Talk host jumps ship

[ricksegers]

Martha Zoller is leaving WDUN and going to Cox...

http://www.gainesvilletimes.com/news/article/25680/

[mr. positive]

i heard 640 wgst promo some incarnation of her show on saturdays, i believe

[Firebird]

Makes you wonder if Cox is doing this should a vacancy in the afternoons on WSB occur.  Clear Channel is starting 2 new FM talkers in North Carolina with Rush initially, and Hannity to be added later in 2010.  These stations will emulate other Clear Channel FM talkers in other markets.  Let the conspiracies and rumors begin!

[jaxradidio]

So is she a Cox syndication product that WGST is airing?  At what point do you just let Cox LMA WGST and run the whole thing for you if you don't want it?

[artsutton]

Let' see, the Jacobs at WDUN gave her the start on their highly successful WDUN, cooperated for her to be syndicated on Georgia News Network and she jumps ship when a new competitor comes to town.

That's a class act and great example of the family values she espouses on her program.

The "radio cemetery" has several grave sites of competitors who took on the Jacobs in Gainesville. None made it. You have a company which has provided TOP notch community service and strong relationships with advertisers that dates back to 1949....when Jay Jacobs' father founded WDUN.

It may be fun for the "programming folks" to fight this battle but check the scorecard (profits/ratings) in a year and see who is still on top.

Martha Zoller is leaving WDUN and going to Cox...

http://www.gainesvilletimes.com/news/article/25680/

[JackieSteele]

JaxRadidio: Zoller's show is syndicated through Georgia News Network, which is of course headquartered at WGST/CC.

[jabba17]

@Jackie: GNN's still owned by CC, right?  For some reason I thought they might have unloaded it.

@Art: You could argue that Jacobs threw the first punch when they cut back the hours of her show that they carried.  A lot of her fans were not happy at all with that move.  She gets all of her hours back on FM.

I do question, though, the wisdom of going from powerhouse WDUN to a relatively weak FM signal that doesn't reach most of metro ATL.  Now it will be much more difficult to get MZ in the NE metro (not counting WGST's weekend best-of show). 

Do keep in mind that this may have been more of a Cox-CC conversation and not a MZ-Jacobs-Cox conversation, since CC/GNN syndicates her show.  Not sure what recourse WDUN would have had against Cox swooping in and making a deal with CC/GNN.

I wonder if someone at Cox has it in for Jacobs, or if they smell weakness in Gainesville (however mistaken they might be).  First they get UGA yanked off of WDUN, WDUN plugs WCON out of spite, they get UGA yanked off of WCON, and now Martha Zoller. 

Cox has never been afraid to get out their checkbook to poach talent.  They did it with Boortz (wow...that was 17 years ago!) and Clark Howard before that.

Now this would be interesting:  Would CC ever consider putting Zoller on WGST up against Boortz?  Although the Glenn Beck of today is a ratings beast, as opposed to the Glenn Beck of 5 years ago which was CC morning filler before Rush.  I could have seen them do it 5 years ago, but not today.

Meanwhile, Cox is being wise not trying to make 103.7 a complete FM simul of WSB.

[jonblaze]

Let' see, the Jacobs at WDUN gave her the start on their highly successful WDUN, cooperated for her to be syndicated on Georgia News Network and she jumps ship when a new competitor comes to town.

That's a class act and great example of the family values she espouses on her program.

The "radio cemetery" has several grave sites of competitors who took on the Jacobs in Gainesville. None made it. You have a company which has provided TOP notch community service and strong relationships with advertisers that dates back to 1949....when Jay Jacobs' father founded WDUN.

It may be fun for the "programming folks" to fight this battle but check the scorecard (profits/ratings) in a year and see who is still on top.

Art, its about the money. I suppose you will not take money from a Gainesville business on your Helen station, because it may cause the mighty Jacobs to lose that client? With Martha with Cox, she can go farther with her career and get on board with Cox Syndication. Is she supposed to stay at WDUN because she got her start there?

Its funny to see another one of your anti-Cox postings here.

But it will be interesting to see how this turns out. Jacobs may do well going all local, or may take that hit. We'll have to wait and see.

[dustintv]

Here's a sobering fact...Gainesville listeners still probably listen to Boortz on WSB not WXKT. WDUN will still win out with Limbaugh, Hannity, and the local programs. Right now I count three, the morning show, the new midday show, and the evening newshour between six and seven. Now granted if CC pulls a "rush radio" ala like they have been doing as of late and WSB loses Hannity, Zoller might find herself in nice a 4-7 drivetime position. Until then we'll see her WXKT numbers play out.

[jabba17]

Here's a sobering fact...Gainesville listeners still probably listen to Boortz on WSB not WXKT. WDUN will still win out with Limbaugh, Hannity, and the local programs. Right now I count three, the morning show, the new midday show, and the evening newshour between six and seven. Now granted if CC pulls a "rush radio" ala like they have been doing as of late and WSB loses Hannity, Zoller might find herself in nice a 4-7 drivetime position. Until then we'll see her WXKT numbers play out.

Then we get back to the old question about WGST putting Hannity (thanks to Hannity's deal with both Citadel and Premiere/CC) on in PM drive, and then not being able to pick up the last hour or two well during standard time due to interference during critical hours (yes, I know WGST doesn't have to power down during CH, but there's still a lot of interference at that time), and then everything really going to hell after WGST's sundown power-down.  That KILLED Dr. Laura after Premiere/CC picked her up and grabbed her from WSB opposite Rush and then put her on in PM drive on WGST.

Bottom line: if CC wanted Hannity on WGST and thought they could make more money keeping Hannity in-house than syndicating him to WSB, they would have already done so. 

But if you add Zoller to the mix (who is syndicated by CC/GNN and not Cox) does that change things?  Would CC put Zoller on in PM drive in ATL?  On WGST?  Or WSB?  If CC were to put Zoller on WGST in a weekday daytime slot, either Beck or Ramsey would have to go (Rush is going nowhere).  Beck is on a roll.  Would WGST put Zoller on in PM drive against Hannity on WSB?  You could argue that that would hurt WSB and indirectly CC more (remember, CC syndicates Hannity to WSB) than it would help WGST/CC.  At least you could argue that Ramsey goes after a different audience than Zoller/Hannity, making Ramsey more of a win-win for CC by enabling CC to get more for syndicating Hannity to WSB while still putting decent talent on in PM drive on WGST.