This might suggest what Clear Channel thinks the Post-Limbaugh era will look like. Today, Clear Channel “flipped” KOY-AM in Phoenix from the useless “Business Talk” to “KFI-2”, the “Next Generation of Talk” [KFI is the Los Angeles station]
LA hosts Armstrong & Getty started off their new “young” show by playing the Johnny Carson theme and an Ed McMahon impersonation. The Carson version of the Tonight show ended in 1992, which is 22 years ago. Johnny Carson and Ed McMahon are long dead. Doc Severinsen is 87 years old. While that maybe resonates with the retired ex-California people who have fled to Phoenix, it isn’t the 18-35 crowd that no longer listen to radio.
Dana Loesch is carried for 3 hours live (the same time as Rush). That’s a good start. She’s 35, a TEA party supporter, has a show on The Blaze and has great publicity photos from 10 years ago.
The next host is Casey Bartholomew, he’s 47 and Wikipedia describes him as best known for his frequent firings in radio – most recently in 2011 from the Jersey Guys show. Will he be doing this “local” show from Phoenix? Seems unlikely. Even Joy Browne is publicly telling the listeners that nobody doing radio goes to the radio station any more to do their show.
[Want to bet the camera was turned on in the conference room recording it?]. I’m pretty sure he gives the answer to his own question in the video.
After that is Andy Dean, who is ending his show this week
Following that is TMZ Live, maybe the one show that would appeal to young people, talking about hollywood gossip.
Then Ground Zero with Clyde Lewis, the one guy on radio who has a syndicated show stranger than Coast to Coast. The rest of the overnight is not decided yet – the choices (unless they play reruns or originate new programming) are basically Coast to Coast, Red Eye Radio (Cumulus), John Grayson (CBS) or Kate Delaney (GCN).
The good news is it isn’t just radio that’s seeing year over year declines in radio – it’s hitting “over the air” TV too. That’s what you get for your role in getting Barack Obama elected and re-elected. Payback is a bitch.
Dana’s show is 1-4PM ET – Radio Anerica is the syndicator. Arizona not following daylight saving time is why the schedule is on California time (maybe)
Cumulus had its earning report today. While they are cutting costs and paying off debt, the revenue is falling faster than they can cut the expenses