Ping: JIMGA Re: FreeFM RIP

[Toddzilla]

WJFK is starting to skew towards sports - picking up Maryland basketball and football starting this fall - so Jim Rome actually fits pretty well. The Junkies and D&M have always had a sports edge to them (both crews even used to do the Redskins pre-game show, right?).

It's just another step closer to turning WJFK into a full-blown sports-talker.

[wade moore]

Originally Posted by Toddzilla

WJFK is starting to skew towards sports - picking up Maryland basketball and football starting this fall - so Jim Rome actually fits pretty well. The Junkies and D&M have always had a sports edge to them (both crews even used to do the Redskins pre-game show, right?).

It's just another step closer to turning WJFK into a full-blown sports-talker.

I just don't see that... Light sports, but I don't see full-blown sport-stalker.. there's already an ESPN station (with as crappy a signal as it is, it's still ESPN) and Sportstalk 980.. I don't think they're crazy enough to think the market can support a 3rd sports talker...

That being said, you do make a point.. Rome certainly fits in better than O'rly did... The Junkies have shifted away from sports (hell, taking "Sports Junkies" out of their name), but certainly do lean sports... I think it would be a bit of a stretch to say that D&M lean sports... Mike knows baseball and that's IT.. Buzz knows nothing of sports.. Rob not much better... and Don is a pretty big sports fan.. they talk about it maybe once a week, maybe a little more often during football...

and O&A aren't sports at all really..

Anyway, certainly a better fit than O'Rly...

[DanGarion]

97.1 KLSX has officially stopped calling themselves FreeFM. They are now "The FM Talk" Station.

[DanGarion]

Ok looks to be official here in LA, FreeFM is now dead! KLSX changing formats on Friday at 5:00 PM!!!!

AMP Radio Coming to LA



(February 18, 2009) On Friday afternoon at 5 p.m. Tom Leykis passes the baton from a dozen years as the FM Talk Station, KLSX, to AMP Radio. Playing “All the Hits,” AMP RADIO will kick off a music-intensive 10,000 songs in a row from artists such as Justin Timberlake, Beyonce, Rihanna, T.I., Kanye West, Usher, Britney, Pink, Kelly Clarkson, and Katy Perry.



FM Talk Radio with Adam Carolla, Frosty/Heidi & Frank, Tom Leykis, Tim Conway, Jr., and John & Jeff will be airing their last shows in the next 48 hours. Jack Silver, KLSX pd, will be leaving the station with the format change.

[JonInMiddleGA]

And in connection with this flip, the syndicated Adam Carolla morning show ceases syndication effective 2/20, with Best-of shows available to affiliates through the end of the month, meaning stations in about a dozen markets will suddenly be looking for new morning shows.

Being 27th in the 12+ numbers as an FM Talker -- and I can't imagine the number were all that much better in the adult demos -- this can't be a surprise to hardly anyone anywhere. They were the 5th rated news/talk station in the market for crying out loud, even the country station in the market was doubling them up in the ratings.

[lordscarlet]

Originally Posted by wade moore

I just don't see that... Light sports, but I don't see full-blown sport-stalker.. there's already an ESPN station (with as crappy a signal as it is, it's still ESPN) and Sportstalk 980.. I don't think they're crazy enough to think the market can support a 3rd sports talker...

That being said, you do make a point.. Rome certainly fits in better than O'rly did... The Junkies have shifted away from sports (hell, taking "Sports Junkies" out of their name), but certainly do lean sports... I think it would be a bit of a stretch to say that D&M lean sports... Mike knows baseball and that's IT.. Buzz knows nothing of sports.. Rob not much better... and Don is a pretty big sports fan.. they talk about it maybe once a week, maybe a little more often during football...

and O&A aren't sports at all really..

Anyway, certainly a better fit than O'Rly...

Where have you been, Williamsburg? 980 is ESPN now.

