AAR/liberal talk radio affiliate and rumor updates - 10/1/04

[LTR]

For last week's update, see this thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=109&topic_id=13702


FULL AFFILIATE LIST

Nationally:

XM Satellite Radio - ch. 167
Sirius Satellite Radio - ch. 144

WEST/CENTRAL EAST

Albuquerque, NM - KABQ 1350 AM
Ann Arbor, MI - WLBY 1290 AM
Brainerd, MN - WWWI 1270 AM
Columbus, OH - WTPG 1230 AM
Denver, CO - KKZN 760 AM
Madison, WI - WXXM 92.1 FM
Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN - KSNB 950 AM
Petoskey, MI - WWKK 750 AM
Phoenix, AZ - KXXT 1010 AM
Portland, OR - KPOJ 620 AM
Riverside, CA - KCAA 1050 AM
Sacramento, CA - KSQR 1240 AM
Santa Barbara, CA - KTLK 1340 AM
San Diego, CA - 1360 AM KLSD
San Luis Obisbo, CA - 1340 AM KYNS
San Francisco, CA - 960 AM KQKE
South Lake Tahoe, NV - KTHO 590 AM

EAST

Asheville, NC - WPEK 880 AM
Atlanta, GA - WWAA 1690 AM
Boston, MA (suburbs) - WKOX-AM 1200
Boston, MA - WXKS-AM 1430
Chapel Hill, NC - WCHL 1360 AM
Key West, FL - WKIZ 1500 AM
Miami, FL - WINZ 940 AM
New York City - WLIB 1190 AM
Northampton, MA - WHMP 1400 AM
Philadelphia, PA - WHAT 1340 AM
Plattsburgh/Burlington - WTWK 1070 AM
Portland, ME - WLVP 870 AM
Rochester, NY - WROC 950 AM
West Palm Beach, FL - WJNO 1290 AM

ALASKA/HAWAII

Anchorage, AK - KUDO 1080 AM
Honolulu, HI - KUMU 1500 AM
Maui, HI - KAOI 1110 AM
Kauai, HI - KQNG 570 AM



NEW AFFILIATES

* KQKE-AM (960) went on the air Tuesday afternoon.

* Boston gets liberal talk on Monday when WKOX-AM (1200) and WXKS-AM (1430) pick up Clear Channel's 'progressive talk' format. Here's a bit more about the two frequencies:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=109&topic_id=13702&mesg_id=13903&page=

As for the signal reach, 1430 has a good signal in the city proper, while 1200 hits the outside areas of the city better, reaching as far as Providence, but is not very audible in the city itself. 1200 does have a construction permit to move its tower and boost its signal to cover all of the Boston area, but they are having problems building the tower. It's new city of licence, Newton, is not allowing the tower to be built in their city, and the massive road construction in the area is also slowing things down. Looks like this will be a while, hence the two signals.

* KSNB-AM is the new affiliate in Minneapolis/St. Paul as of Friday 10/1. The station, Straight Talk Radio, was originally on 1330 and 1530 under a local marketing agreement (LMA). 1330 was sold a few months ago to Starboard, and the station picked up WMIN-AM 740, a low-powered AM daytimer out of Hudson, WI as a simulcast. The owners of Straight Talk Radio recenty purchased 950 from Infinity, and officially take over the 24-hour frequency, dropping 740 and (allegedly) 1530. I'm not sure of 950's new schedule, but they are keeping the sports play-by-play contracts from the previous ownership, and may keep a few hosts. Here's the new station logo:




AFFILIATE NEWS

* Upstate in Minnesota, according to AAR's site, WWWI-AM (1270) in Brainerd is now an affiliate. I'm not sure if this is legit, though, as WWWI's site still shows 'liberal talkers' such as, umm... Rush Limbaugh and Dr. Laura. Likely, they will pick up one or two AAR shows, perhaps Franken, and tape delay.

* Speaking of affiliates that pick up only a show or two, there is one AAR affiliate that is not mentioned on their site. WQNX-AM (1350) in Aberdeen, NC airs one show. Actually they air one hour of one show:

8-9 AM Morning Sedition: Topical information presented in a humorous fashion with a slant to the left. It's a peek inside the Dem's camp.

