Because I couldn't come up with a cute theme.
About face at The Mic
Seems like only a few weeks ago that WXXM (92.1FM) in Madison was in panic mode, as they attempted to plop financial talker Dave Ramsey into the afternoon drive shift held by Thom Hartmann. After the outcry from many of the station's pissed-off listeners, they quickly retreated, and put Ramsey's show in morning drive delay. Then the station's program director, Brian Turaney was one of many nationwide who got caught up in ongoing Clear Channel downsizing moves.
Then the Arbitron Fall ratings book came out.
After picking their jaws off the floor following the sight of that nifty 4.7 overall share, station management obviously saw that they had a good thing going. Considering that the station actually tied with sister WMAD, the top country station in the market, they grew a brain and thought, 'hey, why fix what isn't broken, right?"
So, another lineup change will occur next Monday. And it looks like Bill Press is in, and it appears that Ramsey's out. Can't wait to see what happens next.
Buying Time
Sure, things are likely looking a bit murky over at Air America Media. There's been a lot of changes over the past year or so. They're also losing a couple big affiliates. And their best-known host Rachel Maddow has taken a lower profile there to suit her main TV gig. Their other top talent, Thom Hartmann is jumping ship to Dial Global next month. But the network that just won't die is still going.
And what better place to start than the sales team? After all, money makes the radio world go 'round. Air America is beefing up its sales team to work their radio, online and video platforms by hiring two new account executives and appointing Scott Elberg as chief revenue officer to oversee the division.
New hires include Lory George (director of digital sales) and Terry Howard (account manager). Angela Loftus will stay in her position as vice president of sponsorship sales while Joe Kenavan will also remain as the vice president and director of national and network sales.
In addition, a Washington, D.C. sales office will open later this year.
"With President Obama in office, progressive media is now the mainstream," said Elberg, who has served as Air America's chief operating officer since 2007.
"Air America Media's goal in 2009 is to focus on listeners, readers and viewers, which will include a Web site redesign, the launch of an online video offering, and several on-air initiatives," CEO Bennett Zier said in a statement.
Sirius XM suitor?
The recently formed Sirius XM has been a victim of the sluggish economy. And it looks like a bigger fish has the company in its sights.
Echostar, which owns Dish Networks, has been assuming quite a bit of Sirius XM debt that matures February 17. No word on why Echostar owner Charles Ergen is doing this, but some think Sirius' ground facilities and transmitters would be a nice fit.
Make it end already... Please!
As hinted at here the other day, the DTV transition date has been moved. Instead of the February 17 "hard" date for the end of analog television transmission, that magic date is now June 12.
Yesterday the House did an about-face and decided to postpone the change until June, as requested by many, including President Obama. And, as mentioned the other day, there is now funding for the $40 converter box voucher coupons, available to you procrastinators at this link.
But, that doesn't mean that your favorite station will still be broadcasting ghosting, static-filled analog pictures up until June. Station operators can still shut down their analog facilities at any time until that date, and there are estimates that as many as 300 may just do that. Some are being forced to, since they have already made arrangements to vacate the channel allocation or the broadcast tower facilities. And it may also come down to money. Shutting down sooner will be much easier on the bottom line, particularly in this cash-strapped economic environment.
I hope that this will be my final word on this subject until June (when I may just do a farewell salute to analog television). If you haven't already gotten your box (if you need one), then by all means do so. If you're too lazy to send away for the vouchers, then you can still pay full price at the big box retailer (as the clerks snicker at you for shelling out the extra $40). Just do it already, and join the rest of us in the 21st century.
Another one bites the dust
Times are tough in radio. In a few years, we could see nothing but sports talk on the AM dial and nothing but Ryan Seacrest on the FM. And they wonder why terrestrial broadcasting is dying.
The latest talk show casualty is Los Angeles talker Tom Leykis. He does an afternoon syndicated show for Westwood One, and while it was never huge, did have a significant presence during the FM shock talk craze a few years ago.
But now, with many of those FM talkers flipping to other formats (like sports), Leykis' raunchy guy talk has been heard in fewer and fewer markets. And now, Westwood One has finally thrown in the towel. Come March 6, Leykis' show will only be heard in his home LA market, where it isn't doing too badly.
Also gone are his other two syndicated weekend shows, a 'best-of' show and one devoted to cigar smoking.
Thursday, February 05, 2009
The no-nonsense Thursday update
Tuesday, February 03, 2009
XM's America Left changes lineup
An astute XM listener dropped a line wondering why he heard Alex Bennett's Sirius Left morning show on XM's America Left channel yesterday, in place of Stephanie Miller.
From the email:
XM-167 at the moment is airing Alex Bennett instead of a live Stephanie Miller, in normal XM fashion no update on their website. As of noon though Ed Schultz is on so doesn't appear that XM has taken Sirius Left's complete schedule. Hopefully someone will figure it out then ltr can inform the masses :)
Well, it looks like a makeover is going on at XM. Effective yesterday, a few shows have been shuffled around.
The first thing one notices is what's missing, namely Air America. The network has a significantly smaller presence on the new America Left.
The morning starts with Rachel Maddow's newly reconfigured radio show, running from 5-6A. Dial Global's Bill Press, Stephanie Miller and Ed Schultz run live from 6A-3. Then it's Randi Rhodes from 3-6P, Thom Hartmann from 6-9P and Mike Malloy live from 9P-12A. A replay of Sirius Left's Alex Bennett runs from Midnight to 3A.
All in all, it makes sense as a lineup. The schedule is heavy with stable shows. But perhaps they should have taken my advice on how to make liberal talk fans happy.
Thursday, December 04, 2008
Sirius Pimpin'
Well, it certainly doesn't take a village idiot to figure out what's going on. So, I did a check of my site stats. Unlike other 'surges,' this influx didn't appear to come from a website or message board. Readership numbers (of various "entry links") and vote tallies didn't seem to jibe at first. And said host's website looks like it hasn't been touched in years. So, it seems like a very strong clandestine word of mouth campaign. Or a host is actually (gasp!) stumping for votes on the airwaves. Turns out that yes, this thing has evidently become big enough to inspire individual on-air campaigning activities.
Yes, I have read the testy emails from many of you confirming my suspicions. Some of you are claiming that a few hosts on Sirius Left are going all Boss Tweed on this thing.
And in a scenario reminiscent of an old-time Texas election, some say these hosts are encouraging a little trickery. But just like Jolly Ol' Saint Nick, I know who's been 'naughty' and who's been 'nice,' even without a Sirius subscription. With that, I say hello to our newest readers, Sirius Left's Alex Bennett and Lynn Samuels.
Here's the story. Seems Bennett and/or some of his listeners discovered the poll, and since Monday or so, he's been hawking it on his radio show, encouraging votes for Sirius folks like Himself, Samuels and Mark Thompson. Okay, fine. I guess at this point, if hosts want to campaign, who am I to say otherwise? As a matter of fact, have at it. But some have accused Bennett of telling people how to 'fudge the numbers' using a little computer trickery. I didn't hear it, so I do not know. In the comments on this entry, Bennett denies any wrongdoing, aside from giving a little free publicity to 'the funnest blog on earth.'
When a similar incident happened soon after the poll went up a month ago, sure, I got a little pissy about it. But looking back, that was unwarranted. Heck, I obviously saw it coming. I probably encouraged it. A few weeks ago, I did restart the poll, over a thousand votes already in the bag. It was not really because of chicanery, but mostly because I left off a few names that myself and others really wanted on there, but were accidentally left off. And yeah, the foolishness happened again. And no, I'm not going to get pissed about it. Nothing to really get worked up about.
There's an old saying, 'we learn from our mistakes.' Story goes, when Thomas Edison was working at inventing the incandescent light bulb, he went through hundreds of unsuccessful attempts. In his eyes, he didn't fail. He just discovered more ways not to invent a light bulb.