And Don was big into sports and did the Redskins pre-game. Mike never did. It is now the Mike O'Meara show with a supporting cast that largely doesn't know how many points you get for a field goal.

The Junkies, obviously, have a sports lean -- they started as "The Sports Junkies", but they've gotten away from that to fit in with the rest of the lineup.

[wade moore]

Originally Posted by lordscarlet

Where have you been, Williamsburg? 980 is ESPN now.

Well sure, but it wasn't in July of 2007.

And Don was big into sports and did the Redskins pre-game. Mike never did. It is now the Mike O'Meara show with a supporting cast that largely doesn't know how many points you get for a field goal.

The Junkies, obviously, have a sports lean -- they started as "The Sports Junkies", but they've gotten away from that to fit in with the rest of the lineup.

Which just supports my statement.

[lordscarlet]

Originally Posted by wade moore

Well sure, but it wasn't in July of 2007.

doh.

Originally Posted by wade moore

Which just supports my statement.

yes, that's why I wrote it.

[wade moore]

So, two different rumors floating around (both on dcrtv, so some may disregard it) ...

Both revolve around an April 1 format flip for WJFK.

More Rumors: JFK To Go Sports With Junks & Maybe Riggo This Spring - 3/11 - Don't "shoot" the messenger. Just reportin' what we hear. We get this from a very well-connected DC radio source: "Look for the WJFK flip to occur in early April to a sports/talk format which was previously reported on this site. The Junkies will remain intact. Ongoing negotiations for the other drive time slot will most likely include an ex-Redskin Hall Of Fame player. His old jersey number began with a four and ended with a four." John Riggins did an afternoon radio show on the old Triple X sports talker. More soon.....

More: JFK Format Flip Coming - 3/13 - A DCRTVer tells us: Former WJFKers Opie and Anthony "started off their (Sirius XM) show today with Jim Norton saying that WJFK is flipping formats on April 1. All the guys had nice things to say about the talent on the station, even Don (Geronimo), but that the (guy talk) station was flipping to either (contemporary hit) Now or Amp 106.7 on April 1"......

This combined with some VERY heavy allusions by Big O and Dukes this week that they won't be on the air much longer have me very worried about the future of WJFK.

I'd be upset to see WJFK go away for many reasons. But in the end the biggest thing is - I won't have shit to listen to. My car ride listening is ct & jivin and WJFK podcasts.

ugh.

[lordscarlet]

Not to mention that we have grown up with WJFK talk for.. 15 or 20 years.

[DanGarion]

Got this in my Email today from LARP (LA Radio Personalities).

Adam Carolla goes from canceled to podcast king
Ex-KLSX talker is No. 1 on iTunes

By Derrik J. Lang, LADaily News, 3.28
Sitting inside his palatial Hollywood Hills mansion, Adam Carolla and his talk show host pal Jimmy Kimmel chat candidly — in a frenetic, almost stream-of-consciousness way — about pornography, Siegfried and Roy, the modeling industry, gay rodeos and the children's book "Where the Wild Things Are."

The former hosts of Comedy Central's "The Man Show" are comfortably slouched on brown leather chairs inside Carolla's office upstairs, where a pink box overflowing with childrens' toys sits in the corner. A totally casual affair, it seems — except that each is wearing a bulky headset, making them look as if they're monitoring air traffic or playing "Gears of War" online.

The headsets are, in fact, recording the uncensored conversation for Carolla's daily podcast, an endeavor the 44-year-old radio and TV personality launched last month after his popular syndicated morning radio show was canceled when CBS switched the format of KLSX from talk to pop music.

"They didn't cancel KLSX and my show because we weren't popular," says Carolla. "I didn't feel an ounce of 'I'll show you! I'll go and do a podcast, and you guys will rue the day!' I understood they paid us a lot of money, and if they just play Justin Timberlake and Rihanna, they'll save themselves a few bucks. That's the climate we're living in these days."

If large audience for his long-form rants was what Carolla was after, then not even he is rueing that day.

