Air America

[mlaurence@mindspring.com]

I agree with most of what David Tomm says.  The key to Air America's success is to be strong and forceful.  But there's one factual error worth correcting:

> Michael Savage's whole "schtick" is shrill rhetoric from the 
> conservative viewpoint, and he's beating Brudnoy.

No, he's not.

In a 2-station race going back 5 books, WBZ defeats WRKO in all 5.  Add WTKK for a 3 station race, and WRKO runs last in every one of the last 5 books.  Add WEEI for a 4 station race, and WRKO with Savage runs last every time except Winter 2003, when they finished 3rd, 0.1 ahead of WEEI but 2.3 behind #1 talker WBZ.

The big story in Summer 2004 was Red Sox baseball, which propelled WEEI to a huge #1 share at night.  Brudnoy lost half his audience in what looks like a flukey book, but Savage did not pick up those numbers, he lost audience too.

Those are 25-54 numbers.  If you look at 12+, Savage climbs ahead of WTKK but WBZ is the strong #1 talker at night.  Even in Summer 2004 Savage has less than half Brudnoy's numbers.  Over 5 books, Savage never comes close to Brudnoy.

Mark Laurence