BlatherWatch

Will KPTK step up to radio reality?

Seattle liberal-interest money groups have long talked up the possibility of buying a radio station to counter the overwhelmingly conservative news talk stations in a market that's overwhelmingly liberal.

That's probably not a good idea, since it's been proven many times that radio should be left to radio professionals...Oh wait, that's right, a generation of professionals put radio where it is today: in the shit.

More advertisers drop beck: how long can fox news, bonneville, LDS church ignore it?

Eight more major advertisers have confirmed pulling their advertising from Fox News' Glenn Beck Show after he said President Obama is a racist who "hates white people."

Locally, Glenn Beck, who identifies as a Mormon, survives on the ratings-troubled KTTH, (m-f, 6-9a) a station owned by the LDS Church, itself plagued with longstanding questions about its racial practices, and attitudes. The low-rated talk station survives as the market delivery system of Rush Limbaugh, who started this racist arms-race between right-wing broadcasters for national outrage/publicity.

Who should stay and who should go?

There will be blood.

Seattle talk stations KTTH, KIRO FM, KVI, KIROFM, are all sucking in ratings and the late summer-fall season is the traditional time to give radio stations haircuts if not decapitations.

KIROFM in particular must make some changes... we're not sure what they'll do... flipping back to AM won't be it, and neither will putting Dave Ross out to pasture or in the afternoon drive.

Brian suits: "I AM a bit of an ass..."

LA talker and former Seattleite Bryan Suits (KFI m-f, 7-10p) says he agrees with one of our commenters, who wrote that he is a bit of an ass.

"I am a bit of an ass and in fact purchased a Nautilus machine to enhance that part. I lack empathy, and I'm cold-blooded but I'm here to tell you I treat people the way they should be treated."

He says a conversation reported by BlatherWatch "never happened, never would have happened."

TBTL sells podcast spots to AT&T

It may be historical -- or just hysterical --but KIROFM's out of the box evening show, Too Beautiful To Live (m-f, 7-10p) much maligned by the duffer class has surely extended its life span as of today. Download here.

AT & T Wireless has made a national buy for spots on the TBTL podcast. If not a first in alternative platform marketing, it's surely groundbreaking, (a word we're always using for TBTL, much to the scoffuture of the aging radio professionals who occasionally deign comment here).

UPDATED: As luke burbank has been trying to tell us...

Since we wrote this Saturday, we got some new information on the astonishing number of podcast downloads for Too Beautiful to Live with Luke Burbank (KIRO FM m-f, 7-10p).

Have you made the switch?

We've heard from listeners about the recent major shift in Seattle radio: the switch to FM of the hoary AM new stalker KIRO to AM and the format flip to sports.

Frankly, FM talk has never made it in Seattle.

It was a bold but risky move by Bonneville -- one they've taken in other markets. KIRO AM was their crown jewel in Seattle, and it'll take a year or so to know if the change was good.

Ooops! thom hartmann on KTTH!

Right-wing listeners got a shock Monday night when they tuned in to hear their weekdaily dose of canned Bill O'Reilly (9-11p) on conservative robo-talker KTTH... only to catch hours of the reasoned, educated, and very liberal tones of Air America's Thom Hartmann.

Hartmann usually inhabits progressive station KPTK from 9a-12p, m-f. 

Bonneville spokesperson, Stephanie Furer denies it was a rogue robot or a drunken or disgruntled board-op. "It was a glitch," she said. "It's fixed now."

KIRO, KTTH jump to no.1 and no 2 in the market

It's gotta be Dori Monson, TBTL, and Dave Boze's wife.

And PD Rod Arquette, and CEO Bruce Reese,.

The Phase II Arbitrends (for Sept. Oct, Nov.) are out, and  KIRO (AM & FM) made a huge leap to #1 in the market from tied for 5th in the summer book. A jump from 4.1 to an astounding 5.7.

And who's tied (with market biggie country KMPS) for # 2?  Why, it's KTTH, the little station that apparently could. (Jeez, it was only Tuesday we were calling it a "prerecorded afterthought.")

TBTL: "the best new radio show in seattle is on... KIRO?"

(photo: Jen, Luke, Sean)

" I just think they're smart enough to leave it alone. Basically we're like a transplanted organ, and KIRO is just doubling down on the anti-rejection drugs every day." ~~ Luke Burbank on his show, TBTL.

Eli Sanders, The Stranger's ace reporter has written a definitive piece on KIRO's groundbreaking Too Beautiful to Live, (m-f, 7-10p) and Luke Burbank.

Luke, Jen, Rod Arquette, and the other KIROFM suits ought to be creaming at this detailed, and well-written love-note delivered directly to their target demo via the hippest web and print delivery system in town.