BlatherWatch

Pat O'Day Talks About the Deplorable State of Radio

Legendary Seattle broadcaster and promoter Pat O' Day talks about the lack of personality missing from today's radio programming.

From his Facebook page and Pugetsoundradio.com

 

"Thank You Bill Chamberlain for your inclusion of me in this stellar group.

Maybe, just maybe some day current radio owners, and their brain dead PD's will understand that radio is companionship, or it's no better than an IPod. While talk and sports keep AM much alive, FM is to a great extent, killing itself. I started in radio in 1956. I saw radio panic over the LP. Many said, (Gee, now that there's twelve songs on one record, we are in big trouble. We'd better shut up and play more music.) Then came the 4 track cart for the car leading to the cassette. Now radio went into total panic. "Just read the liners, shut up, and play more music!"

Now, with multiple new music delivery vehicles, further panic. So, neutral voices with inane voice tracks or in many cases, nothing at all after morning drive but music. No friendship, no information, no news, no immediacy, no laughs, nothing remarkable, just more music. Companionship and immediacy, radio's only advantage
vanishes. The illness seems near terminal. Radio actually needs all of you who re-built the industry back in the 50's and 60's to program and return radio to it's roots. I pray someday, one operator will pull it's head out of it's ass and create a REEL RADIO STATION. People haven't changed! Only radio which they once loved!

Thanks for letting me rant."
Pat O'Day, Seattle.

Old Radio Sunday and upcoming xmas radio show

  We go back to December 2000 in a show originally broadcast on AM 880 KIXI, staring Chris Wedes (JP Patches) and Bob Newman (better known as J.P.'s pal Gertrude)

Wedes plays a Frederick & Nelson department store doorman, while Newman is the F&N Santa Claus. A family tries to visit the downtown Seattle Frederick's for their Christmas Eve ritual, but a snowstorm ensues.

The action is set in 1954, and also stars Tracey Conway, Dave Dolacky, Bob Brooks and Jim Dai. Sound effects were performed by David Persson.

The show was written, produced and directed by Feliks Banel. It was recorded before a live audience in Seattle a few hours before the broadcast.

Seattle Radio Theatre--are also doing a new live show this Fri, Dec 21 at 8pm at Town Hall and on AM 1090 with Pat Cashman, John Maynard, Tracey Conway, Jim Dever, etc.).

Our thanks to Feliks Banel for the tip.

The Day After--Update: Ted Nugent Death Watch

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The day of reckoning has arrived, otherwise known as the second worst hangover day or post election night blues.

 

To be sure, we weren't sure the outcome nationally would be in as soon as it was, and in a few places including the Inslee/Mckenna race, it still may not be decided for awhile.  We do know this, it was the year of the woman and minority vote.

 

 

 

 

 

 

For schadenfreude, we tuned into FOX news when Ohio put the President at 274, clinching the electoral college vote.  Karl Rove was busy with his calculator saying Ohio should be 'challenged'   FOX was already calling the election though at 9pm PST. 

 

We know to the victor goes the spoils, including conservative talk radio, with hosts like Limbaugh et al who will spend the next 4 years calling voters 'stupid' and woman 'sluts' and of course 'rigged elections'.    More women and minorities turned out than in previous times, including the elections of Elizabeth Warren and the 2 Tammies, Duckworth and Baldwin to what were considered long shots to win, weeks earlier.  Should we mention SCOTUS appointments?

 

 

 

 

 

 

We will follow the chatter from the blogosphere and talk radio and teevee as it makes for interesting analysis or just plain intervention on the part of public safety as the next 4 years promise to either change the party that lost into a more mainstream message or one that will go the way of the Whigs.  We leave you with Diane Sawyer last night, somewhat out of it.

 

 

This just in, Ted Nugent is still alive

“If Barack Obama becomes the president in November, again, I will either be dead or in jail by this time next year.”

 

Savage's sudden loss has KVI suits scrambling… who will they come up with tonight?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Savage with male escort dog "teddy"

In the 24 hours since talker Micheal Savage won a legal battle to end his Savage Nation contract with Talk Radio Network, so it is he is really off the air--no live-no replays, Nada.

Sure enough, the KVI site is absent Savage (Weiner's) mug. This coming just weeks after KVI launched a comeback for the old KVI and conservative radio.

In ending the contract,  all 375+ stations must also cease and desist from even playing best or Worst of Savage Nation.  One of those to see the fallout is 570 KVI, which played his show (delayed) from 9-11p weeknights.  An email to PD Paul Duckworth only brought this:

"We're working through that maze right now. Based on the court ruling, we won't have access to Savage replays. I should have more definitive word late Monday. Stay tuned."

 

Other stations are hopeful?  We looked around and found KFLD in Pasco that has a link to the announcement on their page  and a phone call hinted that he might be back but we wanted to know , who is filling in--tonight?  The person possibly the janitor told us after walking down the hall and coming back with "Uh, probably Micheal Gallagher" 

We also asked with the hope of finding out how practical it is for a national host to negotiate his own contract station by station or if he's even welcome back after the shit storm he caused with short notice.  "Uh, we hope he comes back" 

Stay tuned...