Uhhh...yeah sure.

So, AAR welcomes Aberdeen, NC. Kinda.

Other stations do serious cherrypicking as well. KCAA in Riverside seems to run just Randi Rhodes and Al Franken, and surround the shows with the likes of G. Gordon Liddy and Don Imus. And the South Lake Tahoe, CA affiliate buries Franken in the overnight hours. Not exactly a true AAR affiliate as we are familiar with.

* There was a bit of turmoil involving the Sacramento, CA affiliate. KSQR-AM (1240) has recently been sold, and it looks like AAR's programming is there to stay for the immediate future. AAR still leases time on KSQR, but does not lease the entire station. KSQR still airs alternate programming overnight and on weekends (often soul music). Not sure how long this arrangement will last, as I imagine AAR will pull out if another station in the market decides to pick up the programming.

* And AAR may be getting a reprieve in Portland, ME. The owners of WLVP-AM (870) decided to hold a public event to discuss the pending flip from AAR to sports. THe owners, Nassau Broadcasting, received about 100 phone calls and over 400 emails since they announce the format switch a few weeks ago. So there may be a reprieve here, or this is just a publicity stunt. Stay tuned.


RUMORS AND SPECULATION

* Al Franken let slip that a Washington, DC affiliate is in the works. No concrete plans have been announced, but DCRTV.com thinks it may be Clear Channel's WWRC-AM (1260), which currently programs a poorly-rated syndicated sports format (FOX Sports).

* Speaking of Franken, he is slated to start a nationwide tour with his show that will span several weeks. The cities covered include San Diego, Denver, Minneapolis, Madison, Columbus, Miami and Tampa. AAR has affiliates in all of those markets except for Tampa. Is this a sign of an entry into Tampa Bay? Clear Channel (which has been flipping quite a few underperforming stations to the format) owns business talk station WHNZ-AM (1250), which has a nice signal, but nonexistent ratings. Could this be a candidate? Remember, this is pure speculation, so take with the proverbial grain of salt. Stay tuned.

----------------------------------------------------------

See last week's thread for affiliate information for non-AAR syndicated shows such as Ed Schultz, Alan Colmes, Lionel and Stephanie Miller:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=109&topic_id=13702

[LTR]

1. KSNB-AM Minneapolis update

This is the new schedule for 950:

Temporary Monday-Friday lineup:

9:00-11:00am Wendy Wilde
11:00- 1:00pm Al Franken
1:00- 4:00pm Ruth Koscielak
4:00-5:00pm Al Franken
5:00- 8:00pm Ed Schultz

The station is still officially owned by Infinity Broadcasting, and operated under an LMA until the FCC approves the sale to the new owners, likely in a few weeks. Due to a contractual agreement (and really messy lawsuit with Infinty's WCCO radio), Ruth Koscielak's show is required to be carried. Hence, Franken's show is temporarily broken up for really boring coffee talk for middle-aged soccer moms. Ed Schultz's show is bumped a couple hours, and the rest of the schedule looks to be AAR programming, though no Malloy, Rhodes or 'Unfiltered'.

Once the sale is official, Ruth is back to her network of suburban rimshot stations.

[LTR]

2. AAR is staying in Portland, ME

From a posting on the RadioInfo.com message board:

http://www.radio-info.com/mods/board?Post=268047&Board=northne

So I just got back from the "Press Conference"...

It was held in the ground floor lobby of 477 Congress St. the home of the Nassau Group. A window on the street affords a look into the offices and a bit of studio. A podium on a riser stood in front of a 8'x3' vinyl banner sporting "870AM/THE VOICE" in red, white and blue.

The place was pretty crowded, I'd estimate around 125 people, the majority were 50+. A few suits, plenty of greybeards, hip older ladies who were business owners as it turned out, and a bonus: Al Frankens sister in law who has something big to do with Maine's democratic party. This was not known until the Q&A at the end, I mean, over all it was a civil bunch.

at 1805, Pat Collins appeared to say we are 5" out before Lou, the Nassau CEO comes out. As if on que, the crowd clapped 5" later and he came out. I thought he wanted to see if stragglers came in late. Unfortunately the Fore River bridge was closed screwing up traffic something awful all over town.

