DC to Lose "Progressive" Talk Radio

[Bleacher Creature]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/01/AR2009020101836_2.html

Liberal Flameout

President Obama may be riding high in Washington, but OBAMA 1260 is not.

The area's only progressive talk station is changing formats, dropping such syndicated liberal hosts as Ed Schultz, Stephanie Miller and Bill Press in favor of financial news, starting next week.

The move by Redskins owner Dan Snyder, who purchased the station, WWRC, and others in Washington last summer, leaves the city without a liberal radio outlet. Program Director Greg Tantum says he thought the station could work because of enthusiasm over Obama, but that ratings collapsed to a level that could not be measured after the election.

But ratings nearly doubled, he says, at Snyder's conservative station, WTNT, which features Laura Ingraham and Bill Bennett. Tantum said he will move Schultz to WTNT to give him another shot.

<SNIP>

I've got to say, the format was terrible (e.g., Lionel, very little AAR, and a couple of new age holistic health shows sprinkled in) and the signal was awful. That said, how does Washington DC have no lefty talk radio (and two right-wing crazy networks)????

[seemunkee]

1. WPFW is a Pacifica station and very liberal

They broadcast Democracy Now twice daily, have homegrown programs and great jazz. The WaPo is being disingenous by saying there are no liberal radio outlet. Perhaps no corporate liberal radio outlets would be the proper designation.

edited for grammar

[EFerrari]

2. It's Kurtz's column. n/t

[madinmaryland]

3. That sucks! I figured Snyder would do that eventually.

Now what?

Interestingly in the evening (at least this time of year), I am able to get a station from Buffalo AM-1520, that carries Bill Press, Ed Schultz, and Randi rhodes.

:shrug:

[Common Sense Party]

4. "ratings collapsed to a level that could not be measured"

Is this journalistic hyperbole? Or were the ratings really that bad? And if so, why?

Why is it so hard getting solid Arbitron ratings numbers?

[Burma Jones]

5. It may have more to do with the way liberals use media than with a lack of liberal interest

I think liberals are less amenable to non-interactive media. It's like the news stories decrying the fact that a lot of liberals get their news primarily from The Daily Show and Colbert, which is nonsense, it's just where we get most of our news via TeeVee.

[onehandle]

6. WTNT will be picking up Ed Schultz (who broadcasts locally there) starting Monday, February 9th.

Washington D.C. Listeners, starting Monday February 9th the Ed Schultz Show will be heard on WTNT AM 570 from 12PM-3PM ET

http://wegoted.com/

[marylanddem]

7. Shit! It wasn't perfect by a long shot but it was better than nothing.

Damn it.

[RandiFan1290]

8. Miami is losing 940 WINZ too

I heard on another show that WINZ 940 will become another sports station some time in March. Going to lose Tom and Stephanie. I am not liking this at all.

[butterfly77]

9. You hit the nail right on the head...

This is the problem: (e.g., Lionel, very little AAR, and a couple of new age holistic health shows sprinkled in) and the signal was awful. That said, how does Washington DC have no lefty talk radio (and two right-wing crazy networks)???? This is the set up in Michigan when these shows come on I turn it off. I only listen to Thom Hartmann,Ed Shultz,Jon Elliot and Ron reagan if I can stand him he takes about two calls throughout his show and really he needs about 3.

[EricinMD]

10. Ridiculous Management and Awful Signal Doomed 1260

I have been a listener to Progressive Talk or Obama 1260 for years and the station was never run well at all. The fact that Daniel Snyder, the owner of the Redskins, recently bought the station along with others in the group was the final nail in the coffin.

The station changed the lineup every few months and added then dropped liberal hosts. Often the shows were preempted for sports or inane financial shows would air for no reason. There was no advertising at all for the station and no effort was made in DC to promote 1260, although I saw lots of promotion for the right wing talk 570.

Worst of all, the signal was so bad that many times we were driving in the District of Columbia and you would lose the station or it would sound like it was broadcasting from Fairbanks. The signal was ridiculous and very hard to pick up. At night you could forget it unless you happened to be parked by the transmitter!

If you were to write a book on how not to run a successful radio station, the management who ran progressive talk 1260 into the ground would be the only people you would need to talk to. We never had a chance here in DC.