Another old saying goes, 'if life deals you lemons, make lemonade. So, let's take a look at the lemons:
1. The method was flawed from the beginning. My fault. I was trying a new, rather complicated way of doing it. For some reason, I tend to make things more difficult than they should be.
2. The poll has possibly been 'juiced,' sometimes by semi-nefarious methods.
3. Some hosts have resorted to blatant self-promotion.
4. It's not being taken all that seriously. Or maybe it's being taken too seriously.
And with that, we make lemonade:
1. I learned another way how not to make a light bulb.
2. I obviously saw it coming. I even encouraged it somewhat by adding names of people who I knew some die-hard fans would give a boost to.
3. The offenders are obvious to anyone visiting this site. Nobody's being fooled here.
4. Thanks to this silly little poll, this blog is getting lots of free on-air radio promotion. That usually costs a lot of money. Thanks, Sirius! You rawk!
5. Let's face it, at the very root, it's a silly web poll.
6. This has all promoted a lot of interesting activity, discussion, enthusiasm and fun, and has brought a wider mix of readers and commenters. I like that.
8. Finally, as news is a bit slow and I have nothing really to write about, I've actually got a rather interesting topic this time around. And one that will no doubt spur quite a bit of reaction from many of you.
All in all, I have become amused by all of it. I'm not angry. What's the point? It's really all for fun, right? I certainly don't hope that Bennett, with his many years in radio and all, is spending hours or so sitting in his pajamas in front of his laptop clearing his browser cache and cookies folder while casting multiple votes for himself. If that's truly the case, he needs better hobbies. Pronto.
And wouldn't you know it? I actually like Alex Bennett, and I'm probably one of the few I know who does. I chalk it up to sentimental reasons. I listened to him back in the 80's, while living in the San Francisco Bay Area where he did the morning show on Live 105. It was one of the funniest, most entertaining things I've ever heard on the radio. Kept this lonely bitter teen sane during a few crappy years growing up in that hellhole known as Fremont, California. For that, I thank you, Alex.
Sure, most people who read this blog absolutely detest the guy, and believe me, I've read the emails and comments from those of you who feel this way (they're even less kind about Samuels). Bennett's not your typical 'liberal' talk show host. You either like him or hate him. He's not a person everyone likes, like, say, a Rachel Maddow. But I like the fact that he's a bit cranky and off-the-wall. His style of radio is to often challenge and piss people off, rather than reinforce what you already believe. It's old-school confrontational talk radio. Old-timers like Joe Pyne, Bob Grant and Alan Berg did this. And unlike, say, a Sean Hannity, this isn't just reading daily political party talking points memos word-for-word. Bennett obviously knows the object is to keep people tuned in, and say whatever comes to mind. I can't help but to laugh at the fact that years after I grew up listening to him everyday on the radio, he's now pimping my blog on his show. Welcome to the internet.
But back to the topic. So hi, Alex and Lynn! Glad to see you! And since you are now my readers, how's about throwing us peons a bone and put up podcasts of your shows or something? Especially for those of us uneasy about subscribing to "Mel's Folly," knowing full well that he may up and cancel Sirius Left on a whim as he chops away at the two satellite monoliths in his fold to justify that Howard Stern money. Let's hope this doesn't happen. At the very least, I'd sure love to hear audio of the on-air plugs you've been giving me this past week. Email the mp3's to ltradiomail@yahoo.com.
As I mentioned earlier, I do have a plan in place for dealing with this mayhem (though it does seem to be constantly evolving), while at the same time acknowledging all of the choices of the thousands of people who have voted. But you'll have to wait until January 1 to find out. In the meantime, have fun, play nice. Just be sure to vote only once. That's all I ask.
Monday, November 10, 2008
...Sometimes you gotta break a few eggs
Just a quick Monday update for all of you...
Don't freep me, bro!
You may notice that the Top Talkers poll has been relaunched. I was hoping not to do it, but there were a few problems with it. For one, I forgot to put The Young Turks (a.k.a. Cenk Uygur) on there. That was a glaring omission on my part. Sorry 'bout that. It's on there now.
I saved the results of the first 1,000 votes, and they will be factored in somehow. If you've already voted, you may do so again.
Furthermore, even after I asked that readers abstain from stuffing the ballot box, it happened anyway. I guess this time I should be a bit more specific - please don't freep the poll. I would prefer if people didn't 'skew' the results or encourage mass attacks to tilt the results. I agree that some fans tend to get a bit overzealous about their favorites, but come on!
Just a humble request. Let's keep this all fair. Please don't phony the results. Thank you.
Sirius, XM begin programming merger
Rolling Stone reports that recently merged satellite providers Sirius and XM will begin merging their lineups this Wednesday, November 12. The programming changes were announced on several channels on each service.
The merge actually started in the weeks following the XM/Sirius deal, as Howard Stern was added to XM’s lineup. Neither Sirius nor XM has announced the realigned station breakdown as of yet, though Sirius’ oldies icon Cousin Brucie will reportedly become available on XM, meaning XM’s own oldies station is in danger of becoming dead air. Other genres across the board will also face similar showdowns between their cross-radio counterparts.
Obama 1260 rolls on
From DCRTV:
"Freedom 570" For WTNT - 11/7 - DCRTV hears that Red Zebra righty talker WTNT is dropping its "McCain 570" moniker with the loss of the Republican in the recent presidential election. It'll now be known as "Freedom 570." RZ will continue to brand lefty talker WWRC as "Obama 1260." (No, it won't become "Socialist 1260," as some GOPers would probably prefer.) Says Greg Tantum, program director of both stations: "The election served as a huge focus group and we heard the overwhelming message the audience wants a choice in what they hear on the radio. We have a series of special events planned between now and the inauguration for both stations to keep the spirit of free and fair speech alive".....
Morning @#!$&!% You!!!
Finally, here's a lesson to be learned. Don't cuss in the studio. Ever. I'm guessing that MSNBC's Joe Scarborough has learned this the hard way:
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Mid-week roundup
As I try to wrap my head around what kinds of hallucinogenic drugs John McCain must be ingesting, it's time to catch up with some of the big stories going on in the world of media...
Wilmington gets digitized
The plug was pulled at noon Monday, as Federal Communications Commission chairman Kevin Martin and Wilmington, N.C., Mayor Bill Saffo flipped a huge, symbolic digital light switch to end full-power analog TV in the market, making the market the first to switch to all-digital broadcasting.
The symbolic move, the latest prior to the nationwide switch to digital on February 17, 2009, had all of the market's major stations pulling the plug on analog at the same time. The market's station owners all agreed on May 8 to volunteer to become a test market for the FCC, becoming the first to go all-digital.
As expected, the switch did bring in a few calls out of the estimated 13,000 local households that receive broadcasts via antenna, with roughly 226 logged as of Tuesday. Surprisingly, only one call was from a viewer who was surprised by the switch, with most of them needing assistance in setting up their DTV converter boxes correctly (hint: Use the autoscan feature), reception issues or inquiring into the whereabouts of their requested $40 government-issued voucher coupons.
The Wilmington shut-off most importantly shows the importance of being prepared for the upcoming analog-to-digital switch, with only five months to go. If you don't subscribe to cable, satellite or other subscription means, and your television is several years old (without digital channel reception capabilities), you need to get a converter box. As you may know, Uncle Sam will foot $40 toward the cost of the box (which averages roughly $50-60 retail). Log in to dtv2009.gov to apply for up to two vouchers. For those of you with friends or relatives unaware of the change that still use an antenna, this is the perfect opportunity to remind them, and to give enough lead time to prepare for the conversion.
