Talk Tidbits

* KLSD/San Diego keeps rising in the ratings. The new station has leaped even more in the latest Arbitrend midterm report, moving from 2.7 to 3.1 in overall listeners. That's enough to make it the 10th most listened-to station in the San Diego market. And who said liberal talk wouldn't fly in a conservative market? As for other markets, not a lot of movement. WLIB in New York is relatively unchanged. WXKS in Boston is still pretty young, so doesn't really make a splash in the ratings, particularly with it's simulcast partner WKOX. And KQKE in San Francisco is just under a 1.0 share in it's first trend report, but in the San Jose book, it's former format is shown in the ratings survey, which is odd since KABL switched to a suburban FM station that can't be picked up in the market. This is a relatively complicated situation that will take a month or so at the very least to sort out.

* When WSAI signs on with their new 'progressive talk' format soon, they will pick up their former call letters WCKY, which are currently on Clear Channel's sister sports station (1360) in town.

* Clear Channel Launches Progressive Talk In Charleston, SC: Progressive 730 is on the air, and with new call letters - WSSP-AM. Hosts on the new station include Jones Radio Networks' Ed Schultz and Stephanie Miller, Air America Radio's Al Franken and Randi Rhodes and WOR Radio Network's Lionel.

* Listeners in Austin, TX will have to wait a little longer for liberal talk. Local Clear Channel chief Dusty Black admitted that he considered the format for their 102.3 frequency earlier in the fall before settling on 'World Class Rock'. It was determined that the 'triple A' format would work better for the station, and currently, there really isn't a place for liberal talk in Clear Channel's Austin strategy. Clear Channel does not own any news/talk stations in the market.

* And finally, Bill O'Reilly of FOX 'News' chimes in with his take on Air America. According to Media Matters For America, O'Reilly claimed that the progressive activist group MoveOn.org is getting "stealth money" from "shadowy, stealth money men." He also claimed that "they got around the McCain-Feingold [Campaign Finance Reform Act] where, at least you know who was buyin' the [political] ads." In fact, the law requires MoveOn Voter Fund and MoveOn PAC to disclose all their donors. O'Reilly also claimed that unlike FOX News' parent company, News Corporation, Air America Radio has "been bought by crazy fanatics on the left" and told listeners, "they just got $13 million, and we're gonna tell ya who we think it came from 'cause they never will." But in fact, neither Air America Radio nor News Corporation -- nor, for that matter, the company that syndicates O'Reilly's radio show, Westwood One -- disclose its investors to the public.

An exec from the crazy leftie fanatic corporation called Real Networks (makers of the subversive RealPlayer) recently took the reigns of AAR and made an investment in the upstart company. Interesting words coming from a guy who works for FOX, which is owned by 'crazy fanatics on the right'. So much for 'fair and balanced', huh? Bill, go play with your falafel.