Fred Thompson to replace o'reilly: will radio survive?

Bill O'Reilly is giving up his two-hour Westwood One radio show with its 3-4 million listeners on January 19. Buzzing: Who will replace him? Fred Thompson? Rudy Guiliani? John Gibson?

In a long piece about talk radio, The New York Times reports it will be Thompson, the long-winded former Republican senator, actor, (Law & Order) and lobbyist who ran for president.

His candidacy was a great disappointment to conservatives who figured the drawling Tennessean to be the next Ronald Reagan. He wasn't. He was a hemming and hawing stump speaker who took weekends off and hadn't the energy to even show in a national campaign.

But Thompson might have the chops for radio: he's an actor, and has years of experience filling in for the aged Paul Harvey, and has been long rumored to take over for the popular commentator. But reading a script is quite different than generating and taking callers day in and day out. He might be as poor at radio as he was a candidate, or, hell, it might be the first day of the rest of his life...

Billo's been a pre-recorded afterthought on KTTH, a right-wing robo-station (with the notable exception of Dave Boze, m-f, 3-6p) that is itself a prerecorded afterthought.

Bonneville's PD Rod Arquette will decide who will replace O'Reilly on KTTH -- he doesn't have to pick Thompson. He hasn't responded to BlatherWatch's inquiries, but that decision (and us) are probably low on his to-dos: he's programming for a new all-sports station (KIRO AM)  and, we hope, re-jiggering KIRO with new talent and exciting progressive shows for FM talk.

The Thompson choice leaves out Rudy Giuliani who was angling for the O'Reilly spot. He's also said to be running for New York governor. And since he 's opportunistic as the flu, and he probably had 2012 political motives for going onto the radio. He remains popular on some level, but it's doubtful he could make it in the rough "values-driven" conservative talk universe, any better than he did as a Republican national candidate: he's pro-choice, supports gay rights, is a social cross-dresser, supports anti-gun legislation, and has a colorful sexual/marital history reminiscent of a Desperate Housewives season finale.

Ex-Fox News tool, John Gibson was Fox's hopeful for the O'Reilly spot, but unfortunately he's a race-obsessed, 2nd string duffoon who breaks out of obscurity only occasionally by making outrageous politically incorrect exudations. Like the time he urged white people to have more babies because he'd read that nearly half of all children under the age of five in the United States are minorities. Or when he told a caller he suspected of being black, "You're sticking with Obama, because he's ... he's a brother" and that Obama "is lying to your face but he knows you are so -- you so identify with him on the basis of race, you will not even see the lies."

(photo: John Gibson)

The Times says the right sees the Obama presidency as their big chance to make a come-back after playing eight years defending Bush -- the theory being they're much better at and comfortable with offense against government.

With a Democrat in the White House, “the conservative hosts will have more fun. There’s no doubt about that,” said Gary Schonfeld, the president of network programming for Westwood One.

They write that in the shrunken pie that is AM radio,  news talk is still the most popular format -- it passed country music for the first time ever this year. That may have something to do with the long, and dramatic political season, and that music formats have their own problem: the intense competition of podcasting. Forty stations, they write, added news talk in the last year, for a total of 2,064 stations. but they add: "That means 2,064 stations need 24 hours of programming every day."

That also means a they need more ears... are they out there, and craving more of the same?

We're not sure if listeners -- especially the young ones so desperately needed for radio to survive -- can be gained and maintained by more of the same heavy, partisan right-wing politics. While unique talkers like Rush, and Hannity will make it, can the thousand clones producing more sound-alike radio make it?

“We have been in an era where you’ve had Rush Limbaugh, followed by a lot of conservative talk show hosts that lacked his talent and sense of humor,”[Joe] Scarborough said. “They decided that if they just read Republican talking points, they’d get a big audience. I think that world is coming to an end. You’re going to have to be entertaining like Limbaugh, but also allow people of all political stripes on the show.”

(Right-wing radio declined while Republicans were in the majority because they were forced to regurgitate talking points, and make happy face as conservative principles were trod upon; incompetence was plain to see; Iraq disintegrated, and the Bush presidency crumbled like a Costco snickerdoodle. Hence: left-wing radio got its first toe-hold in the market).

With Obama having reached out and still reaching to the right as with his naming of Rev. Rick Warren to invocate at his inaugural, the old partisan lines may be blurred. As calls for unification and bipartisanship in national crisis come from Washington, traditional right-wing radio fans may not be so willing to put up with broadcasters daily crucifying an eminently likable president in trying times.

We wouldn't have said it before an election where the harsh personal attacks by Limbaugh, Hannity, and Sarah Palin were laughed out of town. Or where Dori Monson's sarcastic, daily screeds against everything and everyone were totally ignored when it was time to vote. Dori is successful at radio, but it can also be said that he has no competition in local political trash-talk -- he more than adequately fills that niche.

Obama could screw up, go down like he went up... then talk radio's gamble will have paid off, Short of that, old school AM talk radio will continue its downward trend as fewer and fewer talk titans fight over the shrinking pie. 

Comments

[joanie]

...the theory being they're much better at and comfortable with offense against government.

They are much better and more comfortable being offensive period.