Regardless, many see the upcoming digital switch as a major pain in the ass. In reality, it shouldn't be. Digital channels should come in much clearer than their analog counterparts. The digital picture is clear - DVD quality. And many stations carry subchannels on their digital signals, which allows for additional programming. Most NBC affiliates carry Weather Plus, which carries full-time local weather updates. Many PBS affiliates have feeds of extra programming, such as the excellent PBS World. And others are carrying channels such as RTN, .2 Network or the upcoming MGM channel, This TV (to launch this fall in Chicago and Milwaukee so far), all of which specialize in classic reruns and movies.
Think of it as getting better reception and more channels. Not a bad motivation to pay $10-20 dollars for a small box.
The Sirius XM lovechild
As the nation's two satellite radio services proceed with their merger, listeners of either service will soon be able to hear programming from the former rivals, meaning that XM subscribers will soon be able to hear Howard Stern and NFL games, while Sirius subscribers will get Opie and Anthony, Oprah Winfrey and PGA broadcasts (golf on radio?).
The combined company announced this week a content lineup for Sirius XM's new "Best of Both" programming options. As part of "Best of Both" programming, most current XM customers will continue to receive their existing XM service, and be able to obtain select Sirius programming. Likewise, Sirius listeners will be able to access some XM programming.
In addition to their existing service, Sirius subscribers will have access to XM-exclusive sports such as the NHL and select college sports, in addition to Opie and Anthony's "The Virus," "Oprah and Friends," and XM's public radio offerings, including Bob Edwards. XM fans will be able to hear Howard Stern, Martha Stewart's "Living" channel, Playboy Radio and sports offerings from the NFL and NASCAR.
As you may have noticed, liberal channels such as Air America and Sirius Left are not on the list currently, a surprise, since the two channels are an obvious drawing card for their respective services.
Right-wing station sued for bias
An interesting item from Los Angeles, as Salem Communications owner Ed Atsinger is being sued for the obvious right-wing slant of local talk station KRLA. The Glendale News Press reports that the plaintiff, David Birke, who describes himself as a Democrat, is suing the station and its hosts, including Salem's Dennis Prager, Michael Medved, Hugh Hewitt and Mike Gallagher, KRLA local host Kevin James (link), TRN's Laura Ingraham and Westwood One's Dennis Miller. Birke alleges that the station defrauds the public and misrepresented itself to the FCC by featuring only conservative hosts and "Republican issues."
Birke's complaint alleges that KRLA "has never allowed a Democrat to host a show; uses call screening to 'suppress' calls from Democratic supporters; and violates "campaign finance laws by providing free media for advertising, attacks on Democrats, fundraising and promotion exclusively to GOP officials and candidates.'"
His attorney Johnny Birke (not sure if there's a relation) stated, "This a legal attack about the facts and law about what these defendants did and what they are doing on the airwaves."
The suit will likely go nowhere. The FCC has consistently declined to interfere in programming decisions since the abolition of the Fairness Doctrine and does not require stations to balance programming.
Personally, I have always held the belief that station owners should be free to do whatever format they want. We all know that Salem is a corporate media sinkhole propped up by the revenue brought in by the fundamentalist religious formats airing on many of their stations. And we all know that roughly 95% of the public does not listen to political talk radio of any kind, and most of it just preaches to the respective choirs anyway. I think too many make too big a deal of it.
Stephanie Miller out in San Diego
Speaking of KRLA, Salem and Laura Ingraham seem to have parted ways. She is off all of the stations that had aired her show, and in Los Angeles, she takes her show to rival KGIL/XESURF, which serve Los Angeles and San Diego respectively.
While most people here could likely care less about Ingraham, it is noteworthy in that her show will replace that of Stephanie Miller on the San Diego station, only a few months after being added to the lineup. Local liberal talker Michael Jackson is also gone in the shuffle.
Wait! Wait... Just Watch Me!
Are you a fan of NPR's hilarious weekly game show "Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!"? If you are, you'll be pleased to know that it will soon hit the TV screen.
A TV pilot version of the show is being developed by CBS Entertainment, always on the prowl for new game show ideas. And unlike most of the crap passing for game show/reality competitions, nobody will be forced to run through obstacle courses, live with smelly, irritating roommates or eat live bugs. Or that terrible game show on FOX the other night which featured teams of people jumping through walls. It's just a fun little quiz show that's a bit more challenging than opening suitcases full of money. Think "Jeopardy," but with a bit more wit.
Host Peter Sagal and judge/scorekeeper Carl Kasell will appear in the pilot, with show creator/executive producer Doug Berman serving in a similar role for the TV version.
The hour-long show is produced by Chicago Pubic Radio in association with National Public Radio and is structured like a quiz show, focusing on current news subjects. No word on whether the show will air on the CBS network or via their syndication arm.
Article of the day
Finally, for those of you interested, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer has an article on local boy Ron Reagan, who just started a new show on Air America. His show airs from 8-9P weeknights. I haven't had the chance to tune in, but dedicated reader FSL claims that it's better than fried spam and mayonaise sandwiches, and more fun than Sarah Palin in granny panties. Check it out.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Clash (and consolidation) of the titans
Okay, so now it looks as if hell has officially frozen over, with two big industry transactions taking place within days of each other. And it looks like the book has been closed on each of those chapters, so I can actually make mention of them without being teased yet again by the boy who cried wolf.
First, after a year and a half of dickering around, and less than a week after the FCC finally threw their hands in the air, the Sirius/XM merger is now in the books. Yes, officially. The company will now be called Sirius XM Radio Inc. (traded on NASDAQ via the SIRI symbol, for those of you who keep track of that sort of thing). NOt a whole lot else is known yet, except for the fact that the combined company will be led by Sirius CEO Mel Karmazin, with XM Chairman Gary Parsons serving as chairman of the new company.
Sirius XM will be headquartered in New York, where Sirius is based. XM Satellite will now be a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sirius and will keep its Washington broadcasting headquarters.
Existing customers of either service will be able to retain their current service and existing radio receivers will continue to work, Sirius XM claims. Subscribers will also now have the option to pick from different packages of channels, known as a la carte programming.
Of course, what those programming choices will consist of has yet to be determined, though some suggestions have been made here.
In the other big broadcasting deal, Clear Channel stockholders have finally agreed, based on a preliminary vote, to go forward with the sale of the company to a private equity group led by Bain Capital Partners LLC and Thomas H. Lee Partners LP. Clear Channel initially entered into the merger agreement with the Bain/Lee group in November 2006. The parties now expect to consummate the deal on July 30. The new group will be known as CC Media Holdings Inc.
Nothing is known about the new company's plans, but if other venture capital investments are any clue, it will be mostly downsizing-related, to minimize expenditures and maximize profits. The concept of actually beefing up product rather than slashing it to pieces is often lost on these people.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
A peek inside XM's retooled 'America Left'
Come Monday, fans of XM's Air America channel (ch. 167) will notice quite a few changes, as they ditch the Air America moniker and return to the original name, America Left.
After several weeks of speculation, XM has quietly unveiled their new lineup, with a few notable additions and a few subtractions as well. One theme that carries throughout is their attempt to air as many shows as possible by cutting off an hour on several of them. Unfortunately, they didn't go for my idea of setting up several devoted progressive talk channels. Yet.
First, Bill Press remains from the old lineup, but gets an hour shaved off. You can find him 6-8A ET.
The Young Turks, formerly of Sirius and Air America, return to the weekday radio grind after airing exclusively online since January. The new show, airing on America Left weekday mornings 8-10 ET, will actually be a replay of their online show from the night before (which will air 9-11P). At least the gang will be able to sleep in, given that they're based in California, and would otherwise be up very early in the morning to do their morning thing.
