Ratings Roundup Fall 2006: Part 2

In part one of this report, LTR analyzed how progressive talk radio stations did in in the recent Arbitron ratings book in the midwest. In this installment, you'll see how stations on the 'Left Coast' did.

KTLK in Los Angeles is still holding steady with a 0.8, up a tenth of a point from the Summer book. They are tied with Salem's conservotalk KRLA, ESPN's KSPN and KTNQ, a Spanish-language news/talk station. Los Angeles, like many other large markets, is a highly competitive market. The news/talk competition is very fierce, with even larger players such as CBS' Free FM affiliate KLSX and their two all-news stations (KCBS and KFWB) not very far ahead of KTLK. San Diego's KLSD is on the rise again after sliding a bit since last fall. In market #17, it moves up almost half a point to a 1.9 share.

Up the coast in Santa Barbara (market #211), KIST, which was recently sold to a local group, is doing very well, tied for 7th place overall with a 3.4 share. Further north, in San Luis Obispo (#172), KYNS, a well-run small market liberal talker that will soon add Mike Malloy to the lineup, holds steady tied for 16th place with a 1.7 share. KFPT in Fresno (#66), recently sold by CBS to local Peak Broadcasting, holds steady with a 1.0, no change since Summer, but more than double what they had last Fall. According to radio industry site AllAccess, KFPT could soon be sold again, with former general manager Chris Pacheco rumored as the buyer. Whether this sale will go through, or if this means a change in format remains to be seen (thanks for the tip, Jim).

In the Monterey Bay area (#80), a market whose sole dominant talk station is high-powered KGO, located roughly a hundred miles away in San Francisco, KRXA is relatively unchanged in the book, as it drops a tenth of a point to a 0.6. They are up a fifth of a point since last Fall. Low-powered KOMY, which carries a mash-up of several Air America Radio shows, infomercials, and whatever else, and recently switched to oldies, is a no-show in the book. Incidently, in response to my article from last week regarding KOMY and their format switch, I got an email from owner Michael Zwerling, which will be posted here shortly. Trust me, you don't want to miss this!

Speaking of the Bay Area, KGO maintains its two decade grip as the top overall station in the market with a rather centrist-leaning talk format. Liberal talker KQKE is tied at #26 overall in the San Francisco (#4) book, and holding at 1.1, which is just a tenth of a point lower than its conservative sister, KNEW. The Quake also has a 1.1 share in neighboring San Jose (#35). In the North Bay, the station has a very strong showing in the Santa Rosa (#119) book jumping all the way up to #12 overall, rising from a 1.0 in the Spring to a 2.5 for the Fall.

In the battle of the Sacramento (#27) liberal talk stations, KCTC, the Air America affiliate, drops slightly to a 0.8 share. KSAC, which airs a mostly liberal talk format, slides to the near bottom of the ranked stations with a 0.4.

The northwestern has been one of the strongest areas for the liberal talk format. Portland, OR (#23) is no exception. Since its debut almost three years ago, KPOJ has been one of the strongest stations in the format. Fall was especially good for them, as they rise all the way up to #5 with a gain of almost a full point, at a 3.7 share. In Seattle (#14), KPTK, a strong performer in some daypart breakdowns, holds at a 2.0 from the summer in this highly competitive talk market. They are down slightly in comparison to last fall. BlatherWatch, a Seattle talk radio blog, claims that conservotalk station KTTH got a huge boost in the recent book, thanks mostly to Rush Limbaugh, who doubled his local ratings from over a year ago (and I assume BlatherWatch's Michael Hood is using last fall as a comparison). Thom Hartmann, who had dominated the 9AM-Noon timeslot in comparison to all other area talk stations throughout the past year, dropped to #2 behind Limbaugh. Hartmann is still the most-listened to host on KPTK. Ed Schultz tied with Sean Hannity among all listeners in the recent Seattle book, though he did reportedly beat him in some demographic breakdowns. In general, conservotalk fared rather poorly in Seattle this past fall, with Limbaugh being the sole exception.

