Mr. Lieberman,
I am curious.
Since you keep track of radio, I was wondering if you have noticed this and was wondering your opinion of the new format during the KGO talk shows and what it's going to do.
It has caught my attention because prior to Luckoff's leaving, Ronn Owens would always give you the minute counts of when he was coming back. Back then, he would start at 09:05, do his monologue until about 09:12, and say he would be back at 9:17 (5 minutes). This would go on throughout his show.
Now, he comes on at 09:03, still does his monologue to 09:12, but doesn't come back until 09:19.
All their talk shows now have 7 minute long clusters, and 5 minute news at the top of the hour. This is 26 minutes per hour of no talk (3 seven minute clusters plus 5 minutes of local and national news at the top of the hour). INO, you can't do an interview and talk to callers in the 34 minutes that are left in the 1 hour show.
Is this a new thing of the new GM Deirdre Lieberman? Is she intentionally trying to lose ratings?
Whereas I used to put up with the approximately 5 minute clusters, I can guarantee I will not listen to them for 7 minutes.
Perhaps Owens is being cagey and telling us when to come back if we have to change channels because we hate the commercial blocks?
Could this have any effect on the latest Arbitrons?
JM.
Dear JM:
Yes, I've noticed it and had planned on writing about it.
Although the spot clusters are indeed longer, the pace of the program still has some fluidity, nevertheless I don't like it and as you indicated, it looks as if this is Deidra Lieberman's, (no relation) first signature move since taking over for Luckoff.
I don't think she's deliberately trying to "lose ratings", (although in the last October ratings, KGO has fallen precipitously)--I think KGO, (via Citadel) is simply trying to make more money off its only cash cow which means further erosion of its already shrinking listener base. (The time format is on other KGO shows)
They also appear to be trying to tweak the PPM meter which has been met with controversy by a number of radio stations.
**Follow me on Twitter
This an effort to more effectively game the PPM system
ReplyDeleteWow this Deidra Lieberman gal sounds like the Lew Wolff of radio GMs...
ReplyDeleteUgh! I thought it was just a problem with equipment the first time I experienced the new format. This is really bad. Understand the milk the cash cow idea, but to the point the listeners just get tired of so much and leave?
ReplyDeleteWhat's the point?
Mickey, where are thou?
The new format is awful! The constant news updates completely destroy the flow of the phone calls and host interaction. Just as things get going it's time for commercials and more news. Ramp up again and before long it's yet more commercials and another news break.
ReplyDeleteI've listened to KGO forever, but this new format is pushing me away. It's just so annoying.
Out of curiosity and just like us humans do, like to see someone getting plowed! Yup, they did it, get hit by the train at 4am. KGO sure didn’t let its listeners down! The news didn’t start till two minutes later.. Then what did we get!…Groggy anchors come on with so much oomph they couldn’t get a burning fire started!
ReplyDeleteFrom there it was all downhill, oh yeah! And if you don’t believe me, listen to their archives; that’s if they don’t pull them from their site. So embarrassing! But don’t just blame those poor slobs’ sheep in front of the mike and those immediately behind the scenes. There are some good folk among them. But from the way they lynched their talk show hosts to putting together a new format over the weekend, what do you expect! Its Cumulus at its best and those “dicks,” an the one in San Francisco who god only knows what he has on the dicks to be able to hold a position of power.
YOU GET WHAT YOU PAID FOR!
YOU SEE FROM THEIR LAST QUARTERLY STATEMENT THAT WAS JUST PUBLISHED LAST WEEK BY CUMULUS WHICH YOU CAN ACCESS HERE:
http://www.cumulus.com/investors.aspx
The two top “dicks” paid themselves $2.325 million dollars in base annual salary. That’s not including the bonuses, stock options and other gimmicks they’ll use to wring out of the company before filing for another bankruptcy protection…What do I mean? Keep reading that investor statement. Anyone with any background or even a calculator will be able to make the addition.
Now back to the reason for this post.. The reason KGO has failed, not will fail, as what many of its listeners already have said in Tweets, blogs and postings that are swarming social media. KGO’s management failed. They did no research; wait I take that back, they did some research, with a calculator. They figured they could hire 25 minions with the salary of just one talk show host, have money left over, and pocket that money along with money from all those other talk show hosts. They failed because the bean counters who are not professionals by any means. I call a sanitation worker a professional compared to these goons! These bean counters figured they can just screw everyone; which they did. They didn’t even bother to hold dry runs with their new formats. They saw where all the commercials need to play, slapped their hands, and called it a format.
BUT WHAT’S WORSE…WHEN I LSTENED, THERE WAS NO THERE…THERE!
Nothing stood out! Nothing memorable! Ten minutes later I swear and for the life of me I couldn’t remember what stories they had just reported. The only thing I do remember is their stumbling out of the gate…Now that’s memorable!