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April 2008
4/30: Update on the Steve & Vikki lawsuit, Kelly’s status, Regular Guys back
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The owners of Star 94 were livid when they found out B98.5 was airing TV ads with Steve & Vikki promoting the morning show’s arrival at the station July 1. So Star filed a lawsuit and requested a temporary restraining order to stop B98.5, saying the former Star morning team didn’t comply with a noncompete clause in their employment contract.
A judge at the Superior Court of Fulton County Tuesday rejected the temporary restraining order and Star 94’s owners, Lincoln Financial, will no longer pursue the lawsuit. The TV ads have continued to air since the lawsuit was filed earlier this month. For B98.5, the ads are a good way to reach former S&V fans and spread awareness of the impending change.
“We are disappointed that the judge ruled on a technicality, a loophole, and not the intent of the agreement with Steve & Vikki,” Kanov said. “Steve & Vikki did not honor what they previously agreed to.” Kanov had chosen not to renew Steve & Vikki’s contracts last year, deciding to go for a younger-skewing show in the Morning Mess.
The S&V employment contract, with its noncompete, includes wording from 1991, Kanov said. Future Star 94 employment contracts will certainly fix the language to ensure this never happens again, he said.
Meanwhile, Kelly Stevens, part of the “lame duck” Kelly & Alpha morning team on B98.5, has been off air for awhile. I checked in with the boss Paul Ciliano and he said Kelly has some personal issues to deal with but should be back early next week.
The pair, who have been on the air for the past decade on B98.5, have never been given much of a chance to be genuine “personalities.” It’s all about getting in and out quickly and play more music. But alas, despite good ratings, they were dumped in favor of Steve & Vikki, who will be given far more room to breathe in terms of gab since they became very successful personalities and brand names at Star 94.
(And in response to Sad Sack, posting below, true, I hadn’t noticed Stevens’ absence because I don’t listen to B98.5 in the morning and nobody had informed me about it until I saw your radio-info posting yesterday.)
-On Tuesday, the Regular Guys were in “best of” mode during the middle of the spring book: Larry Wachs was ill with the flu, according to Gary Lewis, the market manager. And in “all for one, one for all” fashion, they decided if Larry’s sick, Eric and Southside get the day off. Not a bad deal!
They were back today so all is well in Regular Guys land.
Gary was bemused that folks wondered if they did something Monday that led to a suspension or something worse. But that was not the case. Given their past record of firings, this isn’t just paranoia.
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4/28: Talking with Jon Stewart, Mara Davis’ Oprah encounter
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I spoke with “Daily Show” host Jon Stewart, who is set to do two shows May 10 at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre.
He said he likes to hit the stage about once a month to keep his standup chops in order. “It’s a wonderful creative outlet,” he said. “It’s a psychosis. It’s how you start your career and it’ll be how I end my career.”
I asked him a host of silly questions and he was gracious enough to answer them with far wittier responses:
Q: They’ve tiered the pricing for your show from $47 to $77. Is being physically closer to you worth the extra $30?
A: I smell like pastry. If you sit up close, you’ll think, ‘Wow! It’s a great show and a very nice bakery.’ You sit in the back and you’ll think, ‘This is a funny show and the theater smells like old feet. I do promise this won’t be like a Gallagher show for those in the front row. Nobody is going to get covered in watermelon juice!
Q: How often do you finish the Sunday New York Times crossword puzzle?
A: Sunday is not that difficult. It’s more endurance. It’s like doing one of those charity walks to raise money. It’s not hard to do a 5K or 10K but it takes time. And now that I have kids, it’s even tougher. Now Saturday—that’s the one that you can spend a day perplexing over and not make any inroads.
Q: Do you ever cheat?
A: Oh my God! Of course! They have a phone number you can literally call and ask them for answers. I’ve cheated on numerous occasions.
Q: Is hosting the Oscars the most thankless, most overly scrutinized gig ever?
A: It’s certainly the most scrutinized gig I’ve ever done. But I don’t know, there are plenty of other jobs that are far more scrutinized. It’s sort of like the Super Bowl half-time show. Everyone watches it, critiques it and forgets about it by the time they go to sleep unless something disastrous happens. Maybe we’ll end up with George Clooney having a wardrobe malfunction.
Q: Would you do this a third time or would you rather take over for Ryan Seacrest on “American Idol”?
A: There’s no way you can take away Ryan Seacrest’s 50 jobs. You’d have to try to convict him on violation of the Taft-Hartley monopoly act. You’d have to get a new Teddy Roosevelt trust buster.
Q: Wow! Taft-Hartley and Teddy Roosevelt in one answer!
A: Wait. I don’t think I have that right [He goes on Google.] Nope, Taft-Hartley is about labor unions. It’s the Sherman Anti-Trust Act! I like to have my facts straight.
Q: If you and Stephen Colbert ran for president, who do you think would win?
A: The American people!
Q: Which presidential candidate are you rooting for from a pure comedic standpoint?
A: I guess Mr. T. If he were running, that’d be funny. We actually try not to view it in terms of who’s the most amusing. That would probably also be the most corrosive candidate.
Q: If gas prices were to hit $10 a gallon, as some are predicting, how would that affect you?
A: Living in New York City, I’d be slightly less susceptible. Maybe we’d all end up living in a Mad Max hellscape, some sort of post-Apocalyptic vision. Guys in mohawks and crossbows chasing my Toyota down the Sahara.
Q: How do you feel about [former “Daily Show” correspondent and former Atlantan] Ed Helms and his stint on “The Office”?
A: Extremely disappointed. We try not to express that to him. He’s very sensitive about it. [In reality,] Helms is awesome. And he’s a hell of a banjo player.
Q: Is there a sequel to your best-selling book “America” in your future?
A: You sound like Dionne Warwick on one of those psychic commercials! Is there a book in my future? It’s a long process. We hope to have one ready by 2010.
Q: One every six years?
A: A book every six years and 1,000 shows.
Q: You’re about to interview Georgia’s own Jimmy Carter. How are you prepping for the interview?
A: We’re trying to take the booze out of the green room. He can come in a little hammered and tear the place up. [Seriously,] he’s unbelievably gregarious and enjoyable to talk to.
CONCERT INFO
Jon Stewart, Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, 2800 Cobb Galleria Pkwy, Atlanta, 7:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. May 10, $47 to $77, 404-249-6400, www. ticketmaster.com.
In others TV news:
-Britney Spears will return to “How I Met Your Mother” May 12. She plays the clueless doc’s secretary who had a crush on Ted on the episode that aired earlier this month and ends up dating Barney.
-Mara Davis of Dave FM on her blog,, described her “out of body” experience seeing Oprah live. She ran into the gal who happened to handle Oprah’s audience and befriended her. The gal liked Mara and her friends so much, she gave them front-row seats to see Oprah, Tina Turner and Cher. Very very cool! “What a weekend!! I hit the jackpot without winning any money. Heaven!!!!!!” she wrote. The taping in Vegas will air May 8 on TV.
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4/26: Jimmy Fallon taking over for Conan?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Variety and The Hollywood Reporter are confirming rumors that Jimmy Fallon will take over for Conan O’Brien once O’Brien nabs Jay Leno’s seat next year on “The Tonight Show.”
