35-64 or fight: the talk radio demographic that could save the world

In private emails and even on-air sometimes (when we're lucky) talk hosts from both sides of the political fence raise their voices to UPPER CASE and hang terrible names on BlatherWatch (like: YOU LYING PIECE OF CRAP or "that Blather-boob," or "the blathering idiot," or "dumb radio groupie" or "FRUSTRATED BROADCASTER WITHOUT A GIG" or "failed househusband").

They make withering remarks ("Just leave me the fuck alone and have fun on your little 'website.'") and threats, even ("Let me be clear: the next email from you will be considered harassment...") all of which hurt our feelings but add girth to the burgeoning pile of material for our upcoming memoir, SHUT UP! (We'll be naming names and givng IP addresses--it'll end talk radio as we know it.)

But surprisingly, this liberal blog has some healthy off-line relationships with conservative talkers who like to dialog, but prefer to keep it off the record for obvious reasons.

Last week we got some comments we found pretty interesting.

We'd been sifting through the Spring Arbitron ratings and drilling down with our fuzzy math heads and total lack of experience in the arcane world of radio biz.

He writes:

You correctly point out that talk radio everywhere (especially KIRO) went south in the 25-54 Spring book. And that's the book that traditionally matters most. But it isn't the book that denotes overall influence and popularity, and increasingly, it isn't the money book.

He quotes the the grand old man of talk radio, Shannon Sweatte, the architect of KVI back when Gene Autry still owned the station.

(Sweatte pioneered the conservative talk format in the Pacific Northwest by bringing in Limbaugh who was under 300 lbs. and still with his second wife. He also hired Mike Siegel, (KTTH m-f, 6-9a) fresh fired from the defunct KINGAM, and whose hairline at the time was still old-growth.  Kirby Wilbur was a real estate appraiser, John Carlson was a washed-up KIROTV commentator and Fisher was still making flour. Mike Reagan, the late president's ne'er-do-well adopted son was given a chance to test market himself and get practice on KVI in Seattle before going on to become one of the least grammatical talk hosts in America talk radio history before finally dropping off the national talk radio radar (we think he's still heard in Casper, Wyoming.)

Our guy continues quoting the wisdom of Shannon Sweatte: 

He told me that eventually the book that would matter most would be 35-64, because purchasing power was going to follow the Baby Boomers.

The old man (he was once Pat O'Day's boss at KJR) was right.

If you ask most sales reps at talk radio stations what book they sell, increasingly the answer will be 36-64. You didn't hear that answer five years ago. The national agencies still look at 25-54 (which is why things are so tough right now for KIRO), but that too will eventually change. A 57-year old is likely to have more purchasing power and disposal income (if fewer impulsive instincts) than a 27-year old.

(This makes sense. Because there are so many of them, Boomers have always led the nation in everything they do--from hula hoops to LSD to Reagan votes to the proliferation of refrigerator magnets to hybrid pot to hybrid cars to tanning in plastic beds and twofer cremations. We wish Boomers were all Democrats, but they're split down the middle like everyone else).

It's not the profitability of this territory for radio stations that interests us--it's the political influence. F'rinstance, we noted that John Carlson's place in the 25-54 dropped from 11th to 19th. Since we're happy liberals and wish all right wing talkers would suffer a ducky curse of chronic quackness and become as abhorrent to their listeners as reptiles--we had a little gloat in our heart when we reported those ratings to you.

However, (a word you'll never hear in a rap song) those numbers didn't jibe with the success of the campaign Carlson directed gathering signatures for the irresponsible I-912 campaign.

But when we saw the age 35-64 ratings--it all made sense: Carlson was 4th. Kirby Wilbur, who hates America much like Carlson (and is an accessory to the crime of attempted ruination of the state with this frightening initiative) takes a 15th place in the 25-54's but with the coots, fogies and the geezers--he's 6th in the market! 

These guys are inroading the Pepsi Generation into their last hurrah--this is a very energetic demographic--and everything has always been about them. The right has always knocked them as a component of their Big Lie about the 1960's and blamed them for bringing down America with their licentiousness, permissiveness and, socialism. but that's just conservative mudhoney meant to stir up the Christians.

Republicans know: Boomers vote in good numbers, and it's more likely they've been involved in some kind of political activism in their long, long lives. And there's a better chance they come from a more optimistic view of what individual citizens can do to make changes in the political process.

Plus: they can pay the freight.

They've never been all Democratic or Republican--they've always been up for grabs. Democrats can have them if they work for them. And we suggest they do that, since the damn Republicans already are.

Comments

[Duane]

Michael, giving out names and IPs to "get even" with those who disgaree vehemently ceratinly is unbecoming. It goes along with gay people wno might be closeted being outed as some form of revenge. That's wrong, too. I would hope you could/would rise about that sort of tactic. Obviously, dirt flows both ways in this world and you're wise enough to know any dirt, made up or real about you will surface. If you are truly being harrassed filing a legal suit would serve you best.

[blathering michael]

No need to lecture, Duane, we've been together a long time, I thought you'd be getting the jokes by now. And of course, I agree with you about outing closeted gay people--except when it's a public official who works hard against gay political issues and lives a lie--like Mr. nasty, vengeful conservative Republican Jim West. Did you hear that Spokane schools decided he couldn't address the elementary school as planned because of his "situation" which might have a harmful effect on the kids? I love to see conservatives caught having to deal with the conundrum of their own repressive stances.

[Bem]

"Obviously, dirt flows both ways in this world and you're wise enough to know any dirt, made up or real about you will surface."

It's because of veiled threats like these that names and IPs are a necessary defense. Maybe he knows who falsely accused Goldstein of pedophilia...