Since launching Feb. 25, "The Adam Carolla Podcast" has frequently been the No. 1 podcast on iTunes, which doesn't release download numbers but ranks its offerings according to popularity. The show has consistently charted ahead of such staples as NPR's "This American Life," HBO's "Real Time with Bill Maher," "The Ricky Gervais Podcast" and President Barack Obama's weekly address.

Carolla was surprised as anyone else by the sudden success of his minimalist venture.

"Last week, we had over 3 million hits, and I don't know exactly how those work, but we have a system that measures your hits, and I've seen them steadily going up," says Carolla. "Whatever it is, it's new. It's exciting. You don't get 'The Tonight Show' kinda numbers or audience or whatever. We're doing well for a podcast. If we were a TV show, I'm sure we'd be pulled off the air."

The bare-bones production is recorded in real time in his home and has no music, commericals, sound effects or editing. Each episode features just one celebrity guest, and thus far has attracted the likes of Tom Arnold, "The Soup" host Joel McHale, "Family Guy" creator Seth MacFarlane and comedians such as David Alan Grier, Dana Gould and Aisha Tyler.

"We haven't missed a day yet," boasts Carolla. "It's like dating. If you like me, I'll like you back. I'll keep growing the show based on other people's commitment to it. If people find the show, like the show and want more of the show, then I'll oblige. If they taper off and don't show an interest anymore, then I'm not going to show an interest in it anymore."

The podcast has been part of an unexpected evolution for the season six "Dancing with the Stars" contestant, a radio veteran best known as the co-host of "Loveline," the syndicated radio show and MTV series featuring Dr. Drew Pinsky, and as the disc jockey who replaced Howard Stern in 12 markets after the shock jock departed for satellite radio in 2006.

Carolla, who is currently working on a CBS comedy pilot, is still mulling how to monetize the production, which he estimates cost him $3,000 a month to produce. He would prefer to charge a subscription fee than woo advertisers, so that he can continue to liberally rant and use whatever explicit language he deems necessary. For now, there's no turning back.

"This feels really good, and it would feel really hard to go back and do terrestrial radio or even satellite radio," says Carolla. "I don't think satellite is in any position to hire new talent these days, and terrestrial radio would feel very limiting after this. My wish, hope and goal is to grow this, so that we have our own show and our own community."

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Toddzilla

It's just another step closer to turning WJFK into a full-blown sports-talker.

And if the rumors are right, who had about two years from this post in the office pool?

from today's Tom Taylor newsletter (available at radio-info.com)
The D.C. board at Radio-Info.com has been asking "what's taking them so long?" – and now the Washington Post's Paul Farhi says the conversion will happen in July. He has sources "involved in the change" and he supplies the names of two people CBS has chatted with about hosting shows – well-regarded former Redskins linebacker and 3-time Pro Bowler LaVar Arrington, and Washington Post columnist Mike Wise. But a "Fan" or a "Ticket" wouldn't have to worry about mornings. WJFK's current "Junkies" show would fit right in. The guys actually began as "The Sports Junkies" and later broadened their topics. WJFK also has the NHL Capitals and Maryland ACC basketball to build on. A new Fan or Ticket would bump shoulder pads with the only English-language sports radio game in town – all-sports "ESPN 980" WTEM, part of the Red Zebra group controlled by Redskins team owner Daniel Snyder. (Red Zebra also operates Spanish-language "ESPN Deportes 730" WXTR.) Folks have worried about the stranglehold Snyder has on access to his football team, and about his owning the local sports radio franchise. Next month – that changes. In the latest PPMs (April), WTEM had a 1.8 AQH share, ages 6+. WJFK was below that with a 1.6. So unless there's lots of hidden billing there now, blowing up talker WJFK – created as a provocatively-named outlet for Howard Stern – isn't a risky roll of the dice.

[wade moore]

Yeah, been reading about this this morning.

The mid-day show, Big O and Dukes, has quickly become my favorite radio show by a mile. They're in BIG trouble if the show makes a format flip to sports.

