How much would YOU pay... to keep kirby wilbur on the air?

KVI, the KIROs and KTTH begging for money like NPR?

Radio-info's Sean Ross posed an interesting question to radio pros: "What commercial radio station would you pay to keep on the air?" 

So we're asking you the talk radio listeners- who would you actually pay for?

(photo: Kirby Wilbur how much would you pledge?)

Listeners already put money where their mouths are with public radio, but how much would you pay to make sure that Kirby Wilbur (KVI m-f, 5-9a) still had a place to prognosticate? or Dave Ross (KIROFM m-f, 9a-12p) and or Dori Monson (KIROFM m-f 12-3p)?

Who has created so much entertainment value and developed such loyalty that you'd pay to keep them on the air?

Frank Shiers (KIROFM m-f, 10p-1a) Ron & Don (KIROFM m-f, 3-6p), TBTL with Luke Burbank (KIROFM m-f 7-10p) or The Commentators (KOMO m-f, 10a-2p)?

(photo: save Dave Ross and get a totebag)

(It might be indicative of how little listeners give a shit to note how unmotivated they were to follow KIRO over to FM. Ratings and listeners' comments seemed to show that loyalty was as thin as a banker's smile- when the station left the AM dial, the listeners were more loyal to their AM sets than they were to the programs or the personalities).

Sean Ross writes of WNYZ New York’s recent telethon, in which the Dance Pop outlet announced it was a week away from signing off unless listeners donated. The whole thing might have been a stunt: it then announced that its creditors had backed off.

But fund-raisers for commercial stations are springing up all over the country. If a KIROFM can't even get its listeners to make the jump to FM, can the robo-stations with their clever-by-half jumbles of conservative satellite programming inspire anything out of listeners besides weak ratings? Probably not.

KVI, back in the day with strong local programming, could mobilize listeners in politically meaningful ways. Now it's a bottom-feeder. The cold-bloodedness of KTTH and KVI's mostly syndicated programming have expunged station loyalty altogether. They scoff at NPR, but It's doubtful they could raise enough money by fund-raising and subscription to save their own sorry asses.

(Public radio withholds programming until listeners cough up the whole thing. Without the intentionally exasperating stick of we're-gonna-sit-here-and-blab-like-idiots-until-you-give-us-what- we-need, public radio doesn't work. It works in Seattle, but not in all markets).

(photo: any angels out there for Don O'Neill?)

For us to give money to a radio station would also beg the question: how many ad spots per hour would we still have to endure? The heavy loads of cheap, up-volume ads have affected how we listen to the radio. The AM news talk standard of only 18-20 minutes of content per hour is part of what's killing radio. We hear it all the time from Seattle listeners: the incessant ragging of commercial messages is  what prohibits many from listening to any commercial talk radio at all.

So who, or what would you pay to keep on the radio?

Comments

[AuthenticAndrew]

Why is it that conservatives are always the ones who are advocating charity and church over social programs and taxes, but when it comes to radio suddenly liberals are doing the giving and conservatives have a new found love for the cheap skate option that requires no giving of any sort? Oh yeah, conservatives favor charity because it's optional, and when given the option they choose not to give jack shit. Conservative = cheap son of a bitch.

[yawn]

such rage; someone was circumcised way too tightly ...

[AuthenticAndrew]

Conservatives = thinking about a tight, circumcised penis at 03:10 AM

[sparky]

hahahah..love that, AA.

[Where's Waldo]

I'm sorry....did you say pay to keep him ON the air, or pay to take him OFF the air?

[Bill]

Bring back RadioActive and Bryan Styble....I'll kick in the initial $10. Unless Kirby eats him first.

[sparky]

Where is the Sty these days?

[yawn]

Not conservative, just high on life and hating to see someone so crippled by pure, white hot, unadulterated rage!

You just sound really "backed up." Take some metamucil and turn that frown upside down!

[sig]

no wonder you are yawning, yawn. you go to bed too late and get up too early. pure, white hot, unadulterated fatigue.

[Mark C.]

I've already voted with my ears. I don't listen to any commercial radio except Tom Douglas on Saturdays on KIRO. I don't like the way the make me pay for it, by blasting me with commercials. I have no problem paying KUOW and KPLU $100 each year.