Obama's choices are very Clintonesque. They're having a field day with him now. If the country weren't in such a mess, he's be feeling the pain. But the Bush misery index is buffering him for now.

You heard it here first: Fred Thompson will not survive. He's lazy, boring, and doesn't have a very good radio voice. Just my opinion so we'll see.

[sparky]

I trust his sponsor will be NoDoz.

[Puget Sound]

yes, we know how many many many successful liberal talk show hosts you got out there.

joe the plumber was on cnn and laughed the laugh of the common blue collar guy.

Joe laughs at 'newsreader' claim of unbiased coverage of Obama

Note: this will be immediately denied by the usual Seattle Libs but that just shows how out of touch they are with the common folk.

[Puget Sound]

rather than try to understand the viewpoint you'll get the 'he ain't a real plumber' crap.
which is exactly why liberals don't do well on commercial radio. they do very well on gov't sponsored shows.
oh by the way, what happened to those Ohio Gov't workers who illegally looked into Joe the Plumber records.

[Nevets]

Here is a good article from a soldier who is still in the service. Does he describe you with this Joanie...

Instead, he will be nitpicked and torn apart by partisan hacks who are too ignorant to see past their sheepish blinders..

There are 4 more parts if you care to check them out.

[joanie]

nit picked and torn apart

you mean, instead of letting you spew your misinformatioin all over BW?

Funny, isn't it, how when we do it, it's called nit-picking . Now what's it called when you do that?

[Puget Sound]

common sense

[Puget Sound]

spot on nevets

joanie won't understand. she is the same one that put down the service her own brother gave to this county.

[KS]

Sound point Puts...

Fred Thompson can give a good speech, but he was disappointing in the presidential primaries and would be boring after Michael Savage. Maybe KTTH will pick up someone else who is more dynamic.

Face it Bla"M and the rest of the progressives who show intolerance toward a non-liberal POV, there are no leftist talk show hosts that will garner the audiences of the conservative hosts (even though I don't really care for or listen to Rush or Hannity).
Left-leaning talk radio doesn't sell that well - like Air America ?

It's more a case of people getting burned out on political talk radio when they have recently seen this country going down the dumpster and little constructive action being taken by the talk show hosts (like community outreach or being more active in the causes they espouse). I would respect them more if they actually did something noticeable that could have an impact on Congress or even the President instead of flap their gums - that goes for both the right and left on talk radio.

[sparky]

You gentlemen still trying to pick a fight so close to Christmas?
Santa knows who's been bad or good....

Saw a guy today holding up a cardboard sign on the street corner...it said "Why lie--Need Weed"
Hilarious!

[sparky]

Merry Christmas from Michelle Obama:

While many of us will spend the holidays counting our blessings and sharing dinner with loved ones, millions of people around the country won't be so fortunate. Donating to your local food bank will help provide a holiday meal to people in your community who can't afford one.

Talking with the families of deployed troops was one of the most rewarding experiences I had during the campaign. Giving to Operation USO Care Package is a great way to send members of our military stationed around the world a reminder that someone back home is thinking of them.

This is a time to celebrate our blessings, the new year, and a new era for our country. But it's also a time to come together on behalf of those who need our help.

Do what you can to help today by locating your local food bank and giving your support.

Or send a care package to an American in uniform.

Thank you for all that you do and have a very happy holiday season,

Michelle

[Fremont]

Wow! What a blast from the past to hear that Paul Harvey is still orating...he's ninety years old! His voice and delivery are inimitable... the oily voice of Thomnpson can't replace him!

[mercifurious]

"common sense"

"spot on Nevets"

"Sound point Puts..."

Sweet Cthulu, for a bunch of homophobic wingnuts, I don't think I've ever run into so many folks loving to give one another online blowjobs.

Enter Duffman:
"IHO, Nailed it!"

PS to BW visiting wingnuts: If you haven't noticed, the liberal talk-radio "deficit" didn't hurt us in 2008. Hmmmm, an anomaly. Either talk radio is dead, or people listen to wingnut water carriers for entertainment value.

Take your pick

[joanie]

Spot on, merci.

[KS]

Spoken like a true wingnut, Merci (more homophilic than homophobic)...

[Nevets]

Paladin(AKA-Merci), does the wife still let you play D&D still?

[mercifurious]

does the wife still let you play D&D still?

Thank you for making the jokes for us, Nevets. Does your wife (KS) know about your grammar deficiency?

Speaking of deficiencies, BW Repugs, take a stab at the riddle (again):

The liberal talk-radio "deficit" didn't hurt us in 2008.

So either talk radio is dead, or people listen to wingnut water carriers for entertainment value only.

Your pick?

[Last Mango]

Hey nevets, does your wife know you play with your dog's nuts when you're drunk?

[sparky]

ok I just spewed hot toddy all over the screen.

Merci, you need to be here on a regular basis, please.

I everyone having fun playing with their new toys???

Jasper barfed and then peed on the sack of gargage, so my day is complete.

[mercifurious]

Your welcome Joanie. Hot Toddy spew is my specialty. I hear Duffy and Nevets are computer-screen spew-shield salesmen.

Protects laptops from all sorts of lap-emissions. Ask them about the latest model.