Update: we here at BW Newswatch managed to finagle a last minute phone call to KVI Gal who told us Fisher still doesnt know who will be in that time slot tonght but that Talk Radio Network assures them it will be "someone".

From Talkers website:

TalkRadioNetworks CEO Mark Masters issued a statement in response, “We are all looking forward to announcing a bright future; radio’s October Surprise will begin on Monday, October 1st.”  Savage’s attorney, Daniel Horowitz, tells the AP that Savage has been fighting the network for two years to get out of a contract that was 10 years old and prevented him from switching employers.  Savage won the favorable ruling in arbitration.  Horowitz says the pact lacked protections afforded to artists and entertainers under California law and tied Savage to Talk Radio Network indefinitely.  As for the cost to Savage to which he refers to in his missive on the website, Horowitz says Savage spent more than $900,000 fighting his case but was awarded more than $1 million in arbitration.  Savage will also have access to his audio archives.  Still unclear is the exact amount of time Savage must remain off the air.

 

Radio odds and ends

Thanks to our faithful reader BT for his head's up on some local raydeeoh news:

"KOMO radio weekend anchor Val Stouffer has resigned to take a full-time gig at KIRO FM. For Val, it's a homecoming, of sorts. She formerly anchored the KIRO Afternoon News with Tony Miner, but was fired when the station jettisoned the 3 p.m. - 6 p.m. news-block in Jan. 2005. In the ensuing years, Val did fill-in at KPLU and KZOK before moving to KOMO.

 KOMO has also cut Gary Burleigh's weekend sportscasts, opting for canned sports from Total Traffic (formerly Metro Traffic). Gary brought a seasoned broadcaster's personality, energy and style to the weekend programming, (and notwithstanding the fact that he's an old friend, it seems a shortsighted, cheap decision) .

KOMO goes newsier, KVI recycles and goes memorex.

 

As tipped off last week( but we wanted to wait until they flipped again) The Fisher twins, KOMO and KVI have updated their format in favor of more news at the former and another taco stand for the 570 call, by using second tier conservative syndication and the spare parts of whats left over.

Carlson is back in at KVI with "Commute with Carlson", possibly the only live host. Ken Schram is out but still has daily commentaries on KOMO am and will remain on KOMO TV.  Micheal Savage, Laura Ingraham, Mark Levin, Lars Larson and Don Imus,  albeit mainly taped shows, are part of the lineup along with the junkier Red Eye Radio for the warehouse elite.

KOMO stays with news but adds new anchors,  Bill Rice from 4a-5 and then 9-noon, Brian Calvert from Noon to 3p, with the current KOMO Morning News team of Manda Factor & Gregg Hersholt and KOMO Afternoon News with Jane Shannon & Tom Hutyler staying in place.  At Midnight, Dial Global's Overnight America lulls us until America in the Morning from 3a-4 starts the cycle over again.

Day 1 from Charlotte

 

 

 

 

The Stephanie Miller show joined by voice diety Jim Ward 

and FOX radio's Alan Colmes.

The first day of the Democratic National Convention has opened in Charlotte NC, including more than 100 talk show hosts, along with news organizations who will broadcast over the next 3 days.

  Progressive hosts broadcasting from Radio Row include The Stephanie Miller Show, Thom Hartmann and Ed Shultz along with most of broadcast TV and the blogsophere.

We think FOX news may be there too, since they confuse the right to protect the President with the right to vote and the GOP meme of 'voter ID'.

 

 

UPDATE

MSNBC celebrated a major milestone on Wednesday when it topped its rivals in primetime convention ratings for the first time in its 16-year history.

From the HuffPo:

TVNewser was the first to report the news. An MSNBC spokesperson confirmed that it was the network's first-ever convention victory, and the first time that it beat its rivals head-to-head while all three were covering the same political event.

MSNBC's victory came on the first night of the Democratic convention in Charlotte. The network was first in both total viewers (4.107 million) and in the coveted 18-49 demo (1.432 million.) CNN came in second, with 3.88 million and 1.368 million in both categories. Fox News trailed far behind, drawing just 2.398 million total viewers and 550,000 in the demo -- a far cry from its ratings on the first night of the Republican convention, when it drew a whopping 6.87 million viewers. MSNBC was also the only channel to grow its ratings from 2008. All of the other networks saw their ratings drop sharply.

NBC was the overall victor for the night, drawing 5.02 million viewers.

Rush blows like the wind, Robertson praises same

 

  In the lead up to the conventions full of more hot air than that being pushed ahead of a hurricane, Rush claims gubmint weather modifications were used to cancel GOP convention and Robertson says the big guy did same to protect Tampa.  Plus, GOP grassroots members may be forced out of convention starting today, according to Red State

"At 2:00 p.m. today in Tampa, the Republican National Committee, led by Team Romney, is moving to shut down conservative grassroots activists. I’ve been on the phone with several individuals involved in the fight who tell me that the fight is not over, it is only just starting."