He began by describing the genesis of Nassau's holdings in Maine, how a couple of the stations were going to new formats, but what to do about little old 870? Air America was kicking off then and after the usual research he they decided to take a chance, to experiment, and run the AAR feed through 870AM and call it the voice. The crowd clapped and whistled whenever "Air America" was mentioned, causing Lou to pause, a big smile on his face. After his recounting, I believe (implicitly) that contrary to suggestions on this board, there was no planned flip to ESPN radio from the start.

He also educated the audience on the reality of the radio biz when he said that in the past, when a flip was announced, he would get a couple of smarmy emails and a phone call or two, but never before had he seen this kind of outrage at the flip at 870AM which, he said, was a decision made outside of his sphere, so he was not, apparently, the decision maker here. When he got the call from Pat, he said, that the occasional call and email had turned into a tsunami, he decided to come up and see for himself. Thus the "Press Conference". He said he thought the flip was a bit premature too. "It takes time," he said, "to develop a following for a format, especially one as novel as Air America, who itself was an experiment, and the product of months of development"

It seemed that the future of Air America truly depended on tonight: Lou said if he walked out tonight and saw six people, and five of 'em were staff, it's all done... "but I have to say, on the basis of you people, who have come tonight, contrary to any rumors or planning decisions you may have heard, Air America will continue to be broadcast on 870AM the voice for the foreseeable future."

Huge applause.

"But you have to support the station too" He added. He also acknowledged that the emails and voice messages he had gotten were informed, intelligent and cognizant of business models and marketing malfunctions (of which there was much mention during the Q&A), and that it was plain that passion, instead of malice in the feedback, made him think that there was something different about this stations content that deserved more thought and therefore, more time to experiment.

The crowd posed a number of possible scenarios that might support the station that were clearly outside the normal model: Subscriptions? "How much?" he asked. Some said $20, $10, or how about $8.70? Another offered the now famous Dean Campaign/MoveOn.org internet donation model. A few business owners pledged to advertise. Some mentioned the service Air America provided in dispensing news and opinion that was not soiled by disengenuous spin, which got almost everybody talking about how talk radio has degenerated into dangerous muck. "I have to go to BBC, NPR and AlJazeera to get untainted news, then decide for myself, but Air America is now a part of that group. You can't take it off the air, it's un-american!"

To wrap up (sorry about the length folks), more talk of alternative funding, bemoaning lack of marketing (Lou mentioned budget constraints), people clueless of the radio biz weighed in with how vital the station was, etc. etc. I noticed that the sales manager was present on the side and he was probably pissed off that he couldn't sell ESPN time, but if he was good at his job it wouldn't matter what the damn station's got going. Pick up the phone and look forward.

Is Air America a lark? I would venture to guess that Air America affiliates would love Bush to win in November because Air America might take off in ways that we've never known before. Hey the industry could use a good shaking down.

JohnnyD, reporting from Portland.

[LTR]

3. Albany, OR - KRKT-AM 990

Thanks to TrueAmerican for the info. I'll post it in the new thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=109&topic_id=13702&mesg_id=13981&page=

KRKT turning to talk radio

BY CATHY INGALLS
For the Gazette-Times

Starting on Monday, KRKT 990 AM will switch from its classic country music format to airing "progressive" talk show programs, according to station manager Larry Rogers.

The program personalities will counter the more conservative lineup of Rush Limbaugh, Michael Savage and Lars Larson featured on sister station KLOO 1340 AM.

KRKT's new slogan is "AM 990, The Truth," he said. The station will feature programming from Air America, which is less than a year old and originates on the East Coast.
more

http://www.gazettetimes.com/articles/2004/10/02/news/community/satloc02.txt

NOTE: This is a Clear Channel station. Here's the station site:

http://www.krkt.com/main.html

And it's not a very powerful signal. 250W power during the day, and enough to cover just the town at night (if they decide to broadcast after dark). The Portland station should come in well down here, though.

[LTR]

4. Jim Hightower affiliates

http://www.jimhightower.com/

From his site:

Jim Hightower is a national radio commentator, writer, public speaker, and author of Thieves In High Places: They've Stolen Our Country And It's Time to Take It Back, Jim Hightower has spent three decades battling the Powers That Be on behalf of the Powers That Ought To Be - consumers, working families, environmentalists, small businesses, and just-plain-folks.

