Our cursory glances at the new Arbitron ages 25 to 54 rating book for last Winter, shows local Air America station KPTK statistically tied with former news talk leader, KIRO.
(The 25-54 is the all-important "money demo" used by advertisers. Radio (and TV) lives or dies by this survey. It's stupid, really- how many 25-year olds do you know who listen to the same stuff on the radio as a 54-year old? I come up with the same number- zero to none. Yet the listening habits of both ages are bunched up together, crunched in a million different ways, and the broadcast world hinges on the results. This isn't the only reason it's called the Arbitrary-tron rating by snide insiders).
"Time spent listening"- (TSL) numbers show that KIRO's average listener between the ages of 25 and 54, spends less than 5 hours a week tuned to the station during the day, 6a-7p.
That means they spend less than an hour a day listening to the morning news, Dave and Dori.
People are sampling KIRO, tuning in for a traffic report or hourly newscast, and then fleeing. KIRO's TSL is only marginally better than KOMO's, but KOMO's product is designed to offer elements at predictable times so listeners know exactly when to tune in for traffic or sports.
KIRO's abysmal TSL has allowed KPTK catch up. Between 6a and 7p, KIRO ranked 11th among people 25-54. KPTK ranked 12th, but ITAL it was behind by only 200 listeners. Statistically, that's a tie.
KIRO has three times as many unique listeners as KPTK, but KPTK keeps its listeners for more than 2 1/2 hours a day.
Based on TSL, KPTK has the most loyal audience of any Seattle station, which is why it might be tough for Dave Ross to win back many of the people who left for Thom Hartmann. The 9 ta noon breakouts show that Hartmann's listeners stay with his show for about an hour and a half.
We love it when KPTK does well. Just think what they could do if they had some local jocks cementing them to the community!
While we've always listened to Brian Maloney, The Radio Equalizer on subjects he knows about, but we take him with a big hit of PeptoBismal when he talks about politics or Air America.
When the ex-KVI, KIRO talk host writes about the former, well- whaddya gonna do? He's a hardass conservative who's hurting America.
And about the latter? Brian's obsessive. He hates Air America- especially Al Franken. There's just no discussing it without him getting all sweaty. Maloney devotes about 90% of his bandwidth to microscopically analyzing the fledgling network, predicting constantly its demise.
His latest dire prediction for AAR- that it would lose its flagship NYC affiliate on April 1- has once again proven apocryphal.
On March 3, he reported:
In a development sure to rip the heart right out of the liberal radio network's already ailing body, it appears extremely likely their leased New York City flagship station WLIB-AM will soon abandon Air America programming.
He concluded: "If [Air America] Radio is airing on April 1, trust us, it won't be an April Fool's Day joke."
Eric Boehlert on Eric Alterman's MSNBC blog space wrote: "Maybe he meant April 1, ITAL2007."
Brian should give AAR a rest. His lengthy analyses of the Girls & Boys club "scandals," never amounted to anything over the months he spent on it.
The little company had a rocky start because Evan Cohen, the shady first AAR CEO, told everybody he had enough money to keep the start-up going for 3 years when actually he only had enough for 3 months.
While screwing over other investors in a web of lies and finaglings, he "borrowed" 875k from the Gloria Wise Boy's & Girls Club in New York City, and fedit into the infant Air America.
After Cohen's house of cards collapsed, a new company, Piquant was formed with new investors- real investors- led by Seattle's RealNetworks CEO Rob Glaser. When the B& G Club scandal broke out, Piquant agreed on principle, to pay back the money- they were not legally bound to do it. It was just another flaming bag of dogshit left at the doorstep of the struggling start-up by Cohen.
Brian and the viperific Michelle Malkin made it a cottage industry for months reporting on every twitch of the "scandal," finding conspiracies and damning evidence in Al Franken's jokes and bemoaning that the MSM conspiratorially ignored the story.
They created a volumes of text made to look like volumes of scandal. But when you blew away the fluff of stern adjectives and self-righteous partisan glee--there was nothing left but the sad story of a corporate asshole sticking it to his investors and employees.
So, you're the expert on who exercises common sense now? Interesting.
I don't recall Washington State dems putting Bush in the White House . . . sometimes I guess lacking "common sense" as you define it is a good thing.
BTW, where do you get that high-class, educated, vocabulary you use? Whew! I got some learnin' to do!
Posted by: joanie | May 10, 2006 at 10:06 PM
I was wondering how Portland becomes a less educated city. Having lived there for 5 years, most people came there with degrees in hand, not to mention that Reed College is one of the most sought after Ivy League schools in the nation.
Posted by: chris | May 10, 2006 at 11:03 PM
Perhaps with Jeb in the White House the Bush dynasty could become known as "The Bush League" presidents.