Stephanie Miller fans will be happy to hear that her show finally makes it to the XM satellites. She will air in truncated form from 10A-noon.
One personality who's show will not get sliced up is Ed Schultz, who will air live from noon to 3P. Ditto for Randi Rhodes, who's three hour show will follow in its entirety.
Rachel Maddow will air on America Left in truncated form, from 6-8P. Unfortunately, that means listeners will get that obnoxious MSNBC screaming pundits show that makes up the first hour of her show.
Thom Hartmann is still on XM, but only two hours of his show will air on delay, from 8-10P. As with many Air America affiliates these days, he'll get a replay from 4-6A.
In the late night hours, Mike Malloy comes on from 10P-midnight, followed by Air America's Clout from midnight to 2A and Jon Elliot in two hour form from 2-4A.
Speaking of XM, the proposed merger with Sirius, which was rumored many times to have been consummated by now, is still plodding along. In the most recent development, 16 state attorneys general have come out and criticized the merger, and are also on board the bandwagon that favors leasing part of the combined satellite radio spectrum to outside programmers.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
How to merge Sirius and XM and make progressive talk radio fans happy
As the merger between the two satellite radio providers Sirius and XM drag on, it's starting to look like this thing could actually happen. After seventeen long months, this merger could finally be consummated.
The combined company will create more opportunities for programming choices by eliminating redundant channels (i.e. channels that air virtually the same type of content). They promise that this will allow for a wider variety of programming.
There are a few hurdles yet to be jumped, such as the issue over interoperable receivers that can pick up the signals of both providers. There's also the issue of all that bandwidth that they would have at their disposal. Sirius currently broadcasts using 12.5 MHz of the S band spectrum between 2320 and 2332.5 MHz. The XM signal uses the same amount of that band: 2332.5 to 2345.0 MHz.
They are also offering up the idea of a la carte offerings, featuring the best of both services, as well as special packages tailored to fans of music, talk or family-friendly programming, as a way of avoiding the gouging of subscribers and to mollify concerns of monopolizing a huge chunk of the broadcast spectrum.
In addition, there are rumblings from various parties, including the Congressional Black Caucus, to set aside and lease out several channels for minority-oriented, public service and educational and informative programming. As mentioned here the other day, what that would include is still very vague. So far, it could look like a total of twelve channels will be allotted for this.
Since I wrote about XM's planned retooling of its liberal talk channel the other day, there has been a lot of spirited conversation about the issue. Long-term, the question is what will become of the format on a combined satellite provider? Will there be more? Less? Will they make a play for fans of progressive talk, who subscribe mainly to get programming that they otherwise have a hard time getting? How can a combined XM/Sirius make them happy? After all, a merged company may just be desperate enough to do something to attract subscribers. One of these areas is liberal/progressive talk. Hey, it's why you're reading this blog, right? So let's talk about it.
First, let's take a look the political talk offerings of both providers. On XM, the primary news and information channel lineup looks something like this:
121 Fox News ChannelThe TV news channels listed are straight audio feeds of those services. XM Public Radio airs programming from smaller noncommercial networks such as American Public Media, as well as a morning XM-exclusive show from Bob Edwards. P.O.T.U.S '08 airs news and content concerning this year's presidential election, and is available on an XM receiver without a subscription.
122 CNN
123 CNN Headline News
127 CNBC
128 Fox Business Network
129 Bloomberg Radio
130 P.O.T.U.S `08 (2008 Presidential Election News and Updates)
131 BBC World Service
132 C-SPAN Radio
133 XM Public Radio
XM politically-oriented talk radio programming consists of:
134 The Agenda (online only, loop of liberal talk show from Joe Solmonese)XM also carries most of the audio of WLW from Cincinnati on one channel, which features quite a bit of conservative talk and duplicates some of the offerings of XM Talk Radio. This is part of a deal they have with Clear Channel Communications, which owns WLW. The Power airs an African-American talk format, and is not all political.
165 Talk Radio (mostly conservative and self-help - majority of programming from Premiere Radio Networks)
166 America Right (conservative Talk)
167 Air America Radio (progressive Talk)
168 Fox News Talk (conservative plus Alan Colmes)
169 The Power (African-American Talk)
170 FamilyTalk (right-wing religious talk)
All in all, that's four conservative channels to one true liberal channel. I didn't count FOX News, since I could spend an entire other entry talking about that one. We'll leave it out of the equation for now, but make a mental note of it, since it obviously has a blatant bias.
Now, let's take a look at Sirius. For news and information, they have much of the same stuff:
129 CNBCThey also carry:
130 Bloomberg Radio
131 Fox News Channel
132 CNN
133 CNN Headline News
141 BBC World Service News
134 NPR NowFor political talk they offer:
135 NPR Talk
137 CBC Radio One
140 World Radio Network (WRN)
109 Sirius OutQOutQ and FamilyNet Radio aren't really political talk, but we'll include it anyway, since they both feature opinionated political talk, in addition to non-political content. They also both kinda balance each other out. So, that gives Sirius listeners two conservative talk channels (plus FamilyNet) to one liberal channel (plus a few shows on OutQ). Conservatives also have FOX News Channel. Liberal listeners may also be attracted to the in-depth and international news programming on BBC World Service, NPR, CBC and WRN. Still, that's not really liberal talk.
110 Indie Talk (all over the map)
144 Sirius Patriot (conservative talk)
145 Fox News Talk (conservative talk)
146 Sirius Left (liberal talk)
161 FamilyNet Radio
Let's take a look at each provider's dedicated liberal talk channels. Here's what's on Sirius Left:
12-3A Thom Hartmann (replay)
3-6A Lynn Samuels (replay)
6-9A Bill Press
9AM-12P Alex Bennett
12-1P Thom Hartmann
1-3P Lynn Samuels
3-5P Ed Schultz
5-8P Make It Plain with Mark Thompson
8-9P Stephanie Miller
9P-12A Mike Malloy
Meanwhile, XM Air America (America Left) carries this lineup:
6-9A Bill Press
9AM-12P Lionel
12-3P Ed Schultz
3-6P Randi Rhodes
6-8P Rachel Maddow
8-10P Thom Hartmann
10P-12A Mike Malloy
12-2A Clout with Richard Green
2-4A Jon Elliott
4-6A Thom Hartmann
So, with the combined XM/Sirius (and let's assume these shows are still in the same place once the merger consumates), here's where we have a little fun. Yes, this is the moment you've all been waiting for. This is one man's speculation as to what could work as far as a decent progressive talk lineup for satellite radio, broken up into three dedicated channels (with half-assed suggested logos to boot!):
Channel 1: "Air America"
This channel would be a straight feed of Air America Radio. That is, if there's still enough people that want to listen to a straight feed of Air America. A dedicated channel would be advantageous to the powers that be there, as they haven't been doing so hot in affiliate clears lately outside of Hartmann and Maddow. They really need to negotiate some kind of deal here to stay relevant.Channel 2: "Liberty" (or "Truth")
Sirius Liberty was originally the planned name for Sirius Left, intended to go along with conservative counterpart Sirius Patriot. The name was scrapped because the Sirius Left folks preferred the original name. Personally, if the tight-righty crowd likes the name "Patriot" so much (and the opportunity to wag it around in liberals' faces), I think naming this channel "The Truth" would be a pretty good in-your-face to them. This proposed channel would feature non-Air America syndicated talk offerings, mostly from Jones Radio Networks and Nova M Radio. As you can see. they would compliment each other nicely. Here's what a lineup would look like:6-9A Bill Press
9AM-12P Stephanie Miller
12-3P Ed Schultz
3-6P Randi Rhodes
6-9P Peter B. Collins (the only other live syndicated show available in the slot)
9P-12A Mike Malloy
12-6A Replays or other programming
Channel 3: "America Left"
This would consist of satellite-exclusive offerings and content, along with other fill-in programming. And it would be an effective way of mollifying progressive talk fans turned off by the likes of Lynn Samuels and Alex Bennett. The concept would be similar to channels such as Sirius Stars, Oprah and Friends and Howard 100, which feature exclusive personalities. In addition, a show such as the one-hour Democracy Now could be used to fill in a gap. And the XM-bound Young Turks come full-circle, to the channel resembling their former home at Sirius. Here's the lineup:9A-12P Alex Bennett
12-1P "Democracy Now" (or other hour-long program)
1-3P Lynn Samuels
3-6P The Young Turks (soon to be on XM)
6-9P Mark Thompson
9P-9A Repeat schedule, or fill with whatever
For weekends, the Air America channel is all covered. For the other two, replays and some original content might work (bloggers, podcasters?). Or go after Pacifica-style independent programming like "Counterspin." They could also seek out web-based ventures such as Head-On Radio or Taylor (gasp!) Marsh. I'm sure they could do it all pretty cheap, and that's the key to all of this - the syndicated outside liberal talk content is available on a barter basis, meaning that they don't have to pony up money for it. They do, however, pay their exclusive hosts such as Bennett, Samuels and Thompson. "Democracy Now" would probably cost some money, though, but that show does deserve a place on satellite radio.