On the other side of the state, KPTQ in Spokane (#93) holds somewhat steady, rising from a 1.0 to a 1.3 share. In Eugene, OR (#150), KOPT continues its rollercoaster ride, from a 2.4 last fall to 3.4 this past spring and back down to a 1.9 for this past fall. Whether this has to do with the erratic nature of twice-yearly Arbitron ratings reports in small markets (in Duluth, MN, KQDS jumped from 0.9 to 2.1) is unknown.

In Anchorage, AK (#172), KUDO, which is owned and backed by IBEW Local 1547, comes in with a 1.3 share. KUMU in Honolulu (#63), which carries a hodgepodge of mostly delayed talk programming including Air America, Stephanie Miller, Schultz, and various non-political talk shows, rises slightly to grab a 0.7 share.

Coming soon, we'll give you the lowdown on other parts of the country. As always, stay tuned!

Air America sale: What's next?

Two days have passed since the official announcement of the sale of Air America Radio to Stephen and Mark Green, as well as Al Franken's announcement of his departure from the network. Since then, many people, both inside and outside the political spectrum have weighed in, as well as quite a few in the industry.

The wingnut bloggers have been sounding the same silliness, questioning why anyone would want to invest in a 'failing' network. Which is ironic, since quite a few conservative media ventures have had far less success and lost way more money. The irony seems to be that these so-called 'conservative' critics don't really understand the way business works, or that they really aren't champions of entreprenural achievement. Or they're incapable of looking at the color of their own pot. In their eyes, free enterprise is only acceptable for people named Weyrich, Scaife or Murdoch. Not surprising.

People in the industry are also chiming in about the sale. Paul Woodhull, speaking to the New York Daily News, gave his assessment. "I hope they can make it viable," says Woodhull, president of Washington-based Media Syndication Services, which creates and produces radio shows. "But it won't happen unless Mr. Green listens to people who understand how radio works."

Air America's original network plan, says Woodhull, "was based on the idea they could control programs 24 hours a day, seven days a week, on someone else's station. That's just not the way it works."

"The idea that Air America is a 'network' is a myth anyway," says Michael Harrison, editor of the trade magazine Talkers. "As a syndicator, it could work."

What radio insiders don't realize though is that Air America could be considered comparable to full-service syndicators like ESPN Radio, FOX Sports Radio and Talk Radio Network, all of which offer a full schedule of programming around the clock, but allow individual affiliates to pick and choose programming, or just leave it running full-time. In essence, they help fill out station lineups. Think of it as the radio equivalent of 'Hamburger Helper.' Since signing on almost three years ago, Air America, which had initially tried to force affiliates to carry the entire slate of programming, has since given much more leeway to affiliates in structuring their schedules, even allowing some of them to drop Al Franken's show for Thom Hartmann, or to carry programming from other syndicators. Several Air America affiliates even carry programming from conservative talkers such as Rush Limbaugh, Neal Boortz and Bill O'Reilly.

Both Woodhull and Harrison agree that the programming has to be worth listening to. Woodhull agrees that progressive talk is no different than any other type of talk radio programming, in that it has to actually be good. "It has to be entertaining and compelling. It can't start with a political agenda. It can't start by trying to get somebody elected," says Woodhull.

Harrison thinks there is a niche for liberal talk, and there will always be. He also disagrees with the notion that talk radio is dominated by conservatives. "It's not," claims Harrison. "Conservatives have a niche, and it's a very profitable niche — but it's still a niche. You also have NPR, you have 'shock jocks,' you have sports talk. There's room for all of it.

"None of those shows succeed because the hosts are well-intentioned. They succeed because they work as a business."