Fallon is best known as a “Saturday Night Live” cast member from 1998 to 2006. He has starred in a couple of flicks (“Taxi,” “Fever Pitch”) but hasn’t been seen much lately.
His former boss Lorne Michaels would produce the show. (Conan was also a former ‘SNL” writer.)
Do you think Fallon would do a good job in that late-night role? Is he better than Carson Daly, who does a late, late show after Conan?
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4/25: Sweetness and light from Rhubarb Jones’ golf tourney chair
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I got this email from Kristi Anderson, chairwoman of the 16th annual Rhubarb Jones Celebrity Golf Classic. She doesn’t seem to understand what I do for a living, that I cover radio and I came for Rhubarb. She also doesn’t get that I write it as I see it in as fair a manner as possible with no regard to whether it’s “positive” or “negative” but simply interesting. I spoke to her Friday morning and repeated all this, but she didn’t seem terribly assuaged. Such is life. I included the Buzz item I wrote (as opposed to the blog entry from Tuesday) since I presume that’s what she saw.
Dear Mr. Ho,
Thank you so much for coming out to cover the 16th Annual Rhubarb Jones Celebrity Golf Classic this past Monday at The Golf Club of Georgia. While coverage by the AJC is VERY much appreciated, I was extremely disappointed to read the spin that was put on the article.
The article’s main focus seemed more about the radio industry and Rhubarb losing his job rather than the REAL reason that we were all there — to raise money to fight blood cancers for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. You mentioned the “continued support” of Citadel/KICKS which, once the station changes were announced, became negligible, especially compared to our Premier Sponsor, the PGA Tour Superstore, who wasn’t even mentioned.
Then there was the negative spin on the amount of money that was raised. Despite all the MAJOR hurdles that the Committee faced such as losing the majority of the station’s backing and Rhubarb no longer having a radio home less than 2 months prior to the event, extreme declining economic times, etc., we were very proud to have raised $160,000. Instead, you compared it to last year’s total and touted the fact that we raised less this year than last.
What ever happened to positive news? Not every story has to have a negative spin, and in these hard times, some positive news is always welcome.
Sincerely,
Kristi Anderson, Volunteer Chairperson, 16th Annual Rhubarb Jones Celebrity Golf Classic
Here’s the item she was disturbed about:
GOLF TOURNAMENT GETS SUPPORT
Rhubarb Jones, after 23 years, lost his job as Atlanta’s longest-running morning host when Citadel Broadcasting killed the Eagle on Feb. 29. But using former sister station Kicks 101.5, Citadel continued to support his 16th annual celebrity golf tournament for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
In the end, he still managed to raise about $160,000. Though that’s down from $190,000 last year, he was happy he was able to hold the event, which he plans to continue next year, with or without a radio partner.
Jones is not bitter about Citadel’s moves. “I didn’t take it personally,” he said. “It was just business.”
It doesn’t hurt that he’s still under an iron-clad five-year contract with Citadel, which pays him to do nothing until April 1, 2009. Plus, he already has a new job lined up to teach mass communication classes at Kennesaw State University starting later this year.
He also hasn’t ruled out going back to radio at some point if the opportunity is right.
Friends and fans slapped Jones on the back and posed for pictures, offering condolences for his job loss. Former Braves players Rick Camp, Ron Gant and Brian Jordan played golf for charity. And country legend Charlie Daniels came out as usual, rockin’ his violin on “The Devil Went Down to Georgia.”
-Tonight was another compelling episode of “Lost,” which now appears to be a war between Ben & Charles Widmore, though we’re still trying to figure out what Jacob’s role is in who controls the island. Other fun elements:a dead doctor, a dead daughter (plus some dead extras), revenge motives, and smoke monster, will travel! Plus, Claire is apparently invincible—for now. (Kinda like how Ben can get the stuffings beat out of him yet come away fairly unscathed.) And they answered why Sayid is working with Ben in the future.
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4/24: Springsteen not a big radio draw
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Bruce Springsteen is an iconic rock figure with a deep catalog of songs and a passionate fan base that helps him sell out arenas nationwide.
But he’s not heard on Atlanta radio nearly as often as, say, the Rolling Stones or Tom Petty, according to Mediabase 24/7, which tracks radio airplay at stations nationwide.
97.1/The River, which has a fairly tight playlist of rock standards from the ‘70s and early ‘80s, has not spun a single Springsteen song this year. Rock 100.5, with its much broader and harder-edged array of rock songs from the past four decades, has played the Boss only 11 times since the station’s launch in January. Soft rock B98.5 features his pop-oriented hit “Dancing in the Dark” three to six times a week.
“His songs are simply not as widely popular in 2008 as they were in the 70s and 80s,” said Chris Miller, program director for the River, in an email. “He still has his rabid fans …. just not as many of them.”
Dave FM is by far Springsteen’s biggest supporter. The adult alternative rock station last year placed his latest single “Radio Nowhere” in regular rotation and peppers in a few of his staples such as “One Step Up” and “Streets of Philadelphia” on its playlist. In terms of total spins, Springsteen is Dave’s 28th most popular artist this year, tied with the Red Hot Chili Peppers. (Dave also airs an “Underground Garage” specialty show hosted by E Street Band member Little Steven every Sunday night.)
“He’s never gotten a ton of airplay in the South and I’m not sure why,” said Jimmy Baron, a big Springsteen fan and former 99X jock, who has seen him live about 30 or 40 times. “It might just a regional thing. He can sell out multiple dates at Giants Stadium but can barely sell out one night at Philips.”
We polled four rock jocks in town for their three favorite Springsteen cuts. Curiously, there wasn’t a single overlap:
Margot Smith, music director and night jock, Dave FM:
“I’m On Fire” It’s a great sounding, sexy, mildly dirty song. Very appealing!
“The Ghost of Tom Joad” I’m a big fan of songs that tell stories well. I’m a bigger fan of Americana. This hits both.
“Nebraska” This song is as sparse, desolate, and sad as its subject. It gets under my skin (in a good way).
Lexie Kaye, morning host, 97.1/The River:
“My Hometown” A great storytelling song that makes you think about and appreciate where you came from.
“Glory Days” A well-written upbeat tune that you can’t help but reflect on the good ole days.
“Tenth Avenue Freeze -Out” - A true rock tune where you can’t understand most of the lyrics but love the funky horns on the intro and the saxophone especially!
Axel Lowe, afternoon host, Rock 100.5:
“Born to Run” I just like the story about busting out of a small town.
“Cadillac Ranch” I love that song because it’s just fun to drive along to and listen to.
“Hungry Heart” This song has a great story behind it. Springsteen wanted to give it to Joey Ramone but his manager said, “Are you crazy?” It would have been cool to think what this would have sounded like all punk-rocked out!
Mara Davis, mid-day jock, Dave FM:
“She’s the One” (from “Born to Run”) I love how it picks up in the end. You just want to pump your fist!
“Trapped“ from the USA for Africa soundtrack) This is an old Jimmy Cliff song that is the best live. A perfect sing-along song, I just love it.
“Brilliant Disguise“ The song sounds so happy, you’d never know it’s about a gutwrenching break up. To me, this song displays why the Boss is one of the best songwriters of all time.
