WCKY/Cincinnati in trouble?

Nationally syndicated talk host Ed Schultz is asking Hamilton County Democrats to help keep his show on progressive-talk WCKY-AM (1530).

"Republicans and conservatives ... are trying to get WCKY-AM in Cincinnati to take us off the air," Shultz writes in a letter e-mailed to party members last week.

"Sources inform us right-wingers have even gone so far as to call local advertisers and tell them they will not do business with them because they buy advertising during 'The Ed Schultz Show' (3-6 p.m.)," Schultz says.

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Liberal talk has not been a hit here since WCKY launched the format 18 months ago with Springer's national talk show. WCKY ranks No. 18 among stations here, with a 0.9 audience share for winter quarter, down from a 1.3 in summer and fall. Schultz's show, with a 1.0 audience share, outperforms the station average. More people listened to oldies on the station in 2004 before the format switched.

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Clear Channel could drop the liberal talk format if the WCKY audience doesn't grow, says Darryl Parks, Clear Channel's AM operations director here.

"We're not happy with the (ratings) results. We're always looking for a way to improve our product (stations)," Parks says. "This isn't about any political ideology. This is all about ratings and revenues."

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