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WHY THE FAN IS FAILING

P

Parttimer

I really try to give these guys a chance.... I really want local stuff to succeed.... but Vinnie and Cook today did absolutely the worst football pick segment I've heard in a long time .

Absolutely no insights, clearly neither one did 5 seconds of homework on any of these games. They didn't support their picks with opinions, nothing more than "that's a lot of points." Vinnie didn't even know whether the Jets were at home or on the road.

Any idiot off the streets could have done that segment at least that well. Callers could have probably given better insights.

My frame of reference for local shows doing stuff like this well, and making it interesting and entertaining, were people like Steve Duemig and the late Chris Thomas on WDAE in Tampa, or Hank Goldberg in Miami. Granted they were gamblers and put in a lot of this effort for their own benefit, and it just happened to make for good radio, but still the end result was good.

These guys need to do more than just show up and take some calls.
 
How much longer do you think this corporate mandated format will last?

They can keep throwing resources at it. They can have very deep pockets with an open checkbook. But at this point, why? People are not listening. The station is an absolute DISASTER, and has been since day one.
Again, it's a niche format taking up space on the best signal in the market. What point of view could ANYONE take to say it has worked - beating an AM Signal with a 1.0? A cume figure that proves people tune out in droves? And even if you consider the targeted audience - I bet there are more males listening to even Q92.9 at some times, than The Fan.

If they don't want egg on their face, then keep the select few locals on the station that are at least coherent and at least TRY. Program it locally morning and afternoon drives and just air Sporting News or some other cheap network at other times.

Perhaps CBS is waiting for the King of All Media to decide on his future. They can put Howard on mornings, and program the remaining 20 hours with polka and still have higher ratings than The Fan.
 
I didn't hear V&C, but the morning show pick 'em segment was well done and entertaining. I was a big booster of Vinnie when he started, in no small part because he is an unabashed baseball fan and brought a different perspective to the game. But my opinion of him has fallen since Steeler talk started. He has been exposed as woefully uninformed concerning the Steelers and it appears as though he's not doing his homework on the team. That could be his fatal flaw in this market.
 
Jkf said:
And even if you consider the targeted audience - I bet there are more males listening to even Q92.9 at some times, than The Fan.
Click to expand...

That was absolutely true a few weeks ago.

The Fan is "up" to 8th in men in the market now, but they are not taking anyone from DVE or ESPN. Most of their listeners came from KD-AM.
 
Parttimer said:
Jkf said:
And even if you consider the targeted audience - I bet there are more males listening to even Q92.9 at some times, than The Fan.
Click to expand...

That was absolutely true a few weeks ago.

The Fan is "up" to 8th in men in the market now, but they are not taking anyone from DVE or ESPN. Most of their listeners came from KD-AM.
Click to expand...

So now KD-AM is losing ten listeners per day to the obituary column, and ten more to The Fan. That's progress! ::)
 
The Fan is a train wreck programmed by a guy who knew zero about the market before he arrived. Throwing a handful of writers and out of maket talents that fascinated him on the air and expecting the best should never be mistaken for advance planning.

Like it or not the format will stay, but one more book with no momentum and the revolving door will begin to spin.
 
I was so excited when an all-sports station was coming to that signal but I have been nothing but disappointed since. Paul Alexander is so pompus and has not been liked anywhere he has been. Vinnie and Cook is unlistenable and there is no other way to describe that show. Why is Joe Starkey on the radio and the guys from New York are not knowledgable of Pittsburgh sports. The best show on there is Colin Dunlap because they took a change with a new, young voice. They need to do that more and get some entertaining new talent here, not just newspaper guys who's radio personality is equally as boring as their articles.
 
Snafu said:
The Fan is a train wreck programmed by a guy who knew zero about the market before he arrived.
Click to expand...

I disagree with the train wreck part since there are a few decent people in place ... but he not only knows zero about the market (and no more since he arrived), but he knows nothing about sports.

Snafu said:
Like it or not the format will stay.
Click to expand...

Since it is actually making money.

Snafu said:
one more book with no momentum and the revolving door will begin to spin.
Click to expand...

You may not have to wait for the next book since ESPN will start to implode first.
 
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