WABC could be (almost) all syndicated shows

[Dave Tomm]

Operators don't want to pay them anymore.  Producing a local show is  
expensive.  You have to obviously pay the talent (quite a bit if  
they're good) and also a producer and an engineer.  In this economy  
this just doesn't make sense.  Chances are even if a syndie show gets  
only half the ratings of a local program, the greatly reduced overhead  
makes the daypart a moneymaker.  Obviously shows like Rush Limbaugh  
which require cash considerations work a bit differently, but there's  
also an expectation that shows like his will perform well in the  
ratings.

Talk radio has done this to themselves.  They no longer have a "bench"  
of talent in smaller markets to choose from.  That format was among  
the first to automate most of it's broadcast day.  The major talkers  
used to have at least one or two local shows.  Now, even they are  
going all syndicated.   Local talk in the smaller markets has been  
dead for quite some time.  It's now hit the majors.  Welcome to the  
future.

It's not just talk either.  The syndication bug is invading music  
stations as well.  Clear Channel syndicates several regional morning  
shows in the CHR format.  If it wasn't for the success of Matty on  
Kiss, Boston would probably have Elvis Duran piped in from WHTZ/New  
York.  Ryan Seacrest's midday show is already on Kiss.  There are  
rumors that syndicated afternoon and night shows are being put  
together by the major groups to save money.  And it's not just Clear  
Channel.  Tom Kent was added to nights at WODS recently before the  
holiday flip.  Cumulus and Entercom are also toying with syndicating  
certain dayparts on their music stations.  The big companies have  
figured out that straight voicetracking just doesn't work.  However,  
developing and retaining true personalities at the local level is too  
cost prohibitive, especially in this economy.

-Dave Tomm


On Nov 26, 2008, at 12:27 PM, Alan Tolz wrote:

> It's a sad commentary on the state of available "major market" talk  
> radio talent.  Bob Grant will be 80 years old. His contemporaries -  
> Jerry Williams, Michael Jackson, Stan Major, Allan Burke, are all  
> retired or gone.
>
> Nobody came up the ranks that did not catch the syndication bug.  In  
> a different time, Glen Beck would have "graduated" from New Haven,  
> CT to New York or Philly rather than going syndicated, where he's on  
> WPHT in Philadelphia from 9-noon anyway.
>
> Alan
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Bob Nelson"  
> <raccoonradio@mail.com>
> To: "BostonRadio Mailing List" <boston-radio-interest@rolinin.bostonradio.org 
> >
> Sent: Wednesday, November 26, 2008 11:53 AM
> Subject: WABC could be (almost) all syndicated shows
>
>
> Sign of the times? Here, WRKO finds it's almost all syndicated shows  
> (only Finneran and Howie Carr are local;
> well, Carr's syndicated by Entercom technically but 'RKO is the  
> flagship and it's usually Boston-based talk--
> certainly lately it has been). Now WABC in New York may be just  
> about all syndicated. They're doing a news
> show from 5-6 am with Charles McCord, followed by Imus, (apparently)  
> Joe Scarborough, Rush, Hannity, Levin,
> Laura Ingraham (replacing Bob Grant) and the new Curtis Sliwa show.  
> I think they do Coast to Coast after that.
> (The news about "Morning Joe" comes from Tom Taylor's email-provided  
> radio-info.com column.)
>
> A powerful station in the nation's biggest city--just about all  
> syndicated talk, though. As we've said local
> talk is important, but it's a sign of cost-cutting (such as at WRKO,  
> where the 10-noon slot had been local
> for some time but got turned over to Ingraham).
>