Progressive Talk saga in Seattle, CBS Sports radio a done deal at AM 1090

KFNQ

Everyone else is calling it since the change in call letters from KPTK to KFNQ "the Fan"? this past week.   CBS radio will roll out an aggressive Sports Radio format to push to their markets and CBS owned stations such as AM 1090,  to go head to head, 24 hours a day, to compete with ESPN and FOX sports radio beginning Jan 2.  

We hear the papers have already been signed.

What is not a done deal is if anyone will pick up the pieces of progressive talk in the Seattle market.  We'd like to believe the rumors that KLAY 1180, a locally owned station in Lakewood signing up Stephanie Miller and Ed Schultz along with other progressive hosts, to their talk format, but we understand it's only speculation.

They have told us they will know more on the 28th.  Plus their AM footprint is limited in reaching the 3 county area and beyond that the AM 1090 signal had.

Folks can still Internet stream other progressive talk stations, but will the two stations in the Seattle/Portland market to leave the format, signal other stations nationwide to bow out as well?

Will smart phones and satellite radio sales spike after the first few days for folks to get their progressive fix while mobile or will it quietly go away to await further development of the AM band of more conservative talk and more sports and a few full-service or all news stations?

We'll update if we hear more but we doubt letter writing to save a station that has already changed its call sign will provoke any last minute reprieve.  There is an effort under way in Portland, to save former progressive talker, KPOJ

Comments

[Mike Barer]

I don't know if talk radio works as well with a progressive format and in a progressive leaning town. It has always seemed to me that Conservative talk acts as a voice in the wilderness to those alienated by a changing world.
As far as sports stations, I love sports but I'm quite satisfied with KJR. Even though ESPN-710 has a lot to offer. I fail to see a third station carving any niche in the market, espessially one that is so far on the edge of the dial.

[N in Seattle]

At least the Seattle format change can be semi-explained or semi-justified as part of CBS's national sports-talk ambitions.

The Portland station, however, isn't affiliated with CBS. It's owned by Clear Channel, which is itself owned by Bain Capital.

[TS]

I think Lee is a hard worker who has tried to make KPTK a winner. However, as the voice of the station, she alienates me. I turn the volume down frequently when she comes on. I wonder how many others do that? Perhaps just me. I can only take so much of her radio presence. But my radio is tuned to KPTK twenty-four hours a day.

[TS]

Anybody know the sports effect and the Roman Empire? Hahaha. Just thinking . . . weren't the gladiators a big draw before the fall of the Roman Empire?

Just askin' . . .

[One who knows]

Radio Ink: The one thing in the release was the mention of a talk show host costing you revenue, which I am guessing was Rush Limbaugh. How did that incident impact your revenue?

Dial Global co-COO Spencer Brown: What Dial Global has experienced is that the news-talk sector for us, has materially slowed down in terms of billing, particularly on the news front. As a result, we are proud of our representation, but we represent CBS News and the Wall Street Journal. News is a significant part of our company's inventory. At least this year-to-date, advertisers have kind of shied away from advertising in news-talk. They've bundled them as one in the same. I just want to be specific, I am talking about national non-direct response advertisers.

Radio Ink: You think it had to do with what Rush said?

Dial Global co-COO Spencer Brown: Well, certainly, we started to experience the slow down the day after he made the comments. It has continued. Yes, I believe that a lot more national advertisers have shied away from news/talk impacting both demand and pricing, after this [sic] comments. [emphasis added]

—DIAL GLOBAL - MOVING FORWARD, November 19, 2012

Other radio networks have also been impacted by the Rush Limbaugh advertiser boycott; Cumulus is suffering financially, and Clear Channel is conducting "stealth layoffs". Talkers.com concludes,

Talk radio is unlikely to become “family friendly” in the eyes of agencies anytime soon and talk sellers appear resigned to having to carve out new niches of advertisers and work hard to get and keep them. For big corporations with a lot of debt, that’s not a comforting thought.

—Talkers: Friday, November 16, 2012

Advertisers are not interested in talk radio because of the controversy.

