tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13975530.post116615688593320796..comments2023-09-22T13:45:50.991-04:00Comments on Ohio Media Watch: Columbus Clear Channel AM Changes?Ohio Media Watchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07003503894299610300noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13975530.post-1166431857750784102006-12-18T03:50:00.000-05:002006-12-18T03:50:00.000-05:00Plenty of national advertisers have stayed away fr...Plenty of national advertisers have stayed away from Rush, Stern, Imus, and others for years..<BR/><BR/>Others have prospered..1-800 Mattress was one of the original Stern clients who made the move with him to Sirius..hell I started drinking Snapple beacause Howard pitched it on his WOR TV show years ago..<BR/><BR/>Rush has also been a pitchman for years..but he weaves it in seemlessly in his show--borrowing from the Paul Harvey playbook..<BR/><BR/>I agree with the poster who noted that Air America could have gone after national dollars from Whole Foods, Olivia Cruise Lines, Showtime, HBO--you name it..but the people running it never learned how to play the game..Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13975530.post-1166322576111583402006-12-16T21:29:00.000-05:002006-12-16T21:29:00.000-05:00I wouldn't be surprised if WARF changed their form...I wouldn't be surprised if WARF changed their format, the ratings are horrid. From a 0.9 last winter to a high of 1.1 and now down to 0.8 puts them in the 25th spot out of 28 rated stations in the Akron market.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13975530.post-1166288751765287322006-12-16T12:05:00.000-05:002006-12-16T12:05:00.000-05:00To the last poster:If the progressive talk format ...To the last poster:<BR/><BR/>If the progressive talk format was so huge, why are stations left and right dumping it?<BR/><BR/>Because most of their shows suck.<BR/><BR/>Ed Schultz and Stephanie Miller put on entertaining shows.<BR/><BR/>Air America didn't.<BR/><BR/>If you ran a station would you rather have a handful of devoted listeners, or a multitude of casual listeners?<BR/><BR/>To put it another way...<BR/><BR/>Would you rather have a handful of customers buying your product or a multitude of customers buying your product?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13975530.post-1166283577716581022006-12-16T10:39:00.000-05:002006-12-16T10:39:00.000-05:00"Oh, sure, even the soon-to-be-dark liberal talk o...<I>"Oh, sure, even the soon-to-be-dark liberal talk outlet in stronghold Madison WI has had advertisers lining up protesting the change. But the list is basically 'socially conscious' smaller advertisers (with a few exceptions)."</I><BR/><BR/>Consider me a radio business novice (which I am), but it just seems to me that CC and other large group owners--or at least the sales teams at the local levels--want to just concentrate on the department stores, auto dealers, and other large-pocket advertisers (national or local). If these buyers buy time on the group as a whole, then the sales team's job would be a whole lot easier. ("Dude, I just got Home Depot to buy ad time on every station! That's so frickin awesome!")<BR/><BR/>However, if these big buyers don't want to advertise on a format they don't like (for whatever reason), then the sales team's job is made harder. As a result, the station's owners will keep flipping formats until they find one that these large advertisers will like (i.e., buy time on). That's why you see a station like The Mic (though it's done fine in the ratings) flip to a "safer" format... "safer" in that the large-pocket buyers will like it and buy time on it.<BR/><BR/>As for the "'socially consious' small advertisers," the ownership groups likely frown upon them not because of the "socially conscious" part of that term but the "small" part. Such ad buyers may choose to buy on only one or two stations (for personal preference, shallow pockets, etc.), and as noted above, the sales team's job is made all the harder.<BR/> <BR/>Simply put, yes, it's a shame whan a format as unique as progressive talk vanishes from a station. But once the big-pocket advertisers get skittish about it, then the ownership group gets skittish about it... paying no mind to the fans of the format and those who did advertise on it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13975530.post-1166248442379777522006-12-16T00:54:00.000-05:002006-12-16T00:54:00.000-05:00OMW's been kind of bland as of lately. Come on, y...OMW's been kind of bland as of lately. Come on, you can be more interesting.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13975530.post-1166247807941902852006-12-16T00:43:00.000-05:002006-12-16T00:43:00.000-05:00Too many cooks in the kitchen down there, VODood. ...Too many cooks in the kitchen down there, VODood. Suspect some political problems.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13975530.post-1166235350546741632006-12-15T21:15:00.000-05:002006-12-15T21:15:00.000-05:00"Don't be surprised if 1230 becomes a Fox Sports a..."<I>Don't be surprised if 1230 becomes a Fox Sports affiliate to give Jim Rome a home in "C-Bus". </I>"<BR/><BR/>Been there, done that. After WFII, AM 1230 was WZNW "The Zone" from 2001 to 2003. It was even imaged like "Homer," with FSR and Jim Rome as virtually their entire lineup.<BR/><BR/>In fact, the WZNW change actually took Romey OFF of WBNS/1460 in the process.<BR/><BR/>- Nathan ObralAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13975530.post-1166206368264981812006-12-15T13:12:00.000-05:002006-12-15T13:12:00.000-05:00The major problem with Air America and it's imitat...The major problem with Air America and it's imitators... it has been bad radio. Nothing to do with the political slant... it's just that guys like Franken and Springer were gawdaful boring on the air. Get Rush-sized ratings with a liberal talker and the advertising dollars will follow.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13975530.post-1166206227616364542006-12-15T13:10:00.000-05:002006-12-15T13:10:00.000-05:00I can't buy the fact that the election is causing ...I can't buy the fact that the election is causing liberal radio to falter.<BR/><BR/>While the Dems won Congress, they would still be banging the drum for getting one of their own to win the big job at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.<BR/><BR/>Let's be honest, people don't remember congresses, they remember presidents. And AAR would be screaming from the rooftops to get Hillary/Obama elected.<BR/><BR/>It is much more a financial concern than it is politics.<BR/><BR/>Liberal shows are just not entertaining as a whole because most are all about pushing the message, and not on entertaining the audience as a whole.<BR/><BR/>When people aren't listening, they aren't hearing the pitches of the advertisers, and that is what it's all about.<BR/><BR/>Most conservatives know this and while they make their views known, they also try to put on the most entertaining show possible.<BR/><BR/>Schultz and Miller are 2 liberal hosts who get this.<BR/><BR/>The Springer/Franken/Garafolo/Rhodes of the world didn't.<BR/><BR/>Don't be surprised if 1230 becomes a Fox Sports affiliate to give Jim Rome a home in "C-Bus".Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13975530.post-1166202168664634272006-12-15T12:02:00.000-05:002006-12-15T12:02:00.000-05:00One other thought came to mind. Wonder what if CC...One other thought came to mind. Wonder what if CC planning to place the programming of 1230 and 610 on their new FM digital signals to shore up deficits in their AM signals. I'm about two miles away from 610's towers, yet am in a terrible null during nighttime. The signal in much of Picktown is terrible at night. That's a fast growing suburb that's not listening due to signal constraints. For 1230, anything on the north end outside of the outbelt is pretty much unlistenable at night.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13975530.post-1166201082607351972006-12-15T11:44:00.000-05:002006-12-15T11:44:00.000-05:00That's really a great point. I have been in both p...That's really a great point. I have been in both programming and sales and when either don't do their job the revenue falters. <BR/><BR/>One major problem was that the people who originally funded AAR knew nothing about the sales end of the business. Their thoughts were to program it and "they" will come. <BR/><BR/>Their programming at first was not good, the press was very negative, and that is tough for sales. They didn't do a good job marketing the product and selling the concept. <BR/><BR/>You are correct about the audience not wanting to hear big biz ads. But I cannot imagine a Honda or Toyota wouldn't want to market their Hybrids on the programs. How about affordable health care companies, more unions and labor party dollars (which they have millions), more broadbased products like all the organic foods and drinks you now see in nearly all grocery stores, etc. <BR/><BR/>Schultz and Jones have it right by good programming with sales from Jones backing them up.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13975530.post-1166198750698125572006-12-15T11:05:00.000-05:002006-12-15T11:05:00.000-05:00"Oh, sure, even the soon-to-be-dark liberal talk o..."Oh, sure, even the soon-to-be-dark liberal talk outlet in stronghold Madison WI has had advertisers lining up protesting the change. But the list is basically 'socially conscious' smaller advertisers (with a few exceptions)."<BR/><BR/>I for the life of me will never be able to figure out why AAR didn't make a more vigorous attempt to GO AFTER such advertisers. AAR listeners don't want to hear ads from McDonald's and Jeep (which AAR didn't get, of course), but we don't want to hear ads for get-rich-quick schemes, either. For the life of me, it doesn't seem to make sense to develop programming specifically for a niche audience if you're not going to chase advertisers who will speak to that audience. If I were an ad rep for AAR or an affiliate, I'd flip through the back pages of The Nation and walk through my local Whole Foods with a pad and pen for ideers. If AAR falters, it will be for severe lack of imagination, in advertising and other areas as well, IMHO.Aaron B. Pryorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12726153935610177515noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13975530.post-1166198056996040282006-12-15T10:54:00.000-05:002006-12-15T10:54:00.000-05:00CC is doing a good job of creating chatter, well a...CC is doing a good job of creating chatter, well at least among us folks who follow radio. <BR/><BR/>My guess is they may keep a Jones, a Shultz or a Lionel on 1230 if they dump the rest of lib talk. I've got a gut that they will do something similar to 1230 as what they did in Cincy or Atlanta. <BR/><BR/>As for 610, who knows. BC retires (he's 70ish now)? I know he loves what he does, but he's doing it on autopilot and not creative juices. <BR/><BR/>Would CC chance putting Rush back on 1230 where he had great ratings in the early 90's and do local talk in that time period? Does Rush still have what it takes to pull great numbers on an inferior signal like he did in the early 90's? <BR/><BR/>Beck out? Has he run his course in Columbus? Or more syndication in the evening to knock off another live host and producter?<BR/><BR/>Or is this just another "taking over another station" promotion?<BR/><BR/>We'll have to see.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13975530.post-1166196452255817162006-12-15T10:27:00.000-05:002006-12-15T10:27:00.000-05:00Interesting times for radio, indeed. These various...Interesting times for radio, indeed. These various station and format swaps done by Clear Channel have made me wonder, at times, if they are running out of things to do with all these stations they've bought.<BR/><BR/>Mind you - that is not a criticism necessarily of Clear Channel. They have some great stations out there and have done what they've done because they can (the result of FCC deregulation and the relaxation of ownership rules). <BR/><BR/>In any event, it will be interesting to see what they do with 1230 in Columbus. 610 WTVN is one of my favorite stations and I'd like to see them duplicate their success in some way. <BR/><BR/>That said, Clear Channel is doing a lot of layoffs, mandated, I am sure, by the new private ownership group, who undoubtedly wants to run a tighter ship. My fear is it will further destroy local radio. Syndicated talk shows are fine and have their place, but good locally-based programming is what can separate broadcast radio from satellite radio. My belief is there's still very much a place for local radio to be done well and profitably.<BR/><BR/>Then again - that's just the opinion of a former radio broadcaster who still watches the industry with great interest!Bobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10087043649251621840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13975530.post-1166194869520103662006-12-15T10:01:00.000-05:002006-12-15T10:01:00.000-05:001230 AM already did the variety type talk programm...1230 AM already did the variety type talk programming with Don Imus, Boortz (I believe) and some sports programming. They had lower ratings and revenues as that station (WFYI) and cannot imagine them going back to that. <BR/><BR/>I will argue your point #3 above about the advertising. Yes they have a list of major advertisers who won't buy the format based on the talk content. But the fact is that most of the progressive talk stations wouldn't be getting much bought by these comapanies anyway based on their rankings. However, and I know this first hand, many of these stations have a long list of local advertisers who do pay the bills. <BR/><BR/>In all fairness local advertisers are much better then the large national advertisers for two main reasons. First you can usually get higher rates for local advertisers as the national rep firms really pound down rate to "get the buy." <BR/><BR/>Second, the local advertisers are usually less volatile and less likely to just pull an ad campaign in the middle of first quarter. If they are thinking of pulling the plug on a campaign a good sales person can find out what is going on and work with the client to try to ressurect the deal. If an agency or national campaign gets cancelled it is simply gone.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com