As for the conservative channels on both providers, they can combine to an extent and create at least six channels. Hey, as far as I'm concerned, they could create twenty of these (and they probably could too). The more conservotalk channels there are, the more justification there is to carve out at least a few progressive talk channels. Just for kicks, here's what they would get:
Channel 1: America Right - Hannity, Levin, et. al.And then there's Sirius' Indie Talk. Not sure what the longterm concept of this one is, so I'm leaving it out of the equation for now. Let it germinate and see what happens. Sounds like a good idea, but it needs some work.
Channel 2: Sirius Patriot successor - exclusive content, more syndicated stuff
Channel 3: FOX News Talk
Channel 4: Whatever's currently on XM165
Channel 5: WLW feed
Channel 6: A mish-mash of syndicated conservotalk also-rans
In addition, I'll leave OutQ, The Power and the religious channels as-is, though each of XM's and Sirius' fire-and-brimstone 'send dem librul heathens to hell' channels could probably be combined into one unlistenable channel.
So there you have it. I just created three liberal talk satellite radio channels and six primarily conservotalk channels. I gave the edge to conservotalk programming because there's just so damn much of it on the market. And it keeps the crybaby conservative crowd from bitching. I don't care, since I don't have to listen to it if I don't want to. Sounds pretty reasonable, right?
Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to go pat myself on the back. Leave a comment and let the world know what you think of all this.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
XM takes a 'left' turn, KIST takes a fall
In a not-so-surprising move, XM Radio is retooling it's "Air America" channel (XM167). Come July 14, the satellite provider brings back its former name - America Left.The channel will still carry Bill Press, Ed Schultz, Randi Rhodes, Thom Hartmann and Mike Malloy. They are also adding Stephanie Miller and The Young Turks. Miller will likely take the 9A-noon shift currently held be Lionel. No word on what role the Turks, who left Air America earlier this year to do an internet-based afternoon show, play in this grand scheme. The show initially got its start on rival (and soon to be partner) Sirius. And there is no word on possible time shifts for the channel's current offerings.
Speaking of XM and Sirius, FCC chair Kevin Martin and other commissioners have indicated that they're willing to support the long ongoing planned merger between the two companies, with stipulations. Senior members of the Congressional Black Caucus are angling for concessions, such as allocating 4% of the combined company's broadcast spectrum, or twelve channels, to use for programming run by minorities and women. This proposal has been bandied about for awhile, and is quite vague at this point.
Meanwhile, on the left coast, R & R Radio, LLC is selling KIST (1340AM) in Santa Barbara to California Lutheran University for $1.44 million. The school, which owns local noncommercial NPR affiliate KCLU, will convert the station to noncommercial status, according to AllAccess.
The station was sold by Clear Channel a year and a half ago to Rincon Broadcasting. KIST was then spun off to its current owner. Throughout all the ownership changes, the popular progressive talk format remained, most likely due to its strong ratings. Since debuting in early 2005, the 650 watt KIST has been a mainstay in the top ten among stations in the market.
As for whether a station will pick up KIST's successful soon-to-be abandoned progressive talk programming, there is KBKO (1490AM), which is owned by Rincon and is currently in format limbo, duplicating the format and signal of conservotalker KTMS (990AM). There is also KZSB (1290AM), which airs mostly locally produced, block-programmed talk shows hosted by local residents.
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
Cleaning out the closet Part 1: The industry shell game
Quite often, there are many little goings-on in the radio and media world that are difficult to really flesh out into individual articles. Or there is quite a bit that I may have missed over the course of a few days or weeks or whatever. Over the past month, there were a few items that fell by the wayside. As I write this, I found that I had so much to talk about that I actually had to split it up into three parts. Let's play catch-up, shall we? Here's part one, in which we touch base with happenings in the broadcast industry.First, there's been a lot going on in the industry. The Sirius/XM merger got closer to reality, as the Department of Justice gave their stamp of approval to Sirius' $5 billion buyout of its satellite radio rival. despite the hurdles thrown out by the land radio-based lobbying group National Association of Broadcasters, regulators felt that the merger is not likely to substantially hurt competition or consumers. The merger still has to pass FCC muster, but it looks like it will get the green light from Chairman Kevin Martin, a notorious fan of overly-consolidated radio.
Although the merger of the only two satellite radio companies will basically create a monopoly, the move could be good for listeners who have had a difficult time choosing between the two. Sirius honcho Mel Karmazin has been floating around the idea of a la carte packages, available for as low as $6.95 a month, to make it go down smoother.
Though detractors claim that the satellite radio merger will create a sanctioned monopoly, all parties involved may see a new kind of competition, from the phone companies. AT&T and Verizon were the big winners in the recent FCC spectrum auction, in which chunks of the 700MHz broadcast spectrum were sold to the two telephone giants. In addition, the conditions of the sale will also allow third parties, such as Google, to participate in one form or another. What's to become of the so-called "C Block"? Likely, we'll see some form of the much-promised Wi-Max technology, which will bring more wireless internet service to portable devices. And with that, people could simply listen to internet radio or more personalized services such as Pandora. with much more efficiency. Nobody knows what exactly will go on with this reallocated spectrum, which is currently being used by television channels 52-69 and will be vacated next February when the country switches full time to digital broadcasting. Which reminds me, have you antenna heads requested your DTV tuner box coupons yet?
While Sirius, XM and the telecommunications industry have something to smile about, the same could not be said for Clear Channel, a company that saw its fortunes skyrocket during the Bush Era. Unfortunately, those same fortunes turned to dust as the Bush Era economy has gone down the toilet. With banks currently afraid of lending money to anyone, this bodes poorly for their proposed sale to a pair of venture capital firms. What comes around goes around...
Elsewhere in the radio industry, the HD Digital Radio Alliance only wishes it had the problems of these 'Masters of the Universe' (borrowing a line from Tom Wolfe). Yes, HD Radio is still around and they're still peddling this poorly-promoted technology, which as of late seems to have fallen off the face of the earth. The cure for this ailment? A new marketing campaign, of course.
