CC San Antonio Libtalker Flips To "Texas Music"

[OldAkronite]

> They've been doing it your way.  They took any station they
> could get.  Some have fallen by the wayside, much to glee of
> those who want progressive talk radio to disappear.  They
> have shown they can lose.  They need to do more to show they
> can win.

And then there's the elephant you're not talking about in the middle of the room.

Another component of the AAR launch has been a need, in their eyes, to spread far and wide to try to influence elections, and politics, and policy.  That's clearly the wrong way to start a radio business, or to run one at all.  It's really AAR's biggest problem...and why they end up in some "red state" markets where they don't have much chance of success.

It's something that Jones Radio doesn't do, since it's a traditional syndicator trying to get shows cleared in situations where the station operator believes the program will work.

Heck, it's something not even the most "diehard" conservative syndicator, Salem, does.  They're about as close as you get on the right to what AAR does, as far as "spreading the message"...but even their anemic stations are basically set up to sell secular time to advertisers trying to reach like-minded listeners who may not be interested in their religious formats.

-OA

______________
Ohio Media Watch - http://ohiomedia.blogspot.com

[mwebster]

Short History: Former ABC Radio executive Edward McLaughlin took Rush national starting in August, 1988 with a reported 20 stations (one of which was WABC, New York).  Rush had been doing a local show on Group W's KFBK, Sacramento.  

McLaughlin had been the network route before with ABC's Talk Net, which attempted the same strategy used a quarter century by Air America Radio (and failed) of attempting to create a network "brand" and sign as many stations as possible.    In starting his own company, EFM Radio (later sold Jacor Communications and then acquired by Clear Channel) McLaughlin specifically picked two hosts he believed had the potential for national syndication (the other was KGO's Dr. Dean Edell, who also remains in syndication today) and sold them to selected individual stations.  McLaughlin cherry-picked his stations.  He did not always get his first choice (some early stations were later replaced as the show caught on)but he was selective in selling the show and controlled the growth of the clearance list.  Rush's station list grew more slowly at first than AAR's, but with a track record of success having been established, Rush had over 200 stations after two years.  In contrast, the rate of conversion of stations to progressive talk appears to have slowed in the second year of the format's life (a tortoise-hare metaphor comes to mind here).

As OA pointed, AAR's backers' intent was not successful radio syndication but winning elections.  They may end up doing neither.  In contrast to Rush, who started out to do a winning syndication radio show and became influential.  Possibly there is a lesson in Zen and the art of radio in there some place.

>
> Is this the same approach that Rush did?  
>

[mwebster]

Thanks for the compliment.  I already give out too many freebies just for fun on R-I.  I really should charge for this stuff.

I don't envy Dano.  My experience is that public sector/non-profit/political clients are very difficult and very high maintenance; one's credibility is based on the extent to which the client hears what he wants to hear.  Although AAR is supposedly a commercial enterprise, they seem to hire people largely based on political connection.  As OA implied, it is more of a political campaign organization than a business.  And their affiliate relations strategy seems more to resemble that of religious broadcasters (who apparently operate based on the Parable of the Seed Sower, which is fine if seed is cheap and you don't care how much you waste).

> This is great post.  You should send it to Tamara Karcev,
> Affiliate Relations director at AAR and to Dano Walkoff of
> Envision, the firm contracting with AAR to provide affiliate
> relations services.
>

[KJCB]

> That is nice to say about one of only a handful of non AAR
> lib talk stations in the counry.  In fact, WTDY has been a
> lib talker as long a I can remember, which pretty much
> starts in early 2004.  When AAR came into Madison on WXXM
> everyone thought that WTDY would be history. Well they're
> hanging tough attracting half the lib talk audience.
> (combined the two stations are getting a share just under
> 4.0) WTDY does not do nationally syndicated talk.  That's to
> their credit. WXXM grabbed Stephanie Miller so that WTDY
> couldn't get her.

First off, I wouldn't call a station with Bill O'Reilly a libtalker. They also seem to abandon format to some degree at night with John & Jeff; good show, but not the best fit for hard-core Madison liberals.

The rest of the station is a joke. I appreciate local talk, but the talents are weak. Sly got such miserable ratings in the morning, he's been bounced to middays. Alan Colmes, pity him as I may, is not an audience getter because his show is boring. Even if the weak local talkers were all liberal, which is true to some extent, I wouldn't call them libtalkers, just like I don't classify KGO or KIRO "libtalkers". They're local stations reflecting the demographics of their community. Madison is practically socialist. So it fits. Not to nitpick, but I would say the "liberal talk" format is one that, like Salem's "conservatalk", has stong opinions that play to a niche of a community, even though only a percent or two may care. On contrast, stations like KIRO, KGO, WTAM/Cleveland, etc., air programs that, while may occassionally be conservative or liberal, do some not to fit a format, but to appeal to their communities.

[KJCB]

> I was in Arizona last week. Drove from Tucson to Phoenix in
> a rental car with a good radio.  Was able to listen to KFYI
> and KTAR from just outside of Tucson. Was able to pick up
> KKNT (Salem)when I got to Phoenix. I was never able to pick
> up KXXT even when I got to Phoenix.

Hmmm. It's not always going to happen, but you can pick up a lot of stations through Casa Grande even into Marana in your car. I've heard 5kW KXAM/Mesa pretty clearly almost all the way to Tucson, as well as KXXT perhaps a little further than halfway. Have faintly made out KXXT in Tucson, not KXAM, because of local KJLL. Of course, you can also hear KFNX/Cave Creek with mediocre quality in all but downtown Tucson.

Nevertheless, KXXT does directionalize south.

[gr8oldies]

Dean Edell was already part of Talkradio's lineup but McLaughlin took over the show. He did target certain markets, but we were talking about a time when there was little to pick from. McLaughlin also remained loyal to many stations that were loyal to him..keeping the show on WXYT, Detroit even when WJR, which originally turned it down, showed renewed interest. WGL in Ft. Wayne is another example. Owner Frank Kovas was as liberal as you could get, but gave the show a shot and kept it away from WOWO until Jacor bought out McLaughlin.

AAR doesn't have the same opportunity to be selective. I'm sure someone's banging the phones all day for larger and smaller markets alike, but unless the only thing that's going to make Mr. Station Owner dump whatever he's doing for AAR, especially on a big signal, is AAR delivering audience and revenue.

[OldAkronite]

> Dean Edell was already part of Talkradio's lineup but
> McLaughlin took over the show.

I don't know if I'd bet the house against this, but I'm pretty sure Dr. Dean wasn't syndicated until EFM took him up.  And I'm also pretty sure he was never on the ABC Talkradio lineup, despite his presence at ABC O&O KGO/810 in San Francisco.

-OA

______________
Ohio Media Watch - http://ohiomedia.blogspot.com