San Francisco Supervisors ask the FCC to look into KNEW's license

[FightingIrish]

In the wake of talk host Bill O'Reilly's Nov. 8 inflammatory comments about  terrorists bombing San Francisco, The San Francisco Board of Supervisors passed a resolution Wednesday asking the Federal Communications Commission to closely examine the license of KNEW-AM (910), the station that hosts O'Reilly's show nightly at 7 p.m.

http://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/2005/11/san_francisco_s_1.html

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The Liberal Talk Radio Update

[Phillip Dampier]

> In the wake of talk host Bill O'Reilly's Nov. 8 inflammatory
> comments about  terrorists bombing San Francisco, The San
> Francisco Board of Supervisors passed a resolution Wednesday
> asking the Federal Communications Commission to closely
> examine the license of KNEW-AM (910), the station that hosts
> O'Reilly's show nightly at 7 p.m.

And like most matters at the FCC, they'll spend around five seconds before the motion is agreed to that the commissioners take two hours for lunch.  This was a waste of local taxpayer time and money for the BoS to draft nonsense.

[mwebster]

BoS: The operative letters here being the first and last.

These resolutions are meaningless.  They pass them when a high school civics class visits or when somebody opens a new supermarket.  It is not even a formal complaint to the FCC (like a few nut job lawyers and preachers generate every time they hear Howard say a naughty word).  It a political gesture, otherwise meaningless.

If these people really want to get Bill O'Reilly off the air, take a page from anti-dirty word crusaders.  Send formal complaints.  Organize advertiser boycotts; in particular, target local advertisers.

KNEW is a marginal operation:  Clear Channel owns the station and they own Rush and they put Rush on ABC's KSFO.  Since ABC dominates talk radio in the Bay Area with KGO (including liberal hosts) and KSFO (mainstream conservative talk, including Rush and Hannity), KNEW's apparent strategy is to go for the right-wing fringe (even farther to the right).  What is ironic is Clear Channel also operates local progressive talk station KQKE out of the same building (with comparable audience numbers).

It will also be interesting to see what happens to O'Reilly's local numbers in San Francisco in the fall book.

>
> And like most matters at the FCC, they'll spend around five
> seconds before the motion is agreed to that the
> commissioners take two hours for lunch.  This was a waste of
> local taxpayer time and money for the BoS to draft nonsense.
>

[KJCB]

> KNEW is a marginal operation:  Clear Channel owns the
> station and they own Rush and they put Rush on ABC's KSFO.
> Since ABC dominates talk radio in the Bay Area with KGO
> (including liberal hosts) and KSFO (mainstream conservative
> talk, including Rush and Hannity), KNEW's apparent strategy
> is to go for the right-wing fringe (even farther to the
> right).  What is ironic is Clear Channel also operates local
> progressive talk station KQKE out of the same building (with
> comparable audience numbers).
>
> It will also be interesting to see what happens to
> O'Reilly's local numbers in San Francisco in the fall book.

This is the best thing for KNEW! These liberals, who are indeed experts at generating publicity for themselves, are doing it for the station as well. They fail to realize that the sole important measure of success in radio is Arbitron, which doesn't care WHY people are listening, just that they do. So when every blogger and picketer tunes in to hear this vile, hated station, and perhaps a few conservatives discover it, too, CC will be laughing all the way to the bank.

Protests are the best way for a marginal operation like this to succeed. They should cover what a "disgusting spectacle" this is on KQKE News, as well.

O'Reilly should say: "Hey protesters, make sure you get it right when you're out protesting. My name is spelled O-R-E-I-L-L-Y, I'm on K-N-E-W, that's 9-ten, from seven to nine pm every weeknight. Make sure and put that on your signs. That's right, don't forget, 910 AM from 7 to 9 pm"

[raccoonradio]

Will they also be examining the local AAR affiliate? Randi Rhodes has suggested the President be assasinated, not once but twice.

http://www.themoderatevoice.com/posts/1114652573.shtml

[Phillip Dampier]

> Will they also be examining the local AAR affiliate? Randi
> Rhodes has suggested the President be assasinated, not once
> but twice.

Old news and overplayed by the conservatives like Matt Drudge who claimed the Secret Service was investigating her, but they weren't.  Imagine that.

O'Reilly's comments were a bit.  Randi Rhodes' comments were a bit.  Neither comes close to warranting one second of investigation.

[mwebster]

> They fail to realize that the sole important measure of success in radio is
> Arbitron

No, no, no!  It is sales revenue.  Take an Arbitron book to the bank and see what happens.

[FightingIrish]

> KNEW is a marginal operation:  Clear Channel owns the
> station and they own Rush and they put Rush on ABC's KSFO.
> Since ABC dominates talk radio in the Bay Area with KGO
> (including liberal hosts) and KSFO (mainstream conservative
> talk, including Rush and Hannity), KNEW's apparent strategy
> is to go for the right-wing fringe (even farther to the
> right).  What is ironic is Clear Channel also operates local
> progressive talk station KQKE out of the same building (with
> comparable audience numbers).

KNEW's talk format was started as an afterthought.  CNET programmed the station in the late '90's up until a few years ago, when they went to a web-only broadcast as the content became more tech-intensive (previously they had some personality touches with Alex Bennett's midday show).  With the programming of KNEW now CC's responsibility, CC needed something to put on, so they brought back Bennett (albeit briefly) for AM drive and used KNEW to clear some Premiere syndicated shows like Glenn Beck and Phil Hendrie in the San Francisco market.  It evolved when they landed Michael Savage.  With the addition of KQKE's talk format, this gives CC a one-two punch for talk, to better compete with KGO-KSFO (though they are trailing far behind).

With Rush's situation, I have no idea of contract issues involved.  Rush was moved off the more left-leaning KGO onto their RW sister, KSFO a few years back.

As for pairing KNEW up with KQKE, this is a CC strategy used in other markets, and they do this in a number of markets.  They seem to like having progressive talkers in markets where they own other talk stations.  This gives them a full package to sell advertisers.  CC's liberal talkers, for the most part, are in markets where they own conservative-leaning talkers.

This has nothing to do with ideology.  This is smart business.

______________
The Liberal Talk Radio Update

[FightingIrish]

> Will they also be examining the local AAR affiliate? Randi
> Rhodes has suggested the President be assasinated, not once
> but twice.
>
> http://www.themoderatevoice.com/posts/1114652573.shtml
>

OUCH!  The Raccoon's cage has been rattled!

______________
The Liberal Talk Radio Update

[thebroker]

> As for pairing KNEW up with KQKE, this is a CC strategy used
> in other markets, and they do this in a number of markets.
> They seem to like having progressive talkers in markets
> where they own other talk stations.  This gives them a full
> package to sell advertisers.  CC's liberal talkers, for the
> most part, are in markets where they own
> conservative-leaning talkers.
>
> This has nothing to do with ideology.  This is smart
> business.



Such is the case here in Asheville, NC. CC owns WPEK(AM), which carries several AAR programs as well as Stephanie Miller and Ed Schultz. They also own one of the conservative talkers in town, WWNC(AM), which carries Rush, Hannity and Savage. VERY smart move, in my opinion.