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4/24: Katie Couric’s problems, Sarah Connor’s renewal
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The media loves to beat up on Katie Couric and CBS got pilloried for spending millions to lure her to “CBS Evening News” in 2006. Rumors now run rampant that CBS is trying to get rid of her after just 19 months on the job. Ratings are now worse than they were before she came aboard. The telecast’s ratings last week hit a record low of 5.4 million viewers nationwide.
This compares to 8.2 million for “NBC Nightly News With Brian Williams” at NBC and 7.5 million for “World News With Charles Gibson” at ABC.
Locally, Couric does even worse, reflecting the relatively weak numbers for the local CBS affiliate, WGCL-TV. She averaged about 45,000 viewers last month vs. an estimated 250,000 for Charles Gibson on the ABC affiliate WSB-TV. NBC affiliate WXIA-TV’s airing of NBC Nightly News is somewhere in the middle, averaging about 150,000 viewers.
Evening news shows have been losing viewers for years and the downward drift continues unabated. Collectively in March 2007, the three shows drew about 480,000 viewers per night in metro Atlanta. Last month, the number had fallen to about 450,000 with all three shows losing viewers.
Do you think it was a mistake for CBS to bring in Couric to try to give its nightly news a lift? Did the older-skewing viewers not take her seriously in that role? Did the CBS managers simply not execute the more feature-oriented vision Couric had for the show? Does evening news even matter anymore?
And where would be a better place for Couric? CNN wouldn’t be a bad home. Larry King just signed a deal that takes him to 2010, according to TVNewser. But they might be able to find a place for her.
In other news:
-Fox has renewed the Terminator spinoff, “The Sarah Connor Chronicles,” thanks to decent ratings among younger viewers. More info here at the Hollywood Reporter. The show is scheduled to come back in the fall, though probably not on Monday nights at 9, where it would compete with NBC’s “Heroes.”
-Showtime has renewed the randy historical drama “The Tudors” for a third season.
-Showing how volatle Atlanta radio has been, Frank & Wanda are now the longest running morning show in Atlanta at the same station. They’ve been around for about a decade. The second longest? Kevin & Taylor at the Fish. They’ve been at the Fish since the fall of 2000 and have been together as a team for a decade. Kevin & Taylor just won best morning team in a major market, courtesy of the Gospel Music Association. I’m going to interview Kevin for a future blog entry.
-Three weeks ago, Diane James(right) left 95.5/The Beat. She had been a mid-day jock but had gotten moved to nights. Despite being here for three years, she didn’t leave much of an impression. Then again, this may not be her fault because the Beat is a music-oriented station that keeps the DJ patter to a minimum, making it more difficult for jocks to connect with their audience.
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4/22: Steve & Vikki sued, Frank & Wanda’s radio broadcasting seminar
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
-The Regular Guys sued? Well, sure. That’s possible. But Steve & Vikki? Yes, they have been served. “Buzz” man Richard Eldredge today reports that Star 94’s parent company has sued Steve McCoy and Vikki Locke for alleged breach of contract for showing up on an ad promoting their arrival on B98.5 July 1 before their six-month noncompete is up. More details here. Rich has revealed that the wording of the noncompete left a loophole for broadcast TV since it references only cable television. B98.5 continues to run the ads on local stations.
-Did you want to know how radio works and are interested into getting the business? Though the business is going through rough times, there are always openings in sales, productions and marketing as well as on air.
Frank Ski and Wanda Smith of V-103 are going to give you the skinny Wednesday night from 6 to 9 p.m. at Woodruff Arts Center in Midtown at 1280 Peachtree St.
Directions & Parking: www.woodruffartscenter.org
Seating is limited to the first 400 people, first come, first serve! Open to ALL ages & ALL people regardless of experience! NO PRE-REGISTRATION OR RESERVATION NEEDED
Questions: Email the Morning Show Producer: Nina Brown at ninabrown@wvee.com
This is sponsored by CSB School of Broadcasting.
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4/22: Rhubarb Jones’ celebrity golf tournament
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
ABOVE: Rhubarb hobnobs with Lorrie Becker, who co-owns Stone Mountain and Granite Mountain Harley Davidson. Rhubarb was a spokesman for eight years. The sun has not necessarily set on his radio career. He hasn’t ruled out coming back at some point if given the right opportunity. ALL PHOTO CREDITS: Rodney Ho/Staff
I caught the tail end of the Rhubarb Jones’ Celebrity Golf Tournament at the Golf Club of Georgia Monday. Jones was taken off the air after 23 years at 106.7 on Feb. 29 when Eagle 106.7 was grounded for good. But Citadel and Kicks 101.5 decided to continue sponsoring his 16th annual tourney, which raises money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
Over the years, Jones has raised more than $3.2 million for the non-profit organization and he hopes to continue to do so even if he has no radio station to go to.
Jones has since gotten a job as an assistant professor of mass communication at Kennesaw State University. (He got a masters of arts with a major in leadership from Shorter College in December 2006.) He is also still under contract and being paid to do nothing for Citadel until April 1, 2009. He had 13 months left on a five-year contract. He’s now enjoying the luxury of sleeping regularly until 8 a.m. for the first time in 36 years of morning radio in different markets. “I get to watch Letterman and Ferguson now,” he said. “It’s strange.”
Among the celebrities who played golf were former Brave (and now Braves TV analyst) Brian Jordan, former Braves Rick Camp and Ron Gant, Fox 5’s Ken Rodriguez and NASCAR driver Steve Wallace.
Charlie Daniels, who can still play a mean violin on “The Devil Went Down to Georgia,” provided musical entertainment at the post-game party, which I attended.
ABOVE: Charlie Daniels calls Rhubarb his “soul brother.” He’s been attending and helping out Rhubarb’s golf tournament for at least seven years.
ABOVE: Rhubarb, who goes by “Ruby,” said he wasn’t angry or bitter about the firing, that he knew his time was coming to a close at the station after 23 years.
ABOVE: Charlie’s golf cart had a note on it so nobody would drive off in it.
ABOVE: Rhubarb auctioned off the violin bow Charlie Daniels used to burn the devil in “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” for $1,500.
ABOVE: Daniels workin’ his magic.
ABOVE: Cadillac Jack came by to lend his support. He was one of the few survivors of the Leap Day Massacre seven weeks ago, keeping his morning show job but given a new female co-host in Dallas McCade.
UPDATE on Nudge: Allaccess.com reports he’s going to do afternoons at a new Star 94-style station in Columbus, Ga.
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4/21: New book out about Clear Channel
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Clear Channel was once considered the “evil empire” of radio, often blamed for why the FM dial is so bland and homogeneous. Heck, the company (also derisively dubbed “Cheap Channel”) itself perpetuated this image back in the early 2000s, equating itself as the “McDonald’s” of radio, believing that a consistent product nationwide would be the road to profitability over localized content. It also believed in “synergy,” that bringing billboards, concerts and radio together would make for a powerhouse draw for advertisers.
But radio isn’t a Big Mac. And life has changed for the industry since 2002 and for Clear Channel, which is struggling to close a deal to go private and is no longer the powerhouse it once was. In fact, Clear Channel has spun off its concert division and has been selling off radio stations. Once 1,200 stations, the company has now fewer than 1,000.
Journalist Alec Foege — who has written books on Sonic Youth and Pat Robertson — chronicled the build-up and wobbly descent of Clear Channel in a book which came out last week called “Right of the Dial: The Rise of Clear Channel and the Fall of Commercial Radio.” The New York Times gave it a generally positive review here..