He broadcasts daily radio commentaries that are carried in more than 100 commercial and public stations, on the web, on Armed Forces Radio, Radio for Peace International, One World Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio.


Anchorage, AK KZND 87.7 FM Sunday 8-11am
Anchorage, AK KUDO 1080 AM M-F 10:34am EST
Little Rock, AR KABF 88.3 FM M-F am, pm drive times
Phoenix, AZ KFNX M-F 8-10am
Tucson, AZ KXCI 91.3 FM M-F 4pm
Chico, CA KZFR 90.1 FM M-F 3:00pm, 7:30pm
Crescent City, CA KPOD 1240 AM M-F 2:15pm
Eureka, CA KGOE 1480 AM M-F 9:00-11:00am, 12:30pm (varies)
Georgetown, CA KFOK 95.1 FM M-F 8:00-9:00am
Hoopa, CA KIDE 91.3 FM M-F 8:06am, 3:05pm
Loma Linda, CA KCAA 1050 AM M-F 9:55 am
Los Angeles, CA KPFK 90.7 FM M-F 6:55pm
Mendocino, CA KZYX 90.7/91.5 FM M-F 2 pm
Napa, CA KVON 1440 AM M-F 7:45 am
Nevada City, CA KVMR 89.5/99.3 M-F 8:25am (varies)
Oroville, CA KRBS 107.1 FM M-F 5:00pm
Rohnert Park, CA KRCB 91.1 FM M-F 5:33pm
San Francisco, CA KALW 91.7 FM M-F 7:49am
San Luis Obispo, CA KPYG 107.5 FM M-F 7:30 am
San Luis Obispo, CA KCBX 90.1 FM Thursday 4:55pm
Santa Cruz, CA KPIG 107.5 FM M-F 7:30am
Alamosa, CO KRZA 88.7 FM M-F 9:05am
Boulder, CO KGNU 88.5 FM M-Th 8:33am
Carbondale, CO KDNK 90.5 FM M-F 7:58am
Cortez, CO KSJD 91.5 FM M-F 5:55am, 9:30am, 2:00pm
Crested Butte, CO KBUT 90.3 FM/94.9FM/ M-F 7:49am
Durango, CO KDUR 91.9 FM M-F 9:30am, 1:00pm
Fort Collins, CO KRFC 88.9 FM M-F 7:30-8am, 5-5:30pm
Grand Junction, CO KAFM 88.1 FM M-F noon
Paonia, CO KVNF 90.9 FM M-F 8:04am, 7:01pm
Salida, CO KHEN-LP 106.9 FM M-F 10am, 2pm, 8pm
Telluride, CO KOTO 91.7 FM M-F 6:15pm
Washington, DC WPFW 89.3 FM Wed 10-11am
KEY WEST, FL WKIZ 1500 AM M-F 10:44am EST
Tampa, FL WMNF 88.5 FM M-F 4:04pm
West Palm Beach, FL WJNO 1290 AM M-F 10:34am EST
Atlanta, GA WRFG 89.3 FM M-F 8:00pm
Hanalei, HI KKCR 90.9 FM M-F 5:30pm
Wailuku, HI KAOI 1110 AM M-F 9:06am
Champaign, IL WEFT 90.1 FM Random times
Bloomington, IN WFHB 91.3 FM M-F 5:29pm
Richmond, IN WECI 91.5 FM M-F 3:00pm
Whitesburg, KY WMMT 88.7 FM M-F 9am
Beverly, MA WBCQ 7.415 Mhz Sunday 6pm
Lowell, MA WUML 91.5 FM M-Th 10:05am
Provincetown, MA WOMR 92.1 FM M-F 6:00am - 11:00am (varies)
Salem, MA WMWM 91.7 FM Thursday 9am-12noon
Baltimore, MD WLOY www.wloy.com M-F 2:00pm
East Orland, ME WERU 89.9 FM M-F 8:30am, 4:30pm
Portland, ME WMTW 870 AM M-F 10:44am EST
Portland, ME WMPG 90.9 FM Thursday 7:15am
Kalamazoo, MI WIDR 89.1 FM Thursay 7:00 - 8:00pm