"Specifically, the media is reporting that the rules fight is over because Team Romney is abandoning Ben Ginsberg’s effort to allow candidates to control delegates. Under an initial proposal, delegates would, in effect, be chosen by the presumed nominee’s campaign and not based on votes in the states and delegate selection processes in the states."

  Will Rand Paul sell out his dad for 30 pieces of end times silver/gold?

 

 

 

 

This is an Open thread folks as the next 2 weeks promise to be a doozy of a storm, so hang on to your parasols and straw hats.

 Some Updates tonight from twitter:

@ GingerGibson : Number of times "I" appears in Christie's prepared text:37. Number of times "Romney" appears: 7

@ howardfineman : A tough, harsh, nasty speech by Chris Christie -- but effective for the GOP base if nowhere else. @ jbendery : 20 mins into his speech, Chris Christie actually stops talking about himself and says Mitt Romney's name for the first time. @ howardfineman : Ann said nothing in particular by way of a narrative; did not mention her MS or their charity or any direct mention of the Mormon Church.

Old and Broke

 

In a recent article in the Hollywood Reporter, the future of talk radio is in doubt.  Nearly a third of it's audience are age 65 and above, while the hosts themselves have been AARP eligible or soon will be. (new comer in the LA market,Tim Conway Jr is 48) while at the same time, pay for new talent has decreased from what it used to be.

Family Radio host and predictor Harold Camping, now camping in the rest home.

 

 Says Talkers and Radio-Info.com publisher Micheal Harrison, "A lot of radio can't afford to be radio, anymore, each successive generation is turning away from radio",  which according to Harrison is not necessarily a bad thing.  The demographics for this aging group suggest they are wealthy, active and have a few years left, however he points out,  "They’re not over the hill; with age comes better talent and wisdom. But looking down the road 15 years, it’s problematic.”  

Tom Leykis, who had a syndicated radio show up until 2009 and whose contract was bought up for $20 million, has now launched his own Internet driven show The New Normal, 400,000 tuned in during launch week in April and 1.7 million in its first month -- "more than the cumulative audiences of 14 Los Angeles radio stations," Leykis boasts. 

Leykis thinks AM radio is dead and the spectrum will be re-purposed for non broadcast uses such as garage door openers, wi-fi and cellular (we at BW RF labs doubt cell phones going AM)  Leykis also says radio stations and their purchase prices are overrated: "Radio stations are like many of the homeowners in Corona -- they bought a $799,000 house that’s now worth $496,000,” he says, referencing the foreclosure-ridden L.A. suburb. "Why spend $100 million to buy a frequency when most people, even those over 40, are getting content on their iPhones?. 

Portable device such as MP3 and phone apps have taken a huge dent out of terrestrial listening.  The recording industry is also facing extinction as more and more people are shunning CD's and downloading music off the net, as the industry hasn't invented anything new since the birth of the compact disc.  

 

There is the issue of cash flow, regarding consolidations and pre-recession mergers.   The 2008 sale of Clear Channel, with 850 stations  to Bain Capital has left them $20 billion in the red, with balloon payments due over the next 4 years.  Satellite radio is also facing mounting debt, although their subscriber base rose during the 2nd quarter of this year.

Harrison also sums up, "They're winging it. High-paid personalities, news departments. … When the ownership has to concentrate on cutting costs, alleviating debt and not taking on expenses, it's difficult to put attention into creating a product."

TOP 5 RADIO PERSONALITIES

Terrestrial radio's most popular talk show hosts are also among the oldest. 

• Rush Limbaugh, 61: The Rush Limbaugh Show (Premiere Networks) -- 15 million listeners per week
• Sean Hannity, 50: The Sean Hannity Show (Premiere Networks) -- 14 million listeners per week
• Michael Savage, 70: The Savage Nation (Talk Radio Network) -- 9 million listeners per week
• Laura Ingraham, 48: The Laura Ingraham Show (Talk Radio Network) -- 6 million listeners per week
• Ed Schultz, 58: The Ed Schultz Show (Dial Global) -- 3 million listeners per week

Source: Talkers magazine, 2012 Heavy Hundred 

5 UP AND COMING RADIO PERSONALITIES

Talkers' Michael Harrison picks five of talk radio's future stars. 

• Ian Freeman and Mark Edge: Hosts of Free Talk Live, nationally syndicated to 100 stations. 
• Kevin McCullough: One-half of Baldwin-McCullough (with Stephen Baldwin), nationally syndicated to 289 affiliates. 
• Andy Dean: The 31-year-old former Apprentice finalist hosts America Now, syndicated by Premiere Networks.
• Mike Slater: Based out of San Diego's KFMB, the conservative talk show host airs weekday mornings. 
• Heidi Harris: A singer-turned-conservative talk show host, her eponymous show is beamed from Los Angeles' KRLA and San Bernardino's KTIE weekday mornings.

Back when Paul Brendle dared to go where no helo....go

 

It was a time of real competition in the radio wars, compared to today which has been reduced to taking chances based on who will work the cheapest and maybe, perhapsacally, deliver a ratings point above what the others are doing.   When beer commercials were still beer commercials and people still voted because it mattered.   Can local radio still make a comeback based on one-upping the other guy?