Posted by: Liz | May 11, 2006 at 05:29 AM
Trent Lott is a traitor to his party and his race. I would listen to him about as much as I would listen to Ted Kenedy! And Jeb WOULD make a great president but I'm scared that if you all keep up your mean liberjabber he wont even try! So please give him a break and get off his back.
Posted by: RedRachel | May 11, 2006 at 07:25 AM
"And Jeb WOULD make a great president but I'm scared that if you all keep up your mean liberjabber he wont even try! So please give him a break and get off his back."
You're right, RR, I am sure that Jeb is a regular Blatherwatch reader. I am sorry Mr. Bush. I am Canadian, so can't vote. Please ignore what I said.
Posted by: Liz | May 11, 2006 at 08:06 AM
Perhaps Trent is a traitor, but thats not stopping George from wanting to " sit on his porch" once his destroyed house is rebuilt! Hahahaha!
Posted by: scott lundquist | May 11, 2006 at 09:54 AM
Thanks for the suggestion, Joanie. It's not too bad at all. But still, it's no BlatherWatch (what with all of our borderline personalities and mean-spirited rhetoric). Oh, there's no place like home.
What was the "sit on his porch" reference, Scott? Was that something that was actually said by Bushie?
Posted by: toryrogan | May 11, 2006 at 10:53 AM
"Trent Lott is a traitor to his party and his race."
A traitor to his race? Please, please, please... let's not start with the racial slurs. That was the one thing that you've managed to leave out in all of your ridiculous tirades.
Posted by: toryrogan | May 11, 2006 at 10:56 AM
He was referring to how Trent Lott's New Orleans home was destroyed and how the rebuilding is going along so swimmingly ( no pun intended) that he would soon come sit on his front porch with him and all will be well....
Posted by: sparky | May 11, 2006 at 10:57 AM
When Bush arrived in Biloxi, Miss. on September 2nd, he made a deeply felt speech in response to the devastation he witnessed and the stories he heard:
“Out of the rubbles of Trent Lott’s house—he’s lost his entire house—there’s going to be a fantastic house. And I’m looking forward to sitting on the porch,” he said, referring to the former Senate majority leader who lost his 154-year-old family home in Pascagoula, Miss.
Posted by: scott lundquist | May 11, 2006 at 11:14 AM
**entire previous entry is a quote**
Posted by: scott lundquist | May 11, 2006 at 11:16 AM
Thanks, Scott, I vividly recall all the coverage of George's visit with "the folks in LA." What a crock.
Posted by: Liz | May 11, 2006 at 01:07 PM
Get a grip on yourself Tory you idiot! First of all I didn't mean that to be a racist thing to say at all! Second of all my parents moved to America from Honduras a little before I was born so I think that your probably way more racist than I would ever be. Your the white liberal welfare loving person thats destroying America. NOT ME! So you might try shutting your mouth before you ever say anything to me again! YOU DON'T KNOW ME so dont start assuming things about people you dont know. You know what happens when you assume thats right it makes an a** out of you BUT NOT ME!
Posted by: RedRachel | May 11, 2006 at 01:49 PM
I must have missed that, Scott (and Sparky). There is no limit to the tasteful banter than escapes that guy's mouth.
And Rachel, sorry I haven't been able to get back to you until now. I've been away all day handing out food stamps to pot-smoking homosexual clansmen. I didn't have any idea you were of a latino heritage. It would be an honor for me to tell you something that I have been dying to say in your native tongue: Usted es el mentiroso más grande entre nosotros. Nadie aquí cree una palabra que usted dice. Usted pierde el tiempo aquí. Your thoughts?
Posted by: toryrogan | May 11, 2006 at 02:58 PM
hey Rach, where's your pal Tony Snow? Did he puss out already when he saw how shitty the job turned out to be? He must be speedreading some of McClellans notes to explain the wiretapping.
Posted by: stodge charger | May 11, 2006 at 03:06 PM
with all the bad news that has come out today for the GOP, my guess he is sitting in the bar around the corner from the White House, wishing he had never taken the job...
Posted by: sparky | May 11, 2006 at 04:36 PM
WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!? Why on earth would Secretary Snow be hiding and WHAT happend with the GOP today anyway? I said it before and I'll say it again what are you talking about? Tony Snow is going to lay down the law and thats what your all mad about. Geeze Louise!
Posted by: RedRachel | May 11, 2006 at 07:40 PM
mentiroso?
Posted by: Mark | May 11, 2006 at 07:50 PM
Y TORY, con imbeciles alegras quiere Scott, Joanie y Andrew aqui, usted debe sentirse orguloso cuando digo que usted es el MAS GRANDE COMUNISTO de todos!
Posted by: RedRachel | May 11, 2006 at 08:00 PM
More people are turning into Olbermann to find out the truth--if he had his own radio show during the day, he could eating the right- wingnut machines lunch. But it would be hard for him to project O' Reilly's likeness on radio like he can on tv.