I have followed Clear Channel for many years and unfortunately, Foege’s account suffers from his inability to get the key players to cooperate. The Mays family, notoriously press shy, granted him zero access. And Randy Michaels, the man who became a bit of a divisive figure in the annals of Clear Channel history, didn’t talk either. We miss their voices and their rationales for their triumphs and mistakes. (There is an “authorized” book about Clear Channel set to come out sometime later this year which will have those perspectives.)
Foege did talk many key figures who helped build Clear Channel from the ground up and covers the bases on how Clear Channel came to be and how its operating philosophy affected the entire industry. I think Foege was very fair in his portrayal of the company, balancing the good and the bad. And after a major rough patch, he thinks the company, even as its influence has waned, has improved its programming, being aggressive online and scaling back on voicetracking (definitely the case here in Atlanta.)
Foege said he came in 2005 knowing very little about Clear Channel, that it was just this “faceless monolith” in his mind. “I feel ultimately I got a real good take on the company and a real sense of where they came from and how they eventually arrived to where they are today.”
The timing of the book’s release isn’t bad because Clear Channel is trying to go private but is having issues with the credit market.
In an interview, Foege didn’t know much about how Clear Channel affected Atlanta.
To be fair, there are many markets where Clear Channel has thrived. Atlanta has not been one of them. Its Atlanta operation has struggled the past decade, operating six radio stations without distinction. Its revenues have dropped sharply in recent years in this market. Not a single one of its metro Atlanta stations has been a consistent top 10 performer in recent times in key demographics. And this despite the fact two of its signals 94.9 and 96.1 are among the strongest signals in town.
Through a series of missteps and miscalculations, the Atlanta cluster managed to implode two heritage stations (96rock and Peach/Lite 94.9) and render another a ratings also ran (news/talk WGST-AM). All five of its FM signals have gone through format changes in the past five years, sometimes multiple times. Not a single local on-air personality is with the company from the time I started covering radio at the AJC in 2001.
Here’s a sampling of some of it snafus:
It took WGST off the FM dial and tried to take on Z93 with Mix 105.7, hurting GST but not Z93. Its two Hispanic signals have cannibalized each other. It created an ’80s station packed primarily with voicetracked, out-of-town jocks that never did much in terms of revenue and died after two years. It fired the Regular Guys not once, but twice. It killed off the Kimmer. It thought the morning show Gene & Julie was a good idea at Lite 94.9. It thought changing the name Peach to Lite was a good idea (though that was part of an ill-fated national initiative by Clear Channel to use the same brand names across markets.) Its idea for an FM talk station featured the same syndicated guy in the morning and the afternoon and lasted all of six months. It overpaid for the Braves. And the list goes on.
It has had a few successes, including Project 9-6-1, which helped kill off 99X on the FM airwaves. But Project now faces tougher competition in Rock 100.5, which picked up the Regular Guys. GST, once competitive with WSB-AM in the early 1990s, now often loses to sports station 680/The Fan. Viva 105.7 recently hit ratings lows. One potential ray of light right now is the Bull, the new country station, thanks to Citadel killing off Eagle. This provides an opening for Cletus T. Judd in the morning and the station’s ability to take on Kicks.
Clear Channel has pushed hard for HD radio, which provides extra stations if you buy an HD radio. But so far, its impact has been minimal. (Good news for the handful of folks who like GST and want it on the FM dial: Clear Channel Friday announced it was adding an HD FM signal for WGST-AM on 94.9.)
The ultimate irony: John Hogan, who used to run the Atlanta cluster, now runs the entire Clear Channel radio operation.
-I’ve been following “Oprah’s Big Give,” which has been a mixed bag of a show in terms of ratings and entertainment. It tries to merge “Amazing Race” elements into an “Extreme Makeover” template, which is an awkward mix of personal tension and tear-inducing charitable moments. And the judges couldn’t truly Since I tend to prefer the former from a TV entertainment standpoint, it was fun to see the final three fall apart as a team during the finale Sunday.
Stephen drove the idea of doing an event for an inner city private school from a friend of his in Chicago. Cameron and Brandi, aware that this could guarantee a win for Stephen, resisted, going off and doing some other charity and not even showing up on time for the “big reveal” Stephen (and Cameron) had organized. “It’s an embarrassment to me and an embarrassment to the Big Give,” Stephen said.
Brandi badmouthed Cameron as a “wuss” and “man-child” and called Stephen selfish for announcing a Blue Man Group concert for the kids alone and thus taking credit for it even though it was Cameron’s idea. Brandi went to the Shriner’s and held a cooking class. She has had a tendency to go for small gestures, not big financial payoffs. She has shown some sweet creativity but it wasn’t enough.
Although at one point I thought Brandi could win this, it became clear Stephen deserved the $1 million that Oprah handed out. So the final result was not surprising at all. It’s kind of funny that this show was all about giving and charity and the participants end up with cold, hard cash (the runner ups got $100,000 and the also-rans got $30,000).
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4/18: Nudge talks, Survivor shocker
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
After four years at Star 94, 25-year-old Nudge is moving on to (hopefully) bigger and better things.
He’s hired an agent and is seeking a way to harness his skills in mornings or even afternoons, if a Cindy and Ray-type opportunity presents itself. His brief stint doing mornings before the Mess came along whetted his appetite and he’s ready for more.
“It was a great run at Star,” he said in an interview Thursday, the day before his contract officially ended with Star. “But I’m anxious to take the next step. This is a very important time in my career. I want to not just find the next thing but the right thing.”
He doubts, however, that his next job will be in Atlanta. A single guy, he is open to going anywhere as long as it’s the good job opportunity.
Nudge made his mark early on with his “Hot Mom Check In,” which was a modification of a randier “Hot Girl Check In” someone else did in Philadelphia on a rhythmic top 40 station he worked at (kind of like the Beat locally.). He chose “hot mom” to reflect the demographics of Star 94. When he tried it during his audition, the phone lines lit up, he said. And that helped him get the job.
He did it heavily for about two years, even getting Governor Sonny Perdue to say “Hot Mom Check In… smooth and sexy!” But it played itself out via repetition and he cut back the past two years. He replaced it with the less memorable “Horn-y Driver’s Club” where he got folks to honk their horns. He also hosted Star 94’s younger-skewing Saturday night “remix” party (though the music itself was mixed by mid-day jock Tripp West.).
He also got celebs to try to pronounce his name properly, which looks like it rhymes with “fudge” but the “u” sounds more like “uh.” He said Avril Lavigne could never get it right but the Jonas Brothers would always remember it on return visits. He was also flattered that Janet Jackson got his name right the first time and told him she actually listened when she was in town.
The gimmicky stuff (which also included a “zip code” roll call in which he would ID a city based on zip code) “served their purpose,” Nudge said. “People to this day have related the show with those bits. The purpose of the show was to have fun, not take anything too seriously.”
Nudge’s replacement is some Iowa native named Darik (right) from Alice, a soft rock station in Denver, where he also did nights. Darik starts Monday. Here’s Darik’s MySpace page.
Darik has a video on YouTube, which is just a string of photos to the song “Thnks Fr Th Mmrs.”
