LOL
BLUB!
Posted on 12/09/2003 10:13:12 PM PST by JohnHuang2
MEDIA MATTERS
Democrats' radio try
sputters after 2 days
Host quits show, saying he couldn't be funny, provocative doing 'infomercial'
Posted: December 10, 2003
1:00 a.m. Eastern
© 2003 WorldNetDaily.comAn attempt by Democrats to provide an alternative to what they consider is conservative-dominated talk radio flopped after just two days when the show's host quit.
Jeff Gerbino, a comedian who hosted "High Ground" on Minneapolis' WMNN for the first two days of the show's existence said the former Democratic candidate who created the show was forcing him to make it a "shameless plug for the DFL," according to the Star Tribune newspaper. DFL is the abbreviation for what the Democratic Party is called in Minnesota, the Democrat-Farmer-Labor Party.
Despite the false start, Janet Robert, a wealthy attorney who ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. House last year, warned not to judge the show by the first two days. She told the paper the program was designed to be centrist and independent, and that "Jeff was the one that was trying to push us too far to the left."
Gerbino, however, claims Robert was scheduling only Democrats on the show. Indeed, on the show's second day, Nov. 25, one hour's guests included: Sen. Mark Dayton, U.S. Rep. Jim Oberstar, Attorney General Mike Hatch, a professor discussing the Democratic presidential field, state Rep. Tom Rukavina and author AlFranken – all Democrats, the paper reported. Gerbino described the hour as a "donkey telethon" and said Robert criticized him for not "gushing" enough over Dayton and Oberstar.
Turning the show into an "infomercial for the Democratic Party" would ring hollow for the audience and he couldn't be funny or provocative in such a format, Gerbino told the paper.
The Star Tribune reports a Democratic investment group is close to buying radio stations in five major cities to broadcast liberal talk radio and is considering hiring Franken as a host.
"High Ground" continues to be broadcast from 1-3 p.m. Central each day as guest hosts are auditioned to replace Gerbino, the report stated.
LOL
BLUB!
First off it's going to be a Clear Channel station on FM. Pittsburgh is a market that marches to it's own drummer. FM talk has been limited to religous and some NPR - if you count NPR. If CC does some promotion and makes the station visible it could be a threat to KDKA which is the Big Kahunna. It' probably won't affect little WPTT but more on that later.
Secondly Jim Quinn and Rose from WRRK are going to host the morning show. They have a big following here and are the only morning show I listen to, with the obvious exception of the stations where I work becuase, well, I'm usually there in the morning.
Quinn does a good show...keeps things interesting..and the few times he gets off track -say, doing an entire show on home schooling (worthwhile but boring) - aren't noticible. I think WRRK management was keeping his hands tied on several fronts as well. He was always complaing about the equipment but I have been in his studio and I didn't see anything wrong. One rule in Radio is "learn to work around problems". In any case CC should give him top equipment.
Thirdly is if they back up the morning show with a decent line up. LOCAL hosts would be preferred along with a couple of syndies as seasoning.
Fourth they need to have a news department. Yes it costs money, but that is returned in visiblity and credibility. They could run a national feed then use a couple of local anchors for the second news block. One thing they DON'T WANT TO DO is use METRO NEWS! Kidz playing newspeople. If I use a metro story in my newscast I do a complete re-write. It's THAT bad. One sentence I read cold comes to mind..."Overnight a car collided under the West End Bridge." It is noted however, KDKA is famous for "Someone drowned to death..."...sigh.
Lastly they are going to have to live with the fact it sin't going to work overnight. Our older demographics don't change stations. Heck, most of them don't even know about FM.
Now to Democrat, Leftists radio. We have a couple...Mike Romigh on KDKA in the evening is one...and there are a couple of fill-ins as well on KDKA. Mike pulls decent ratings but the traditional Lefty in Pittsburgh radio has to be Lynn Cullen on WPTT. I see her every once in a while and she HATES me no end. Maybe hate isn't the word, I think I threaten her...she sees me in the hall and gets frightened what with my uncombed hair, beard and right wing rants.
Her afternoon show is typical of what lefty radio can expect. Even here in the belly of American socialism she only pulls a few hundred listeners...we call it her Coffee Clatch.
They're dedidcated and vocal but her style of leftist propaganda just doesn't have wide appeal, even here. It's the same thing with National Democrat radio. They can spew all they want but they'll only attract they're Coffee Clatch. Ask Jim Hightower.
prisoner6
Hate radio should be best left to the professionals, not aspiring leftist Rush Limbaugh wannabes.
The most successful radio jocks I've known and listened to tend to either be strongly rooted Conservatives and those who will swear on The Bible they have no party affiliation whatsoever, who will venture all over the political spectrum at a moments notice. (much like the average voter with a conscience). These independent minded thinkers will call Bush and/or Clinton on the carpet on any number of issues.
I may not agree with the jock or the callers, but it's very stimulating talk radio.
But I suspect a great many are like my brother-in-law who is a public school teacher and a strong Dem supporter. But if you would listen to him talk about society's problems, you might conclude that he's a Republican. He only votes for Dems because of his allegiance to the Teachers Union. My conclusion is that there are many Dems like him.
Another thing we can do that is very effective and helpful is open our own local internet forums. Mini FRs all over infesting locally what FR does on a national scale.
FR helped me build it up and in turn I've driven a bunch of people over to FR. I'm really starting to like the keyword "network" more and more as time goes on. Networks undermine establishments and support those that exist within them.
And its listenership has never grown past the size of a People's Front of Mumia cell. In fact, it's audience is probably half GOPers tuning in for laughs.
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