Grand Rapids, MN KAXE 91.7 FM Thursday 6:35am, 8:35am
Minneapolis, MN KFAI 90.3 FM/106.7 FM varies daily
Aurora, MO KSWM 940 AM M-F 7:25am
Kansas City, MO KKFI 90.1 FM M-F 8:10am, 6:29pm
Liberty, MO KCXL 1140 AM M-F 1:03 pm
Poplar Bluff, MO KLID 1340 AM M-F 7:15am, 5:15pm (varies)
Washington, MO KLPW 1220 AM M-F 12:40pm
Bozeman, MT KMMS 1450 AM M-F 6:52am
Lincoln, NE KZUM
Hackettstown, NJ WNTI 91.9 FM Friday 6:30-10am, Saturday 6-9pm
Santa Fe, NM KSFR 90.7 FM M-F 4:58pm, 5:50pm
Binghampton, NY WHRW 90.5 FM Monday 6:30-7:00pm
Hornell, NY WHHO 1320 AM M-F 7:30pm
Jeffersonville, NY WJFF 90.5 FM Tuesday 8:30pm
New York, NY WNYE 91.5 FM Tuesday 5:15pm
New York, NY WBAI 99.5 FM M-F 6 - 7am
New York City, NY WLIB 1190 AM M-F 10:44 am EST
Stony Brook, NY WUSB 90.1 FM Monday 11:00am
Syracuse, NY WXXE 90.5 FM M-F 4:58pm
Troy, NY WRPI 91.5 FM Wednesday 11am - 12pm
Cincinnati, OH WAIF 88.3 FM Saturday 11-12pm
Youngstown-Warren, OH WASN 1500 AM M-F 4:30pm
Astoria, OR KMUN 91.9 FM M-F 11am
Hood River, OR KMCQ 104.5 FM Sunday 2-3pm
Madras, OR KHJA 102.1 FM M-F, Time TBA
Portland, OR KBOO 90.7 FM M-F 5:52pm
Williamsport, PA WPTC 88.1 FM M-F 1:00am, 6:45pm
Knoxville, TN KFAR 90.9 FM M-F 9:03am
College Station, TX KEOS 89.1 FM M-F 10am, 3pm, 8pm
Dallas, TX KNON 89.3 FM M-F 7:59am
Houston, TX KPFT 90.1 FM M-F 7:58am, 5:28pm
American Forces Radio , US AFRTS www.afrts.osd.mil Schedule varies
Satellite Radio, US XM CHANNEL 167 M-F 10:44am EST
Satellite Radio, US SIRIUS Channel 125 M-F 10:44am EST
Moab, UT KZMU 89.7 FM M-F 12pm
Price, UT KOAL 750 AM M-F 7:15am
Salt Lake City, UT KRCL 90.9 FM M-F 12:28pm
Martinsburg, VA WHEE 1370 AM M-F 7:55am, 1:30pm, 4:10pm
Burlington, VT WVMT 620 AM M-F 5:55am
Plattsburgh, VT WTWK 1070 AM M-F 10:44am EST
Waterbury, VT WDEV 550 AM M-F 8:20am, 12:40pm, 5:40pm
Waterbury, VT WDEV-FM 96.1 FM M-F 8:10am, 5:40pm
Bellvue, WA KBCS 91.3 FM M-F 5:30pm
Everett, WA KSER 90.7 FM M-F 7:40am, 6:30pm
Kettle Falls, WA KITR-LP 101.5 FM 10-11am, 3-4pm
Leavenworth, WA KOHO 101.1 FM M-F 6:30am
Mt. Vernon, WA KSVR 90.1 FM M-F 3:58 pm, 9:58 pm
Olympia, WA KAOS 89.3 FM M-F 8:25am
Quincy-Wenatchee, WA KWNC 1370 AM 8:27am, 12:27pm, 4:27pm, 8:27pm
Seattle, WA KEXP 90.3 FM Sat-Sun 6-9pm
Hayward, WI WOJB 88.9 FM M-F 9:00am
Madison, WI WTDY 1670 AM M-F 6:20am
Madison, WI WORT 88.9 FM M-F 5 6:30am, 9am, 2pm
Milwaukee, WI WMSE 91.7 FM Saturday 3-4pm
Sturgeon Bay, WI WBDK 96.7 FM M-F 8:30am
Huntington, WV WRVC 930 AM M-F 7:45am, 3:45pm

