WTIC (AM) dumps not-a-dr. Schlesinger

[Martin Waters <martinjwaters@yahoo.com>]

    As of yesterday, the 10 a.m. to noon slot on WTIC
(AM) is called "Connecticut Today." The host is Bruce
Stevens (once WBZ), who is the long-time co-host of
3-6 p.m. on 'TIC with whacky leftist Colin McEnroe.
The website bills it as: "Two hours of information you
can use! Local News Local Weather Traffic &
Construction Reports Stock Market Updates Connecticut
Political Reports Movie, Books and Theater reviews
Commentaries
......and much, much more!"

   In other words, all the stuff they couldn't do (or
do much of) with Schlesinger, which, BTW, sounds as
though its bottom-hour local cutaway is extra short.
Perhaps a quick reaction to WDRC (AM) and its three
satellite transmitters switching from MOYL-type music
a few weeks ago to all-talk? Except for Brad Davis in
AM drive, WDRC is all satellite talk -- mostly from
co-owned Buckley station WOR. That includes the real
M.D. Joy Brown, who does a sort-of kind-of similar
advice show in the same slot as Schlesinger, except
she's not horrifying and disgusting. Maybe 'TIC
decided to make a clean break -- do more of the local
thing that *only* it apparently is willing to do in
this market -- instead of having the two advice
doctors compete?

   Given the overall direction of radio, it's
interesting to see that, apparently, they think it's
more important and I imagine more $$$ to go back to
local in that time slot. Whether Stevens doing both
the AM and PM slots is temporary or not is one of my
questions. In a newspaper story, the station says that
he is. If that's their long-term plan, then I guess
they save money -- but can Stevens be happy? And, as
programming, it's strange to give him two shows a day
-- not giving either one as strong an identity as
otherwise. Very small marketish. McEnroe is a big
presence on the PM show, but the way they work
together, Stevens is sort of the guy in charge, the
voice of authority, and McEnroe is a wildman who won't
let go of the mic. Before McEnroe signed on, it was
Stevens' solo show. Maybe they want Stevens' pull and
ability to give the show a good shape on the 10-noon
program until they get it established?
   
   On the other hand, if it's a temporary set-up, why?
Why not get a new host in for the 10-noon start-up.
The station says the Schlesiner contract expied
recently, but made it sound like that only left them
open to dump her whenever they wanted -- it didn't put
them under pressure by a certain date. Or they just
wanted to make the change immediately to deal with
WDRC (AM)?

   The four WDRC transmitters, together, provide a
local coverage area that, very roughly, is almost as
good as WTIC in the daytime, with some problems at
night. It's the Hartford metro market area that really
matters (i.e., WTIC never has any numbers in the New
Haven or Springfield books anyhow).

    Schlesinger's history on WTIC is that at first
they ran the show 10-noon and the other hour 3-4,
cutting the first hour off their drivetime show. They
were never willing to cut off the morning show at 9.
It's still their meal ticket even more than maybe at
some other similiar stations-- echoes still bouncing
back of the Bob Steele legacy. Anyway, Schlesinger
from 3-4 didn't last long. (Probably most people here
don't even need to think about why that was a bad
idea, in a town where a lot of people get out of work,
even today, at 3 and 3:30.) So, they shoved the third
hour of Schlesinger to 7-8, but then dropped it
altogether a year or two ago in favor of the Clark
Howard financial talk show. In the newspaper story,
the station says her ratings ran a couple points
behind the station overall (whatever that means?).  
 

    It was Saturday's Hartford Courant with a piece on
the WTIC programming change, but it's still on-line
at: http://www.ctnow.com/entertainment/tv/
    
    The article has quite a bit on Schlesinger's
allegedly sharp decline nationally, especially since
Sept. 11. It says that very recently WABC and the
affiliate in St. Paul-Minneapolis (not IDed) were
among a bunch that have decided to drop her. The tone
of the article suggests to me that she may only have
three or four of her 15 minutes left.     




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