entercom staffers respond to michael medved show responding to blatherWatch responding to entercom staffers

As always, when Blatherwatch posts a story about the smell of death around Seattle Entercom news-talk stations KIRO and KTTH, employees flock unto us feeling the motherwarmth and security of our thick quilt of anonymity; eager to share their sense of impending doom and the realities on the ground causing it.

Monday, (4-19) producer Dan “Darth” Sytman of the Salem-syndicated Michael Medved Show wrote to unequivocally deny the show was moving to Salem-owned KKOL (1300 KHz), a lesser station up-dial soon to raise its voice in the din of local news-talk by increasing its power to 50,000 watts.

Salem Communications is a relatively small radio network of mostly Christian stations and right-wing, faith-based syndicated hosts like Medved, Janet Parshall, Dr. James Dobson, etc.

Sytman was snippy, he was censorial, and he lectured us on accuracy and fairness--as well he should--the man of stature that he is, renowned for his steady moral compass. When someone the likes of Sytman says, unequivocally--we know he means it. And because blatherWatch is obsessed with “accuracy and fairness,” and because, darn it, you deserve the truth!--we posted a rare online correction, and retracted the offending material about the much-rumored, but apparently apocryphal move.

But Eastlake insiders wrote in quickly, “Wait and see,” they said, “there still might be something to that.” BlatherWatch needs to air their points so readers can know we don’t just pull stuff out of our ass:

• Entercom, they say, would love to pull Hannity over to KTTH, but unfortunately, he’d be in Medved’s live time (12-3p PDST). Hannity does very well; but he does  better when he follows Limbaugh--they’re paired up in most other markets. Medved is tiny in syndicated talk radio, especially compared to Hannity. Another  plus for KTTH bumping Medved--Hannity wouldn't take up space in the overcrowded Eastlake building.

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Our people say Medved’s relationship with the new KIRO/KTTH management team is clearly not so sweet as Sytman claims. The newsroom snickered behind their claws a few months ago when Medved was forced to clean out his cubicle and give it up to a KIRO staffer.

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Seattle is an exception to the way Salem packages their product in most cities. They like to place hosts onto their owned-and-operated stations. When KKOL goes to 50k watts, according to our sources, it would be the logical place for Medved--next to other Salem-branded shows and bolstering a station trying to become competitive. Logical for Salem, not so good for Medved.

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Medved's market stature ain’t what it used to be, say our guys. After being dumped at KVI, he struggled at KTTH, they say, until Rush came over. In radio, it’s very, very good to follow Rush Limbaugh. Outside the small Salem stations, Medved is hard to find on the dial across the country.

Sytman’s other homilies and lecture points to us can mostly be chalked up to ass-kissing his KTTH boss, Program Manager Tom Clendening, who makes the live-or-die decisions over his weekly talk show.

Ken Berry, the previous KIRO PM gave Sytman his own show--a great opportunity for someone his age albeit at the ungraceful hour of 6 a.m. on Saturdays. Sources say this too could pass, because times are tough at KTTH. Those weird weekend early mornings are usually when sales departments like to plug-in infomercials rather than having to pay a host like Sytman when nobody’s listening except his mother.

In his authoritative reprimand of blatherWatch, Sytman intoned: “...all the KTTH employees that I know are very happy about Entercom management, Tom Clendending (sic) in particular.” (italics ours) The Eastlake gang who talks to us say Medved’s staff is “like a private club,” standoffish and a little arch. Perhaps Darth Sytman simply doesn’t know enough KTTH employees for a credible sample.

(note to Dan: when publicly butt-licking your employer--be sure to spell his name right!)

There’s no joy in Blatherville if Medved’s fine show has problems. Though we’re proudly liberal, and think he’s seriously deluded politically, we also consider him at the top of the conservative talk heap and have written glowingly of him in various publications in the past. Medved’s smart, has a good story to tell, and most important to the likes of us, he engages callers and is not afraid to take on rhetorical equals.
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Got inside talk-radio poop to dish? Blab it at [email protected]. Discretion assured.

Comments

[Michael]

Just a quick note to tell you I love your blog and the tasty dish "the gossipy variety" that you serve up about the local talk radio scene. I check your blog every day keep up the good work.(BTW I am a staunch Conservative).

[Rockefeller]

So any praise of your boss must be buttlicking eh?

[michael@blatherWatch]

Mr. Rockefeller: I know you're a Medved staffer, you may even be Dan Sytman.
"So any praise of your boss must be buttlicking eh?"
From all we wrote yesterday... Is that all you've got?

(odd choice of pseudonym--bet there's not many Rockefeller Republicans around your workplace).

[Phil]

Michael:

You have put together a promising Blog. There is a dearth of adequate discussion and reporting of the local talk radio scene in Seattle. You fill a real void. I especially enjoy the insider insights into the industry.

If I could make one suggestion, some of the ad-hominem attacks and name calling (i.e "butt-licking" Sytman or "hyper-orthodox" Lapin) don't add to the quality and take away from the credibility of your blog.

You can still be cynical and even a bit snide without resorting to insults for the sake of insults. In any case it is nice to be able to visit a Blog about one of my pet interests, local radio.

Phil

[Scott]

Interesting, KVI pays people to launch ad-hominem attacks on Dems and that's okay. When they get the same in return, it's no good. Right!

[Phil]

To Scott:

I was just saying that I would enjoy this Blog more without the Ad-Hominem attacks. The information provided can stand on it's own without the need for nastiness.

If I listened to KVI, I am certain it would be more enjoyable to me without the senseless insults as well, but since I don't it's a moot point.

Yours Truly,

Phil

[Scrilla]

Don't fret too much. Scott's hobby seems to be strawman arguments on this blog.

[sparky]

check out Rock the Vote's blog to read of the latest melt down by Michael Medved!
http://blog.rockthevote.com/