Jerry Springer, Cincinnati, WCKY

SPRINGER STINGER

Jerry's Hometown Talker Gets Demotion





Has Jerry Springer's visit to Hell kicked off a bit earlier than expected?

In an especially tough break for the television trashmeister, Jerry's hometown, flagship station is dumping his show, along with the entire "progressive" schedule, to make way for a more successful sports lineup.

As a result, Clear Channel will move Springer & Co. from 50,000 watt powerhouse WCKY to WSAI- 1360 AM, with its far more modest 5000 watt signal, according to Rick Bird of the Cincinnati Post.

Meanwhile, WSAI's more- successful sports format known as "Homer" will take over at WCKY.

Considering that Springer was once mayor of Cincinnati, this demotion has to be tough to accept, though Bird's story says that isn't the case.

Now it may really be time to run for the same office in Hell, Michigan!

Even WCKY's massive reach couldn't help the lib talk lineup generate ratings, according to Bird:

WCKY, the new Homer home, has a 50,000-watt signal that can be heard over much of the eastern seaboard and into the Deep South. It is the second most powerful radio signal out of Cincinnati behind WLW's 50,000-watt clear channel signal.

WSAI is classified as a regional 5,000-watt signal that adequately covers the tri-state, but not much more.

"Homer is a format and brand that over the last number of years has showed ratings success, showed revenue success," said Darryl Parks, operations managers for Clear Channel's Cincinnati AM stations. "On 1530, we felt we could increase the ratings and increase the revenue."

The decision to make the frequency flip perhaps reflects the ratings fortunes of the two stations in the past year. Since launching the progressive talk format in January of 2005, WCKY has not made much of a ratings splash, barely cracking the top 20 stations out of some 30 rated in the Cincinnati market. In the latest Arbitron survey covering the first quarter of 2006, the station had just a .09 share in total audience, the lowest since the format launched.

Meanwhile, Homer found its total audience double last fall to a 2.4 share and triple among 25-54-year olds, likely driven by the resurgence of the Bengals. With the Reds now seemingly on the rise, too, Clear Channel officials figured that the sports talk format showed the greater potential for growth and therefore deserved a more powerful signal.

The future of the liberal talk genre, still struggling in many markets, remains in doubt. Most of the programming comes from New York-based Air America, now in more than 80 markets since launching in April of 2004. Even in major markets, its affiliates are often on the lower-powered stations. WCKY was one of the bigger signals carrying Air America shows, such as Al Franken and Randy Rhodes.

Those involved here with selling Springer's show say the dial switch doesn't mean that much.

"It's no big deal to Jerry. He's still just excited to be on," said Pat Barry, the former DJ, TV weather personality and talk host who is in charge of marketing "Springer on the Radio."

The signal strength won't affect local sales efforts, he said. "Where can't you hear 1360? Remember when it was No. 1?" he said referring to the WSAI glory days in the '60s when it was a top-40 pioneer commanding shares that sometimes amounted to 40 percent of the local radio audience.

Parks said, for now, Cincinnati Clear Channel is still committed to the liberal talk format, although he thinks it could use some tinkering.

"I think in all of progressive talk - there is shrillness to it. I think there needs to be much more of a humanistic angle to it. Do I see it succeeding in the long run? Yeah."

Thanks to the tipsters who've been emailing the Radio Equalizer on this one all weekend, including Dusty Rhodes and others.

For Jerry, it's just one more sign that he really shouldn't quit his television day job. And as the summer continues, expect further developments on the Springer front.

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Springer Sandwich: James Edstrom, NBC. Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Mayor Of Hell photoshop: David A Lunde for the Radio Equalizer