They're claiming that consumer awareness of HD Radio is high, at around 77%. But let's get real here - the Alliance's bungling has made it too difficult, expensive and confusing to actually obtain a radio capable of hearing it. Granted, a few auto manufacturers have signed on, most notably Ford and Volvo. But just try finding an after-market audio unit that doesn't require a separate tuner (bringing back the dreaded days of the old FM converters for AM factory units back in the 70s). The earlier generation HD Radio units had their flaws, and seem to have disappeared from the marketplace. Retailers have no clue how to sell them. And where are the portable units? People don't listen to radio that's plugged into a wall socket, unless they're at work, and broadcast signals often have problems penetrating those big glass cubes that house many of these workers. HD Radio has potential (except for the AM part of it, which is a really bad idea), the side channel concept is a really good one, and the technology has room to grow. But it's simply not ready for prime time, and until the Alliance becomes less concerned with collecting royalties off it and becomes far more focused on attracting consumers, it may go the way of AM Stereo. Such wasted potential.
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
Super Tuesday Quickies
Oh, there's just so much stuff that goes on when one is out of town for the week. So much to talk about. And since today is Super Tuesday, we shall celebrate with an extra-long wrap-up entry.
Green revolution
First off, the move by KKGN ("Green 960") in San Francisco to interrupt two hours of Stephanie Miller's morning show there was even more ill-fated than New Coke, Windows Me, the spaceship-looking third generation Ford Taurus and that terrible "E.T." video game on the old Atari system. This time around, the local morning show featuring Operations Manager John Scott lasted less than two weeks, as Miller's fans revolted very loudly. listeners flooded the station with emails and phone calls, and even voted overwhelmingly for Miller's return in an online poll on the site. Claimed Scott, "The netroots feedback we have received is unlike anything I have ever seen for any show, in any format, in my entire career. It was real, it was raw, and it was passionate. The bottom line: Our audience loves her."
Scott said in Radio and Records that he's not offended that listeners didn't want him on the air, saying the events "energized me like few things have." He adds, "I'm sick of columns that say our business sucks. This is a good reminder that perhaps we need to market our products and look for listeners."
Scott's local show ended as he welcomed Miller back via the phone, she promised to sleep with every fan who voted yes in the online poll. Miller made a local appearance this past Friday night in neighboring Redwood City. No word on whether she made good on her promise.
Springer's Super Tuesday and Whad'Ya Know?
Remember Jerry Springer? Of course you do. Best known for his former Air America morning show, "Dancing With The Stars," "America's Got Talent," his own opera, and yeah, that trailer trash 'fight club' he does every day on TV, Springer is returning to talk radio. Sort of. The Chicago-based Springer will provide a live and local 'Super Tuesday' primary wrap-up (I know, I need to make another endorsement) for local station WCPT (820AM) this Wednesday (February 6) from 6:45A (when the station signs on) until 11A CT. Co-hosting will be Dick Kay, former political editor of local NBC affiliate WMAQ-TV (Ch. 5).
They'll look at results from all 24 state primaries taking place Tuesday, and if there's time, may even feature spurned lovers flashing their mammaries and beating the crap out of each other. Just kidding about that last part. No word on whether Steve Wilkos will be there to provide muscle. Listen for it Wednesday morning.
Speaking of WCPT, as a daytime-only operation, the station faces issues on their ability to actually do a local show without displacing popular syndicated hosts such as Stephanie Miller and Ed Schultz. But they do get a bit closer, as they sealed a deal to pick up "Michael Feldman's Whad'Ya Know?" from Public Radio International. Okay, it's not exactly local, but the oft-funny weekend quiz show, based in nearby Madison, WI, has been a fixture on Chicago non-commercial for many years. The show was dropped from its longtime home at Chicago Public Radio's WBEZ earlier this month after 22 years on the station. If WCPT adds the show, it will air without commercials. If all goes as planned, the show will be on Saturday mornings at 10A.
This is not the first time that WCPT's owner, Newsweb Corp. has aired public radio fare. Prior to WCPT's debut, the frequency aired "World Cafe," then also carried by PRI.
KTLK shakes it up, minus Schultz
Things have been quite chaotic at KTLK (1150AM) as of late. it appears the station has settled on a post-Mr. K lineup, and made some changes.First, they become the flagship station for Phil Hendrie's syndicated show, which will air from 9P-1A live. The station also adds Mike Malloy live, as will also slot in Rachel Maddow's two hour show into a three hour afternoon drive shift. How does that work? Air America is expanding the show to three hours, effective March 10, adding David Bender for the last hour. The first hour of Hendrie's show will be local to KTLK. Oh, and "Clout" with Richard Greene will air from 1-3A for the insomniacs.
Lost in the shuffle is Ed Schultz. He previously held down the 6-9P shift. The reason given by station PD Don Martin (who I'm sure is not the late, great Mad Magazine cartoonist) is that the station wants a mostly live lineup, meaning as little tape delay as possible. But EdHeads shouldn't worry too much. Paul Woodhull, president of Media Syndication Services, told Radio and Records that Schultz had been approached by another station in Los Angeles (KGIL, perhaps?). He says, “Out of loyalty to our broadcast partner KTLK, we declined that offer. Now that we have fulfilled our obligation to KTLK we look forward to competing against them in Los Angeles very soon.”
Speaking of the deposed former Mr. K, Marc Germain is back, doing a thirty minute podcast via his website.
"Indie Talk" comes to Sirius
Seeking to reinvent the rotting corpse that ego-driven talk radio is quickly becoming, Sirius Satellite Radio claims to be doing something different. Enter "Indie Talk," which they promise will "give an equal voice to individuals from any affiliation or background, target the blogger generation, and be a platform for listeners across the country to react to breaking news, issues and buzz." The most prominent personality on the channel will be veteran actor Ron Silver, a self-described former Democrat who became a Republican after 9/11/01, obviously in awe of what the Bush Administration did to prevent the terrorist attacks (hint: nothing). Nonetheless, Silver's hosting a call-in show from 9-11A (of course). No word on the other voices for "Indie Talk," but I'm sure there's got to be a left or two in there, lest Sirius listeners decide to just give the middle finger to the whole venture.
Radio Free Bellingham
Naysayers keep claiming progressive talk is dying. If that's the case, why are so many stations signing on with the format as of late? This week, we welcome to a new progressive talk station. This one is in Bellingham, WA, up by the Canadian border, as KBAI (930AM) drops oldies and picks up the likes of Thom Hartman, Rachel Maddow and Alan Colmes. A local voice, Joe Teehan, has also been added. No website exists for the station, dubbed 'Radio Free Bellingham,' as of yet. KBAI is owned by Saga Communications, which has had success with the format in several East Coast markets.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Arbitron ranks the satcasters
Who listens to what on satellite radio?
The answer to that question became clearer yesterday when radio ratings service Arbitron released the first-ever ratings report covering the individual channels of XM and Sirius during the Spring 2007 ratings period. Here, all the individual channels go up against each other, on a rather level playing field, and provides a rather interesting glimpse at the listening habits of subscribers. There were some obvious outcomes and a few surprises.
Not surprisingly, Sirius' Howard Stern came out on top of the heap. "Howard 100" was the most-listened to satellite radio channel of them all, and the only channel on Sirius to break 1 million listeners in cume, with over 1.2 million listeners total. The average quarter hour (AQH) audience, which is the average number of people listening every 15 minutes and is the main measure used in those 12+ ratings reports Arbitron releases publically, was 96,700. "Howard 100" is one of two channels devoted to him on Sirius, and is mostly a replay of his daily radio show. Behind it is "Howard 101," which consists of a delayed West Coast feed of his show, as well as other hosts including Bubba the Love Sponge and Scott Ferrall. "Howard 101" came in with 502,000 total cume and 30,700 AQH.
XM's only channel to break the 1 million mark was their "Top 20 on 20" hits channel. Further down on the XM rankings was their flagship morning show, the oft-controversial Opie and Anthony, which airs on "The Virus" (XM202), and is partially syndicated in a much tamer version by CBS Radio. They pulled in 216,800 cume/20,800 AQH, still good to make the top 10 overall in satellite radio. By comparison, "XM Comedy" does twice that.Music programming was strong for both services, with Top 40 hits, country and decades channels finishing especially high. Sirius also hit well with niche channels consisting of 50s hits, heavy metal and classic country. XM's biggest performers were mostly standard radio formats like hits, adult contemporary and new country, though "Willie's Place," which plays old time country, is one of the provider's most popular channels.
