Ron Reagan was a big hit with the audience at state Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles annual post-election panel and fundraiser last night, and several people came up to me afterwards asking why 710-KIRO dumped his show. I had no answer, except that radio is a tough, tough business. Former KVI host Bryan Suits knows this well, after being unceremoniously dumped from the dial last week, as does former Los Angeles police detective Mark Fuhrman (of O.J. Simpson murder trial fame,) whose show on Spokane’s KGA was suddenly canceled yesterday, probably to make room for cheaper, syndicated programming.
As an occasional guest of both Suits and Fuhrman, I wish them both well. Suits always treated me fairly, and Fuhrman, well, contrary to his popular image as a tough-talking, racist righty, he was perhaps the most polite and patient host I ever worked with, giving me wide latitude to make my case without interruption. My fellow liberals may cheer their demise, but in both cases their cancellation has resulted in less local content, and that’s almost always a bad thing, regardless of the ideological bent.
No doubt, barring a sudden career change or an untimely death, I will eventually lose my radio perch too — it’s a circle of life kinda thing — and when I do I expect my critics to be merciless in their taunting. Whatever. I’m not sure what’s more amazing, that I got my shot at all (and at a legacy station in a major market,) or that I’m still on the air 15 months later. That Reagan has been silenced while I’m still talking is more a testament to the relative value of our respective time slots than talent or competence, but whether my remaining tenure is ultimately measured in months or in years or in decades, I intend to make the most of the air-time I have.
PROGRAMMING NOTE:
Tomorrow night on 710-KIRO, The Stranger’s Christopher Frizzelle will join me at 7PM, local comedian Travis Simmons joins me at 8PM, and at 9PM we’ll discuss news and politics with bloggers from around the region. Phil “The News Junkie” will be filling in for me Sunday night.
I might not always agree with you but YES local content on the radio is a good thing.
We do hate to hear a grown man whine. You, a powerful and influential member of Big Media, BM, are again sniveling about the “merciless” “taunting” you must endure in your lonely quest to put your body on the line against the dark night of Bush.
Grow up, Goldy, or go away like Bush will go away. Try to learn to use the hours, days, or decades you have left to do something useful during that long dark night when you don’t have Duh-bya to kick around any more.
I wonder if KIRO would let you have some knowledgeable person to discuss the finances of Talk Radio.
Goldy: I appreciate your candor and eloquence. I think you have thoughtful opinions and you express youself well (especially in writing – your voice (well – you ain’t Dave Ross). Compared to a shallow thinker, like Dory Monson, well, there is no comparison. Dory takes the low hanging fruit and makes his own biased case. You thoughfully confront the whole issue and go beyond the simplistic right wing analysis (the free market always works best – hahahah).
@2 Don’t worry, Dickhead, Bush and his entire party will soon be a footnote in the dustbin of history.
@3 As in any business, the stockholders do better if you don’t pay the hired help.
Shades of 1968 …
Hmmm, here’s an interesting news item.
“SEATTLE – About 600 high school students are marching through the streets of Seattle today in protest of the Iraq war. … Many of the protestors held up signs and banners, including one saying ‘Money for education and jobs, not war.’ The protest is one of many around Western Washington by students speaking out against the war.”
Quoted under fair use; for complete story and/or copyright info see http://www.king5.com/localnews.....005cc.html
And, the Olympia port protests seem to be growing — despite the police brutality and mass arrests occurring there.
I wonder if we’re entering a new phase of opposition to the Iraq War. Now that the people have put Democrats in charge of Congress, and after running Congress for a year the Democrats have proved themselves ineffectual, America is taking to the streets.
This has the look and feel of a movement that could grow rapidly in coming months as the ’08 campaigns ramp up.
Does Frizzelle still support the war on/occupation in Iraq?
No offense Goldy, but I have to say that my favorite radio talk-show host is still Dave Ross, although I rarely get to listen to him in his current time slot. But he’s been at it for a lot longer than you have.
I do think Ron Reagan was penalized because he was too mild-mannered and middle-of-the-road. Radio ratings today seem to be driven by conflict, and there wasn’t enough of that with Ron. A lot of Republicans didn’t like him because he was a “traitor” to his father’s memory, but he was so damn likeable that he didn’t generate a lot of hate calls from them. Liberals didn’t seem to think he was liberal enough. So it goes.