Posted by: chris | May 11, 2006 at 08:11 PM
Mentiroso means lying...
Rachel, congratulations. You can say the same lame insults in two different languages.
Posted by: toryrogan | May 11, 2006 at 08:11 PM
By the way...
"Why on earth would Secretary Snow be hiding and WHAT happend with the GOP today anyway?"
SECRETARY Snow? I don't think that's the way it's said. He's not the "Secretary of the Press". He's the Press Secretary. It seems like YOUR the idiot.
Correct me if I'm wrong here guys.
Posted by: toryrogan | May 11, 2006 at 08:38 PM
SHUT YOUR MOUTH YOU IDIOT TORY I HATE HATE HATE HAET HATE YOU!!! You dont know anything and your a worthless waste of space. NOTHING about you is good and Im sure your family disowned you years ago. YOU NEED TO GO TAKE A LONG WALK OFF A SHORT CLIFF!
Posted by: RedRachel | May 11, 2006 at 08:53 PM
"NOTHING about you is good and Im sure your family disowned you years ago."
That sounds just a little familiar... Oh, wait a minute! Isn't that what you and your "christian" husband did with your gay son?
Posted by: toryrogan | May 11, 2006 at 09:00 PM
I'm actually to the point where I just skip Red's messages because they aren't worth reading . . . I sort of wish she would go away.
Sorry, Michael. I know s/he's a favorite of your's . . . :)
Posted by: joanie | May 11, 2006 at 09:06 PM
RedRachel,
WWJD???
41"Why do you look at the small piece of wood in your brother's eye and do not see the big piece of wood in your own eye? 42How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take that small piece of wood out of your eye,' when you do not see the big piece of wood in your own eye? You pretend to be someone you are not. First, take the big piece of wood out of your own eye. Then you can see better to take the small piece of wood out of your brother's eye.
That being said:
43"A good tree cannot have bad fruit. A bad tree cannot have good fruit. 44For every tree is known by its own fruit. Men do not gather figs from thorns. They do not gather grapes from thistles. 45Good comes from a good man because of the riches he has in his heart. Sin comes from a sinful man because of the sin he has in his heart. The mouth speaks of what the heart is full of.
So it would seem that you transgress, and bear bad fruit and your sin comes from a sinful heart. Clearly, the Lord told us the mouth speaks of what the heart is full of.
I'll pray for your soul, your speach betrays your hate filled and sinful heart.
Posted by: Ron | May 11, 2006 at 09:13 PM
speaking of bandwidth...
Hey joanie you are missing a great show about the assassination of JFK on the Discovery Channel ..centered around a book that Thom Hartmann co-authored
Posted by: sparky | May 11, 2006 at 09:28 PM
Thanks for the tip Ron you communist. Actually on second thought I'll leave the wood I have in my eye and jam something else in the other one so I don't have to read the liberal crap that you write. You don't know whats in my heart. All you are is another bleading heart liberal with your filthy mouth and taxraising ideas why don't you go take a long walk on water. Communist.
Posted by: RedRachel | May 11, 2006 at 09:31 PM
Good evening all. By the way, I'm sorry that I didn't take your advice sooner Joanie. You were right and I was wrong. You too, Scott.
Posted by: MorganB | May 11, 2006 at 09:33 PM
Right about what?
Posted by: toryrogan | May 11, 2006 at 09:37 PM
That's okay, Morgan. I've just had more experience with her . . . way more than I wanted!
Sparky, I'm still at school! Decided to do some cleaning. I did see on Hartmann's site that it was going to be on but forgot. . .
I caught Olberman, however. Wish I could have the same confidence that this guy/administration is really coming apart. We've watched so much for so long that I'm beginning to think he could still get away with it all. I've never seen such an unethical bunch of republican congressmen.
Posted by: joanie | May 11, 2006 at 09:38 PM
She told me not to bother with some"thing".
Posted by: MorganB | May 11, 2006 at 09:48 PM
I worry about the same thing, Joanie. It has actually gotten to the point that it just doesn't feel possible that it could actually ever end.
Posted by: toryrogan | May 11, 2006 at 09:50 PM
I think I'm picking up what you putting down... Well, let me be the first to welcome you to the light of day, Morgan. You may want to wear some SPF 90. It seems like you spent a great deal of time on the dark side.
Posted by: toryrogan | May 11, 2006 at 09:52 PM
Rachel, my friend.
They are God's words, not mine.
The mouth speaks of what the heart is full of.
Your mouth speaks hatred.
I'll pray for you again tonight.
Posted by: Ron | May 11, 2006 at 10:05 PM
Tory,
Simply put, I am just bewildered that you would stoop so low to make such a hurtful comment to a mother about her family. I know that all you people like to have your fun on this site, but it was absolutely unnecessary and frankly disgusting for you to take such a cheap shot on a helpless woman.
