From the looks of things, I'm betting that Cumulus is more interested in building the Cumulus Media Radio Network for syndicated shows / talent big time. News on the weekends just "fits" what the "motherlode" is Monday thru Friday. But ... will this carry over after 10 am? What will it do to "God Talk"? Will news replace the second coming of the all nite "Red Eye Radio" Trucker's Show (Um, no ...) How about Copey and Finney? (Um, no. Channel 7 connection.) How about ...Karel? And what about Monty? Inquiring minds wants to know.
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They are a "conservative" group because the Dickey's are.
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It's easier for them to sell syndication than local ... even at $2.5 million to $3-million a month. KGO is the 20th biller in the nation at about $35-million a year. (Not just guessing.)
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The all-nite truckers crap is sold out in inventory with not one local / regional advertiser. It's all "national" spots. Kim Komando would be, too -- and that's why, maybe, Cumulus is on a buying spree with Komando, Huckabee, Geraldo, etc.
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Whether it's on one station or a thousand ... they don't care ... because they walk in the door with 525 stations -- many of them huge -- and many with great numbers in both news/talk and music. They could care less. It's the stations they own.
Cumulus still has a piece of that $2-billion for buying Citadel left. Why not buy all you can buy to operate all centralized? An old Clear Channel trick that ruined the business, remember? They bought everything damned near and how many thousands lost their jobs because of people like Ryan Seacrest, Limbaugh, Tom Sullivan and countless other Premiere radio "stars"?
A question asked a lot is "Why in the hell, then, did Cumulus buy these stations --- just to gut them?"
Yes, exactly.
When you own lots and lots of great standing 50kw stations like WABC, WLS, KGO and others not so big like KABC, half of ABC Radio and the old Cumulus Radio Group (KCMO, etc.) ... that's big leverage for ad dollars. So, they are easier to clear because Cumulus owns them. That's a LOT of audience. They could give a rip about KGO, as a single entity except it's a great place to "clear" programming that you control and own. Clear Channel all over again. They do care about KNBR because that's the old Susquehanna Group station that they bought for a lot less money years ago. As you know, KGO didn't come cheap.
Example -- why would KGO put the one-hour Whitney Houston special on at 10 pm on Monday nite? There was no local or national spot inventory. They filled two breaks with six minute news updates -- including ABC in the :17 break. They're just showing the "power of Cumulus"
Whitney Houston for an hour "special" on KGO. Imagine that.
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Finally somebody else is saying what've been saying for months now. Cumulus is buying Radio Stations as outlets for it syndicated programing to save &/or improve its bottom line. This has already created so much redundancy coming from other Super Stations like Clear Channel. It is one reason why I listened to KGO for the last 22 years just to hear something different. Other popular shows I can take for granted and get it at a local radio outlet at any time anywhere. KGO had initiated some syndicated shows like Dr Dean Edell but it really wasn't big enough to become a super station in itself so it became something to be wreckable by some bigger fish like "Cumulus". I guess some cheaper syndicated shows do keep a few stations on the air whom might otherwise be silent. Despite cheaper syndicted programing more and more stations are going silent. It is just the sign of the times.
ReplyDeleteToo bad about Stacey Taylor - a great host.
ReplyDeleteAs to the larger moves, as more people listen to "radio" on the Internet and smart phones - this move doesn't make a lick of sense. Potentially, a very strong line-up of syndicated shows could work. I just don't think Cumulus will opt for that, instead going for the "hot-button" issue of the day.
They could have a show with interviews of authors of newsworthy books, major newsmakers and do an "around the globe" hour where they focus on an issue specific to a local area, but with wider reach to the audience at large.
But instead, it looks like they are hiring people that look at radio as their second gig and I figure will treat it as such.
Though Kim Komando is a good get. Always thought the weekends were a good time to strip shows focused on food, gardening, health, home repairs and personal finance.
Can you please explain what the following (copied from above) means for someone not familiar with all the lingo,
ReplyDelete"So, they are easier to clear because Cumulus owns them."
It means that Cumulus, as owner of the "shows" that it personally syndicates to stations across the country can go to ad agencies saying "We are going to put this show on these hundreds of radio stations because we own them."
DeleteThat way, it's just one email from Cumulus headquarters in Atlanta -- and not a "boiler room" of sales types trying to get "clearance" on hundreds of radio stations. They get paid a commission on every station they "clear."
Since the email will say "You WILL clear the Red Eye Radio Show on KGO and many other Cumulus stations (now about 150 do so now) -- it doesn't cost Cumulus a dime.
They get rid of "overnight talent" on their talk stations, (saving lots of money) and have the show airing on major market stations with huge signals that covers the nation. They walk into ad agencies who can't help but buy those Cumulus stations ... and others ... at a discounted price and Cumulus turns tons of profit. They don't have much espense because it all comes from Dallas and one of their own stations - WBAP. That's pretty powerful leverage.
Kim K is fine, but it seems strange that they tossed the prior KGO weekend syndicated fare (Leo LaPorte and Bob Brinker) for "local" content, then go back to different syndicated shows a few weeks later. It seems like change for change's sake, or else a total lack of thought by "management."
ReplyDeleteI've given up worrying about it. I just realize that radio is no longer part of my life.
I'm glad they got rid of LaPorte. He's just plain annoying.
DeleteI read Talkers Magazine online the other day. There was a story about Lew Dickey's comments to some business conference (in Atlanta, as I recall). He attributed the brilliance of their current company strategy to what they learned from working with [drum roll] Bain Capital! 'Nuff said!
ReplyDeleteWho is the 'Ginger Assassin?
ReplyDelete