[Duffman]

They (Dave, Dori & Luke) get the honor of my attention at times; they ought to be paying me for my life's energy. Any one who listens to a particular show is giving of their life's energy (to some degree); is ther ANY payment more dear than that.

[yawn]

no wonder you are yawning, yawn. you go to bed too late and get up too early. pure, white hot, unadulterated fatigue.

Posted by: sig | August 04, 2009 at 09:46 AM

What makes you think I went to bed?! ;)

[Sam Losey]

I'm a political junkie but I read this blog more than I listen to the radio anymore. Radio is just crap now, too many commercials andtaped (dead) national shows. 1090 (Air America) seems to have more and worse commercials than the others. I find myself watching more cable TV where I can Tivo over the commercials. I listen to NPR news, and give them a little money each time they have a pledge week. Radio is just crap now.
I would never pay for KIRO or any of those, although I might have at one time. I never bothered to find KIRO's new location.

[Ben Dover]

I have never contributed to a radio station, but I think I would subscribe $10/year if I had a promise that Kirby would NOT be on the air anywhere in the Seattle market.

[Duffman]

Aaah bendover...but I'd bet you'd pay to have all-news all of the time with Carleen Johnson, eh?

[mrogi]

Kirby Wilbur is 2 french fries away from being an exploding zeppelin.

[WILD BILL]

IT's not that KIRO listeners didn't give a shit, it's that 97.3 is a shitty, whispy, crackle crackle buzzzz frequency. I live on Capitol Hill, the Northwest slope, literally hanging above Eastlake and my signal is for shit!!! NO. The listeners did not leave KIRO, KIRO left their listeners in the whispy crackle buzz of nincompoopery radio programming strategery.

[homegrown]

kirby wilbur/jabba the hut,
separated at birth......

[homegrown]

dave ross is probably one of the worst blatherheads on the air. he never asks a tough question of his guests. he has no problem booking sims nickels or gregoire because of his timid spineless interview style. he actually apologized to gregoire once when he asked her a semi-tough question.mr. marshmellow
is a big hit with the liberals. He gives the local pols. a platform to say whatever they please completely unchallanged.

[Ignatius]

I would pay ten dollars a month for Kiro, more specifically for TBTL, but I would certainly miss Dave Ross and Ron & Don as well.

[woody held]

The best talk radio hosts always have weight issues. If your body is super-efficient at processing food you will tend to gain a lot of weight. But at the same time your brain will not go south after a big meal.

Name me one top-tier talk host who is skinny. Full disclosure: I am marathon runner and weigh about 130 lbs. soaking wet.

[woody held]

why the constant obsession with host's weight on this blog. Do I smell a type of bigotry?

[HoBo]

Keep 1090 mand Ronnie Reagen

[Dave]

Kirby looks like Bernie Ward's long lost brother.

[KSR]

Whine, whine whine!

Man, what's with this constant KIRO/Bonneville bashing? This blog's name is seriously misleading.

At least KIRO tries, sort of. Can't say the same for you libs' very own KPTK, of which you say very little.

Your obsession with KIRO simply states that you really do listen. If not, seems like you'd move on and find a lib station to praise/trash. Oh, I forgot. You don't have one that's worth a shit, mainly because you don't support anything except, maybe, KUOW... and I'm not totally convinced of even that.

Pretty pathethic around these parts.

[sparky]

Yet, you return again and again to comment. You must be a bit of a masochist.

Most of us who listen to KPTK are pretty much satisfied with things as they are. I don't care if it isn't the leading station in the area. I like their choice of hosts, and I listen every day. I know it grinds you cons that there is ONE station out there not involved in the silliness known as right-wing radio. Tuff titties.

[Jeffy Prentice]

wow

[Jeffy Prentice]

I'm glad the likes of Kirby Wilbur, the Fat ,Ugly Polish slob will soon be gone because of KVI's irrelevance.I heard him on Thursday morning remark that barak Obama should "go back to Kenya".Yeah I'd love to meet this gross looking fat white boy.He'd be wishing his folks never left Poland

[raymond b]

kirby wilbur quite the hunk rightie style rb blvd park.