[LTR]

5. Boston affiliate starts Monday morning

Here's their site:

http://www.bostonsnewtalk.com/



And schedule:

Mon Thru Fri Schedule
6am - 9am Morning Sedition
9am – 12N Stephanie Miller
12N – 3pm Al Franken
3pm – 6pm Ed Shultz
6pm – 9pm Rhandi Rhodes
9pm – 12M Majority Report


As an added treat, you can check out some of their stunting, including some funny Bush gaffes:

http://www.bostonsnewtalk.com/wkox_stuntA.asf
http://www.bostonsnewtalk.com/wkox_stuntB.asf

[LTR]

6. Howard Stern to jump to Sirius in January 2006

Not true liberal talk, per se, but he bashes Bush harder than anyone out there.

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/041006/nyw109_1.html

Howard Stern and SIRIUS Announce the Most Important Deal in Radio History

Wednesday October 6, 8:37 am ET

Radio Innovator Signs Five-Year Agreement to Broadcast on SIRIUS Beginning in 2006
Landmark Deal for SIRIUS and Satellite Radio Industry, With Significant Potential to Accelerate Growth for SIRIUS


NEW YORK, Oct. 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- "King of All Media" Howard Stern and SIRIUS announced today an epic agreement whereby Stern will move to SIRIUS beginning January 1, 2006. SIRIUS is the premium satellite radio provider known for delivering the very best in commercial-free music and sports programming to cars and homes across the country.

The world-renowned Stern is credited with revolutionizing the talk radio format. He is the No. 1 national radio host among males 18-49 years of age and ranks No. 1 in many of the 46 major markets where his show is broadcast, including New York and Los Angeles.

"It has been my dream to have the top-rated show in radio since I was five years old," said Stern. "SIRIUS -- the future of radio -- will take this dream to a whole new level as I bring my fans my show my way. It will be the best radio they will ever hear."

In th meantime, if you're within earshot of these stations, you can hear Stern here:

New York, N.Y. WXRK 92.3 FM
Philadelphia, PA. WYSP 94.1 FM
Washington D.C. WJFK 106.7 FM
Los Angeles, CA. KLSX 97.1 FM
Baltimore, MD. WXYV 105.7 FM
Cleveland, OH. WNCX 98.5 FM
Albany, N.Y. WQBK 103.9 FM &
Las Vegas, NV. KXTE 107.5 FM
Boston, MA. WBCN 104.1 FM
Chicago, IL. WCKG 105.9 FM
York, PA. WQXA 105.7 FM
Hartford, CT. WCCC 106.9 FM & 1290 AM
Memphis, TN. WMFS 92.9 FM
Syracuse, N.Y. WAQX 95.7 FM
Columbus, OH. WBZX 99.7 FM
Detroit, MI. WKRK 97.1 FM
Ft. Myers, FL. WRXK 96.1 FM
Portland, OR. KUFO 101.1 FM
Providence, RI. WWKX 106.3 FM & 102.7 FM
St. Louis, MO. KPNT 105.7 FM
Burlington, VT. WIZN 106.7 FM
San Francisco, CA. KITS 105.3 FM
Cape Cod, MA. WPXC 102.9 FM
Atlantic City, N.J. WJSE 102.7 FM
Dallas, TX. KLLI 105.3 FM
Cincinnati, OH. WAQZ 97.3 FM
Buffalo, NY. WBUF 92.9 FM
Reno, NV. KBZZ 1270 AM
Seattle, WA. KISW 99.9 FM
Sacramento, CA. KXOA 93.7 FM
Phoenix, AZ. KZON 101.5 FM
Charleston, S.C. WYBB 98.1 FM
Lexington, KY. WLXO 96.1 FM
Grand Rapids, MI. WBBL 1340 AM
Fall River, MA. WKKB 100.3 FM
Portland, ME. WHXR 106.7 FM & WHXQ 104.7 FM
Pittsburgh, PA. WRKZ 93.7 FM
West Palm Beach, FL. WPBZ 103.1 FM
San Diego, CA. KPLN 103.7 FM
Orlando, FL. WOCL 105.9 FM
Rochester, NY. WZNE 94.1 FM
Fresno, CA. KRNC 105.9 FM
Austin, TX. KQBT 104.3 FM
Tampa, FL. WBZZ 1010 AM
Houston, TX. KIKK 650 AM

