KTTH: all sports?

We always seem to be in the conduit for some of the most fascinating rumors in the business.

As we reported yesterday, KTTH, the mostly moribund Seattle Entercom talker got the bid to be the voice of the Sonics starting next (2006-07) season; taking it from KJR after 21 years! Read all about it in Bill Virgin's weekly PI column "Radio Beat, which also had this piece of fascinatia:   

Dave Pridemore, vice president and general manager for KTTH and KIRO-AM (710), said landing the Sonics doesn't mean massive change to sports talk. "Our format on KTTH is going to remain the same as it's been," he said. KTTH will do a weekly coach's show and other features during the season, and will look for opportunities to add programming, but those additions will be within the talk format.

One interesting wrinkle is that Limbaugh's contract with KTTH expires this year. Entercom grabbed Limbaugh away from KVI-AM (570), and KVI would like him back. "Rush is a perfect fit on KVI," said Dennis Kelly, Fisher Radio's AM group program director.

But Pridemore said KTTH intends to continue the relationship with Limbaugh, and he has a one-word answer to the occasional conjecture that Limbaugh might be moved to KIRO: "No." He added, "We feel Rush has a strong following on KTTH."

Of course, Rush has been limping badly on KTTH, and we're not sure how he'd do much better on KVI, but it's a fascinating thought. (Boy those were the days when Rush and Dave Ross punched it out every day and Dave came up good most of the time- we were so proud of KIRO then...)

Another heavy rumor that's going around- from our readers (thanks JDB) and now in an email from a Seattle radio exec:

Speaking of The Truth, your liberal friends can take heart in the fact that The Truth is probably going away, with today's announcement that KTTH just won the bidding for the Sonics broadcasts starting with next season. I fully believe this heralds the beginning of KTTH flipping to the WEEI-Boston, all sports format, with which Entercom has had great success. I don't know if the Sonics brass has ever tried to get KTTH's 5K directional signal anywhere outside of the Kent-Auburn corridor after sundown, but it comes in about as well as KFI in LA does up here at night in the rest of the greater Seattle area. I suspect that Entercom will announce that the Seahawks will be moving to KTTH once the Super Bowl is over.  Frankly, it could be a good move because WEEI is a perennially top 5 ranked station in Boston (it was number one in the Summer book-number two in the Fall) and you can run the station on beer money alone.

We've said for a while we believed Entercom is trying to dump KTTH's talk format, but we're wondering- with all that sports testosterone, wouldn't Tom Leykis, (languishing in the Entercom wings) be a good match for that new manly-man KTTH? Just askin'...

Our friend Dave Neiwert over at Orcinus (rhymes with 'your sinus', btw) was not amused to hear about his beloved SuperSonics going to that nest of right-wingers. (you know: Sytman & Boze, Big Pants, Medved, Savage, O' Reilly, etc.).

He's a well-known authority on the extreme right wing and he quotes a particularly vile quote from Michael Savage (KTTH m-f, 3-6p) and says he wrote KTTH management and complained about it (they never answered, of course-it's Entercom). He then writes:

So we're getting the worst of all possible worlds: Sonics fans are going to have to wade into the right-wing swamps to listen to their team's games. Worse yet, their support of the team is going to translate into support for one of the biggest outlets of right-wing propaganda in their town.

He explains some behind-the-curtain Sonics right-wing politics, it's a good read, and as always with Orcinus, worth a click.   

Although we think there's way too much conservative talk in this town, we'd sure hate to lose another talker because Entercom once again screwed it up. Maybe KTTH was ill-conceived- built on a promise that Rush couldn't keep. Of course, he didn't have much help from Entercom management, who seemed to let the station die on the vine seemingly on the mistaken belief that Big Pants could carry it all.

Comments

[Unkl Witz]

Guess I'd better tune into Rush one more time before he signs off, just for old times sake. I used to measure the health of our democracy as being directly porportional to the stidency and hysteria in his closing remarks each day. If Rush was blowing off big time, then things must be going well.

[afsdafsa]

If ktth goes all sports, I doubt they would move leykis to it.

Leykis absolutely hated when they did simulcasts of hawk games on 100.7 and has commented many times on stations that pre-empt his show for sports.

Of course, it really wouldn't be his decision.

I'm probably the only one who cares, but what's so different about WEEI-Boston's all sports format that is dramatically different than KJR 950's format?

I suspect the boston station's success has everything to do with the red sox and patriots and nothing to do with its actual format. If they are hoping for the same type of die-hard fans here in seattle to support an all sports format ala boston, they have a surprise coming.

Just as an aside, aren't KJR's ratings consistently in the toilet? I enjoy listening to KJR, but I imagine I'm in the minority.

[DOUG.]

As the only person in Seattle who subscribes to both "Sports Illustrated" and "The Nation" and does not have cable TV, this decision is a "perfect Storm" for me. I will NEVER tune into "The Truth" to hear a Sonics game.

Every shot, pass and rebound made by Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis will help line the pockets of the men who ponder the benefits of aborting black babies and wish death by AIDS to gay men.

Screw you Sonics. You've lost a fan this week. Perhaps your franchise is better suited for Kansas City afterall!

[Critter]

All this sports talk is suffocating me. Every night when I turn on the radio, whether it's KTTH or KVI or KIRO, they're talking SPORTS!

Yeah, yeah, I know the Hawks are going to the Super Bowl; whippy skippy. So isn't there a couple sports stations who can yak about it all day and night to the fans who care? Why take ALL the talk stations. I'm about done with radio...period.

[ExDem]

Doug - it sounds like you live in strange little world....

[Andrew]

Doug is saying he doesn't want to listen to the Sonics if doing so means that he might help the ratings of a right wing station.