For your information (and please, don't you take this as any kind of an indication that I feel it is your business), what happened with our son was in no part Rachel's decision. As a matter of fact, she didn't leave our bedroom for what seemed like a week after the loss of our son. In addition, despite her repeated denials, I continue to suspect that she has even gone so far as to take the risk and make contact with him on several occasions.
In the future, if you have anything to say on the subject, why don't you trying being a man and say it to me. You are a small worthless excuse for a human being. I wouldn't poor a glass of water on you if you were on fire. You are nothing to me. If my wife doesn't start to just completely ignore you in the future, I'm going to begin to suspect that she has either a ridiculously low IQ or a mental order. I'm already beginning to think that she does, judging by the amount of time and energy she has already wasted on a fool like you.
Regards,
Brian
Posted by: RedRachel | May 11, 2006 at 10:12 PM
Rachel,
You falsely accuse me, when have I spoken you you in a filthy manner?
When have I said anything about raising taxes.
Repent and believe the good news.
Posted by: Ron | May 11, 2006 at 10:17 PM
Chris - I am from Portland and I can tell you the attitude & air of superiority up here is that no place can be more highly educated than Seattle !
Possibly only slightly more - However, Portland is more smartly planned than Seattle and the transportation system is better off there, with functioning light rail (they need more park & rides though) - so level of education isn't all that it's cracked up to be.
Posted by: KS | May 11, 2006 at 10:28 PM
Straight from the mouth of the expert on everything . . . and one of the reasons we are stuck with George Bush.
Anybody want to trust a word KS utters?
Posted by: joanie | May 11, 2006 at 10:42 PM
"I'm going to begin to suspect that she has either a ridiculously low IQ or a mental order."
Pretty easy to believe from this vantage point. You two sound as mentally unhinged as those Moslems who commit "honor" killings.
Posted by: Mark | May 11, 2006 at 11:11 PM
"In addition, despite her repeated denials, I continue to suspect that she has even gone so far as to take the risk and make contact with him on several occasions."
Take the RISK and make contact with him? The RISK? I can only imagine what happens to your wife and daughters behind closed doors (and please, don't you take this as any kind of an indication that I feel it that you are real people). I can only imagine what you have done to them up until now to make them the kind of people they are.
Your opinion of me has about as much effect on me as, well, hmmmm, well it doesn't matter. I am nothing to you? YOU are nothing to ME (and Mark and Joanie and KS and Michael and Ron and Morgan and Sparky and Chris and Stodge Charger and Freemont and Scott and Liz and Rick and Lyle and Dana and Peanuts and Ex-Rat and Spambutcher and Rich and Doug and Scrilla, I'm sure there are many more).
Posted by: toryrogan | May 12, 2006 at 07:48 AM
i tried taking a "long walk off of a short cliff", but it turns out, it was just an embankment. Which then became, a SHORT walk, since i only took two steps. Next time i might try a long walk off of a SHORT PIER!
Posted by: scott lundquist | May 12, 2006 at 07:54 AM
He still hasn't given me any evidence of Portland being what it is yet, something about "attitude and an air of superiority". Never heard that used in demographics.
Posted by: chris | May 12, 2006 at 08:28 AM
You've all got it wrong!
WWJD = What would Jesus drink!!!
Posted by: Dana | May 12, 2006 at 08:40 AM
Sparks and Joans, are either of you going to the "Changing the Media, Changing America" thing on June 10 with, among others, our fave, Hartmann? Anyone else? ReRa, you gonna be there? Lemme know...I'll find you...
ReRa's "Honduran" Spanish comes out of a Spanish dictionary...
Posted by: Fremont | May 12, 2006 at 09:33 AM
And ToRo, porque use the formal tense with ReRa, la scum-o?
Posted by: Fremont | May 12, 2006 at 09:36 AM
Donde esta &rew?
Posted by: Fremont | May 12, 2006 at 09:39 AM
I am suspecting Brian and RR are one and the same. Or if they are actually two people, they could pool their money and buy a copy of Hooked on Phonics.
Brian, if you wife is going to be here dishing it out with the big kids, she is also going to have to learn to take it.
Above, remember, this is an anonymous internet forum, let's not take any of this too seriously.
Posted by: Liz | May 12, 2006 at 09:51 AM
Wait, Liz..... THIS ENTIRE BLOG IS DEADLY SERIOUS!!
LOL!
Posted by: Fremont | May 12, 2006 at 10:50 AM
Sorry, Fremont, but I've got other plans that day. Sure would like to be there cause it sounds very interesting . . . I love political talk and these guys are among the best!
Let me know all about it if you go, please. :)
Posted by: joanie | May 12, 2006 at 12:05 PM