC. He is uncomfortable, pressed, stressed - or so it sounds. T-Rae newsperson/sidekick same. Tilden needed replacement, to be sure. But this is not a good situation. Take calls, Doug! Squeeze them in ---- somewhere. Hard to do with the clustered commercials (ad people can't be happy), promos, etc. But if you don't take calls, don't promote the phone number. And he has to do more than comment every five minutes about the arson guy and his mother. Wasted talent misplaced in morning. And take calls. Best advice from an old talk producer here in L.A. - take calls.

Tilden's first line last night showed his lack of pleasure at the time switch. He said he was "live" and knew it because he was "here" in studio. He'd have rather have been home, to be sure. His tone told the entire story. I was curious but outa there within minutes.

Red Eye replacement overnight show I caught for an hour before McIntyre. Loved the truck driver commercials and those for truck oil lubrication and truck stops across America. Really a good fit for L.A. Hosts so bright that their guest - a talk show host for another show. Perfect.

Cannot comment on Sage guy. Worst of the worst regardless of daypart.

Sad to see what was once the talk station in L.A. many of us aspired to emulate for so many years simply fall apart. I was told by a KABC exec last year that their goal was/is to establish "compelling" talk radio shows and programming. They are. They are "compelling" or, shall we say, inviting listeners to leave.
 
Doug is a great broadcaster and deserves all good things to happen to him.

Gotta agree the new overnight truckers show is awful and cannot hold a candle to Doug McIntyre's Red Eye which was the best late night radio in the nation. No idea why such a junk program replaced Doug's great night show.

Good to see KABC's Jack Silver making very smart program decisions and hopefully KABC will climb the ratings ladder.
 
They had the Dodger money to keep them going for a while. But now without the Dodger money, I feel the pressure will be on them to boost the ratings. I normally don't bet but I think I'd bet that Larry Elder, Peter Tilden and Doug will be out of jobs by the end of the year. John Phillips is aleady on his way out since his show will be shortened to an hour in a month from now.

Plus I really echo the comments on the overnight "new" red-eye show. Great show if you are in Jasper Arkansas and have an IQ of 70. No one in LA will listen to that crap.
 
Don't forget that the station is under new ownership (which just gutted KGO in San Francisco). I have heard many unkind things said about the new owners.
 
I've now listened to the first three shows on the Internet from NY and was pleasantly surprised! I was prepared for Westfield60's objections:

They have so many commercials, station promos’, bumper music, and introducing each other that there so little time for actual content.
Click to expand...

... but the clutter isn't nearly as bad as I expected. I wasn't listening with a stopwatch ... just enjoying the show while doing some home-improvement. It was a good listen.

I found Doug's chemistry with Terri-Rea quite good -- it didn't seem forced to me. And it isn't one-sided -- Terry-Rae has some quick come-backs up her sleeve. Quite a few good laughs.

I happen to like Doug's choice of music so, to me, that's a plus -- I was glad to hear they let him continue to use his favorite bumpers. OTOH, I can understand how irritating it could be for those who don't happen to be a fan of this particular genre. For example, here in the NY market, both Imus and John Gambling have the worst imaginable taste in music!

Compared to Red Eye Radio, this show substitutes commercials, traffic, etc. for listener phone calls but, you know what? I don't miss the phone calls! Too many of Doug's overnight calls resulted in a shouting match that really hurt the show. Maybe it was because Doug was often in a remote location where he didn't have the ability to pot down the callers and chose to shout them down instead, I don't know.

I like Bill Handel too but, if I lived in LA, I think "McIntyre in the Morning" would be my choice.
 
Have to agree with your assessment of Doug McIntyre. Doug is the finest radio talent in Los Angeles and is far better than Handel who has an annoying voice and poor radio broadcasting skills. If KABC adds an FM stick to its Los Angeles coverage Doug McIntyre could shoot to number one morning show in town. He is that good.
 
randy chase said:
Have to agree with your assessment of Doug McIntyre. Doug is the finest radio talent in Los Angeles and is far better than Handel who has an annoying voice and poor radio broadcasting skills. If KABC adds an FM stick to its Los Angeles coverage Doug McIntyre could shoot to number one morning show in town. He is that good.
Click to expand...

Don't keep it all to yourself, pass some of that Kool-aid over here so we can all get a taste.
 
Agreed - Tilden, Elder, McIntryre, and "Johnny" Phillips likely gone by end of 2012. Bye-bye!

Tilden was past his prime when he returned in 2009 to KABC mornings with nothing to say and a voice quality that is now poor (and declining) and he still mumbles and speaks much too quickly. Elder says nothing new and says nothing new often .. even if one buys into his unique thought processes. McIntyre was very good with Red Eye. It fit the overnight hours and so did Doug. His Red Eye very enjoyable. Awful now back mornings at KABC. Phillips is simply ..... sorry, cannot clean up the word I am thinking of.

