• Get involved.
    We want your input!
    Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.

    After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
    If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.

    After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
    https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/

    Thanks in advance and have fun!
    RadioDiscussions Administrators

Is Imus hanging it up? And if he does--what does WABC do?

B

Bob1370

Guest
Though I didn't hear it myself, the word around the radio grapevine is that Don Imus' contract expires sometime around the end of the year, and he's alluded to a possible retirement in several offhand comments he's made on the air this week on WABC. It's possible he's just thinking out loud and it may not mean anything beyond a momentary mood--but does anyone have information that it might be more than that? Could he actually be planning to walk out the door soon?

And if so, does WABC have any kind of backup plan for the one reliably strongest daypart they have?

Does WABC have anyone on the bench they can move into the starting rotation from 6 to 10?

Is there anyone else out there who'd be both realistically available and a suitable replacement, who could do what they need to get done--maintain the cume and AQH, and stretch the demos into somewhat younger territory?

Could this be the thing that prods Cumulus into retooling what's clearly a fading station, once format-dominant first under Leonard Goldenson's ABC, then CapCities/ABC, and then the Mouse as both as a music station and as a talker...but now seeing some of its lowest overall numbers in its 91 year history?

If you were Lew Dickey and needed to chart the future of a fading corporate flagship, what would YOU do?
 
Bob1370 said:
If you were Lew Dickey and needed to chart the future of a fading corporate flagship, what would YOU do?
Click to expand...

Keep in mind that Imus doesn't work for WABC, but Cumulus Media. He's syndicated by Cumulus on about 40 stations. The fact that Cumulus hasn't forced him on more of their talk stations says a lot. They obviously know the end date on his contract. And I have every reason to believe they have a plan ready.
 
LOCAL, LOCAL, LOCAL!!!

WABC has faded due in part to its lack of any local program, with only Noam Laden's morning news hour (5-6 a.m.) being local. Just ten years ago, WABC picked up longtime WOR morning show host John Gambling. Today, he is back at WOR.

A local morning show is key to any radio station. The majority of radio listeners tune in during the morning hours. Why do listeners need a national morning show (Imus) that they can WATCH on the FOX Business Channel?

The trucking program is great for any midwestern station or one located within the state of Texas. Los Angeles (KABC), Chicago (WLS), and New York (WABC) do not need an overnight trucking program. They need to put in place another overnight show, perhaps a different corporate one (bring McIntyre back???).

Cumulus needs to look at other radio stations to see the difference in quality between the station and their local listeners. Think about what WGN has done in Chicago, KTRS and KMOX have done in St. Louis, KFI in Los Angeles, KIRO-FM in Seattle, KOA in Denver, WCCO in Minneapolis, WLW in Cincinnati, WPHT in Philadelphia, KDKA in Pittsburgh, and KTAR-FM in Phoenix. All of these radio stations have quality, local programming that is very popular with their listeners.

Just one local show would increase WABC's popularity dramatically. Until then, they will keep sinking, just like several other Cumulus stations.
 
rbrown said:
Just one local show would increase WABC's popularity dramatically. Until then, they will keep sinking, just like several other Cumulus stations.
Click to expand...

WOR proves every day that just being local won't, in and of itself, increase a station's popularity.

Just one local show won't matter unless it's with a host who can single-handedly attract a broad range of listeners. The host is more important than if it's local.
 
December 3rd marks 5 years for Imus' current run... sounds like the length of a multi-year deal to me. There could be legs to the rumor.
 
I tuned in to Imus this morning, and there he was muttering, stammering and flopping around on the air like a senile fish out of water.

He's a shell of what he once was. It's embarrassing to listen to, sometimes cringe worthy. Reminds me of Willie Mays dropping routine fly balls in the outfield for the Mets... a legend that should have hung it up earlier.
 
WABC is, like the network flagship stations of old, the FLAGSHIP station for several national talkers. Being local means nothing in this day when our news comes from CNN/Fox/MSNBC, our weather comes from the Weather Channel, and our sports come from ESPN/FSN. Since music stations all sound like their format conterparts across the nation, what is really local anymore? NOTHING!

Now my second point. Imus is at the end of his career. It is time to retire. But it should be a show that can be launched nationwide. I agree that Bernie is just about ready.
 
rbrown said:
LOCAL, LOCAL, LOCAL!!!

WABC has faded due in part to its lack of any local program, with only Noam Laden's morning news hour (5-6 a.m.) being local. Just ten years ago, WABC picked up longtime WOR morning show host John Gambling. Today, he is back at WOR.

A local morning show is key to any radio station. The majority of radio listeners tune in during the morning hours. Why do listeners need a national morning show (Imus) that they can WATCH on the FOX Business Channel?

The trucking program is great for any midwestern station or one located within the state of Texas. Los Angeles (KABC), Chicago (WLS), and New York (WABC) do not need an overnight trucking program. They need to put in place another overnight show, perhaps a different corporate one (bring McIntyre back???).

Cumulus needs to look at other radio stations to see the difference in quality between the station and their local listeners. Think about what WGN has done in Chicago, KTRS and KMOX have done in St. Louis, KFI in Los Angeles, KIRO-FM in Seattle, KOA in Denver, WCCO in Minneapolis, WLW in Cincinnati, WPHT in Philadelphia, KDKA in Pittsburgh, and KTAR-FM in Phoenix. All of these radio stations have quality, local programming that is very popular with their listeners.

Just one local show would increase WABC's popularity dramatically. Until then, they will keep sinking, just like several other Cumulus stations.
Click to expand...
 
The majority of radio listeners tune in during the morning hours



Sorry..no longer the case/ Afternoon drive is now the most listened to daypart.
 
What is the reason for Afternoons being more listened to than Mornings?

Is that in most Major Markets or is that only in the Eastern time zones?

My curiousity and knee jerk reaction would be a post-Rush effect for the 3pm.

If it is, does it show the same effect in the 12n for Pacific time?

I've known successful stations that have had a weak AM but a strong PM in the days of strong AM drive.

Jeff in Sa-ra-so-ta!
 
My curiousity and knee jerk reaction would be a post-Rush effect for the 3pm.
Click to expand...

With all due respect for Rush's position in the world of political talk radio, in the big picture, covering all stations and formats that these data represent, Rush's impact on the total numbers can't be that significant.

In all the PPM markets there are only a few where the Rush affiliate is among the top stations. In NYC, WABC is not in the Top-10, and the Rush affiliates are a lot farther down the line in a lot of other major markets.

The political talk radio audience is only one small slice of the big radio listening pie. Rush may be the biggest thing in that small slice, but it's still a small fringe slice. An educated guess is that, at least, 85-to-90-percent of Americans NEVER listen to political talk radio, and in the more desirable demographics the appeal is far less than that.
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.
Back
Top Bottom