The interesting thing is that WJFK has been seeing a pretty good uptick in the PPMs in the may numbers.

[Kodos]

They're no CT & Jivin.

[wade moore]

Originally Posted by Kodos

They're no CT & Jivin.

Yeah, you're right, they actually do shows..

[wade moore]

In all seriousness - they have a lot similar to ct&j in their content, etc... part of why I like them..

And also in all seriousness, it's hard for me to list a show as my favorite when it has had like 2 podcasts in the last 2 months. You will not find a bigger ct&j fan than me, but them's the breaks.

[Kodos]

Yeah, I'm hoping they get re-employed soon and that reinvigorates them to get back into the podcast.

[lordscarlet]

Originally Posted by wade moore

Yeah, you're right, they actually do shows..

Someone call the burn unit...

[wade moore]

It's generally not a good sign when the host of a show on the radio station is making a twitter post that points you to a twitter account called "SaveWJFK".

[wade moore]

Bad, Bad, Bad day for my radio/podcasting enjoyment. The last standing "Guy Talker" is dead.

http://www.dcrtv.com/pr.html

7/14/09 - WASHINGTON, D.C.’S FM SPORTS STATION, SPORTSRADIO 106.7 THE FAN, LAUNCHES ON MONDAY, JULY 20... D.C.’s Newest FM Sports Station To Feature Established Morning Drive Talent, The Sports Junkies, In Addition To Washington Post Columnist Mike Wise, Sports Connoisseur Bill Rohland, Former Washington Redskins Linebacker Lavar Arrington And WJFK’s Chad Dukes... Sportsradio 106.7 To Serve As The Flagship Station Of The Washington Wizards... On Monday, July 20 at 6:00AM, WJFK-FM will become “Sportsradio 106.7 The Fan,” D.C.’s newest home for local sports talk and play-by-play coverage. The FM sports station, available on-air at 106.7, online at CBSSports.com Sports News, Fantasy Scores, Sports Video and through a variety of mobile outlets including the iPhone, iPod Touch and select Blackberry devices, features a number of the area’s favorite personalities, athletes and analysts. WJFK favorites, The Sports Junkies, will remain in morning drive, and will add to the local sports coverage provided by talent such as Washington Post columnist Mike Wise, local sports expert Bill Rohland, former Washington Redskins linebacker Lavar Arrington and WJFK mainstay Chad Dukes. Besides offering the biggest names in D.C. sports, Sportsradio 106.7 The Fan will also serve as the flagship station for the NBA’s Washington Wizards. The station will air all regular, pre- and post-season games, as well as pre- and post-game shows. Dave Johnson will be the broadcast voice for the team’s play-by-play, while Glenn Consor will provide analysis. The station will also broadcast Westwood One’s NFL play-by-play coverage, including Thursday night, Sunday afternoon, Sunday night and Monday Night Football, the NFL Playoffs and Super Bowl XLIV. Additionally, Sportsradio 106.7 will provide D.C. sports fans with the most comprehensive online local sports coverage, powered by CBSSports.com (www.cbssports.com). This extensive sports destination will feature an array of local content including blogs from the station’s personalities, sports videos, scores, polls, message boards, community groups and the most up-to-date sports news, as well as on-air schedules, team schedules and talent information. Sportsradio 106.7 will also cater to and engage its audience of Washington based sports fans through the implementation and use of social networking sites such as Twitter (Twitter / ?, Facebook and Myspace (www.myspace.com/1067thefandc). Through these multiple avenues and platforms, fans will be able to listen to Sportsradio 106.7 from virtually anywhere and connect with its hosts, fans and fellow listeners for a new kind of interactive radio experience. “It is an honor to bring fans in the D.C. area a new outlet to discuss, analyze and listen to their favorite teams, as well as the best in local sports. With CBS RADIO’s recent success in the FM sports arena, along with the Company’s world renowned AM sports stations, Sportsradio 106.7 The Fan is poised to be the next generation of sports programming for our area,” said Sam Rogers, Senior Vice President and Market Manager of CBS RADIO Washington, D.C. The weekday programming schedule on Sportsradio 106.7 The Fan is as follows: 5:00-10:00AM: The Sports Junkies... 10:00AM-2:00PM: Mike Wise and Bill Rohland... 2:00-6:00PM: The Lavar Arrington Show with Chad Dukes... The Sports Junkies: The four biggest sports fans in D.C. have ruled the area airwaves since debuting at night on WJFK over a decade ago. EB, JP, Lurch, and Cakes are childhood friends who started a radio show in 1996. They have since dominated the ratings in multiple dayparts, and will continue their successful run in mornings on WJFK, where they have been heard since January 2006. The Mike Wise Show: Washington Post columnist Mike Wise brings his unique take on D.C. sports to the airwaves. Wise is joined by George Mason University basketball play-by-play man and radio vet Bill Rohland for their new show, weekdays 10:00AM-2:00PM. The Lavar Arrington Show with Chad Dukes: Lavar Arrington was one of the most outspoken Washington Redskins in the last decade. Now D.C. sports fans can hear what he has to say every afternoon from 2:00-6:00PM. Arrington is joined by Chad Dukes, a lifelong D.C. sports fan who most recently hosted middays at WJFK. About WJFK-FM: WJFK-FM is owned and operated by CBS RADIO, one of the largest major-market radio operators in the United States. A division of CBS Corporation, CBS RADIO operates 134 radio stations, the majority of which are in the nation's top 50 markets. In addition to WJFK, CBS RADIO owns and operates WTGB-FM, WLZL-FM, WHFS-AM and WPGC-FM in Washington, D.C.