As for other talk radio, XM's "Talk Radio," which has recently undergone a great deal of shuffling, is tops, with a 154,000 cume/8700 AQH. The channel features Coast to Coast AM, Bruce Williams, Dave Ramsey, Glenn Beck and others. "America Right," which features conservatives such as Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham and Mark Levin, nabbed 132,400 cume/5000 AQH. XM167, which is home to Air America Radio, Ed Schultz, Mike Malloy and others, finished very close behind in cume, with 109,600, but ranks significantly higher than "Right" in AQH, with 7200. Oprah Winfrey's channel is slotted in between the two in cume, but has a rather low AQH. "FOX News Talk," which consists of the radio shows of everyone's favorite FOX Noise blowhards, was much farther behind, with 64,000 cume. In short, about the same as they do on terrestrial radio, which is rather dismal. The audio feed of the TV cable channel did significantly better on both providers.
On Sirius, "Sirius Left" (59,100/3000) tops both the right-wing "Sirius Patriot" (46,800/1700) and "FOX News Talk" (29,800/800). NPR does well with their two dedicated channels, pulling in 82,600 cume and 1400 AQH.
Overall, XM has a weekly cume of 10,332,900, while Sirius has a cume of 6,595,000. The satellite ratings were for persons ages 12+, based on approximately 466,000 in 300 markets during the Spring ratings period (April-June). Granted, some may take exception at Arbitron's rather outdated survey methods, but until something better comes along (Arbitron's Portable People Meter (PPM), perhaps?), this is what we've got.
Top 10 lists for each provider (and total) can be found on MediaWeek's site in a PDF here. You can see how each individual channel did at Radio-Info, in a rather concise PDF.
Sunday, July 22, 2007
What's in a name?
The whole thing started last Saturday. Writer and blogger Rick Perlstein was a guest on Mike Feder's show on Sirius Left. While at the Sirius Satellite Radio studios, he discovered something that disturbed him.
Sirius has a variety of talk channels. And two in particular dedicated almost solely to political talk, one for each side. The one for liberal talk is called 'Sirius Left'. And it's right-wing counterpart is dubbed 'Sirius Patriot'. So, Perlstein was a bit miffed that Sirius allegedly was trying to decide who is a patriot and who isn't. He was offended by it, and issued a call to arms for the slighted to voice their displeasure to the satellite radio provider. He kept at it for all of last week, demanding his readers and other web activists voice their displeasure. And of course, this little meme has spread across the internet.
All fine and dandy, but what Perlstein didn't mention, or probably notice prior to his appearance, is that 'Sirius Patriot' is not new. It's been around for years. I knew about it three years ago. And Sirius didn't even come up with the name. In 2000, Salem Communications acquired several AM radio stations in Minneapolis-St. Paul. One of these was WWTC, a long-dying AM station that had gone through many formats and owners over the previous two decades. Salem's other two stations were already airing the company's stock Christian-oriented programming, so the decision was made to test out their new format. This one was made up of wall-to-wall conservotalk, mostly from a roster of hosts from their own syndicated network. Guys like Michael Medved, Dennis Prager and Hugh Hewitt. When WWTC signed on their new format in March 2001, the station and format were dubbed "The Patriot". This is the only Salem talk station I've found thus far that carries this moniker. Since then, they've used simpler branding and uniform logos.
Now, when "1280 The Patriot" signed on, I just scratched my head. My first reaction was that only a right-winger could come up with a name so absurd. Was I offended? Not really. Sure, it's a bit crass, but it's just a radio station after all. Though, the Patriot moniker seemed as equal on the absurd scale as "Fair and balanced". In short, I just didn't think much of it, particularly for a station that was and still is a ratings bottom feeder in the Twin Cities market.
Flash forward to a few years later, as Sirius was looking to change around their political channels. They wanted to rename their 'Left' and 'Right' to 'Liberty' and 'Patriot'. As it turns out, Sirius Right got the name change, and Sirius Left remained.
The outcry over this name game prompted Sirius Left morning host Alex Bennett to chime in, explaining what the whole hubbub is about. He posted his response on his own site, as well as his unofficial Yahoo! Group. And the way he sees it, it's much ado about nothing, and a bit foolish. Here's part of his response:
About two years ago, SIRIUS decided to re-image its talk channels; the programmers were thinking of changing the names of the political stations to SIRIUS Liberty (Left) and SIRIUS Patriot (Right). At the last minute, at my urging and that of others, we kept the name SIRIUS Left, since it was a better name than any other to describe what we were doing. "Patriot" made it through. At that point, I complained that the "Patriot" name was offensive. I even went as far as to argue against it on the air, but the change had already happened and since no one followed me into the breach, the name stuck.
My question is simple: where were all of you when it mattered? The chances are that those pillorying SIRIUS didn't subscribe to the service then and probably don't have it now. Rather, this was brought to light by a blogger by the name of Rick Perlstein, who says that this whole matter came to him while he was a guest of SIRIUS on the Mike Feder Show. One has to assume that Mr. Perlstein doesn't have SIRIUS either, otherwise he would have known about all of this long ago.
To me, this is at best a tempest in a tea pot. SIRIUS listeners are a community, a family if you will, and they have barely mentioned the question. In fact, when this whole thing was brought up to the listeners of program, they thought it to be trivial at best. I suppose the big question is, aren't there more important things to send letters about? This is why I've come to hate liberals and their cowardly little persona, "the Progressive" - sitting down for five minutes to send a letter makes you actually believe you are an activist. To those offended: Have guts, proudly call yourselves Leftists; start living it rather than chasing after causes that are trivial and banal.
I have worked for SIRIUS for 3 1/2 years now. They hired me at a time when no one else would because I was a Leftist. Sure, I was offered jobs if I would change my political stripe, but I couldn't do that and still look at myself in the mirror. SIRIUS has never told me what to say or what to think. They have encouraged me to speak my piece and have never interfered in the content of the program. They were doing this channel before Air America ever existed and they were - and are - doing it better. No one told them to do it, they just felt the channel had to exist somewhere and if not in this new method of distribution, then where? SIRIUS also proudly airs "OutQ," a GLBT channel which is the only radio station of its kind in the country. This is the freest I have ever been, and going back to any other type of corporate radio would be impossible for me to consider.
You are attacking the good guys when you should be savaging the bad. That is what makes me mad. That is what prompted me to write this. One blogger wrote something, and then without questioning if he even knew what he was talking about, thousands took to protesting this trivial matter. The world is melting, people are dying, whole populations are being displaced, the United States has become the bad guy, people starve, 50 million people go without healthcare, genocide runs rampant - and all people do is complain about the name of a radio station on a service they don't even listen to? George Bush would be proud.
The truth is, Bennett is right. Is this really worth the hassle? Especially since there's bigger fish to fry in our society? Bennett has never been one to mince words, and perhaps that's what makes him so good at what he does. And he's been around too long to read talking points faxes, opting to say whatever he wants. Needless to say, this whole controversy is a non-starter. I felt that earlier this week when the Perlstein thing started to gather steam.
Never mind the name game. If people are so adamant about left vs. right programming on Sirius, then they're focusing their energies in the wrong direction. Chew on this: As stated earlier, Sirius has two main political commentary channels: Sirius Left features exclusive hosts such as Bennett, Feder, and Lynn Samuels, as well as Ed Schultz, Bill Press, Stephanie Miller, Thom Hartmann and Mike Malloy. Sirius Patriot consists of Bill Bennett, G. Gordon Liddy, Michael Reagan, Sirius' own Mike Church, and an NRA-oriented nightly show, among others.