[LTR]

7. Ed Schultz show comes to Duluth, MN

http://www.northpine.com/broadcast/index.html

MINNESOTA:
KQDS/1490 (Duluth) has added the Ed Schultz show, replacing Dr. Laura in the 2-5 p.m. slot. (10/7/2004)

Alan Colmes is also on this station, so Duluth/Superior at least gets something resembling liberal talk. There is always the possibility of more liberal talk added, since they really have nothing going on the rest of the day (Tony Snow, a simulcast of their FM sister's morning show, and Bruce Williams - in other words, pretty uninspiring). The ratings are pretty poor. Might they see the liberal light and pick up, perhaps, AAR?

And Dr. Laura loses another affiliate. :bounce:

[LTR]

8. Current ratings and rumors - 10/10/04

Thought I'd check out how well liberal talk is doing where it counts - the Arbitron ratings. These figures represent the most recent quarterly ratings and ratings trends for overall listeners 12+. Of course, the more important ratings are based on specific demographic breakdowns, but they are difficult to obtain, hence I am posting 12+. Most of these figures are unofficial trend reports.

For the most part, these are very new stations, and their ratings impact won't be known for a few months. But it's an interesting peek into what's going on with them.

Honolulu - KUMU received a ratings spike when they first picked up AAR programming. They do not carry the format full-time, as of yet. Ratings are stabilizing, just below the 1.0 mark.

Miami - WINZ's ratings are starting to rise slightly, but the station is still pretty young. A work in progress.

Columbus - WTPG is rising slightly in the ratings, closing in on a 1.0 share.

Denver - KKZN is rising slightly.

New York - WLIB has experienced little change. Ratings have been pretty stable since the station signed on. Ratings are up significantly in the neighboring Long Island (market #18) and Westchester (#60) markets. The station has shown up in the central New Jersey (#36) ratings for the first time. So far, so good.

San Diego - Ratings for KLSD are fairly decent. Dropped slightly overall from the previous adult standards format, but it is a format that is more attractive to advertisers. So far, the ratings are decent here.

Philadelphia - WHAT's ratings are moving upward, though they only run the format part time. They also run black-oriented talk shows.

Central Massachusetts - WHMP is up and down in the ratings. AAR is scattered throughout the schedule, mixed in with a few RW shows. Simulcast on three AM stations.

Minneapolis/St. Paul - The old station simulcast (KSMM/WMIN) showed up in the ratings for the first time ever, just under a 1.0 share. This is remarkable, since both stations are located in the far-out suburbs and are daytime-only. Should be interesting to see what the station does on a new centrally-located signal (KSNB-950) that broadcasts 24 hours a day. For a short time, the station's schedule is a little mixed up due to contractual issues with the outgoing owner. This will be resolved shortly, and they may pick up more AAR shows besides Franken, Majority Report and Morning Sedition.



RUMORS:

A very slow week for stories and rumors. The only thing even closely resembling a rumor is in Providence, RI. This one involves WHJJ picking up only Franken's show for their vacant midday slot:

http://www.radio-info.com/mods/board?Post=272138&Board=providence

Other rumors have been pretty stagnant lately:

L.A. - Nothing on the big station swap that would put progressive talk on KXTA (1150). Speculation says that they would do something like this before NBA season begins, since LA Lakers games would be on one of the stations in this deal.

Washington, DC - Nothing going on yet. Speculation has been pointing to WWRC (1260).

Tampa, FL - No talk of this happening at all, as of yet.

Houston: 790 KBME is listed on Randi Rhodes' archive site as 'coming soon', and has been rumored. Nothing else has been updated since.

[LTR]

9. LA rumors are heating up again

Looks like Clear Channel, rumored to be shuffling formats in LA and San Diego, may be doing it after all.