"If you wanted to reduce crime, you could -- if that were your sole purpose -- you could abort every black baby in this country and your crime rate would go down.” - Bill Bennet

"Oh, you're one of the sodomites, you should only get AIDS and die, you pig. How's that? Why don't you see if you can sue me, you pig. You got nothing better than to put me down, you piece of garbage. You have got nothing to do today, go eat a sausage and choke on it." - Michael self-described Savage

And you say Doug is the one living in a strange little world? I think you've got that backwards.

[audioslave]

"The house of representatives is being run like a plantation, and you know what I mean."
--Hillary Clinton, speaking in Harlem on MLK Day.

It’s time for us to rebuild New Orleans—the one that should be a chocolate New Orleans,” --Mayor Nagin

Smart quotes come from everyswhere doesn't it? Its no wonder why racism is alive and well.

[Andrew]

That's realy great, how about quoting talk show hosts.

[Joe]

Question to Dave Pridemore

>> re: "Our format on KTTH is going to remain the same as it's been"

Are there any plans to boost KTTH signal so it might reach the city limits?

>> re: "will look for opportunities to add programming, but those additions will be within the talk format"

Most of these shows are rebroadcasts from earlier in the day, so there is zero chance for any listener to actually call in to the host. Are there any plans to broadcast these shows in real time?

>> re: Rush Limbaugh and rest of the KTTH Lineup

He may have a loyal following, but when KTTH moved O'Reilly to 6-8pm and put Rush in the 9am-Noon slot, I stopped listening to the station. I find the show boring.

Medved is the radio equivilent to powdered milk.

Michael Savage at least entertaining. The left find him totally irritating which is why I like him.

Bill O'Reilly one class act. Most people that I know that hate him are members of the NASCAR Party (When you get to the corner, turn left... When you get to the next corner, turn left... etc...)

Laura Ingraham is bright, witty and funny, but Seattle is way too left of center to listen to an intelligent woman who's conservative. They'd rather get their opinions from Oprah.

>> re: "I don't know if the Sonics brass has ever tried to get KTTH's 5K directional signal anywhere outside of the Kent-Auburn corridor..."

As I said before, I live in the U-District and can barely find KTTH on the dial.

>> re: KTTH Talk Format vs All Sports

That might sound good in the middle of the Seahawks Super Bowl frenzy, but what else do you have? The Sonics, Mariners and the Huskies along with Gonzaga and WSU. No one cares about the Sonics. The Mariners are going to be bottom dwellers for the next ten years. The Huskies football program is in the tank. All you've got left is college basketball which leaves a giant void between March and September. Good luck.

>> re: Dave Neiwert > Sonics

Dave doesn't understand that NO ONE cares about the Sonics or pro basketball anymore. When I heard that the Sonics were asking to have Key Arena upgraded, I was affirmed that Wally Walker and the Sonics ownership are completely out of the loop. We will NEVER fund another playground for these over paid thugs! You want a new arena, YOU pay for it! You wanna move the team? Good! I'll help you pack.

[Steve]

You seem to be missing the next part of the Bennet quote:

"That would be an impossible, ridiculous and morally reprehensible thing to do, but your crime rate would go down"

[DOUG.]

Please. Bennett realized he'd talked himself into a corner and tried to save himself. Bennett's an intelligent man, and these theories do not just stumble off one's brain at random.

It's a disgusting comment to throw out on the public airwaves. He should've kept his dirty thoughts to himself!

[Andrew]

"That would be an impossible, ridiculous and morally reprehensible thing to do, but your crime rate would go down" - Bill Bennet

Interestingly enough, to have even thought the idea up is ridiculous and morally reprehensible by itself.

This is an open and shut case of a person suggesting we could get rid of a social problem by killing people, black people in this case, who were once slaves, and are already sensitive to racism. He must know this fact very very well. It's therefor a stretch of imagination and a truely Hitler like idea to think up. It's scary to think that such things are supposedly able to just slip out but I don't believe they realy do.

[Lump]

Andrew sez, ""If you wanted to reduce crime, you could -- if that were your sole purpose -- you could abort every black baby in this country and your crime rate would go down.” - Bill Bennet"

Andrew, do you take a stupid pill when you boot up your pooter or do you get embarrassed when you don't? What's the rest of the quote?

[sparky]

BREAKING NEWS

ERIN HART SHOW DISCONTINUED

Her email as follows:

There is no easy way to say this: I am saddened, surprised and very
disappointed by the elimination of the weekend live show it has been my
pleasure to host on 710 KIRO for close to 7 years.

Due to ³cost-cutting² at Entercom, several positions are being eliminated
and others are changing format.

The Erin Hart Show will be replaced by the syndicated show ³When Radio Was²,
according to management. We are looking at other opportunities for me to
work as a host. I am still an employee of KIRO and will fill-in and
continue to work for other radio stations around the country.

710 KIRO is one of the great radio stations‹a heritage signal that has
served the Pacific Northwest for decades. It¹s been brilliant getting to
know you and learning from you each and every show.

You run the gamut of our country: men and women of all ethnicities,
religions and colors--red and blue and purple. Some of you have listened
since childhood and followed the show to college via the Œnet. Some
listened The Erin Hart Show from places as close as Gig Harbor, Sequim and
Bellingham, to as far away as Japan, Azerbaijan and Jerusalem.

I relished talking to you, the way we sparred and shared our passions for
politics and the issues important to us.

You have been there for agonizing elections, exhilarating races and scandals
galore.

Please keep in touch at erinhartshow.com. I will let you know where next I
hit the airwaves and send emails periodically. Here¹s to more live,
progressive talk for all of us.

Till then, Enjoy! Go Seahawks! And I wish you well.

[Meeshy]

If Laura Ingraham can't be heard in Seattle anymore, many of us will scream! We love listening to Laura!