I don’t think I’ve bothered to comment about “Survivor: Micronesia” this season but I’d be remiss in letting the Ozzy shocker go by without saying, “Wow!” The king (right) is dead. Long live the king!
Former Atlantan Parvati Shallow helped engineer a true coup right under the ringleader’s nose. She teamed up with the Jason, Cirie, Alexis and Natalie to take Ozzy out.
This happened after an extraordinarily drawn out immunity challenge. It was simple: holding your arm up in the air and if you move downward, a bucket of water falls on you. Jason (who felt he had to keep winning challenges to stay alive) and Parvati held on for an astonishing six hours. Alexis said she’d guarantee she won’t vote for Jason if he’d let go, then everyone else did the same (though several crossed their fingers.) As a result, everyone got some donuts, milk and other modest snacks.
Ozzy later said Jason was incredibly naive to take everyone at their word. Or was he? Cirie (right) wanted Ozzy out bad and told Natalie, Alexis and Parvati that Ozzy wouldn’t use his own immunity idol he got from Exile Island if he was confident everyont would vote for Jason. Ozzy pondered for a moment that he might be doublecrossed and he should bring the idol just in case.
And the vote count upped the tension. Jason was down 4 to 1 (and I presume Jeff Probst picks the votes out randomly.) It didn’t look good for Jason. Ozzy looked smug. Then as the vote count went to 4-4, Eliza (on the jury bench) had her mouth open in shock and James buried his hand in his face and Amanda was agape. When Jeff said it was Ozzy, that smug look was replaced by disgust. “That was a very big blindside,” Jeff said, in a case of major understatement. “I’m a fool,” Ozzy said afterwards. “Whoever in my alliance who voted the other way, I hate you. So screw you!”
Brilliant, Cirie, brilliant!
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4/17: Meeting the Supernanny
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
ABOVE: Producer Tommy Coriale, coordinator Katie Greene and Jo Frost confer on the front porch of the Marietta family she’s helping out. CREDIT: Rodney Ho/Staff
More photos can be found here in this gallery.
Jo Frost, best known as ABC’s “Supernanny,” made her second trip to metro Atlanta this week for the reality show, this time helping a familiy in a Marietta subdivision. (ABC requested we not reveal the family yet.)
I watched Frost enter and leave the home from her black London taxi, first in severe tan formalwear as if it were “observation” day. Later, she changed into a casual blue shirt and let her hair down to appear as if she’s on “training” days and filmed more shots of her coming and going.
At one point, director G.T. Taylor told her to grab a basketball and take a shot at the basket on the driveway. In one take, Frost swished it, looked impishly in the camera and went on her merry way to the door. “Genius!” Taylor exclaimed.
So here’s the reality: shots of Frost outside a home may appear on TV to have been filmed over multiple days but for logistical reasons are all done in a single day. And the producers will make it look seamless: this staff of 20 is packed with veterans of shows such as “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” “Survivor,” “The Apprentice” and “Flavor of Love.”
For neighbors curious about the hubbub, the novelty of the cameras and trucks and staff scurrying around quickly lost its allure as the “hurry up and wait” of TV production sunk into true “reality.” “This is boring!” one young child said after watching for 15 minutes and eventually, the “Supernanny” crew was left alone.
Staff members noted that what happens inside, the meat of the show, isn’t staged. It’s simply Frost doling out her stern advice to Americans who seem more agreeable to critiques because of her soothing British tones.
In an interview at the start of the day, Frost said she’s on the road 11 months out of the year shooting episodes for both the U.S and the U.K. versions of “Supernanny.” (More than 100 have aired combined in both countries over four years.) But with 16-years-plus of nanny experience, she still loves advising families. Any plans for her own children one day? “Yes,” she said, with a chuckle, “but I’d have to be Houdini right now!”
On her off time later this week, she hopes to visit the Georgia Aquarium and swim with the whale sharks.
This episode is set to air later this year or early next year. And Frost has a new book coming out May 6 focused on advice for parents of infants called “Jo Frost’s Confident Baby Care: What You Need to Know For the First Year From America’s Most Trusted Nanny.”
-Star 94’s Morning Mess producer Mike Weiss was a bit peeved with my colleague Richard Eldredge’s portrayal of the Mess in Buzz today. He defended the show’s community service outreach and finished the email with this delightful passive-aggressive kicker:
You’re right, we do love having adult fun with our listeners. But if you ever feel like writing about the next positive thing we do on our show, don’t call any of the 4 of us. We have no desire to give you the time of day.
Have a blessed day!
(His boss Mark Kanov apologized for the tone of the email to Rich when he found out about it.)
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4/16: Cledus T. Judd’s new TV ads
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
94.9/The Bull’s Cledus T. Judd and his team Slam Duncan and Jamie Massey are now doing TV ads, hoping to take advantage of the end of Eagle and changes over at Kicks with a little marketing.
The two ads I saw during “Idol” last night definitely lands in the goofy category. The first one, they are having “problems” with the camera and can’t get it centered. On the second, they are having sound issues. This is clearly playing off Cledus’ “I’m just a country boy” approach to radio. There are also billboards now for Cledus.
The “T Party” started a couple months ago with Paul Koffy, but he seems to be out of of the picture. He hasn’t been on air in at least a couple of weeks and is not in the advertising (though he’s still on the Web site.) Cledus said earlier this week that Paul’s on vacation but it’s been a long vacation and most morning show people aren’t technically allowed to take vacation during the spring or fall ratings periods. No response yet from the bosses on Paul’s status.
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4/15: UPDATE: Steve & Vikki TV ads have already started, Star 94 not pleased
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
B98.5 has started airing TV ads this week featuring former Star 94 morning hosts Steve & Vikki announcing their return to the FM airwaves in 11 weeks.
“In case you haven’t heard,” says Steve. “We’re coming back on B98.5 on July 1.”
“Playing Atlanta’s best variety of soft rock,” Vikki adds.
A shot of Fergie singing “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” followed by Daughtry singing “Home.”
“B98.5 FM is the only station with 50 minute music hours all day while you work,” Steve says.
“How else would you spend your work day?” Vikki said.
“And coming soon, a new reason to start your day with B98.5.”
Shockingly, they don’t mention that pesky slogan “voted No. 1 again for most music while you work.” [ADDENDUM: Kelly McCoy, who should know since he has to say the same liners every day multiple times, emailed me to say that the “voted No. 1” phrase was retired months ago. Shame. We all had so much fun making fun of it!] So fans of Steve & Vikki, their return is just 76 days away.
This ad campaign has to be a wee bit awkward for the departing “lame duck” morning team Kelly & Alpha, who I don’t recall got much in the way of advertising or promotion during their decade-long run at the station. No sign yet of Steve & Vikki on the B98.5 Web site.
On Tuesday, the owners of Star 94 Steve & Vikki’s former employer Lincoln Financial have sent a cease and desist order, saying Cox Radio (owners of B98.5) cannot place the pair on TV during the six-month noncompete. The story, broken by my colleague Richard Eldredge, says there may be a loophole B98.5 allowing S&V on broadcast TV before July 1. For now, B98.5 will keep on airing the ad.