I had recently become a very big fan of the mid-day show (Big O and Dukes).

Chad Dukes will stay on with Lavar, but that feels like a train wreck of a show waiting to happen.

[Logan]

Why can't PR people appreciate line breaks?

[wade moore]

I thought about cleaning it up, but decided I didn't care enough .

[Subby]

Very happy about this switch - having more than one sportstalker is a great thing.

And I think this is still going to be guy talk - particularly the Junkies.

[Subby]

Originally Posted by wade moore

I thought about cleaning it up, but decided I didn't care enough .

You are like Count Dooku to BEL's Sith Lord.

[wade moore]

Originally Posted by Subby

Very happy about this switch - having more than one sportstalker is a great thing.

And I think this is still going to be guy talk - particularly the Junkies.

I imagine the Junkies will change very little. However, I had started to stray from them more and more. So, I imagine I'll listen to them more again.

I can't see the WaPo guy being very guy-talk heavy.

Lavar and Dukes I suppose COULD be. I'm actually not sure how that works. Having heard Lavar in the past as a guest on the Thompson show, he seems like a very poor fit for the easily excitable, vulgar, over the top Dukes imo. But, it may work.

[lordscarlet]

Originally Posted by Subby

Very happy about this switch - having more than one sportstalker is a great thing.

And I think this is still going to be guy talk - particularly the Junkies.

No one listens to the current sportstalker, though. What good will two do? Perhaps they'll do better because they're on FM, and perhaps some carryover fans of the guy talker. But outside of the Junkies it will not be the same shows.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by wade moore

I had recently become a very big fan of the mid-day show (Big O and Dukes). Chad Dukes will stay on with Lavar, but that feels like a train wreck of a show waiting to happen.

From the WaPo media blogger, they're also rumored to be trying to hire John Riggins to add some more fuel to the anti-Snyder or at least alterna-Synder flames.

From a Q&A on that same blog, Oscar Santana (aka Big O) "has been offered a job at one of the other local CBS stations (which include WPGC, WLZL and "Fresh94.7"). Not sure which station or what job, however."

Also seems pretty sure thing that Mike O'Meara (of Don & Mike fame) is pretty much done at least with any CBS station and perhaps in the market altogether at least for the foreseeable future.