A little background: The stations involved are KLAC-570 in LA, XETRA-690 in San Diego and KXTA-1150 in LA. KLAC plays adult standards, and the other two have a sports talk simulcast. CC is rumored to shift sports to the 570 frequency only, and move standards to 690. This leaves 1150 wide open for a new format, which has been rumored to be their 'progressive talk' format but could possibly be Spanish. I'm willing to bet progressive talk. The Spanish market in LA is pretty crowded. Plus, their San Diego station seems to be doing well in a rather conservative market.

Much of this hinges on the NBA. The NBA? Yes, CC wants to move Lakers broadcasts from 570 to 690, and currently programs Clippers games on 1150. CC needs approval from the NBA to broadcast games on what is essentially a foreign station (XETRA-690 is actually located in Mexico). NBA season starts in a few weeks, so stay tuned.

BTW: To add some credence to this rumor, there is a new link here, http://www.xtrasports570.com/ , that at least supports this rumor somewhat.

http://www.sdradio.net/today.shtml

National Baseketball starts regular season on Tuesday, Nov. 2. Will the quest for XETRA-AM 690 to be the home of the LA Lakers be answered by then? Street buzz indicates that the annoucement of an out of market and country flagship will be announced soon. If so, then look for Xtra 570 to be the reality. LA's 1150 could go left, or to Spanish language. (Clear Channel has announced a new drive for Hispanic broadcasting on Sept. 16.) Stay Tuned.

[LTR]

10. AAR beefs up it's ad selling power, teams with Jones

http://www.radioandrecords.com/Newsroom/2004_10_12/airamerica.asp

Air America, Jones Team On National Sales

The self-described progressive Talk radio network joins forces with Jones MediaAmerica for national sales representation. Air America is home to such hosts as Al Franken, Janeane Garofolo and Randi Rhodes. Jones VP/Advertising Sales & Marketing Susan Love says, "We are thrilled that Air America Radio has entrusted Jones with their advertising sales." Love says Jones has a tremendous track record of building brands and expects the same results with Air America Radio. Air America Radio CEO Doug Kreeger says the partnership with JMA should improve his network's ability to connect advertisers with affiliates across the country.

Jones is a syndicator that produces Ed Schultz and Stephanie Miller, who are on several stations that air AAR programming. This looks like a win-win situation for both parties, as it unites and beefs up the two biggest players in liberal talk radio. AAR will still be a separate entity, but it just contracts with Jones for ad sales. This also brings more money in for AAR, which will help in it's continued success.

[LTR]

11. Website up for KTHH/Corvallis, OR

CC just seems to slap these things up.

http://www.990thetruth.com/main.html



Most of the shows are tape-delayed, but they air the entire AAR lineup.

6A – 9A The Morning Sedition
9A – 12P The Al Franken Show
Noon-3pm UnFiltered
3P – 7P The Randi Rhodes Show
7p - 10p The Majority Report
10P - 1a The Mike Malloy Show

[MattNC]

12. WHJJ in Providence is being rumored

according to the pros at radio-info.com

[LTR]

13. Providence, RI - WHJJ

Not picking up the entire format, but using Franken, Rhodes and Morning Sedition to plug a few holes.

http://www.projo.com/yourlife/content/projo_20041015_whjj.335f54.html

WHJJ-AM is moving sharply to the left.

Starting this morning, the news/talk station at 920 AM will be airing a five-hour block of Air America in the 10 a.m.-to-3 p.m. time slot, formerly the home of John DePetro.

(snip)

"'PRO has the right wing locked up with Mr. Limbaugh. It will be interesting to see how long it takes Al Franken to beat him in the ratings," said Jim Corwin, market manager for the four Clear Channel stations in Rhode Island, including WHJJ. "I doubt it's going to take very long."

Starting today, WHJJ will begin with Imus in the Morning from 6 to 10 a.m., then a delayed broadcast of Air America's morning show, Morning Sedition, which normally begins at 6 a.m.
Then local host Arlene Violet takes over from 3 to 6 p.m., followed by Air America's Randi Rhodes from 6 to 8 p.m. and Geoff Charles from 8 to 10 p.m.

http://ltradio.blogspot.com/