Access Atlanta > Entertainment > Radio Talk > Archives > 2009 > January > 28
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
1/28: Magic 107.5 debuts, BET’s “Somebodies” not coming back, Don Sutton back
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Today, Magic 107.5 has taken over for Smooth Jazz 107.5. As noted here before, syndicated hosts Steve Harvey and Michael Baisden will move over there soon. For a time, 102.5 and 107.5 will simulcast and mid-day syndicated talk-show hosts Warren Ballentine and Al Sharpton will soon go away. (See more below)
The simulcasting has not started yet. (Also, it might actually be named Majic. Why change the spelling? Who knows! I’m still awaiting confirmation of the spelling.)
The station is now straight R&B, competing directly with Kiss 104.1, which was Atlanta’s top station in December.
This past hour, Magic has played Jodeci, Mary J. Blige, Charlie Wilson, Barry White, Anita Baker, Betty Wright, D’Angelo, Rene & Angela, Raheem DeVaughn and Stephanie Miles. It appears to be skewing a smidge younger than Kiss. During the noon hour at Kiss, the station played the Whispers, Natalie Cole, Loose Ends, Minnie Riperton, Prince, Chaka Khan, Luther Vandross, Teddy Pendergrass and Lisa Fischer.
The expectation is Praise 97.5 will move to 102.5 at some point and Magic will simulcast on 107.5 (which skews Northeast) and 97.5 (which skews Southwest). Steve Harvey confirmed he will be on both stations with me earlier this week. I’m also sure Si-Man will move to middays between Harvey and Baisden.
The station head honcho Tim Davies provided an explanation for the end of Smooth Jazz at (www.1075wjzz.com](http://www.1075wjzz.com) noting the ratings were not high enough to justify its existence. (Interestingly, the smooth jazz format has played about half R&B anyway so the change is not incredibly jarring.)
Before 102.5 was Grown Folks Radio, it was Magic 102.5 so Radio One is reclaiming the old name under a new signal.
What do you think of these moves?
ABOVE: Hadjii checks out one the steadicams during the shoot in Athens of his show “Somebodies.”
-BET’s first scripted show “Somebodies” is not coming back.
Shot last summer in Athens and aired over the fall, the one-camera comedy was created by a UGA grad Hadjii. He confirmed the news to me today. Hadjii played a man unwilling to grow up. He was surrounded by wacky characters. It had a “Seinfeld”-ian quality to it, focused on people’s quirks and annoying behavior. Ratings were okay but not spectacular over its 10-episode run, averaging about 500,000 viewers. I thought the shows had potential, had their moments. It wasn’t slapstick; it wasn’t traditional in its approach.
“I’m not bitter,” he said. “We did our job. The marketing and PR, things out of our control, was not there.” He said the departure of the show’s ally and BET boss Reggie Hudlin last fall didn’t help matters.
“He wanted to change the reputation of BET,” Hadjii said. “We did our part. We were taking the network in the right direction. You can only do so much creatively and artistically.”
He’s shopping “Somebodies” elsewhere now and offering up other projects. He hopes to anything new he does will remain as a Georgia production. “We definitely want to stay here and follow the footsteps of Tyler Perry, turn this into our own little Hollywood.”
BET spokeswoman Michelle Clark said she does not have an official confirmation but I would tend to think if the creator says so, it’s true.
-Don Sutton is coming back as radio announcer for the Braves. (My colleague Dave O’Brien wrote the story.)[http://www.ajc.com/sports/content/sports/braves/stories/2009/01/27/braves_sutton.html]
-Fans of Warren Ballentine and Al Sharpton have a petition to get him back on the air in Atlanta. Here’s the press release:
Call To Action: Politically Motivated Radio Station to Dumb Down the Atlanta Market with the Removal of Warren Ballentine and Al Sharpton Based on Biased PPM Ratings The Peoples Attorney, Warren Ballentine, to be Removed from the Atlanta Station - 102.5 Grown Folks Radio.
Atlanta, GA, January 26, 2009: Information was received from a source that Radio One’s CEO will be phasing out Warren Ballentine and Al Sharpton’s radio slot on or about February 6, 2009. According to this source, Radio One is basing their decision off of the ratings, or lack thereof, of the Portable People Monitor (PPM). However, on January 7, 2009 Arbitron settled several PPM Lawsuits - the suits alleged that the rating company engaged in deceptive marketing in the deployment of its portable people meters. The New York suit also charged Arbitron with failing to disclose flaws in the New York PPM that resulted in the underrepresentation of African-American and Hispanic radio listeners, causing financial harm to minority broadcasters in the market, (http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/content_display/news/local-broadcast/e3i8e621449d41d95c1226913969aa0f808).
PPM ratings are based on audience estimates and are the opinion of Arbitron and should not be relied on for precise accuracy or precise representativeness of a demographic or radio market. Upon research of the December PPM Client Update, 1,946 people carried this monitor in the Atlanta market. Of the 1,946 persons selected, 623 were Black, 158 were Hispanic and 1,165 were an unspecified “other”, (http://www. arbitron. com/downloads/monthlyppmclientupdate12_31_08. pdf). The number of Black residents that did carry the PPM in the Atlanta market was not a concise enough consensus to base a decision to remove Warren Ballentine and Al Sharpton from the airwaves. Further, there is no way to definitively determine that the participants who carried the PPM were reflective of the demographic in which either show targets.
With regard to the aforementioned data Radio One’s decision is strictly based on presumptuous advertising dollars that was forecast according to listenership during the primary and presidential-election season. Bottom line the expectation and demand for quality programming, is assumed, no longer required in the Atlanta market now that President Obama is in office. It is totally incomprehensible to the vast majority of both host’s audiences that Radio One would take this stand being these two individuals have such a huge following. Listeners are disappointed with this decision and demand that Warren Ballentine and Al Sharpton remain on the air. Their shows educate and empower people to stand up and take action for themselves and in turn give back to their communities. Everything will be done to prevent the removal of these two moguls.The people will be heard!
A petition is being circulated to stop the removal of Warren Ballentine and Al Sharpton - http://www.PetitionOnline.com/truth241/petition.htm
Call, write, fax; Grown Folks Radio 102.5, 101 Marietta St. 12th Floor, Atlanta, GA 30303, Office General Info: 404-765-9750 ask for Derek Harper, Office General Fax: 404-688-7686, General Manager: Tim Davies
Call, write, fax: 102.5 Corporate, Corporate: Radio One, Inc., 5900 Princess Garden Parkway, 7th FL, Lanham, MD 20706, 301.306.1111 main number, President, Alfred C. Liggins, III, emai: info@radio-one.com,email:IR@radio-one.com