-A lawsuit between two former 99X jocks has been dismissed. Steve Barnes filed a defamation and copyright infringement lawsuit in 2006 against the Morning X after the station in 2005 aired his movie “No Witness” at a local bar American Pie and mocked him incessantly (“Captain back acne” was one insult cited in the original lawsuit). Jimmy Baron and Leslie Fram had settled earlier so all that was left was the case against Fred Toucher. (Toucher said he couldn’t comment while Barnes wrote in an email, “All claims have been resolved.”)
Toucher is now at WBCN-FM, a rock station in Boston. I don’t see much news lately from the Barnes camp since his appearance on “One Tree Hill.”. (UPDATE: Barnes was none too pleased with me bringing this up again. For a few hours Wednesday evening, he had flash animation on his site, which I have saved for posterity, of images of me coming out of the posterior of a horse.)
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4/14: Dourdan leaving “CSI”? CBS summer schedule
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
-Gary Dourdan, who plays Warrick, is following Jorja Fox and leaving top-rated drama “CSI” at the end of this season, TV Guide reports.. William Peterson has re-upped and Marg Helgenberger and George Eads are expected to do so, too.
-The CBS summer schedule, unlike Fox, features several new shows as well as yet another edition of “Big Brother.”
“Swingtown.” This sounds like an HBO series, focusing on swinging couples set in the ’70s.
“Greatest American Dog.” Dogs and dog owners live in a house and compete for $250,000.
“Million Dollar Password.” This is a remake of the original ’50s era game show but now hosts Regis Philbin. In case you weren’t around the first time around, the concept is this: one player from the team is told secret passwords and can use only one-word clues to get the teammate to guess them.
“Jingles” Contestants have to write jingles for corporations or sports teams or whatever. This sounds like a perfect show for cross promotion like “The Apprentice.”
CBS “EliteXC.” This is a mixed martial arts competiton for Saturday nights.
“Flashpoint.” I’ll let CBS describe it: It’s a unit that rescues hostages, busts gangs, defuses bombs, climbs the sides of buildings and talks down suicidal teens. As they race against the clock to determine what brought these people to their respective breaking points, members of this highly skilled team use their training in negotiating, profiling and getting inside the suspect’s head to diffuse the situation to try to save lives.
-Also, Oxygen debuts a new reality show featuring former Falcon/Brave Deion Sanders (above, with his wife Pilar) called “Deion & PIlar: Prime Time Love.” It starts Tuesday night at 10:30 p.m. I interviewed Deion and wrote a preview that will be linked once I know the URL. If you’ve seen “Hogan Knows Best” or “Snoop Dogg’s Father Hood” or “Run’s House,” you get the idea.
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4/12: Atlanta TV ratings: NBC MIA
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
This story never made it into the print edition so I’ll just post it here:
This was a week NBC would rather forget.
Already in fourth place for the season, the faltering network managed just a single show in the top 25 both locally and nationally for the week of March 31.
In Atlanta, NBC’s top show “The Biggest Loser 5” finished at No. 24 with 186,000 viewers. (It ranked 34th nationally.)
Nationally, the umpteenth episode of “Deal or No Deal” on March 31 landed at No. 20 at 10 million viewers. New post-strike episodes of its strongest performing show, “Law & Order: SVU” will be back next Tuesday.
In the meantime, filler such as “Your Dad is Better Than My Dad” March 31 drew just 4.3 million viewers nationally, 80,000 locally, and appropriately-named game show “Amnesia” April 4 brought in just 4.5 million viewers and about 60,000 in Atlanta.
Things looked up for NBC this week: drama “Medium” with a guest spot from Rosanna Arquette hit a series high April 7 with 10.7 million viewers, up from 9.6 million last week, and has been renewed for a fifth season.
The Martin Luther King Jr. retrospective special “King” narrated by Tom Brokaw on the History Channel did okay, drawing 1.19 million viewers.
BET’s “College Hill: Atlanta” hit another season low April 1 with 1.07 million viewers in its fifth episode.
Bravo’s finale April 3 of “Make Me a Supermodel,” which featured two Atlantans earlier in the season, finished at a season high 1.3 million viewers, with Holly Kiser the surprise winner.
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4/11: The Office is back - finally!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Hey, it’s been a loooong five months without fresh episodes of “The Office” and we’ve missed you, babe!
Honestly, with so much pentup expectations, this episode was not as good as I had hoped. But even a so-so “Office” with a less-than-bravura ending provided a fair share of laugh-out-loud moments:
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Dwight falling apart when he finds out he is not invited to the dinner party. The tour of the bedroom when Michael demonstrates sleeping on the bench in front of the king-sized bed. Michael proudly displaying his 15-inch plasma screen TV (above). Angela not letting Michael hug her.
Many of the best lines come from Pam. When she finds out dinner will take three hours, she tells the fake documentarians: “I don’t care what they say about me. I just want to eat. Which I realize is a lot to ask for—at a dinner party!
When Jan says she heard Pam had dated Michael: “I have never ever dated or wanted to do anything resembling dating Michael. Ever. Not ever. Not now. Not then. Not now. Not ever. Ever.”
Pam uttering “Awesome!” when Dwight invades the party with his former babysitter.
The triple vasectomy moment was hilarious. “Snip snap snip snap snip snap!” Michael says.
And best line at the dinner table:
Dwight: “I know you love beet salad. I’ve seen you eat it many times.”
Angela: “The thought of popping one of your beets into my mouth makes me want to vomit!”
And here are some random news bits not quite big enough to merit a standalone entry:
-Ryan Cameron’s latest foray into TV, his talk show “Ryan Cameron Uncensored,” aired in the winter on the Starz cable network. According to PR person SImone Smalls, the show will return this summer though she didn’t have any details.
-Kevin & Taylor on 104.7/The Fish are finalists in the “air personalities of the year in a major market” competition from the Gospel Music Association.
-In the print edition, I wrote a piece for the print edition about former Conyers resident Jack McBrayer. His show “30 Rock” came back after a long break Thursday night. McBrayer is also in the Mariah Carey video “Touch My Body.” Check it out here:
-Tom Taylor, who writes for radio-info.com, noted the following study:
“Digital radio users do not spend less time with AM/FM Radio.” Time Spent Listening is almost identical, between total persons 12+ (2 hours and 48 minutes a day) and those Arbitron/Edison identify as “digital audio listeners”, who’ve ever listened to an audio podcast, subscribed to XM/Sirius, or listened to online radio in the last month. That figure is two hours and 45 minutes. Or as Arbitron’s Pierre Bouvard puts it, there are simply people who like a lot of radio, in all forms and flavors. In fact, “only 10% of those in the study report less radio listening due to time spent with an iPod or MP3 player.” While “more than 70% expect to listen to the same amount of AM/FM radio”, regardless of whether they’re XM/Sirius subscribers or online radio listeners. Pierre says “It’s a myth to say they’re killing traditional AM/FM radio.”
- B98.5 changes out its maybe 25 percent of its 300 songs every six months. The less obvious adds: “Sweet Home Alabama” by Lynyrd Skynyrd, “Heartbreaker” by Pat Benatar, “Edge of Seventeen” by Stevie Nicks, the Rolling Stones’ “Beast of Burden,” Chad Kroeger’s “Hero.” The one relatively recent song: Daughtry’s “It’s Not Over.” Others have been on the station before though some probably not for years: “Take it on the Run” by REO Speedwagon, “Tears in Heaven” by Eric Clapton, Thompson Twins’ “Hold Me Now,” “Nightshift” and “Lady (You Bring Me Up”) by the Commodores, Dazz Band’s “Let It Whip,” “Angel” by Shaggy, “More Than a Woman” by the Bee Gees, Sarah McLachlan’s “Adia,” Elton John’s “Bennie & the Jets,” Ace of Base’s “The Sign,” Melissa Etheridge’s “I’m The Only One,” Eurythmics “Sweet Dreams,” Janet Jackson’s “Control,” “Escapade,” “What Have You Done For Me Lately” and “Miss You Much.”
