Posted on 12/07/2006 7:26:46 AM PST by ItsTheMediaStupid
News/talk station WGST-AM (640) dumped its entire local personality staff Tuesday, including veteran talk-show hosts Tom Hughes and Kim "The Kimmer" Peterson.
Starting Tuesday afternoon, the station began airing syndicated personalities from out of town, a much cheaper alternative for a station whose ratings and revenues have dropped precipitously in recent years. WGST ranked 20th in the Atlanta market among listeners 25 to 54 over the summer, according to Arbitron.
Management is keeping only syndicated giant Rush Limbaugh in its daytime lineup. Limbaugh, the nation's biggest talk-show personality, has the only program pulling in passable ratings at WGST.
"We haven't been as successful as we have hoped to have been at GST," said Chuck Deskins, market manager for Clear Channel Atlanta. "We're making changes to try to better position ourselves in the marketplace."
A Wall Street Journal financial show replaces Hughes, who's been at WGST on and off for nearly 30 years, from
5 to 8 a.m. Cincinnati-based talk show host Mike McConnell takes over for Denny Schaffer from 8 a.m. to noon. Dave Ramsey, a Brentwood, Tenn., financially oriented talk host, grabs the 3-7 p.m. slot from Peterson, who was hired at GST in 1992.
Schaffer, the mid-morning host who's been at the station for 14 months, was informed of his firing Tuesday after his show was over. He said he didn't see it coming. "I'm going to enjoy the holiday, love my family and get on my knees and see what God has for me," he said.
Hughes was the only personality who got to say goodbye on the air. "Things could have been done differently, mercy yes," he told listeners. "But I do know it's not your fault, not you out there listening."
Before signing off, he quoted a famous World War II song: "Til we meet once again, you and I, wish me luck as you wave me goodbye."
In the 1990s, GST was a solid second behind dominant news/talk station WSB-AM, especially when it was simulcast on the FM dial at 105.7. But when GST lost its FM signal in 2000 to a rock-music format, GST's ratings began to slide, exacerbated by the loss of listeners outside the Perimeter who couldn't pick up the AM signal, especially at night.
When GST grabbed the Atlanta Braves broadcasts in 2005, it didn't help the station, since many people chose to listen to the games simulcast on 96rock (WKLS-FM) instead. As revenues dropped, GST cut news people and support staff for many of the personalities, especially Peterson. The station will still air the Braves next season.
Mike Rose, who worked as Peterson's producer from 1992 to 1996, said the Kimmer thrived as a patriotic war veteran, a former Marine with a jokey demeanor and several catchphrases such as "Semper Fi" and "Gotta go. You're killing me!" Peterson was unavailable for comment Tuesday.
"People think he was dumbing down to play to the audience," Rose said, "but you could hear there was good subtle satire on the show."
Neal Boortz, who worked at WGST for many years before moving to WSB-AM in 1992, said "the real raw deal is Tom Hughes. He's a class act, a great news man. I hate to see him go."
Michael Harrison, editor for trade publication Talkers magazine, said syndication is a common option for struggling stations. "You could save the cost of an entire salary, not to mention production and support staff," he noted.
After Thanksgiving I assumed the Kimmer was taking a long holiday or was out because of his prostate cancer, I guess I missed the news. I was supprised this was not posted so I thought I would even though its late.
I hope the jarhead lands on his feet with a good gig somewhere...
OooH-RAH!! Kimmer...
Semper Fi...
The times I've listed to McConnell recently haven't seemed to be as good after he was syndicated. It seems like he is losing some of his local flavor by going national.
Even "Mikey's Sad Christmas" has lost some of the bitterness it had when he first came on the air. I wish I had a recording of it from fifteen years ago.
I did a search for Kimmer, Kim Peterson, and GST. I didn't see the article. Where is it posted?
No biggie... I may have faulty remembers...
Know they covered it locally as well...
Raw deal either way... at the end of a normal show day
YOUR ALL DONE... C YA!
I was shocked by this. I listen to Boortz in the morning, Rush in the afternoon, and listened to the Kimmer until the WGST signal disappeared around 5:30.
I still listen to Rush on GST, and will as long as he's there.
They should put the Kimmer on TV. He is sooooo much better than Glenn Beck. I mean he is not on an intellectual plane like Rush or even Glen Beck, but he is soooo funny. Maybe put him on the Comedy Channel.
I was listening to Levin on streaming whenever WBAP played hockey games. Now have I no backup? I think WCBM is the same time slot.
WGST is in Georgia not Texas.
Clear channel has made a mess of WGST. Started when they started that Planet Radio hype. Then getting rid of the FM signal. What came of the new FM station? It apparently did nothing and now its a Spanish language station. Should have put that on the AM? I doubt the Spanish language station made up the differance. It would have worked if WGST had the power WSB does, then you could hear it in the suburbs and at night.
What's "The Perimeter" and why does it have such an important-sounding capitalized name?
I turned it on in the car a couple Sundays ago, and there were two leftist wackos discussing how evil the Bush administration and the GOP are.
That was it for me. I can listen to Rush somewhere else.
Beltway, the interstate bypass that circles the city. I-285
In Atlanta you are ITP or OTP (Inside/Outside the Perimiter)
I wrote GST a letter informing them of my disgust with this and have removed them from the memory on my home and car radios.
Then, they added yet another mentally challenged, deceitful liberal commentator or PSA after him.
And then, they added her Perkiness's "notebook" a few minutes after that. (What's CBS trying to do? Remind
people what an idiot Couric is shortly before the what used to be the evening news so they remember not to watch?)
I turn the radio off, and don't necessarily remember to turn it back on.
I thought WGST was Fox not CBS? Heck I don't remember, they were ABC when they were in their heyday. Now they are CBS? I didn't know Clear channel was a lib company?
Right, in most cities they call this the beltway or bypass. I have been toole i is called the Perimiter, with a very important military sounding name, because it is almost on the same perimiter they were trying to keep Sherman out of back during the Civil War.
The local CC station used to carry CNN news, but switched to Fox News Radio. They also carry Imus (MSNBC) in the morning.
I have no idea what WGST carried/carries.
I miss the Kimmer.
I'd like to see him get on a station I can pick up, whether radio or TV.
Do I ever agree with you on the mess GST has made!
The CC FM station (FM 96.5 I believe) abruptly became a Spanish station, although for a while it carried the Braves. It may still carry the Braves broadcast because of the simple fact that the GST signal goes nowhere at night, but I almost never even check to see.
GST did switch to Fox News from ABC. They're still with Fox.
Uh. Yeah. I guess I knew that the first time I read "Atlanta" on their website.
You might notice I was referring to "streaming."
This is not referring to what I did after a few beers behind the barn.
WGST and WCBM and WBAP all run (ran) Levin from 6-8 Central time on the web, so I could listen after Britt Hume's show. The internet doesn't care where a radio stations tower is located. Capiche?
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