[Speed Gibson,
Friday August 26, 2005 at 12:37am]
Talk Radio Ratings: Part 3 of 3
It's now 6 pm on the KSTP AM 1500 schedule, six hours until "Coast to Coast AM" takes over at midnight, live until 4 am, with an hour replay to bring us around to Bob Davis at 5 am. Covering those six hours are two hours each of Sean Hannity, Chris Krok, and T. D. Mischke.
Sean Hannity's ratings are perhaps the most dissapointing of all to KSTP, down 63 percent this spring. Why? One reason IMO is the six o'clock start time. It's just not the time of day when one turns on the radio. With Jason Lewis at 5 pm, you found yourself timing your exit from work to hear him in the car on the way home. This doesn't work for hour three of Garage Logic, full of drive time frivolities ("traffic report brought to you by...") and Reusse's sports at the end. Further, host Joe Soucheray generally punches out at 5pm, cutting off any and all topics from the previous hour or two. It's time to count cylinders and do "stand-up" with the Rookie. I'm therefore guessing that GL hour three doesn't do as well as hours one and two, so I further guess that Hannity's ratings fall as a result.
Another reason is that Hannity isn't live. But the big reason I believe is the program itself. I don't listen because it's just headlines and outrage, no depth (Medved), no insight (Prager), and no perspective (Hewitt). I don't learn anything except who's going to be on "Hannity and Colmes" tonight.
Now it's 8 o'clock. What now, assuming the Twins aren't playing? Michael Savage? Lars Larson? Mike Max? Personally, I recommend "When Radio Was" on 1400/1470. Oh yeah, we also can listen to KROKTALK with Chis Krok on 1500.
I don't listen to Krok much because Krok doesn't say much. I have no real reasons not to listen; I just don't hear any reasons to listen. But the MOB community seems particularly "un-fond" of Krok, and they're correct in portraying him as a light-weight. Let's just say KSTP can do better.
The Mischke Broadcast is the most classic of all local talk radio shows. If you don't get it, I can't explain it to you. The only question still debated is when: 8 pm like before or 10 pm like now? Given the vacuum at 8 pm, I'd suggest 8 pm. Plus, I believe Mischke would seek out a favorite restaurant or pub after the broadcast in those days. It seemed so right for T.D.'s style.
So, donning my "general manager" hat, I put Mischke back at 8 pm. I replay the first two hours of Garage Logic at 10 pm, making the program available to a whole new audience segment. That leaves the old Jason Lewis slot from 5-8 pm, since I would slide Rush and Garage Logic back to their old times.
Jason Lewis's show was largely politics, somewhat more local than national. His guests tended to be experts in their fields, not political types, though they tended to see things Jason's way. So you learned something almost every broadcast. I have a nomination, in fact, as shown in my dream lineup:
5 AM Bob Davis
8 AM Bob Yates
11 AM Rush Limbaugh (live)
2 PM Garage Logic (live)
5 PM David Strom
8 PM T. D. Mischke
10 PM Garage Logic (replay of 2-4 pm)
12 PM Coast to Coast AM
Bob Yates you ask? Smarter than your average liberal Boo-Boo, this guy is a radio natural who I have always enjoyed.
David Strom you ask? I really think this could work, especially in this slot, especially if he gets a good, hard-working producer. He's good and getting better on the radio Saturdays on the Patriot.
With Yates and Strom, think concept here, not so much the personalities. But I'd certainly be willing to start with them.
Sean Hannity's ratings are perhaps the most dissapointing of all to KSTP, down 63 percent this spring. Why? One reason IMO is the six o'clock start time. It's just not the time of day when one turns on the radio. With Jason Lewis at 5 pm, you found yourself timing your exit from work to hear him in the car on the way home. This doesn't work for hour three of Garage Logic, full of drive time frivolities ("traffic report brought to you by...") and Reusse's sports at the end. Further, host Joe Soucheray generally punches out at 5pm, cutting off any and all topics from the previous hour or two. It's time to count cylinders and do "stand-up" with the Rookie. I'm therefore guessing that GL hour three doesn't do as well as hours one and two, so I further guess that Hannity's ratings fall as a result.
Another reason is that Hannity isn't live. But the big reason I believe is the program itself. I don't listen because it's just headlines and outrage, no depth (Medved), no insight (Prager), and no perspective (Hewitt). I don't learn anything except who's going to be on "Hannity and Colmes" tonight.
Now it's 8 o'clock. What now, assuming the Twins aren't playing? Michael Savage? Lars Larson? Mike Max? Personally, I recommend "When Radio Was" on 1400/1470. Oh yeah, we also can listen to KROKTALK with Chis Krok on 1500.
