Posted on 09/15/2006 2:24:28 AM PDT by pookie18
With One High Profile Name Leading The Way, A Significant Post-Merger Exodus Looks Increasingly Likely At ABC Radio.
As you may know, the rumor mill has been in overdrive for months. And now, it appears there is substance behind the chatter. Radio's story of the year, what will happen when Citadel finally merges its operations with that of ABC Radio, seems at last to be taking shape.
And right out of the gate, we have an earthquake: news that Sean Hannity is extremely likely to leave ABC Radio Networks, as soon as it is contractually possible.
That means Hannity, one of the country's most important talk show hosts, would be free of the combined operation as soon as one year from its completion date. Or, by mutual agreement, it could happen even earlier.
Either way, it's a near certainty that the conservative talker and FOX News Channel television host will be moving his base of radio operations somewhere else.
In addition, there are strong indications that a number of additional hosts and managers may also depart Citadel's ABC operation, some by choice and others due to the company's change of direction. Since contractual dates and terms differ, however, exits could be spread out gradually, rather than as one sudden exodus.
One outside source sympathetic to the plight of ABC's staffers told me they have a right to be paranoid: "...there have been many unhappy faces around the ABC watercooler, fearing that Citadel will make the kind of changes that will thwart their efforts of making good radio. Most industry personnel would be nervous at the thought of a takeover, but the ABC staffers, most of whom have been there for many years, have valid concerns," according to the observer.
Which side?
According to insiders with knowledge of the situation, the issue apparently isn't one of unhappiness by Hannity, the indications of dissatisfaction are instead coming from Citadel's side of the fence.
What are they and why is Hannity one of the first to potentially depart? One issue could be ratings: Sean's have been a mixed bag across the country this year, strong in some places, weak in others.
But the same could be said about Rush and almost every other syndicated political talker. Clearly, the market is saturated with far too many of them. Many firms have signed up talent seemingly without regard for audience demand and there simply aren’t enough stations for all of them.
With hot election year contests now underway, however, the fall book should show gains almost across the board. Already, we've seen some unusually heated primary battles in key races, which gave talkers an early dose of excitement to pick apart.
But there's simply no denying that talk radio, particularly on the syndicated side, is in a slump. Beyond the low-hanging fruit that emerges when big things happen, picking compelling topics the rest of the time is a challenge. Increasingly, creativity has gone out the window, making way for news event- driven talk. That approach makes generating consistent ratings growth difficult.
Another theory behind Hannity’s departure is that it could simply represent a philosophy shift by ABC's incoming owners. Another source has told me that Citadel is likely to favor more local talk on ABC's stations than has been the case recently, particularly on stations as large as WABC in New York City.
An obvious way to increase local programming would be to add it during the afternoon drive timeslot, a place Sean occupies on the East Coast. That means that Hannity may not just be looking for a new syndicator, but also new affiliates in some or all of ABC's markets.
Also, the mixed track record of ABC's owned-and-operated news/talk stations can't be ignored. While some continue to dominate their local ratings, others have been troubled for years, seemingly without much attention paid by the company. Why did they allow KABC in Los Angeles to slowly deteriorate over time? As hard as it may be to remember now, at one time there was actually a horse race between KFI and KABC, but the latter lost the fight long ago.
Lastly, the elephant in the room is painted green. It could NOT be said that Citadel has a history of paying top-dollar for air talent, in fact the situation has been quite the opposite, compared to other firms. It's very possible that some of ABC's talkers (and managers) are simply making more than Citadel is willing to accept, particularly with a declining ratings and revenue picture.
We'll be keeping track of every merger development here at Inside Radio
Old, stale and tiresome.
The ABCNews top of the hour has been bad for the last seven or eight years. One stupid bit of lefty drivel after another. I could never understand how they could put on such a bunch of lefty biased news when their on-air talent is mostly from the right side of the spectrum. It seems like it would just annoy the audience. I know it annoys me.
Hannity's on from 7-10 p.m. here.
I used to work at a ABC Radio affilated station back in the early 1990's. They still have the same on-air talent now as they did back then. Doug Limerick comes to mind, Bob Schmidt is another.
My point is, it's not the talent of ABC Radio News that's shifted left, it's the copy writing department (those who prepare the script of the 5 minute newscast) that have shifted left.
Sean rarely does that. He spends more time promoting books of the many conservative authors that he has on radio and H & C as guests.
Hannity's OK if there's nothing else to listen to and you want background noise. Fortunately, ever since another talk station opened up in my market, Hannity is totally unnecessary.
Quite frankly, the reason i don't listen much
more than i do, is because i can't stand the
5 minures of commecials tp 1 minute of show
ratio, that both Limbaugh and Hannity have.
Geez...It's no wonder Hannity is begging for
"only 3 hrs"...I mean...that's 20 minutes of
him "working", and 2 hrs and 20 minutes of
ad gravy...
Of course, he doesn't have a book out at the moment to hump.
That is a false statement.
Actually I find Rush more informative, engaging and entertaining than Hannity. Hannity would threaten "shoot outs" with some nitwit liberal, and end up getting his ass handed to him at the end of the "shoot out" and he'd thank them for being on the show. Rush tries to convert or educate them. Guys like Michael Medved allow liberals on his show and by the time they're done spouting their nonsense, he's eviscerated them with their own phony logic.
I just wish XM AmericaRight would lose Dr. Laura and put someone out of that group, in the time slot.
You must be listening to some other Sean Hannity if you think all he does is stump for his books...he rarely mentions them, actually, noting they are both now out of print...he has valid weak points, as addressed by others in this thread, but your criticism is simply a canard...
John Batchelor has also just left ABC. He was on late (9pm-1am) so many of you may not know of him but he was by far the most interesting and informed (non-political) show on any tv or radio. He's due back somewhere, sometime later this year.( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Batchelor)
That's about all I'd give ABC News. I turn off their news a lot too, as well as some commentary by Steve somebody.
I used to listen to Radio Canada on SW when it was on at 6PM, and I'd swear the 5 minutes of general US news
was just regurgitated ABC propaganda. There was no difference.
I'm not a big Hannity fan. Way too much self promotion and repetition, and not enough meat. Basically, he's a last resort if sports bump Howie Carr.
I guess AAR was bouncing between a couple of stations, but who can take Randi Rhodes? Might be interesting
to listen, or to see if she's still on the air later today.
Who knows, maybe they can rip-off another children's charity to keep going a tad longer.
Ann Compton is the worst. Just when you're really getting into Rush, on she comes with her demo talking points.
Exaggeration maybe..but not false.
That may explain some of the changes I've noticed of late on WABC in NYC -- Bob Brinker was replaced last Sunday by some other financial program (the "I'm debt free" guy) and Laura Ingram has not been in her usual time slot.
I stopped listening to Hannity live (on the web) and now listen to Medved (on the web), most of the time. I find Prager to be a good substitute when Rush is on vacation. They replay Hannity at 6:00 pm here locally, so I (often) listen to him on my way home.
I still like Boortz the most, though. I'm surprised I don't see his name (here) very often.
You listen to him..are you really trying
to tell me that there are not times that
you forget what the heck program you are
waiting through all the commercials for,
to be able to hear?
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