[wade moore]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

From the WaPo media blogger, they're also rumored to be trying to hire John Riggins to add some more fuel to the anti-Snyder or at least alterna-Synder flames.

He wasn't popular on other stations, not sure why he'd magically be popular now.

From a Q&A on that same blog, Oscar Santana (aka Big O) "has been offered a job at one of the other local CBS stations (which include WPGC, WLZL and "Fresh94.7"). Not sure which station or what job, however."

Hope he gets a gig. I felt he was a solid straight-man DJ.

Also seems pretty sure thing that Mike O'Meara (of Don & Mike fame) is pretty much done at least with any CBS station and perhaps in the market altogether.

According to dcrtv.com, Westwood One has put out a note to affiliates that there will be 30 days of "best of" and then the show discontinued. No big loss there imo, the MOM show was awful in my opinion and I loved D&M.

[Subby]

O'Meara has a non-compete so he won't be heard from for a while, I am guessing.

[wade moore]

Originally Posted by Subby

O'Meara has a non-compete so he won't be heard from for a while, I am guessing.

I think it depends. If it is of similar language to Don Geronimo's, he may go that route - go to a market without CBS in it. I wouldn't be COMPLETELY shocked to see Mike join Don, but I doubt it.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by wade moore

He wasn't popular on other stations, not sure why he'd magically be popular now.

That strikes me as more about adding another piece to the station image (assuming Riggo would be unkind to Snyder having recently been fired) instead of generating ratings directly.

As a poster at the end of that blog Q&A mentioned, this really isn't a move about setting the woods on fire, it's a move about improving station profitability (and/or potential for profit). And what they were doing clearly didn't work in that regard, at least this incarnation hasn't officially failed yet. I thought that poster there put it pretty well, basically that this isn't about a great option, it's about the least bad option.

[wade moore]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

That strikes me as more about adding another piece to the station image (assuming Riggo would be unkind to Snyder having recently been fired) instead of generating ratings directly.

As a poster at the end of that blog Q&A mentioned, this really isn't a move about setting the woods on fire, it's a move about improving station profitability (and/or potential for profit). And what they were doing clearly didn't work in that regard, at least this incarnation hasn't officially failed yet. I thought that poster there put it pretty well, basically that this isn't about a great option, it's about the least bad option.

You'd know about that better than me, but WTEM was consistently running in line with WJFK in the PPM's. On top of that, it seemed (and I'm biased) like the listening audience for WJFK was pretty darned active rather than passive.

Just seems like not much of a potential net gain to me, especially since now they'll actually have direct competition for their format.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by wade moore

You'd know about that better than me, but WTEM was consistently running in line with WJFK in the PPM's. On top of that, it seemed (and I'm biased) like the listening audience for WJFK was pretty darned active rather than passive. Just seems like not much of a potential net gain to me, especially since now they'll actually have direct competition for their format.

They've had problems more than once over the years with fully capitalizing on their ratings as I recall.

I know for certain that the perception of a sports talk audience is better than the perception of the audience for guy talk (perceived as more affluent, more mature, more substantial, etc) and that can make the difference in being included in a spot buy or not as well as the what portion of that buy you end up getting. This change will definitely open more doors for their sales reps, doors that were closed to them previously.

[wade moore]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

They've had problems more than once over the years with fully capitalizing on their ratings as I recall.

I know for certain that the perception of a sports talk audience is better than the perception of the audience for guy talk (perceived as more affluent, more mature, more substantial, etc) and that can make the difference in being included in a spot buy or not as well as the what portion of that buy you end up getting. This change will definitely open more doors for their sales reps, doors that were closed to them previously.

That makes sense. I definitely realize that not all "ratings" are created equal here. So potential any amount gained from having "active" listeners is lost by what their core audience is.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by wade moore

That makes sense. I definitely realize that not all "ratings" are created equal here. So potential any amount gained from having "active" listeners is lost by what their core audience is.