[brock o'maha]

Progressive: boy that word really makes me feel old. That's a word we used to describe Rock music 40 years ago.

Even in one of the most left wing cities in the nation there never really was a real audience for commercial far left-wing talk radio. Who needs KPTK when you can get a slightly more moderate KUOW commercial free?

[TS]

I know a lot of KUOW listeners who don't know much about politics these days. Slightly more moderate? You're living in the past. True, probably a lot of KUOW people are on the left but their programming hardly reflects the political left.

Erudite and entertaining but hardly newsworthy or informative.

[Mike Barer]

Progressive thought flows freely through Social media and blogging. Conservatives need commercial radio, because, it seems to me, the haven't mastered getting their positions through the new media.

[David Allyn]

I just bought another Sirius/XM radio for the house. Let CBS Radio become more irrelevant than they already are.

AM1090 never really had a chance competing with the other local talk radio stations. They had no local programming save for a garden show and Crash Talk on Saturdays.

In the last six months or so I have tuned into KIRO FM in the afternoon to listen to the Ron and Don Show -- because

a) I need a local topic fix; and
b) Norman Goldman is just plain irritating.

I am not sure that Seattle needs yet another sports radio format.

[GOPer]

This is good news. No more socialist propaganda being broadcast across the airwaves is a good thing. Sports is safe, especially if the local teams look to be making a comeback of sorts. The Hawks are playing playoff football with an exciting QB. The Mariners have young blood just waiting for their chance. The new stadium for basketball might mean profits for the right station if team can be lured here. And, well not really a sport, but the Sounders and soccer are starting to draw a large audience. No more Stephanie lesbian Miller, no more Big Dud Shultzie, no more Thom Not Jefferson Hartman, not more Goldman, no more Drunken Randi, no more Malloy. Life couldn't get any better in Seattle.

[Lydia]

Another Sports Talk station? That will make FOUR such stations in the Seattle-Everett-Tacoma market! Enough of this jock-talk! Good riddance on the demise of Progressive Talk anyway. There's NO MARKET FOR Leftist Radio. How can a commercial station survive the anti-business sentiments of the left?

But really, another sports talk format? Both are BAD RADIO!

[T-S]

Going the way of Rome and the Gladiators seems like a sensible alternative I guess.

[GOPer]

Better than communist rule North Korea style. Any alternative to that is good doncha think.

[TS]

Are you that afraid of liberal talk? Do you really think it equates to N Korea?

[Hedge Fund Hal]

no more kptk! no more kptk! hahaT-S haha-T-S...

[Just sayin']

Uh, Hedgie old boy, OBAMA IS STILL THE PRESIDENT!

So there.

[Bob Nelson]

Someone posted on Ore. Board of RadioDiscussions that they have a lot of Dem. friends and none had heard of KPOJ prog talk. Blank stares. What do they listen to? NPR.

[Nevet's ghost]

Yes, Obama and the left shove Obamacare down the throats of a plurality of people who don't want it. I saw Deep Throat 10 times before I got it down pat, my wife. I'd say those opposed have a good reason to be upset.

Why ? That is the moral equivalent to the Religious right having a president elected, who decides to outlaw abortion ! The liberal progressives would no doubt scream to high heaven about that.

So what I am saying, is put yourself in the shoes of those who don't want Obamacare, which is romneycare then react to how you would feel if a law banning abortion was signed by a president. You would say that theocracy or religion was being shoved down your throats. Well, to many of us who want to keep health care costs down and preserve Medicare are getting harshly rebuked, but the lib progs who are shoving their "religion" of statism or big government down everyone's throats.

Hopefully, there will be the ability to compromise with the executive branch re: Health care exchanges or other unsavory parts of this legislation that will push us farther down the economic abyss and make life difficult for seniors and adversely affect the economy for everyone in the years to come. To put it bluntly, those who passed this legislation had their heads up where the sun don't shine - it may have been politically clever, but the politicians that voted for it were too self-centered to consider the constituents they represented - even though they knew a plurality of them were against it. Too much naysaying by the right, OK, but they have a majority of the medical profession on their side and it would at least pay to consider their warning, IMHO - because they could very well be correct ! Sure, go ahead and throw out the Rush, Koch Brothers, or other boogeymen on the right, but it won't take away from the damage that has been done and more to come. Congrats- liberal progressives; you have created a MONSTER ! ME!! What are you going to do about it ? I'm going crazy!!