But that's not where political talk ends on Sirius. The likelihood of finding more conservative opinion there is much greater than finding liberal talk. Granted, there's a lot more conservotalk than left-leaning talk in the marketplace. And Sirius seems to represent this. For news/talk programming, Sirius offers up the following:
ABC News & Talk: This channel consists mostly of shows syndicated by ABC Radio Networks. Sean Hannity, Larry Elder and Mark Levin, all notorious conservatives, are prominent here.
FOX News has two offerings available on Sirius. One is a straight feed of the Noise Channel (ch. 131). The other is 'FOX News Talk', consisting of the radio shows of most of FOX's usual gang of idiots. Bill O'Reilly, John Gibson and Brian Kilmeade are all here, with programming from the Noise Channel filling in the gaps.
CNN Headline News is the straight feed from that network. Low-rated conservative favorite Glen Beck gets lots of facetime here. Do they still do the headlines thing?
Rounding out the Sirius news/talk offerings, they've got CNN, CNBC, BBC World Service, World Radio Network, two NPR channels, Bloomberg Business Radio, and other channels devoted to comedy, female-oriented talk and entertainment news.
And then there's Sirius OutQ, which is LGBT-themed programming. Outside of the outspoken Michelangelo Signorile and a news program, it's mostly lifestyle chat, entertainment gossip and music programming.
Of course, Howard Stern looms large on Sirius. He's got two channels devoted to his show, his old WXRK/CBS archives, shows about the show and other hosts such as Bubba The Love Sponge. Stern occasionally gets political (he's basically a social libertarian who doesn't like Bush), but the raunch factor, especially on satellite radio, likely turns many off. But Stern is the 800lb. gorilla at Sirius, and he is especially tight with Sirius boss Mel Karmazin. Lots of money tied up in him as well.
So basically, actual liberal talk can be found only on one channel, Sirius Left. See where I'm going with this?
Granted, Sirius was a pioneer in liberal talk on the airwaves. Sirius Left was around long before Air America, when they were airing the feed from the now-defunct I.E. America network, home to Hartmann, Malloy, Peter Werbe and others. Small independent shows, such as The Young Turks, also aired for several years here. They also had an Air America-dedicated channel, prior to that network signing an exclusive deal with XM (think they got burned on that deal?). But as of now, it's Sirius Left and that's about it. And no, I don't consider NPR to be 'liberal talk'. It's a bit more general interest, arts programming and in-depth news.
I have long thought that it would be a good idea for Sirius to roll out a second liberal talk channel. Since Air America left, they've been limited to only one. And it's been a struggle to shoehorn all that talk in one space. As a result, the shows of Miller and Ed are time-delayed. Hartmann is only on for one hour live, to make room for Lynn Samuels. The rest of his show is bumped into the overnight hours. A second channel would help clean some of that up. So, given that Air America is not an option (though Hartmann has long had his own deal with Sirius), how would they go about fleshing out two channels of liberal talk? Here's an idea:
See? That would be enough to flesh out two channels. Call the second one Sirius Liberty. Problem solved. And it gives progressive radio fans, who have been rather frustrated with Sirius' somewhat meager progressive talk options, another reason to subscribe.
As for the name game on satellite radio? Much ado about nothing. Hell, XM names their alt-rock channels after "I Love Lucy" characters.
Monday, February 19, 2007
XM/Sirius agree to merger
Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. agreed to buy larger rival XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. for $4.57 billion in stock to combine the only pay radio companies and stem billions of dollars in losses.
Mel Karmazin, chief executive officer of New York-based Sirius, will be CEO of the combined company, and Gary Parsons, chairman of Washington-based XM, will continue as chairman, the companies said today in a statement.
Sirius and XM faced pressure to merge after losing a combined $7 billion to attract subscribers over the past eight years and signing talent including Howard Stern and Oprah Winfrey. The merger will face antitrust scrutiny and must also be approved by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission.
Under the terms of the accord, which the companies describe as a merger of equals, XM investors will receive 4.6 shares of Sirius common stock for each share they own. Shareholders of each will own about 50 percent of the combined radio company.
The new company's board will consist of 12 members, including Karmazin, 63, and Parsons, 56, four independent members named by each company, and one representative from each of General Motors Corp. and American Honda. Hugh Panero, 50, CEO of XM, will continue in his role until deal closes, which both companies expect this year.
Sirius and XM will operate independently until the deal is completed, the companies said. The name of the combined company and the location of its headquarters will be decided later.
Thursday, December 28, 2006
Sirius Backstage interviews Mike Malloy: "A traditional Democrat"
To celebrate his return to Sirius Left, Sirius Backstage has a great interview with radio talker Mike Malloy. In it, he talks about how he got involved in radio, Air America Radio's problems, life after Air America with Nova M Radio and Sirius, his political beliefs, who should/shouldn't get the Democratic nomination for president in 2008 and being a liberal talk show host vs. a conservative one. It's a highly recommended read.
...(Air America) was a great idea to begin with, but a sad story. The founders were pushed out by new investors who didn’t know anything about radio but wanted to play radio executive. There was a huge disparity in pay: Al Franken was making 2.6 million per year, but Mike Malloy was making 88k. I think Al Franken contributed to the demise of the network. At one time he had a staff of 20 or 30 people, writers and workers and all this other bullshit. There were many factors that caused Air America to go into bankruptcy: The executives didn’t know what they were doing, and when they hired radio people who knew what to do, the executives weren’t listening, and the radio people left. They couldn’t get investors because they didn’t have a viable structure as it is now. It would have been easy to be a success. Everybody jumped on the bandwagon to snipe at Air America, from Hannity and Limbaugh to all the others in between. It built an instant brand overnight. I still have friends who work there, they were talented people like Rachel Maddow, Randi Rhodes, Sam Seder, and many others. As far as the company itself, I’m really pissed.
...I define myself as a traditional Democrat. I am pro-union, only 13% of the workforce is now unionized compared to 35% 50 years ago... I believe in the equality of the law. Gays have the same rights as everyone else, and that all these constitiuional amendments to ban gay marriage are bullshit and bigoted. I believe in racial equality as well, at least in the workplace... [Affirmative Action] is the way Bush got into Yale. His father was there, so Bush got in. I also believe there should be regulatory agencies to watch the federal government. That’s what I mean by traditional Democrat.
...As far as liberals are concerned, liberals in radio are marginalized, and that’s why it’s so difficult to find them. The marketplace isn’t saying “we want conservative talk”, it’s utter bullshit. Take a look at the recent elections, take a look at polls, and see if the country wants conservative talk. Those decisions to make shows come from the top, and it is done by one of the five radio companies who control over 90% of the airwaves. The right winger will tell you that the marketplace determines what brand of butter you buy, what radio show people want, and its not true. If 70% of the nation hates George Bush and 80% of talk radio hosts support George Bush, there’s something fucked about that. I don’t know how to counteract that other than the talk radio I do is decisive, its hard hitting, and when the managers don’t screw with what I say, I have come up pretty big with a 6, 7, 8, 10 share in markets like Chicago and Salt Lake City. Another problem is advertisers. If advertisers don’t like what I say about the Bush crime family, there is nothing I can do about that. Again, if all things are equal, if you have a talented liberal and an average conservative, you will see the conservative picked up by the radio company. If you look at these no talent hacks like Sean Hannity, or Limbaugh who is a drug addict, they’re on 300 stations, why is that? Because he has a phony ass Christianity belief, supports the war. It’s a real shitty situation out there. It is not an equal field.
Read more of this interview at Sirius Backstage.
Eureka, CA 