Pretty much, and the difference in dollars in a major market can be substantial. With media spending tighter than it's been in more than 60 years, you really don't want to be eliminating yourself from opportunities before you even get to have a conversation.

Here's last week's national radio top tens (and a number of these national campaigns have local market supplemental budgets as well, especially in the larger markets)


The majority of those are male centric or at least 50-50 in gender targeting & while young actives would indeed be of interest for most, they're nearly all sports talk format regulars too. That's almost a guaranteed slot for at least one station in a local market, so if they can position themselves better on a CPM basis they can not only get the money but deny it to Snyder as well.

[cuervo72]

Safelite Repair, Safelite Replace!

[wade moore]

Always appreciate your insight on these things Jon. I'm a bit of a radiophile, but I certainly don't have your insight.

Time to hunt for other podcasts. I'm sure I'll do the Junkies some, but...

[SirFozzie]

Swap in Boston:

The Rock station in the area, WBCN, is gone.. Mix 98.5 will move up the dial to 104.1, and 98.5 will now become Boston's first FM all-Sports Talk channel (they have patriots and bruins rights going forward)

[DanGarion]

Full circle for Tom Leykis.

In 2010 he launched his own online music destination along with his former engineer from his talk radio show here in LA. 10 days from today Leykis will be back on the air in online format (April 2nd at 3:00 PM Pacific). Each show will be played live and available for 24 hours (with limited commercials). Access to previous shows will be available for subscription.

THE TOM LEYKIS SHOW 
DEBUTS ONLINE 4/2/2012 at 3PM PACIFIC / 6PM EASTERN

He's been off-air for 3 years due to the contract with his previous broadcaster.

[wade moore]

For DC Area folks...

I've been listening to the Mike O'meara Podcast for the past two years, not sure if anyone else has.

But they announced yesterday that Buzz Burbank is leaving the show to pursue some news ventures on his own.

I'm surprisingly non-plussed about it.

[Grover]

Reading this thread has brought me back. I listened to Don & Mike religiously when I got out of school every day all through high school.

[wade moore]

Originally Posted by Grover

Reading this thread has brought me back. I listened to Don & Mike religiously when I got out of school every day all through high school.

FWIW - Don Geronimo is on a station in Sacremento and it goes up on podcast. I listened to it some, but, tbh - with podcasts I prefer something more compressed than the 3 hours his show takes up, so I stopped.

Then, as I said, TMOS has been podcasting for over 2 years now. It has Mike, Rob, Buzz (for two more weeks), and Oscar Santana from Big O and Dukes.

[DanGarion]

This is from an interview that Tom Leykis did recently (I don't know where it is, it's just the transcript he provided on his Facebook stream.

***What has it been like going from hosting a radio show on FM radio to online? Has there been a transition involved?

Technically, and from a production standpoint, we have strived to make the show sound as much like our previous radio show as possible. After seven weeks, the biggest difference is in which topics draw an audience and which ones generate phone response. One major difference is that we know the exact number of listeners at any moment, and so we can adjust what we do on the fly. We found that serious news topics, which generally get less phone response, actually draw a large audience when we do them. Silly topics, such as an hour of unscreened calls, get the most phone response.

And, when you do a show for the internet, you are doing it hand-in-glove with social networking if you want to succeed in today's digital world. Radio has a lot to learn in this area.

**Do you miss being on FM radio? Why or why not?

The only thing that FM radio has that I would like to have is a large, built-in base of users who know how to find their content. We have to spend a lot of time and effort to explain all the ways people can hear us. In actuality, we can be found in many more ways and on many more devices than most radio stations. We can never be so arrogant as to believe that most people know that. Yet.

We don't miss being regulated by the government or being told what to do.