Air America will need to strengthen it's affiliate base, which is chock full of many weak and non-supportive stations, as well. "To build a radio network you need to start from a solid base and then expand," says Andrew Ettinger, media supervisor at EarthQuake Media in New York, speaking to Media Life Magazine. "Rush Limbaugh, Dr. Laura, Sean Hannity, etc. did not appear overnight as dominant radio personalities. Rather, they built their following one station at a time, one market at a time. By doing so they grew from strength, not artificial station clearances."

In the other big Air America story, Franken's retirement from radio has gotten the predictable snide reaction from the wingnut media. Some say he's giving up, or that he's jumping off a sinking ship. Keep in mind that Franken never intended to do radio forever, as he initially signed a one year contract with then-owner Progress Media (as they were working under the provisional name Central Air), and had previously hinted at not making radio his life's work. Considering his other jobs such as writing, comedy and soon, possibly politics, his departure is no surprise. And his official announcement and the network's immediate naming of Hartmann as his successor should remove quite a bit of distraction from their operations.

In regard to his future plans, rumored to include a 2008 run for the Senate from his home state of Minnesota, Franken and his people have been mum about it. Franken has admitted that he is strongly considering challenging Norm Coleman for the seat, and has hinted that he could formally announce his intentions on-air in the runup to the end of his show February 14.

Some of Air America's affiliates have already announced their intentions for life after Franken. KTNF, fresh off a rather remarkable Fall ratings book, was the first, as they announced yesterday the move of Hartmann from the station's evening delay to the afternoon slot being vacated. In his place, KTNF will expand it's local "Minnesota Matters" show by an hour (to be 5-7PM) and add Air America's Rachel Maddow to evenings, 7-9PM. Entercom-owned WROC in Rochester, NY will give Ed Schultz a live clearance, moving him in to the 12-3PM slot, and soliciting listener opinions to fill the 3-6PM shift.

Meanwhile, up the road at WROC's sister station WWKB, the schedule on their recently updated website is a bit vague. At this time, the on-air schedule for this week omits local midday host Leslie Marshall and shows two daily airings of the syndicated shows from Stephanie Miller and Ed Schultz. Whether this will be permanent remains to be seen. Previously, the station aired a rerun of Marshall's show in the evenings. WWKB recently lost a competitor when Air America affiliate WHLD switched to gospel, so there are indeed more programming options available from which the station could choose from.

KPTK in Seattle sent out an email to listeners enlisting their help in making adjustments to the daily lineup. WCPT in Chicago will announce their intentions shortly. Other stations have yet to announce their replacements for Franken, though it's expected that many will just continue with Hartmann, such as KYNS in San Luis Obispo, CA. In the past few months, some stations already have already moved Hartmann into the slot. Some stations that currently carry only Franken, including WMLB in Atlanta and WWWI in Brainerd, MN could possibly pass on replacing him with any other Air America offering.

And no word from Air America on how they'll handle overnight and weekend replays of Franken's show.

Speaking of KYNS, in an unrelated move, they will add Mike Malloy to their schedule, airing it on delay from 8-11PM starting next Monday.

Mixed signals in Boston

Okay, so does anyone know the fate of WXKS/WKOX?

Last week, rumors were flying on radio message boards about the future of the two stations, which both simulcast a progressive talk format consisting of Ed Schultz, Stephanie Miller and assorted programming from Air America Radio. Some personnel connected with the station had no idea of any pending format change, and some Clear Channel executives claimed the rumors were true.

In fact, just yesterday evening, station listeners received an email, enlisting their help in determining their new lineup, even after the station announced their changes last week. The email encouraged listeners to vote for who they thought should be on during the 12-3PM ET shift, since Ed Schultz was moving his syndicated show to that slot. The choices were Schultz (who the station had already announced as staying in his current 3-6PM slot), Al Franken (who was going to be dropped altogether) and Thom Hartmann (who would inherit the slot).

With this email, the station does a backpedal, claiming that the addition of Hartmann is temporary, and anything could happen. And they ain't kidding!