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4/9: 2007 Atlanta radio station revenue estimates
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
All the recent changes in the radio market here in Atlanta reflect very uncertain economic conditions and a world where growth is difficult to come by.
The Atlanta radio market generated $398.5 million in revenue in 2007, down 3 percent from $410.7 million in 2006, according to exclusive estimates from BIA Financial.
This was a sharper drop than the national number of 2.3 percent. BIA estimates another drop of 3.1 percent this year due to the likely recession. BIA thinks things are going to be even more grim in Atlanta, with a drop of 5.4 percent.
Although Atlanta is the eighth largest radio market in the United States, it’s still the fifth largest revenue market, behind only Los Angeles ($1.1 billion), New York ($755 million), Chicago ($555 million) and Dallas ($416 million). But Atlanta was ahead of bigger population markets San Francisco., Philadelphia and Houston.
The individual radio station breakdowns are estimates and from what I’m told, their accuracy varies widely, depending on how forthcoming different stations are. Of the radio management folks I’ve managed to reach, none were willing to comment on the record about the accuracy of the numbers, but I was given a sense how close they are. Most stations consider such information proprietary, even within publicly traded companies. The only station that has ever voluntarily given me revenue figures is mom-and-pop shop 790/The Zone. The station hustles hard and its audience of 25-54 men are highly valued by advertisers.
Here are the specifics. I also have 2005-06 revenues.
1- V-103: $42.3 million. No surprise here. They’re No. 1 in virtually all demographics. They are truly the “big station” in every sense of the word. It’s up from $38 million in 2005. In fact, the real revenue figure is supposedly much higher.
2- WSB-AM $40 million. Like V-103, big ratings equal big revenues. Their revenues are down from 2005 and 2006 when they were in the $43 million neighborhood. I’m also told this estimate is way way too low.
3- Star 94 $24.4 million. The station is well established and its sales staff has been very stable. The numbers, though, have trended downward in recent years, which led to the departure of Steve & Vikki. The numbers may fall off some more this year before they recover, even if the Morning Mess works out.
4- Kiss 104.1 $23 million. With Tom Joyner in the mornings, this R&B station is rock solid and BIA estimates an upward trend in revenues. This estimate may be a bit high but aren’t extremely off (compared to V-103 and WSB-AM.)
5- Kicks 101.5 $22.6 million. The established country station faced its first real direct competition in 2007 in 94.9/The Bull. That was a likely factor in the revenue drop from $24.8 million in 2006 and the big shakeup recently.
6- B98.5 $19.4 million. Despite the disappearance of its prime competitor Lite 94.9 in 2006, the station’s revenues were estimated to be essentially flat from 2006. But with the upcoming arrival of Steve & Vikki this summer and still no direct rival, the outlook is good this year. This is on the high side by about 10 percent.
7- 97.1/The River - $18.2 million. Revenues were down slightly from $19 million in its inaugural year, if BIA’s numbers are true. This is still very impressive for a station that probably has extremely low costs. This is also over by about 10-15 percent.
8- (tie) Hot 107.9 - $16 million. Although the “A” Team has not achieved Ryan Cameron-level numbers since he left, they do quite well among younger listeners and the station has become a well-established brand in town.
8- (tie) 94.9/The Bull $16 million. BIA says revenues were only down slightly from Lite 94.9’s final year of 2006 when it pulled in $17 million. The Bull’s younger demos were up but overall ratings were down from Lite 94.9’s last year so things more or less evened out. But the Bull did spend a lot of money in marketing in 2007. With Eagle gone, the Bull has a strong opportunity to have a good year.
10- Dave FM $14.9 million. This rock station has an upscale audience despite modest ratings. Some of this revenue derives from the Falcons.
11- Project 96.1 $14.7 million. The station’s first year as Project, despite good ratings, saw a revenue drop from 2006, its final year as 96rock, when BIA estimated $16.3 million. This estimate may be on the high side to boot.
12- 790/The Zone $13.8 million. General manager Andrew Saltzman, the only person I contacted who got back to me and would talk on the record, said that estimate is very close to accurate. He said the station’s net revenues were $13.9 million and up double digits from the past year. He admits 2008 is a “tough” year. . “There are more stations and less money,” he said. But while other stations are cutting costs left and right, the Zone is holding its own, he said. “We’re in this as a marathon, not a sprint,” he said.
13- Q100 $13.2 million. Despite the Bert Show’s dominant numbers, the station still lags far behind Star 94 in revenues. I’m told this is actually on the low side.
14- 95.5/The Beat $11.9 million. The station skews really really young and revenues tend to be harder to come by demographically. This may be a bit more than what the Beat really brought in.
14- WGST $11.8 million. BIA had the station at $15.7 million in 2005 so the dropoff has been severe since the station has dropped the Kimmer and stripped down its local staff. I hear this is on the high end of what GST’s numbers are nowadays.
15- 99X $11.7 million. In its final year of existence, 99X lagged far behind its sister station Q100. Back in its heyday, 99X broached $20 million in revenue earlier this decade so you can see why Cumulus killed it.
16- Fish 104.7 $10 million. This proves that Christian stations don’t get the advertising respect of non-Christian stations. Given the ratings, this station should pull in far more revenue.
17- Jazz 107.5 $8.8 million. As a “background” music station, this station also underperforms relative to its ratings but its estimated numbers have been steady in recent years.
18- Eagle 106.7 $8.4 million. The station’s ratings and revenue were relatively on par though BIA estimates Eagle is down from $9.5 million in 2005. ABC for years used Eagle as a flanker to Kicks. New owners Citadel killed Eagle for True Oldies last month.
19- El Patron 105.3 $6.1 million. This seems way high for such a new station.
20- Lite 96.7 $6 million. Here’s another estimate that makes no sense. The station, now “classic country,” gets zero Arbitron ratings with a poor Southern skewing signal so how BIA came up with this figure is beyond me.
Outside the top 20, Praise is given an estimate of just $5.5 million but I’m certain the actual revenues are far greater since its ratings often broach the top 10. Viva 105.7 is inexplicably at just $2.5 million. I hear its more than triple that amount in reality. BIA also has Grown Folks 102.5 at just $4.5 million but I’m sure that station is on an upward trajectory in 2008 thanks to Steve Harvey. And 680/The Fan is only at $4.4 million. I’m awaiting David Dickey’s call to see what he has to say about that. Despite arguably better ratings than the Zone, if that revenue figure is true, that’s a huge discrepancy with its most direct rival. WAOK-AM, the talk station, is estimated at $3.5 million and the 1340/1230 combo is at $2.9 million. WMLB-AM, the quirky 1690 station, is at $900,000, same as WGKA-AM. J93.3 is estimated to be at $3.4 million and La Raza 102.3 at $3.1 million.