I think Cumulus has just given up on KABC. It was a wonderful talk station - one of the best in the nation. But that was some years ago. It was vibrant and exciting. It was influential. It made money and had strong ratings. And it did so with competition in a strong market.

Can it achieve greatness again?
 
pjc1961 said:
Ken Minyard of past KABC morning glory has his thoughts on the new KABC lineup in the Gary Lycan column liked below - 3rd item down ("Minyard Checks In") after Tom Leykis and Commander Chuck Street:

http://www.ocregister.com/entertainment/new-334074-radio-talk.html
Click to expand...

Well, I think we can discount Minyard's opinion. His whole premise is that KABC is a weak imitation of KFI. No they are not. They are a weak imitation of KRLA and have the ratings results to prove it. Let's recap:

KFI has a consistent morning show host that has been a ratings winner for years. KABC has a morning menagerie of hosts, none whom can measure up to KFI's Handel. The guy the have there now is the same guy that failed in the mornings in the past. But I'm sure this time will be different.

KFI has Rush, talk radio legend who may have singularly started KABC's downfall from which they have never recovered. KABC has John Philips. Most common listener response: John Who?

KFI has John and Ken, out there every day mixing it up, influencing legislation, getting constant write-ups in the paper and generally pissing off all of the right people. KABC has Larry Elder. Name on thing of significance Larry has done in the last 10 years? (And I say this as a fan of Larry's - but I call 'em like I see 'em).

KFI has a real news department with reporters on the street that feed content to their shows. KABC laid off most of their newscasters.

KFI is live and local in the evenings. KABC has a taped program of the guy from DC who couldn't compete with KFI in afternoon drive.

KFI has relevant weekend programming. KABC still has infomercials. One station respects itself and it's listeners, the other one doesn't.

KFI promotes itself and has a real identity in the market place with their "More stimulating" moniker. KABC has heritage call letters that no one under 50 cares about.

So no Ken, KABC is not a weak imitation of KFI. They would only improve their ratings if it were so.
 
ChannelFlipper said:
pjc1961 said:
Ken Minyard of past KABC morning glory has his thoughts on the new KABC lineup in the Gary Lycan column liked below - 3rd item down ("Minyard Checks In") after Tom Leykis and Commander Chuck Street:

http://www.ocregister.com/entertainment/new-334074-radio-talk.html
Click to expand...

Well, I think we can discount Minyard's opinion. His whole premise is that KABC is a weak imitation of KFI. No they are not. They are a weak imitation of KRLA and have the ratings results to prove it. Let's recap:

KFI has a consistent morning show host that has been a ratings winner for years. KABC has a morning menagerie of hosts, none whom can measure up to KFI's Handel. The guy the have there now is the same guy that failed in the mornings in the past. But I'm sure this time will be different.

KFI has Rush, talk radio legend who may have singularly started KABC's downfall from which they have never recovered. KABC has John Philips. Most common listener response: John Who?

KFI has John and Ken, out there every day mixing it up, influencing legislation, getting constant write-ups in the paper and generally pissing off all of the right people. KABC has Larry Elder. Name on thing of significance Larry has done in the last 10 years? (And I say this as a fan of Larry's - but I call 'em like I see 'em).

KFI has a real news department with reporters on the street that feed content to their shows. KABC laid off most of their newscasters.

KFI is live and local in the evenings. KABC has a taped program of the guy from DC who couldn't compete with KFI in afternoon drive.

KFI has relevant weekend programming. KABC still has infomercials. One station respects itself and it's listeners, the other one doesn't.

KFI promotes itself and has a real identity in the market place with their "More stimulating" moniker. KABC has heritage call letters that no one under 50 cares about.

So no Ken, KABC is not a weak imitation of KFI. They would only improve their ratings if it were so.
Click to expand...

well stated ChannelFlipper.

KABC to me always seemed like the Michelle Bachmann of radio. Lots of overflowing bravado (eg Larry Elder has a nation to save and John Phillips is going to take on Warren Buffet) and yet they have no listeners and no influence whatsoever. Same for Michelle Bachmann finishing last in a conservative state. I can't recall the last time any major publication profiled Larry or John, whereas John and Ken, Rush and Handel always make it to the national press.
 
Channel, you forgot to mention that KABC also has genius Jack Silver running the whole mess. I mean Jack "holy crap where would I be without Bob Moore" Silver.
 
Jack Silver is the finest program director in Los Angeles by far. Nobody else is a close second. If KABC adds an FM stick they will soar in the ratings.
 
randy chase said:
Jack Silver is the finest program director in Los Angeles by far. Nobody else is a close second. If KABC adds an FM stick they will soar in the ratings.
Click to expand...


Thanks for the laugh... I haven't laughed this hard in years.......
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom