showdown in wenatchee: gregoire vs the talk radio mob

The trial of the century starting Monday in Wenatchee--the Republican unvote effort--will be covered all over the talk radio dial.

Mike “Bugsy” Siegel (KTTH m-f, 6-9a) will be there. John “Boy” Carlson (KVI m-f, 3-6p) will be there with David “Goldy” Goldstein (horsesass.org) doing the color, and Republican activist Stefan "Smurf" Sharkansky (soundpolitics.org) filling in the darker shades. Rumors that Carlson would ride Shark's mustache over to Wenatchee have not been confirmed.

(Carlson is complaining about the Motel 6 knockoff he’s being made to stay in on account of Fisher Broadcasting’s cheapskate per diem).

Hard to know how the judge will eventually rule, but a few things are sure:

a) Win or lose in court, this nasty post-election gubernatorial fight is a huge political win for Republicans.

b) This issue represents another blow to Entercom’s nearly moribund KTTH, described by radio folk as “a life support system for Rush Limbaugh,” and marks the return of dominance of KVI in local conservative news talk.

These two are inextricably related. And there are abundant lessons for broadcasters and politicos alike.

KVI’s ratings dropped like grampa’s teeth last year when Entercom, in a major coup, stole Rush Limbaugh, and installed him in their right wing startup KTTH. It was pay-back to Fisher for stealing the Mariners from KIRO.

Program Director Ken Berry sat back, savored his victory, and put the infant KTTH into Category C.

But the infant turned out to be Rosemary’s Baby. There was the abrasive, unlovable Mike Siegel (with his plaid pants and checkered past) in the morning drive and the abrasive, unlovable Michael Savage (savaging conservatives) in the afternoon. They figured Big Pants and Michael Medved sandwiched in the middle would carry the day. They were wrong. It turns out that listeners boogied after Limbaugh and didn’t come back.

Entercom forgot what made KVI successful in the first place: building “community” which, incidentally, builds listener loyalty. Radio is a personal medium--listeners share their most intimate times with blabber jockeys--in the bed, on the john, eating breakfast, alone in the car--they become more than voices on the radio, they become friends. And what’s important to Republican activists who know how to work this--after a while, listeners, take hosts’ incessantly repeated opinions as their own. (Democrats, Air America, AM1090- take note.)

KVI hung in with their local drive-time programming, Kirby Wilbur, (m-f 6-9a) and Carlson. Carlson and Wilbur are water bearers for the State Republican Party. Both have long been active with the party and almost never deviate from the party line--hell, they often write it.

(That cannot be said for all conservative talkers. Dori Monson, Lou Pate, Mike Siegel, Bryan Suits are truly deluded, libertarian and tight-sphinctered, but less predictable and can't be depended upon not to stray from official GOP doctrine).

Talk radio ratings always go down after elections--they did for everyone else--but not KVI.  Why not? because homies Wilbur and Carlson jumped, dove, into the gubernatorial unvote during their large audience drive-times.

It was an issue with more traction than a 4-wheeled monkey; because, whether the Democrats’ legal case has merits or not--the appearance of it stinks!

It’s the kind of situation that seems to buttress every rotten thing the average joe thinks about politicians and government.

It’s a made-for-talk radio issue, percolating madly among pissed off white guys, most of whom would be equally pissed at Republicans if the shoe was on the other foot. (GOP Chair Chris Vance should be praying, “But for the grace of god...”).

The Democrats had no media infrastructure that could touch the unholy trinity of talk radio, the blogs, and GOP coup-plotters working in tandem. Democrats never got their side of the story out. Berendt and company worked well with the affidavits and the legals, but lost hearts and minds to the grinding daily drumbeat of talk radio and headline-grabbing revelations by bought-and-paid-for Republican cabal-o-blogs.

KVI ratings stayed up like a Viagara flashback.

KTTH was caught as flatfooted as the Democrats, with no local talkers to tackle the issue except Siegel who the talk audience had long before deserted.

Then came the long overdue road-fixing package with its 9-cent gas tax passed with the bipartisan efforts of the Democratic Legislature and signed by Governor Gregoire.

The boys over at KVI got going. In short order, they raised 80k and got an initiative up. It’ll be an uphill battle getting it on the ballot in the next 40-something days, but if they do, it’ll pass.

(Kirby Wilbur, in a rare occurance on radio, repeatedly begged Mike Siegel on-air to drop the “petty differences” and join the effort. Siegel, being the terminally unique fool he can be, declined.) 

The work done by brave Democrats with brave Republican help would be again undone with another populist initiative meat hammer wielded by anger-mongering demagogues playing to the worst, most self-centered side of a simple majority.

For once, politicians worked the way the people say they want politicians to work--with conscience, and damn the politics. For this: Dey vill be punished...

Meanwhile, KVI and the Republicans are up. Christine Gregoire and KTTH are down.

In a StrategicVision Poll of voters conducted last week, only 37% of those polled thought Gregoire won in November while 57% believed it was Rossi. Gregoire’s unfavorables were a dreadful 58%, almost matching Dino Rossi’s 57% favorables. StrategicVision Poll polls for Republicans but according to the Seattle Weekly’s George Howland on KUOW’s Weekday last week, other local polls say the same.

Gregoire’s a hardworking, decisive governor, but she’s deeply wounded. She (we) can only pray she doesn’t have to run in November against a fresh and always cuddly Rossi, who’s been playing the “injured party;” and whose ass has been out of the fire for a year.

If Judge Bridges rules against the GOP, expect the Republicans to spit the unmelted butter out of their mouths and cut the flattery about the evenhandedness  of the judge and resume reciting conservative boilerplate sliming “activist” judges.

Two lessons for politicians and broadcasters: to succeed around here:

a) you need to be likable, if not lovable.

b) the key to ratings and effective political activism is local,local, local.

Comments

[ding]

Them's some fancy words you've strung together.

But here's the bottom line, in the latest rating period, KTTH is ahead of KVI in the 25-54 demo total week.

If the key to ratings success is local, local, local then how come Rush Limbaugh is still the highest rated talk show in Seattle book after book.

How come NPR does so well in drive time. It sure ain't those local rip-n-read wire service drop-ins twice an hour.

And how come for the last 4 years Howard Stern has had blockbuster morning ratings in Seattle? He is not local. He is not even live. The show is tape-delayed by 3 hours.

You should try to throw in a few facts to balance your poorly written blather.

p.s. Don't try standup. You ain't funny.

[John]

The "pissed off white guys" you refer to will always vote Republican. They're the ones feeding and feeding off the madness in this unvote nonsense.

"Stupid white men" indeed brainwashed by Limbaugh.

[blithering Michael]

Ding: Did you actually read my poorly written fancy words? I don't think so...You're changing the subject. Rush or no Rush, KTTH is in the toilet...the market is pulling the chain for a flush...It's a programming fuck-up--you have the numbers, you know it's true.
Don't be shooting the messenger--we're here to help...we were just trying to make you laugh to keep you from crying.

[ding]

If you're really trying to make me laugh, please see earlier post on avoiding stand-up. Comedy is not in your arsenal.

If KTTH is in the toilet, where does that put KVI? KVI is below KTTH in the ratings. That's my point.

One other point on your "local, local, local" drumbeat: KVI's best numbers, by far, are for Coast to Coast. That's a syndicated 10 p.m. show. It's not local.

In fact, if you remove Coast to Coast from the ratings battle, and just compare KTTH and KVI weekdays from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. (that's what the advertisers buy) KTTH is almost TWO FULL SHAREPOINTS ahead of KVI. But I don't want to interrupt your argument with any facts.

[Paul D]

Ding is lying through his teeth. KTTH and KIRO are hurting. Expect some big changes over there soon. By the way I think this blog is pretty funny. It's pretty right on, too--wish it wasn't, sometimes.

[Outboard]

The blogs are pointing out the failures of this election. I am glad I was not in the precinct when the dead walked in to vote. It must have smelled pretty bad. The question is why do all the Democratic controlled elections areas have so much human error. Look at Wisconsin Election. Same problems as King County. Just about line for line. THousands of vote more than voters. Could there be something happening accross the country. At least the Feds are investigating The Wisconsin case. I wonder if they will start investigating in KC. Do you really want to see that happen. Keep the elections clean. Why do Democrats oppose showing an ID to vote? COuld it be it allows someone a chance to vote more than once. We know it happened in KC. Individual Fraud is rampant with the Hate Bush Crowd. Win at any cost. You have to Admit Bush has won every election for President. No Supreme Court was involved in the first election. OUtside of telling the State Supreme Court What the real standards are for an election. Democrats dont believe in standards why do they always say every vote must count. Could it be that they know some people who voted more than once. WHy must every vote count. If I voted and voted a second time would that not be illegal. I think so. SO why dont they say every legal vote must be counted instead of every vote. Makes you think.