Shot In The Dark: The Late Great KSTP

August 31, 2005

The Late Great KSTP

There's an old saying: "Dance with the one that brung ya".

KSTP was an ugly duckling station that was brought to the dance by a gleefully boisterous buffoon (political talk radio in general, not just Rush Limbaugh). Today, it's forgotten who brought them to the dance - or, in this case, made them profitable, and a genuine player in the local radio market.

I think it's going to cost 'em.

======

Do you remember KSTP-AM in 1988?

Probably not. Nobody else does, either. It was a disaster.

I worked at KSTP-AM from 1985-87; it was an era when people predicted AM radio was short for this world - "The date the AM band will shut down" was sort of an industry-wide dead-pool competition.

Hubbard Broadcasting - who own KSTP, (AM, FM and TV, as well as FM107, the local "chick talk" station) seemed dead-set on serving as AM's Kevorkian. The station itself served as a monument to the futility of dumb management; the six month stretch where we had no general manager or program director at the end of 1986, and the staff pretty much ran the shop ourselves, coincided with the best ratings the station ever had (a 4.5 share in the Summer '86 book).

Then, in one of Hubbard's constant cost-cutting spasms, they installed a truly wretched general manager - a famously dissipate alcoholic who wracked up (sources inside the station told me) seven sexual harassment suits in a year and a half.

But he cut the budget, all right. Including me and all the other producers (Dave Elvin, John Barnier, Allison Brown, Rob Pendelton) and most of the News department (Karen Booth, John Rivers, Peg Sneden) in April of 1987. Gradually, all the hosts - from the magnificently dissipate Geoff Charles to the supernaturally dull Mike Edwards - left the station, replaced by the "TalkRadio Auction" (whatever happened to Janice Basara, anyway? If you're out there, drop me a line, k?) and Mel "Mel Freakin' Jass" Jass, a series of no-name morning shows (including a former wresler and mid-level politician named Jesse Ventura), and afternoon shows ranging from the wonderful but hopelessly "inside" Bob Yates, to (IIRC) one James Lileks.

Then, in 1987-88, via the miracle of satellite, came a joyously bombastic voice from New York, bringing the first unabashedly partisan conservative voice (other than the "Mitch Berg Show", 1986-1987) heard on the air...ever.

Not that the station really understood Limbaugh, even then. KSTP retained a consultant in the late eighties and early nineties. I talked with him for a few hours; it was his theory that political talk radio was dead - that "irreverent" was the future of talk radio. His theory for the success of Limbaugh was that he was irreverent (he cited the old "Abortion Update" vaccuum cleaner sound effect), as opposed to tapping a vein of theretofore-unrequited conservatism; the future of talk radio, and KSTP, was irreverent, edgy - and not especially political. (Sound familiar?). He was responsible for the likes of Barbra Carlson, Turi Rider, Joel Schumacher (and, after I introduced him to his audition tape, Don Vogel's second incarnation in the Twin Cities. Yes, I claim credit for his tape getting heard. You heard it here first). And a series of fairly inept or uninspired management figures learned the great management lesson; having a solid product buys a lot of forgiveness. Limbaugh's numbers kept the lights on - and the station profitable - through a series of blunders that would have left a station with a less-solid keystone floundering in "Air America" territory. Babs and the Boys? Turi Ryder? Rosenbaum? Pffft. Didn't matter. It was like coaching a basketball team with Michael Jordan and eleven stumbling minor-leaguers; as long as Jordan (or Limbaugh) was there, it was still a fair match.

But by the time Limbaugh and Laura Schlesinger teamed with the curmudgeonly Joe Soucheray and the political animal Jason Lewis, the lesson was clear - politics plays, and pays - and the numbers, and money, started rolling in. KSTP's numbers started coalescing around the boistrous interloper and politics, politics, politics.

In retrospect, last week's statement by KSTP - that conservative talk radio isn't all that big a deal, really, and that people really want local issues, and are sick of partisanship - makes a lot more sense with yesterday's announcement that Clear Channel, which owns the rights to Limbaugh and Sean Hannity, is pulling the shows from KSTP and moving over to the current "Cool Jazz" station, 100.3 (which has averaged a format a year for the past decade or so, since its "Turn Your Knob to Bob" era).