I never listened to Fuhrman’s show, but the Times today mentioned that his time slot was up against Limbaugh and Dennis Miller. It seems to me that given his notariety, he would have been trying to steal listeners from those shows, which would have been a very tough row to hoe.
And yes, Goldy, you are wise to recognize that any given stint in radio will not last forever. I heard the analogy first with respect to coaching football, but I think I’ve also heard it applied to radio: “There are two types of radio stations: the ones you have already been fired from, and the ones you will be fired from in the future.” Don’t take it personally when it happens, but you might want to make an effort to do the industry conventions circuit, collect lots of name cards, keep in touch with contacts, etc., if you want to remain in the business. Bob Rivers talks about the state of the radio industry frequently, and since he is local you might want to get in touch with him and compare notes.
@6 … Rabbit
This is not necessarily true in our artificialized unfree market. Many companies exist today NOT for profit but for stock price.
I have a hunch that the operating cost of Radio stations is far less oimportnat than their resale value. ..like basketball teams.
Hoping never to see you axed, so will do a bit of taunting now: Great points on Reagan and Furhman, but no fewer than 21 first-person (I, me, my) references. Another dozen or so and you’ll reach the levels set in a typical filing by Erica and Josh in “The Stranger.”
@10 Does this mean if the taxpayers don’t build a broadcasting tower for KIRO they’ll fire Goldy and move to Tumbleweed, Oklahoma?
Roger Rabbit says:
@10 Does this mean if the taxpayers don’t build a broadcasting tower for KIRO they’ll fire Goldy and move to Tumbleweed, Oklahoma?
11/16/2007 at 6:13 pm
Can you blame KIRO for wanting more listeners. hehehehe
Who wants to listen to liberal drivel??? Hell a conservative on long rage radio gets more listeners then the liberal crap on the radio. roof roof
Talk Radio seems to have a half-life…even for the best.
Guys like Goldy who do it for free seem to most desirable.
I guess they can overlook the schreechy voice when the price is right.
I rarely listen to talk radio anymore.
I find both the Right & Left simply manage to make the same redundant points over & over again….in a million & one different ways.
The only guy I still watch on TV is O’Reilly.
I get a kick out of the Marxists who believe O’Reilly is a “Neo-Con”!! Obviously, they have never listened to him. Plus, the Marxist Crowd is highly intolerant of any opinion that doesn’t jive with Karl’s!
I never liked Coulter or Limbaugh.
Hannity & Colmes often have some decent guests dialoguing,,,but it often digresses into shouting matches.
Local Talk Radio?? Also way too predictable lacking any balance. That goes for Goldy too…although I will admit I only listened to him once. That was enough for one lifetime….preaching to his New Age Progressive Choir.
The DGS is the only program on AM I can listen to and I tune in to every show. I even listen live through all the commercials. Good grief!
If KIRO is listening: this show is my only connection to your station. More green tea-enhanced naked liberal propaganda at 50k watts! Oh man!
@11
Um, it’s Goldy’s blog, of course when he talks about himself he’s going to use I/me/mine. It’s that or venture into Bob Dole country, refering to himself by his full name at every opportunity.
@15 Liberal propaganda is good for you. WingNut (TM) Propaganda (SM) causes brain corrosion.
Joel @11,
Ah, you’re just jealously that you aren’t free to write in the first person as much as I am. Besides, if I can get to The Stranger level of first personness, perhaps they’ll give me a job. It sure pays better than blogging.
yikes @15,
Um… I get paid to do radio. Five days a week (and with benefits) it would be a decent white collar wage. Two days a week and no bennies, it’s not quite enough to get by.
Why on earth would you think I was doing the radio show for free?
Roger Rabbit says:
@15 Liberal propaganda is good for you. WingNut ™ Propaganda (SM) causes brain corrosion.
11/16/2007 at 10:21 pm
Now this is why I call you a wingnut.
Goldy says:
yikes @15,
“Why on earth would you think I was doing the radio show for free?”
ANSWER:
Because you suck!!!
You kind of walked into that RIGHT hook!