[Kimmy]

Steven’s ghoul;

Propaganda much?

[Nevet's ghost]

Note: For the record, someone else (you know who you are) added the following ;

I saw Deep Throat 10 times before I got it down pat, my wife.

(Obamacare) which is romneycare - Nice try.. Romneycare is at a state level and constitutional and is 60 pages long vs. Obamacare which is over 2700 pages long and only constitutional because the mandate was called a tax.

(you have created a MONSTER !) ME!! (What are you going to do about it ?) I'm going crazy!!
- subtle joking aside. Sorry that you are going crazy - no need to. It is what it is.

[nameless]

KS, have you gone 'round the bend?

[Bob Nelson]

Further proof of the big business sports is doing, TV version: Time reports News Corp's deal to buy at least half of the Yankees' YES network will help them "take on ESPN" in a proposed NATIONAL all sports TV network. Bloomburg News mentioned the poss. network, to be called Fox Sports 1, earlier. You have ESPN, NBC Sports (etc) on TV and now Murdoch's proposed net which could bring News Corp big bucks.

There are 5 national sports radio networks: ESPN (I'll link ESPN Deportes in with them), NBC Sports (Dial Global), CBS Sports (Cumulus), Yahoo Sports, and Fox Sports (Clear Channel). In Portland Fox sports displaced prog talk on Clear Channel-owned KPOJ. That station's facebook page has many disgruntled progtalk fans, some sports fans happy about the change, and some at the station who are proudly saying the slogan "We are! Fox Sports!"

[GOPer]

Yes TS, progressive talk radio does equate to NK communist rule. Only one side of the story ever gets told. That's why Fox News is so popular, it's not afraid tell both sides.

[Bob Boblaw]

GOPer, c'mon now. You must know as well as I do that it is the rare show on the progressive or the conservative side of the talk radio world that acknowledges any truth other than their own. That is left for a less polemic network like NPR to do. I'm now commencing countdown until you to go off about NPR... BTW, Fox News is not in the talk radio biz so I'm not sure why they are relevant in this discussion. Cable news is a very different business than talk radio.

[TS]

Hahahaha. It's not afraid to tell both sides? Is that why Fox News watchers get dumber the longer they watch? Just curious . . . Since you have all the answers, 'splain that one.

First, though, let’s begin by surveying the evidence about how misinformed Fox viewers actually are.

Based upon my research, I have located seven separate studies that support Stewart’s claim about Fox, and none that undermine it. Six of these studies were available at the time that PolitFact took on Stewart; one of them is newer.

The studies all take a similar form: These are public opinion surveys that ask citizens about their beliefs on factual but contested issues, and also about their media habits. Inevitably, some significant percentage of citizens are found to be misinformed about the facts, and in a politicized way—but not only that. The surveys also find that those who watch Fox are more likely to be misinformed, their views of reality skewed in a right-wing direction. In some cases, the studies even show that watching more Fox makes the misinformation problem worse.

I guess MSNBC's lies are just. . . smarter.

BTW, Mr. Boblaw, I don't think NPR does much better. At one time it did but lately I don't see it. Too much need to please to keep the dollars rolling in. In fact, I think NPR listeners are probably more informed because they also read - something few Fox watchers do these days. Unless it is wingnut daily or pudge on sound politics.

[TS]

Insightful letter to a future Republican strategist and so delicately put: November 9, 2012 at 9:49 am by Eric Garland

To whom it may concern regarding the United States federal elections of 2014, 2016 and beyond:Allow me to introduce myself to you, the existing (or aspiring!) strategist for the Republican Party. My name is Eric Arnold Garland and I am a White Man. Boy, am I ever – you need sunglasses just to look at my photo!