I don't listen to Krok much because Krok doesn't say much. I have no real reasons not to listen; I just don't hear any reasons to listen. But the MOB community seems particularly "un-fond" of Krok, and they're correct in portraying him as a light-weight. Let's just say KSTP can do better.
The Mischke Broadcast is the most classic of all local talk radio shows. If you don't get it, I can't explain it to you. The only question still debated is when: 8 pm like before or 10 pm like now? Given the vacuum at 8 pm, I'd suggest 8 pm. Plus, I believe Mischke would seek out a favorite restaurant or pub after the broadcast in those days. It seemed so right for T.D.'s style.
So, donning my "general manager" hat, I put Mischke back at 8 pm. I replay the first two hours of Garage Logic at 10 pm, making the program available to a whole new audience segment. That leaves the old Jason Lewis slot from 5-8 pm, since I would slide Rush and Garage Logic back to their old times.
Jason Lewis's show was largely politics, somewhat more local than national. His guests tended to be experts in their fields, not political types, though they tended to see things Jason's way. So you learned something almost every broadcast. I have a nomination, in fact, as shown in my dream lineup:
5 AM Bob Davis
8 AM Bob Yates
11 AM Rush Limbaugh (live)
2 PM Garage Logic (live)
5 PM David Strom
8 PM T. D. Mischke
10 PM Garage Logic (replay of 2-4 pm)
12 PM Coast to Coast AM
Bob Yates you ask? Smarter than your average liberal Boo-Boo, this guy is a radio natural who I have always enjoyed.
David Strom you ask? I really think this could work, especially in this slot, especially if he gets a good, hard-working producer. He's good and getting better on the radio Saturdays on the Patriot.
With Yates and Strom, think concept here, not so much the personalities. But I'd certainly be willing to start with them.
Thompson is smart, and is Ember's worst nightmare on At Issue. But he's better at monologue than dialogue. The great ones do both, but if you have to pick one, it's the latter you need most. And that's my point with Strom. He interacts so well with people, even across the aisle. Despite his teaching experience, he's yet to deliver anything I"d call a monologue.
I would definitely put him in for Krok, or in place of Ron and Mark. But not the "Jaosn Lewis" slot.
Almost anyone would be better than Krok, and I agree no one would be better than Mischke.
I mean this as a consumer and not as analysis, but once Jason Lewis left it gave me the REASON to find Hugh Hewitt. This drained from their listening not only that time slot, but also got me interested in Laura Ingrahms's replay. It's those ripple effects that hurt.
I wonder now how much AM1500 would be willing to offer Lewis to stay, knowing the effects of him leaving.
Also glad to see you appreciate Mischke. Like you said, if you don't get it, it can't be explained. I truly do like him better at 10pm than 8pm though. Something about the late night just fits better with him.
You can still dump Rush. His schtick is getting a bit old. The content and such is still good, but it's his delivery. He is WAY too full of himself.
I can see moving Mischke up to 8 PM again. I just hope it doesn't hurt his show. His is still the best one on 1500. If he can still get away with all the things he does at 10:00, then I say go for it. Even give him an extra hour.
As for the rebroadcast of GL, go for it. Anytime.
How about more Phil Hendrie?
Keep Davis in the morning from 5-8. Davis is a good host and one of the only guys who can even compete with the FM types.
Drop O'Connell and Rosenbaum for ANY syndicated program. I suggest Laura Ingraham, but because the Patriot already has her I'd say throw Joe O'Brian in on that slot until Paul Harvey (Who I hope outlives me) and then off to a Live Limbaugh broadcast until 2pm. Tape delaying Limbaugh may be the end of KSTP, as another station may play Limbaugh live (Which has happened before, and seriously hurt the stations doing the tape delay thing.) from 2pm until 5pm let Soucheray do his thing. Some don't like him, I do, and I like him just the way he is.
From 5pm until 8pm I'd suggest that KSTP play either Dave Thompson (Who might not ever go full time in radio do to his business) or Lars Larson, who is my favorite syndicated host next to Laura Ingraham.
8pm until 10pm Mischke.
10pm until midnight KSTP could put on a local up and comer who would be a great late night host, willing to take analysis in directions the other "cookie cutter" hosts wouldn't think of, namely, me.
(Pssst...don't tell Tony I said that)
And let George Noorey do his thing.
About that weird hour between 4 and 5 am, I think you could find something interesting to do with that. Someone like Rod Grams or Jesse Ventura or Mike Nelson or Ron Coomer or Kent Hrbek could do some sort of chatty early morning show that is really just some goofing off mixed with early news and complaints about the weather and early mornings.
No matter what, I think KSTP was a shining city on a hill that slipped into the sewer.