Sources inside KSTP have told me for years - KSTP's Ginny Morris (a scion of the Hubbard family) has never been comfortable with the "political" label. It's never fit her; she's always seen (say the sources) KSTP and her station's legacy as being more along the lines of a traditional, WCCO-type middle of the road type station.

Well, she might get her wish. So now KSTP's gotta earn it.

Deborah Caulfield Rybak in yesterday's Strib:

Smooth jazz station KJZI, 100.3 FM, will disappear from Twin Cities FM airwaves next year when owner Clear Channel Communications replaces it with a new talk station featuring the political riffs of Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity, currently heard on KSTP, 1500 AM.

"Starting January 1, we will launch KTLK FM 100.3 that will feature Rush Limbaugh's live broadcast from 11 to 2 p.m. and, next August, Sean Hannity live from 2 to 5 p.m," Clear Channel's local vice president and general manager, Dan Seeman, said in an interview. KTLK will pick up Hannity's syndicated show when his contract with KSTP-AM expires next year. Limbaugh's contract with KSTP expires in December. Most other time slots -- including morning, midday and late afternoon shows -- will be filled with live, local, not-necessarily-political shows, Seeman.

"We're going to go out and hire the best talk show talent we can find, not the best conservative talk show host, or the best liberal, or the best car talk show host," he said. "What their political leanings are will be secondary to good talk shows."

Well, the NARN's not available, for what that's worth. Sorry, Dan.

Seriously, though...

Clear Channel decided to launch the new station in KJZI's place because the smooth-jazz format "had not performed as well as we'd hoped" during its two years on the air [No kidding? - Ed.], Seeman said. No staff reductions will be necessary because the new format will require even more personnel, he added.

Clear Channel's announcement comes two weeks after KSTP-AM executives said they were looking to redefine the station's relationships with both syndicated radio hosts. Over the past year, among listeners aged 25-54, Limbaugh's Arbitron ratings on KSTP had declined 43 percent; Hannity's 63 percent.

Seeman said the ratings drop didn't trouble him at all because political talk show ratings were "cyclical" in nature.

Seeman is a sharp guy.

KSTP's reaction?

KTLK's launch "does not come as a surprise to us," said KSTP general manager Todd Fisher in a memo to the station's staff, which he shared with the Star Tribune. The change "dovetailed with conversations we'd already been having about our future strategies and the state of syndication, particularly the conservative political shows that have shed much of their entertainment value," the memo said.

Prescience?

Or "The dog ate my homework" school of management excuses?

My money's on the dog. It's the kind of CYA one might expect from an executive lost a battle that was far out of his control (Clear Channel owns the rights to Limbaugh, and has first dibs on where he goes after any existing contracts run their courses). Also expected, from an executive that has been forced by corporate politics to put Limbaugh's broadcast - arguably, along with Joe Soucheray, the station's hard financial bedrock - into an untenable position, tape-delaying the entire broadcast an hour to fit between Rosenbaum/O'Connor in the morning and Soucheray at 3PM. Tape-delayed talk rarely performs as well as the live article, especially in major markets.

Fisher said the syndication changes will allow KSTP to pursue "our biggest goal -- to have a radio station that is live and local during the day, with little or no syndication. This is the first step in that happening." He said the station would announce its plans in the next few weeks.

So which is it? Is Clear Channel's yanking of their hottest properties a gut-shot to KSTP? Or was it part of some long-term Hubbard Plan to create a kinder, gentler, less partisan KSTP-AM?

I'm betting on gut-shot:

The launch of the new FM talk format also didn't come as a surprise to Carol Grothem, broadcast manager for Campbell Mithun ad agency. "Clear Channel has made these switches to FM talk station in other markets, such as Pittsburgh and San Antonio, and they're doing really well."

Seeman said putting talk stations on the FM band has been particularly good demographically. "We're drawing listeners who are five years younger than on the AM."

It makes strategic sense for Clear Channel to do this, of course; Limbaugh (and the much lesser talent, Hannity) are CC's bread and butter in the talk market. It was only a matter of time, really, once CC acquired Limbaugh.