**What are the benefits to being on online radio? The benefits of terrestrial?

One benefit of being online is that we now have total flexibility. There was a time when, if something happened in the news at 8 in the morning, we had to wait until 3 in the afternoon to have our say. Nowadays, our show appears 24/7 (through continuous replays) and so we can go on at any time if something interesting is going on. We have no limits as to what topics we discuss, how long we discuss a topic, or what guests we can have on. We are not slaves to the clock, which means we can bail from a topic easily if we're not happy with the response. We can end a show early or we can stay late. We know immediately how many listeners we have and whether or not people are digging what we're doing in any given hour. We give the audience the show they want and actively vote for, rather than the show that is dictated by a corporate headquarters or a political party that is two or three thousand miles away.

The main benefit of being on terrestrial radio is that radio is an old school appliance that everyone knows how to use.


**What have you found to be the greatest differences between the two?

The audience online is 20 years younger than the average radio audience. We spend our time doing our show for the most passionate P1 fans as opposed to radio's constant obsession with trying to appeal to P2s and P3s. There are less people tuning in by accident now. There is no scan button for internet radio. Someone has to invite a listener to get them into the fold.


**Do you think terrestrial radio will ever go away? Why or why not?

No medium ever completely goes away. The old media become the province of the older user, the technologically challenged, or the economically disadvantaged. The US Mail is still there, but those who use it are more likely to be grandmothers who like to send greeting cards than to be younger or more economically lucrative users.

AM radio is the province of older males and listeners who are deficient in speaking English. Old-school talk radio is now moving to FM, which has the oldest listeners it's ever had, and they will continue to get older. Some people still play vinyl records on turntables, but I wouldn't try to build a business based on that user base.


**What do you think will be radio’s future?

Let me say first that I am not happy about what I'm about to say. Radio is my oldest friend. We've had so much fun together for so many years. When I was a little kid, it kept me company when it was dark and I was afraid. It brought me an amazing music revolution. It was the center of my world, and one that I wanted very much to be a part of. And I have lived my dream. Now, however, my old friend is very, very sick. In fact, I miss radio as I would miss a very sick or even a dying friend. Years of private equity consolidation and draconian budget cuts have left radio weak and increasingly irrelevant.

Today's broadcasting companies love to quote big numbers about how much revenue they still bring in, but a quick look under the hood will show that the biggest companies are so overleveraged, they can't make a profit, even with revenues in the billions. In the most recent fiscal quarter, Clear Channel, Cumulus and CBS Radio made zero profit. At the same time, thousands of talented people have been put out of work, young people are listening less than ever, and as a result, young people don't think of radio as a future profession any longer.

I believe that radio will continue a long, slow decline, ultimately culminating in billions of dollars of destroyed equity and, in the way that TV went to digital broadcasting and handed back its analog spectrum allocations, I do believe that a day will come when radio content ultimately does en masse what we have just done and moves to IP delivery.

Then, when everyone is on an equal playing field, the best content will win. Some of that may come from the remaining big companies. And some of it definitely won't.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Question is, how long until Leykis goes bust.

[DanGarion]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Question is, how long until Leykis goes bust.

Dunno, but the internet/podcasting gig has worked for others, I don't see why it won't for him.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by DanGarion

Dunno, but the internet/podcasting gig has worked for others, I don't see why it won't for him.

Not all that many making a living from it. No clue about his personal finances, for all I know he's invested well or hit a lottery or something.
Worth noting here I suppose, it's pretty tough to criticize the format switch in LA. When they killed off Free FM they were ranked 27th in the market in total audience. Today they're #7.

[wade moore]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Not all that many making a living from it. No clue about his personal finances, for all I know he's invested well or hit a lottery or something.
Worth noting here I suppose, it's pretty tough to criticize the format switch in LA. When they killed off Free FM they were ranked 27th in the market in total audience. Today they're #7.

Hard to really know who's making money off of podcasting.

I do suspect it's a very small amount. Even The Mike O'meara show that I listen to, where it's his fulltime gig... but I suspect that doesn't happen if he hadn't made millions when he was on the air.

Anyway. I suspect Adam Carolla, The Nerdist, and.............

Are making enough money that they could "live on".