The Radio Equalizer: Brian Maloney

08 January 2007

SaveWRKO.com, Boston Talk Radio

TAKING A STAND

Can Fans Allow Favorite Talkers To Simply Implode?







It's no secret that talk radio has seen better days.

Between incompetent local management in some places, forced corporate programming mandates, kickbacks for airing certain syndicated programming and other nasty trends, we've seen talk radio's programming content suffer greatly in the past several years.

But while a number of stations have managed to ride through this turmoil and remain highly successful, others have imploded right before our eyes, with career- ending results for a number of managers, hosts and others.

Meanwhile, fans are often left with nowhere to turn.

Last year there were two stations that stood out for the extreme nature of their dramatic declines: Atlanta's WGST and Providence's WHJJ-AM. Both made a series of unfortunate blunders from which they will likely never recover.

In WHJJ's case, it was an ill- fated decision to dump a successful conservative format for Air America's. Though it has since dumped libtalk programming, it has so far been unable to convince its former audience to return.


Now, we're forced to stand back and watch the painful destruction of a former industry leader, Boston's WRKO. Through sheer managerial incompetence, in addition to personal political agendas at odds with the station's longtime audience, WRKO's entirely unavoidable implosion is taking place right before our eyes.

That's why a group of us have decided to take action. Joining with Matt and Aaron Margolis of BlogsForBush, GOPBloggers, HubPolitics and DevalPatrickWatch.com fame, your Radio Equalizer is taking part in the launch of SaveWRKO.com, a new site dedicated to raising awareness of the station's sad plight.

We'd like SaveWRKO.com to become a gathering place for the station's disaffected listeners, as well as for other talk radio fans from across the nation who don't want to see another major station dismantled for no good reason, other than incompetence and managerial political agendas.

Already up and running, we'd like to invite you to visit SaveWRKO.com now.


Your Amazon orders that begin with clicks here, regardless of what you ultimately select for purchase, greatly help to support this site's efforts. Thanks!

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published by Brian Maloney at 11:10

17 Comments:

  • Brian, are you going to try the histronics that the Libs in MADison pulled to keep their station?

    By Blogger PCD, at 08 January, 2007 13:20  

  • Equalizer - Aside from sticking with Braves Baseball, what has happened at WGST that has you so farklempt?

    By Blogger SierraSpartan, at 08 January, 2007 19:20  

  • Shouldn't you inform your blog readers that you have subbed at wrko and they were unhappy with your work. Not that that excludes you from taking this action, however, a professional would reveal all issues of intent.

    I wonder if inside radio would take exception to this "activism" to insure you get a job.

    By Blogger TED, at 08 January, 2007 19:26  

  • PCD, that's a good question to ask. Problem is that with Boston in the heart of downtown itself, you find all the lefties, especially at colleges like HAH-Vard, MIT, Boston Univ., Boston College, Emerson--methinks the same people who elected Deval Patrick as Governor of TAX-achusetts.

    Like with WABC in New York, look at the suburbs--more affluent people. Only thing with WABC is that it was able to score decent points in Westchester County.

    There is Cape Cod, which can get most of the Boston stations, though they are served by WXTK-FM. Then again, the Cape could also hide pockets of liberalism. But raccoonradio I think would know more about the Boston market than I would.

    But if you want to look at a station that needs desperate help, look no further than WOR--The World of Old folks Radio. Except for O'Reilly and Savage, WOR is a very weak radio station programming wise known for airing mainly quack health talk programs, Dr. Joy Browne and programs aimed at what is considered an undesirable demo--in essence senior citizens.

    Wonder if the owner, Buckley Broadcasting, will have any changes in the future. I would like them to skew a bit younger--how about Glenn Beck and maybe a bit more independent with Jerry Doyle.

    Their current PM talk hosts--Lynne White (ex-WNYW Fox 5 anchor) and white haired lefty Ellis Hennican is WEAK compared to Hannity on ABC and even sports radio 66 WFAN's Mike and The Mad Dog and 1050 ESPN (WEPN) Radio's Michael Kay IMHO.

    By Blogger The Real Bob Anthony, at 08 January, 2007 19:36  

  • JD:

    WGST's ratings were so bad that it dumped all of its local talk and went with the cheapest syndicated shows it could find. It was actually mismanaged to death and the Braves couldn't save it. This is where WRKO is headed now.

    Ted:

    I did disclose my past work at WRKO, you need to scroll down a few posts. I'd also mentioned it many times in the past. No manager ever told me they were unhappy with my work, they never said a word to me, even when I asked. I never had any personal dealings with Julie Kahn.

    There were three different program directors during the time I filled in there. Hardly a sign of stability.

    And if they had said they were unhappy, it wouldn't have mattered, as this management team has no talk radio programming experience whatsoever. I've been doing this since 1993 and have worked around the country.

    By Blogger Brian Maloney, at 08 January, 2007 22:17  

  • Mr. Maloney;

    Simply stating that you have revealed your experience with wrko "down blog" is in no way a sufficient disclaimer in a post that is so clearly activist in nature toward a subject in which you have had a direct economic relationship.
    You said:
    And if they had said they were unhappy, it wouldn't have mattered, as this management team has no talk radio programming experience whatsoever.
    This is irrelevant to my point. The issue is that they clearly weren't interested in continuing to work with you. They may have been,as you claim, inexperienced or simply daft, their qualifications are not the issue. What is the issue is your intent. If you were hired by this management team would you really be organizing some type of activist movement to "save" the station?