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4/8: Interview with WXIA’s Wes Sarginson, WSB-TV’s Pam Martin coming back
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The workaholic has finally called it a day.
Wes Sarginson, an anchor/reporter at WXIA-TV for 10 years with a previous stint at WSB-TV, retired for good a couple of weeks ago. He had stepped down as regular anchor a year ago, ceding the spot to Ted Hall but rode out his contract by doing more reporting for his signature “Wes Side Stories” and doing fill-in anchoring.
I caught him by phone yesterday and he seemed quite at ease with his life after 46 years in broadcast TV and long, long hours.
“People always wondered if I could stay away from this business, but I enjoy getting up on my time and my schedule,” he said. (Of course, it’s been less than a month, so we’ll see…)
Sarginson was the type of anchor who also liked to report so he’d do both on most days, even when he anchored both 6 and 11 p.m. “I always felt like if you don’t, how can you stay in contact with your audience?”
Ironically, during the year he was not anchoring full time, he said he worked just as much, if not more hours, because he’d go and do many stories he couldn’t do when he was an anchor because of deadlines, driving further and going to more locales, usually with his regular photographer Richard Crabbe.
WXIA gave him a lovely going away party. He didn’t want cake or gifts but they gave him cake and a $250 gift card to Bass Pro Shop anyway. “I don’t like to be put in situations like that because I’d end up a blubbering idiot,” he said. The result? He became a blubbering idiot. A group of charities he had helped over the years also feted him.
His first job as a teenager was reporting at an NBC affiliate in 1962 in Montgomery, Ala. and interviewing Martin Luther King Jr. before the Selma-Montgomery march. “I was so stupid. I didn’t know what to ask. He began asking questions and answering them. He was genuinely concerned that I was a very young journalist and he wanted to help me. He must have felt sorry for me.”
Sarginson said he has kept diaries over the years, carefully tracking every story he’s ever done with contact phone numbers. He’ll put a star next to stories he liked.
In Tampa in the 1980s, he started his “Wes Side stories,” which are inspirational tidbits meant to help a person or an organization. He did them almost every day for 10 years there, more than 2,000 total. He then continued the tradition in Atlanta, though not as prolifically. He’d publicize a person’s plight, then get viewers to help out. He did one recently about a kid who lost both his arms and legs to bacterial meningitis yet he said has amazing spirit. In Tampa, a kid who had a disease that ate his own organs and he helped raise $76,000 for the child to get an organ transplant and lived an extra two years.
He said his kinder, gentler approach to news was never a top priority at WXIA. “I’d have to fight for time every night,” he said. “I’d go 1 minute 46 seconds and they’ve have me take out 16. I’d fight for those 16 seconds.”
His favorite storytellers at WXIA? Jaye Watson and Keith Whitney. He said they’d often pass him stories they felt they couldn’t do but he could.
And Sarginson notes that there is certainly time to do these stories given that WXIA has expanded hours of actual news on air in recent months, including weekends. But he said it’s more repetition of the same news, not as much new news, per se.
He said he didn’t spend enough time with his kids while they were growing up, but he had a very patient wife and a son and daughter who ended up being workaholics like him. “I will get to spend more time with the grandkids,” he said. He recalls spending a day recently by himself with a three year old and an eight-month old and was exhausted. “I needed a full night’s sleep!” he said.
For now, he’s working on a mystery novel with author Diana Love Snell, based in Philadelphia. He even traveled there to get inspiration. He had written a book in 1982 about a bank robber but said in retrospect, it was an “awful” book although it was a surprise bestseller. “When I look back, I told too much. I didn’t show enough.” With fiction, “it’s more fun to create dialogue.”
-Pam Martin, who has been mysteriously absent from WSB-TV airwaves since January, is set to return April 21. At the time, she was moved from the early morning anchor slot in favor of Carol Sbarge but she was to stay at noon anchoring and do reporting for the evening news. Her boss Bill Hoffman wouldn’t specify why she was out for three months, saying it was “personal leave.” I’ve emailed her work email but haven’t heard anything.
-WXIA’s *Karyn Greer goes the boot camp route to stay in shape.
-If you’re expecting any new shows on Fox this summer, you won’t get any. There will be fresh episodes of “So You Think You Can Dance,” “Moment of Truth,” “Hell’s Kitchen” and “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?” Otherwise, you get movies, repeats of “House,” “Bones,” the Saturday night cops hsows and the Sunday night animated shows. “When Women Rule the World,” a reality show with S&M overtones, is moving to midseason.
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4/7: Project Runway moving to Lifetime
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
In the cable world, this is a shocker: Lifetime has taken over Bravo’s signature show “Project Runway.” This is kind of like ABC grabbing “American Idol” from Fox.
Starting in November, the sixth cycle of “Project Runway” will air on Lifetime instead of Bravo, stripping the network of its top program, its anchor. You have to imagine Lifetime paid a king’s ransom for this jewel, the first reality show to ever win a prestigious Peabody Award from the University of Georgia last week. It’s also been nominated multiple times for Emmys though it has not won. (The New York Times quoted an anonymous executive involved in the negotiations that Lifetime paid about $150 million for five years.)
But don’t think NBC Universal, which owns Bravo, is letting this show go without a legal fight. NBC has filed a lawsuit against the “Project” production company Weinstein Bros. and Lifetime. NBC argues that it has right of first refusal to any competing deal and the Weinstein Co. has not honored that deal.
Will this hurt “Project Runway” by not being on the “cooler” network that is Bravo? And will it help pump some “cool” into Lifetime? The network, still known for lousy women-in-peril movies, has built up some critical acclaim for the first time thanks to its new drama “Army Wives,” which pulled in network record ratings last summer? And it then embarrassed itself recently with the painfully bad “Your Mama Don’t Dance,” which offers the uncomfortable premise of parents dancing salsa or the paso doble with their kids.
Bravo’s “Project” spinoffs have had varying success. “Top Chef” is scrumptious and building audience. “Shear Genius” was a cut below the rest. “Top Design” was also a ratings bust. “Make Me a Supermodel” did okay, averaging about 900K viewers. “Step It Up and Dance” last Thursday opened at about the same level.
Typically shows get moved to another network when they are near the end of their life or are simply unwanted. (See “Scrubs” going from NBC to ABC. Or “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” going from the WB to the UPN.) “Project” is arguably still at the top of its game and in terms of ratings, averaging 3.3 million viewers a week for a first-run episode, more than 10 million if you include all the repeats Bravo likes to play subsequent days.
But apparently, the Weinsteins wanted “Project” on a bigger network, according to a story in the New York Times.. Although arguably, is Lifetime really that much bigger than Bravo compared to, say, USA Network or NBC proper?
Even if NBC had retained the rights to the show, it was surely going to move off Bravo anyway. In initial talks with the Weinstein Company, one condition was that “Project Runway” would have to move to a larger network. NBC Universal had promised to do so, moving it either to the USA cable network, or perhaps even its broadcast network, NBC.
It looks like Bravo may debut one more cycle of “Project” before it loses the show, which would mean this summer. And the time between cycles would be awfully short if Lifetime launches yet another cycle in November. Typically, Bravo has waited at least eight months between cycles.
- Oh, and Monica Pearson at WSB-TV is all blonde today. Good move? She’s had her hair short for quite some time.
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