The Boston Globe reports today that the station may wind up dropping the format altogether. While Clear Channel representatives are not discussing details, the national radio group, which has been selling stations across the country, acknowledges that change is in the works for WXKS-AM (1430) and WKOX-AM (1200). Saying that details will be released within two weeks, Clear Channel vice president of programming "Cadillac Jack" McCartney acknowledged this week that changes are pending and that Air America "is history." In fact, their own website kinda reveals their hand, as they are currently looking for a bilingual sales manager for the stations, which will soon air a format called "Rumba". The last day for liberal talk will be December 22. Merry F'in Christmas, from the fine folks at Clear Channel!

Since the company entered into a sale agreement, Clear Channel has been on a tear to trim as much fat as possible. They quickly announced that they were divesting of all stations outside of the top 100 radio markets that they own stations in. They've been consolidating more staff positions. Formats for several stations have flipped or are in the process of being flipped to in-house syndicated products like Premiere Networks or FOX Sports (which they own). And even stations like WGST in Atlanta have dropped all local talk from the schedule and replaced it with cheaper syndicated offerings. Needless to say, Clear Channel is looking to scale down hard.

For all the criticism that Air America and other progressive talk syndicators receive, much of it should deservedly be directed toward the stations that air the programming. Some stations are run very well (KPOJ, KLSD, WINZ, KKZN, KPTK, and KRXA, just to name a few), while many of them are a complete joke. It's as if a particular station's management just slapped it on the air and sat around waiting for things to happen. Their own salespeople ignored the station because they were too lazy to figure out how to sell the format. There have been countless stories of station automation software running amok, and sometimes airing the wrong shows or two shows at the same time. As Schultz has said on his radio show, this is no way to run a radio station, and if he was in charge, heads would be rolling. And he's right. No upstart station can succeed without promotion, advertising sales or even at least a little attention. This is not Air America's fault, and certainly not the fault of any of the syndicators. It all boils down to the people at the ground level, running the station. And if they're too lethargic to make their product the best it can be, they don't belong in business.

Clear Channel is notorious for using cost-cutting as a primary means for making money. Granted, a miser's approach toward the budget is often important, but it is not the be-all, end-all of becoming profitable. They have to create a strong station and give it all the tools it needs to succeed. Syndicated talk is a very cheap format to run. The programming costs the stations nothing. It's offered on a barter basis. All the network asks for is to hold back 5-6 minutes an hour for their own advertising. The station gets the rest of the time to sell their own ads (and this local inventory is often the same or greater than for more expensive music formats). Why is this so difficult for these people to understand? And why can't salespeople sell it?

Granted, we all know they'd rather sell spots for sports or rock music formats, because they're so easy to sell. But any good salesperson (and believe me, I know) will be the type to get creative and sell a rather diverse format, bringing in many potential clients who likely had never considered advertising on radio before. Here's a hint: Just about every metropolitan area has a local independent weekly paper or even a college paper, and many of these tend to be very left-leaning in their content. And many of the papers' sponsors even put their phone numbers in their ads (hint, hint). And the sales clowns can't sell spots on their own radio station??? Unfreakingbelievable!

Progressive talk can succeed. Just ask Nancy Leichter, general manager of little KYNS (1340AM) in San Luis Opispo, CA. She's confident in the format's chances, and this newspaper article even features the testimonial of a local repair shop owner, who saw her business increase after advertising on the station. Listeners even proclaimed that they brought their cars to her garage because she advertises on KYNS and supports their programming. And Clear Channel account executives still can't sell time on their big market 'progressive talk' stations? Aye carumba!

In closing, it's pretty easy to rip on Air America (and much of the criticism directed at them is well-deserved). But any station owner that thinks they can coast along and run a crappy organization is naive. And Clear Channel should know better. This is no way to run multi-million dollar radio properties. Perhaps this is why the Mays family is looking to get out.

And if you feel somewhat burned by Clear Channel-Boston's dirty tricks, you can send back some holiday cheer at this email address, or just give them a call at 781-396-1430.