RIP, Progressive Talk 1360

Rest in peace...you were probably doomed from the start!

I have interrupted my hiatus due to the news I received yesterday morning. Unbeknownst to me, Friday was WSAI’s last day for carrying Air America Radio and other syndicated progressive talk programming. According to press accounts, the station’s parent company, Clear Channel Communications (CCC), decided that liberal commentary just doesn’t sell in the greater Cincinnati/tri-state (Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana) area and they pulled the plug on such programming as midnight last night.

If I had been more ‘media savvy’, I would’ve seen the handwriting on the wall when Clear Channel announced back in November that it was merging with a private equity group and selling off nearly 400 of its radio stations. Actually, the first indicator would’ve been the swapping of Air America programming from 50,000 watt WCKY (1530AM) to its final (and now former) destination (WSAI’s weaker 5,000 transmitter) back in July of this year (here's my blog entry which covered that event).

As I sit back and reflect on this sad news, I really can’t blame Clear Channel for this particular action. Due to AAR’s early programming success at one of CCC’s outlets in Portland, Oregon (KPOJ), they decided to take a risk and subsequently provided the struggling network with radio outlets in markets they thought impossible to enter (which included the three Ohio stations in Akron/Canton, Columbus and Cincinnati). Air America’s affiliate total swelled to over 80 stations at its apex because of these assets; however, most were low-powered outlets that sometimes didn’t even reach the intended metropolitan markets they thought they could target (Philadelphia and Atlanta were good examples). Ratings over time at many of them (including Cincinnati) dwindled to near 1.0 shares (and some fell below that). Since Clear Channel and other affiliates are in the money-making business (and with the November merger news), now seems to be a good a time as any to declared this nearly 2-year experiment a failure and dump the stations or switch to more commercially viable programming.

When I read what WSAI’s new format would be and looked at their daily lineup, I was shocked. In a market with FIVE other conservative-leaning talk stations, ‘1360thesource.com’ will be featuring right-leaning shows by Clark Howard, Dr. Laura Schlessinger, Neil Boortz, Dr. Joy Brown, Joey Reynolds, and the Wall Street Journal report. The Boortz program grabbed my attention because it will be a rebroadcast of his 9-12AM show--originally aired by a rival talk station--at the later 7-10PM timeframe. The station will also rerun the 4-7PM Clark Howard show the following mornings from 7-10AM. Even the local media is scratching its collective head on this decision to broadcast conservative-centric 'self-help' and 'rerun' programming that is already well-covered with similar offerings in this middle-sized market (#28 in the country--estimated 1.7 million listeners aged 12+).

Why did this progressive talk effort fail? Although Ohio is slowly turning 'bluer', it is doing so by crawling from the northern and eastern parts (Cleveland/Akron/Canton/Youngstown areas) towards the south and west--and the greater Cincinnati area. This can be seen in the voting patterns from the last two federal general elections (the yellow arrow in the graphic below points to the Fairborn area). Although adjacent to two Democratic 'pockets' (Dayton and Springfield), my county (aptly with the colorful name of Greene) still trended 'red' this past November and overwhelmingly elected/re-elected Republicans to US and state legislature seats (Mike DeWine garnered nearly 60 percent of the votes for US Senate). With these kinds of communities sitting within the radio 'footprints' of both WCKY and WSAI, it was rather obvious that Clear Channel would have a tough product to sell.

A nice transformation in two years...but not fast enough in MY area

Facing this absence of progressive talk from my local radio choices, I still have other resources available to me. I can still listen to AAR at work or home via their streaming audio service or from streams of their affiliates--as long as that network remains on the air. I can (and probably will) purchase an XM satellite radio so I will be able to listen in during my commute time or when I'm away from a computer (with their exclusive contract with Major League Baseball, I won't feel too put out financially for going XM if AAR goes away). Earlier today, I found an online petition to save progressive talk radio in Cincinnati but it was canceled once the CCC announcement was made (I signed it anyway just to lend support and make myself heard).

Life will go on--with or (unfortunately) without a local affiliate (several other US markets are also going through similar Clear Channel withdrawals). Listening in over the past 23 months was an educational experience in terms of getting 'pointers' of what were the important issues affecting me personally and our country in general. The tone of the programming was generally optimistic, sometimes humorous, occasionally vitriolic yet always aggressive. The lineup of Maron, Springer, Franken, Shultz, Rhodes and Maddow kept me company throughout my workday and during my commutes to or from the office. While most of these 'soldiers' continue to wage war on the national radio scene, the battle for southwest Ohio has now been lost. I and many former listeners simply want to thank you for the 'good fight' you helped us wage over the last two years by leveling the talk radio playing field and providing an alternative to the Limbaughs, Hannitys, O'Reillys, Boortzs and other bloviators that dominate the talk radio market. While you are now gone, you will never be forgotten!