Syndicated competition to Limbaugh

[Signal_Faded]

The only way I have seen Rush get beaten is either by counter programming something non-political (Dr. Laura or Ramsey) or by going strong local.

[Signal_Faded]

And let me clarify before I am roasted for saying Ramsey and Dr. Laura beat Rush. They can, and do, in some markets but my point is why put up another syndicated political talker against the #1 guy. You will not beat him with Smerconish, Schultz or another political guy. Going strong local or counter programming seems a good option.

[gr8oldies]

Your local talent had better have a 20 year head start (as is the case with WLW). You can get decent enough ratings counterprogramming, as the previous poster mentioned, service talk such as Clark Howard, Dave Ramsey et al.

[Signal_Faded]

Your local talent had better have a 20 year head start (as is the case with WLW). You can get decent enough ratings counterprogramming, as the previous poster mentioned, service talk such as Clark Howard, Dave Ramsey et al.

Great point and you are 100% correct...just putting on a good local host will not beat Rush. It takes a solid station with a head start in ratings and branding. If that is not in place then it will take a while. There a places that it happens but it will NOT be overnight!

[JimPastrick]

A good, local host with focus and discipline can take on Rush and slowly and methodically chip away. Management has to be patient. The PD has to have conviction and a plan (and plan "B.") The air talent has to feel that the GM and PD have his back. That's just for starters.

When I programmed WGR Newsradio 55, Buffalo ('95-'00) I hired Ron Dobson out of KSTE to do middays, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m., up against Rush on WBEN from 12-2. Dobson was smart, hip and off-center. He wasn't liberal, wasn't conservative. He was himself. Authentic. Local. Progress was being made, until WGR was LMA'd by Sinclair Radio which also owned WBEN. Word came down from the top and we capitulated. Ron went to overnights, worked out his contract and left for bigger things. Ironically, a few years later he was hired to do nights at WBEN and did an outstanding job until they too went syndicated at night.

You can't just "throw something together" against Rush and expect it to take root. Limbaugh is the number one brand in talk radio. You have to understand where the potential listeners are, where they may come from and what it's going to take to make them find you. I don't think you can fight fire with fire (O'Reilly vs. Rush: Rush wins.) On the other hand, you can't throw a local progressive ideologue up against Rush and think that "all the other listeners" are going to flock to your frequency. Ain't happenin'.

If I had a news-talker and had to go syndicated, I like to position Big Ed against Rush. Given equal signals and an equal supporting cast such as local-national news, talk and weather plus equal promotion, Big Ed would work well. You'd have to devote yourself to positioning and promoting Big Ed; your promos and stagers would have to be funny, ironic and at times you might even have to resort to getting "down and dirty." But wouldn't it be fun? There's nothing like a good, clean radio brawl to attract listeners to radio.

[Indy Legend]

Jim,
  I wish you would come to Indianapolis and program a station. All we have here are three stations with wall to wall right-wing BS. You can not get anyone in this market to give progressive talk a chance here dispite the changing demographics of this city to the left. Stations are changing formats here more often than Glenn Beck says something stupid, yet dispite format failure after format failure they would rather loose money and fail again than to give the other half of our community a voice. I would love to be able to turn on my radio and have the option ( there's that word that scares the hell out of the right) of listening to Bill Pess, Stephanie Miller, Ed Schultz, Thom Hartman, Randi Rhodes, Mike Malloy, and Ron Regan. For God's sake, we have scaped the bottom of the right-wing barrell here to the point of even having  Fred Thompson put people to sleep for three hour daily, but we cann't get anyone to put on someone as intertaining as Schultz or as inteligent as Hartman. Before someone tell me I can listen to satalite or the internet that's true and I do, but the airways belong to all the people including us "evil libs". The point is while I can, I shouldn't have to.

[recto101]

Hasn't KGO/SF regularly beaten Limbaugh?

Yes Ronn Owens on KGO always beats Rush on KSFO from 9-12:00pm for many years.

[dustintv]

I wonder how well straight legal talk would work. Or does Limbaugh and others do enough coverage on the law?

[gr8oldies]

There's "Handel on the Law" on weekends, not sure if it would fly as an entire format or even a weekday show.

[louromshow]

Rock -- I agree; Doyle is a talent. He could make a dent in the daytime, but is wasted at night. I'd rather listen to Doyle than Savage, who follows me at my gig.