    As an aside, you said:
    I've been doing this since 1993 and have worked around the country.
    Do you honestly believe that having had a radio job in the nineties but 14 years after entering a field remaining unemployed in that field is a qualification you should tout? Let's be honest here, to be unemployable as a conservative leaning talk show host in this market is like being the candy left over from Halloween. It's simply the stuff no one likes.

    I say this from an industry perspective, not a political or ideological one.

    By Blogger TED, at 08 January, 2007 22:55  

  • I should also add, two things

    1. You claim: No manager ever told me they were unhappy with my work,

    Think hard, do you want to revise that statement?

    2. IN the event that you cannot recall a conversation about your work (specifically your "style"- does that loosen the bolts a bit?, what does:
    they never said a word to me, even when I asked.
    Say to you. Has anyone reading this blog ever asked their boss for an evaluation, found their boss avaoiding giving one and then assumed management was happy with their work?

    By Blogger TED, at 08 January, 2007 23:00  

  • Ted:

    I'm not sure I trust your motives as you've followed the path of a few other angry comment posters here who try to pretend I've never had a job in this field.

    This "industry perspective" angle you take is crap, because it's pretty clear to people that not only have I done a ton of radio work, I've also worked as a writer and made cable news channel appearances.

    I don't think anybody's been getting much feedback on their work at WRKO, as it's been nothing but chaos in there for many months.

    And frankly, the current managers are not qualified to judge anyone's on-air performance anyway.

    For the first time, WRKO does not have a dedicated program director. While there a person who had a fairly serious matter to discuss was told his supervisor would not be able to meet with him for over a month.

    I'm not surprised my motives would be questioned here, but that's been the case with everything I've ever posted here.

    By Blogger Brian Maloney, at 09 January, 2007 00:45  

  • As it should be.

    By Blogger hashfanatic, at 09 January, 2007 08:30  

  • Brian,

    Your motives will always be a tactic of diestraction on this issue by the left and pseudo-insiders like TED.

    At this point I think TED should disclose how he/she is and their radio resume. I think that if TED truthfully did so, we would see TED's agenda in attacking you Brian.

    By Blogger PCD, at 09 January, 2007 09:04  

  • PCD:

    Thanks, but I'm not worried, as this is par for the course. Of course WRKO's current managerial regime doesn't want the world to know they simply lack the experience needed to program WRKO, hence the comments.

    When taking on other targets, such as Air America, the same effort was made to undermine me by a few very nasty people. It didn't work then and won't now.

    By Blogger Brian Maloney, at 09 January, 2007 09:15  

  • Except for the fact that Air America remains virtually unchanged, after you blogged incessantly that Franken was sure to be gone, and the stations bumped off, as well.

    AND the fact that Olbermann and MSNBC have seen nothing but growth while Fox News' ratings and respectability appear to be in a freefall.

    AND the fact that you asserted that George Soros had a hand in funding Air America, yet have been absolutely unable to even venture so much as a hypothesis as to how this happened, or even why it would be relevant.

    Knowing this, how is the audience expected to regard your opinions regarding this station as being anything than the rantings of an embittered, disgruntled former employee, and just a weekend guy at that?

    Conservatism is a dead ideology and a failed concept. Can neocon radio really be that far behind?

    By Blogger hashfanatic, at 09 January, 2007 16:22  

  • >>Air America remains virtually unchanged

    Yes, but it's not on in many cities now like Boston, Cincinnatti, Columbus, Dallas, and New Orleans. One or two successes in bringing it back/keeping it, like in Madison,
    but in other cities PT fans may not be as lucky. Jon Sinton was quoted when AAR launched, saying" in 5 years
    we'll be on 500 stations". We'll
    see. Rush and Hannity are.

    By Blogger raccoonradio, at 09 January, 2007 16:44  

  • True, raccoon, but true progressive networks like NovaM are closing in to fill the void in those cities, particularly Boston and Columbus.

    I believe Rush's audience will remain static in the upcoming period, only on account of his "water-carrying" rhetoric that allowed his true believers to divorce themselves officially from the administration...it is Hannity that, I believe, will be slammed ratings-wise, after the State of the Union, and particularly after tonight's address, when the escalation plan and runup to Iran invasion will be announced....

    Her career is so inconquential to be noticed, but Monica Crowley's career will IMHO likewise be taken out by the same process, for much the same reasons.

    By Blogger hashfanatic, at 09 January, 2007 17:42  

  • Hash, you are delusional. The only thing is that MADison is so messed up that no one notices.

    By Blogger PCD, at 10 January, 2007 08:51  

  • Fudgie, I have no idea why you keep working "Madison" into every post...I've exposed you as a liar, debunked your bizarre assertions repeatedly....if you wish to keep cluttering these comments with your twisted ravings, and saying nothing, whatever!

    You're really just proving my point...that your day is over, and, like any other parasite, you refuse to GO...

    By Blogger hashfanatic, at 10 January, 2007 12:54  

  • You mean Air America, the network that was supposed to be gone by now?

    With Al Franken, who was supposed to have left by now?

    Funded by George Soros?

    I guess it would be easy to become lost, amongst so many tall tales...

    By Blogger hashfanatic, at 10 January, 2007 14:12  

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