If I read the news correctly, I fit a profile that is of extreme importance to the GOP, as I embody the archetype that fits your narrative of Real Americans. Just how much should my profile interest you? Are you sitting down?

My family lineage goes back to the MAYFLOWER, BOAT ONE!!! (Garland family of New England-> John Adams -> John Alden -> Plymouth colony ->KINGS OF MUTHAF***IN’ ENGLAND)
I am a heterosexual, married to the super Caucasian mother of my two beautiful children who are, inexplicably, EVEN WHITER THAN I AM.
I am college educated (Master’s degree!) and affluent.
I am a job creator and small businessman.
We pay a lot of taxes! Every year!
I grew up in a rural area and despise laziness!
Having started my own business, I have complained at length about the insanity of federal, state and local bureaucracy – and its deleterious impact on the innovative small businessman.
I currently live in the suburbs in a historically Red state.

...From this white, Mayflower-descended strategic analyst, allow me to offer you the three strategic options you have before you:

1. You drastically moderate your platform to harmonize with the policy positions I present above

2. You disband the party and reorganize it to reflect current realities

3. You kick and scream and stamp your feet and call me and my friends names – and submit to several decades of one party rule

While I do not want a one-party system, I also don’t particularly care which of these options you choose. If you look carefully at the numbers on Tuesday, nobody else cares, either.

Just a word to the wise from one White Man to (presumably) another.

Finally, a Republican (former?) who has a sense of humor.

[nameless]

i think the republicans need a new genreation to facilitate their needed change. but sadly, i don't see one on the horizon.

[GOPer]

Can't comment on that survey, it just won't download. Must be a MSNBC survey to disappear once its put afloat. That second article. Definitely never was a republican. If he was he voted with his dick so his wife will be happy.

[T-S]

Try getting a twenty-first century computer. Unless, of course, you really don't want to know.

That is sort of typical of Fox watchers. They really don't want to know...

Why do Republicans always end up in the toilet?

[Spec. Del'y for GOPer]

Another honored journalist with integrity calls out Fox News. Tom Ricks, distinguished war correspondent, has this to say about Benghazi and Fraud Fox non-News When the network hosted him on Monday for an interview abou this new book "The Generals," host Jon Scott asked the author to weigh in on the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi.

Ricks said that he thought the incident had been "generally hyped by [Fox News] especially." He added, "I think the emphasis on Benghazi has been extremely political, partly because Fox is operating as the wing of the Republican Party."

... Mr. Clemente,

To clarify my comments for you: I did not apologize.

As it happened, I ran into Bret Baier as I emerged from the interview. We know each other from working at the Pentagon. He asked if I was serious in saying that Fox had hyped Bengahzi, and I said I was. We discussed that. It was cordial exchange. (I wouldn’t mention this private conversation except that you apparently are quoting my hallway conversations as part of your attack.)

Fox non-News is having a tough time trying to look legitimate these days. But there are several million couch potatoes who want this ignorant network to do their thinking for them. (that is according to Roger Ailes . . )

[GOPer]

Looks like Ricks had a little Randi incident. Nice try but it looks like Ricks likes the bottle a little bit to much.

[Spec. Del'y for GOPer]

Dicks and bottles. That's why your side is on its way out. Unplanned obsolescence. But a boon to our democracy.

[Bob Nelson]

New format launches in a day but the site already says 1090 The Fan

[sparky]

I gave up on 1090 a couple of weeks ago. 1260 AM in Santa Fe has the same line up. I'm happy. CBS is attempting to answer those who are bemoaning the loss of local news and are touting a website where you can tune in for canned local news, weather and traffic. We have KOMO for that, at least for now.

[knight4444]

Typical republican non thinkers here! conservative radio can't compete with progressive radio PERIOD! if a progressive radio host acted 0.99999% of the way glen beck rush limbaugh mark weinner they'd be FIRED and NEVER work in this business again! only your typical ANGRY LOW INTELLIGENCE WHITE MALE listens to conservative radio!! lets be honest!!! how many black and hispanic people brag about listening to rush limbaugh!! hell most WHITE WOMEN can't stand that overweight clown!