My prediction? KTLK will be perfectly positioned to prosper when the next political season comes along and - pretty much inevitably - makes partisan political talk a hot property again.

KSTP's got its work cut out for it.

Posted by Mitch at August 31, 2005 05:58 AM | TrackBack

Comments

Bring back The Absolutely Amazing Auction!

P.S. Picked this up on (where else) a D.U. thread:

BTW, does anyone else think it's suspicious that the levees didn't break until AFTER the hurricane passed and it was clear the storm surge was not going to swamp the city. It would probably only take a couple of sticks of dynamite to get those things flowing. Seems like someone wanted Bush to have another pile of debris to climb on top of.

God, I gotta stop reading that bilge.

Posted by: rob at August 30, 2005 11:14 PM

Is Garage Logic good enough to support a whole station? Doubtful.

Posted by: Kevin at August 30, 2005 11:51 PM

Who the heck was the local liberal talk show guy on in afternoons in the late 80's on kstp? He used to be on right after Limbaugh and it seemed to drive him crazy. Deep, radio voice, later did the voice on some national commerdials. Used the catch phrase "blot on the family escutcheon" a lot.
This is driving me crazy.

Posted by: Terry at August 31, 2005 12:19 AM

Wasn't that Bob Yates? Is he still working in the Twin Cities? If I remember correctly, his afternoon show was pretty successful, and then he successfully lobbied to be moved to mornings, decided that he didn't want to take listener calls anymore, and got crushed, never to regain at subsequent stations that hired him, the popularity he enjoyed as KSTP's afternoon yakker.

Posted by: Will Allen at August 31, 2005 01:47 AM

You mean the guy that wrote "Leda and the Swan" and "The Second Coming"? Wait, I guess that was Bill Yeats.
Anyway, Terrible poet, except for "Leda and the swan".
A second clue: he used to say that he could win a 'pipe-off' with Cannon from WCCO.

Posted by: Terry at August 31, 2005 02:03 AM

The rise of WPGB-FM in Pittsburgh has been the best thing that's happened to local radio in years. I can't expect KSTP to survive the loss of Limbaugh the way that KDKA did here, but KDKA is one of those special stations that will always be around and will always be number one in the market.

Just for the record, WPGB's weekend programs are either repeats of daily shows, infomercials, or just plain boring. The NARN is still my show of choice on Saturdays.

Posted by: Dave in Pgh. at August 31, 2005 06:36 AM

I'm one of those who came to KSTP because of Rush. I remember Joe's very first broadcast. Then I started to listen to just the end of Bab's so I wouldn't miss the start of Rush. And then I was hooked. So I guess I'll switch to that other station. I've never listened to Hannity much, HH is soooooo much better.

Posted by: Silver at August 31, 2005 07:49 AM

KSTP is right, in that we want a local voice with interest in local events. But we want a local conservative voice.

And a local conservative talk host - active in local conservative issues - can offer something that the syndicated nationals cannot.

Jason Lewis is missed. And AM1500 has been floundering since.

Since his departure, no one has emerged as the primary local conservative host. But more than that, we've had a number of weekly shows appear with conservative voices - and none of them have been on KSTP.

Posted by: Jeff Dege at August 31, 2005 07:56 AM

KSTP is in serious trouble for even more reasons than stated by Mitch and the comments section:

I was a solid KSTP listener, and it did start with Rush. Then I stayed to listen to Souch. And Vogel. And Lewis. Even Babs.

Now? Rosenbaum/OConnell are tedious....I listen to Laura Ingraham. Rush is delayed? I listen tot he first hour of O'Reilly on Patriot2. 2pm? Medved.

Conservatives had a home (HAD, being the operative word) and we're leaving in droves. Does KSTP really think that airing farm reports and cookie receipes are going to make them successful? WCCO's loss of demographics is directly related to the death rate of senior citizens! Holding the 25-54 conservatives, and drawing more as the demographic ages....is the ONLY way to be successful.

Driving Jason Lewis out of town crippled KSTP. Losing Rush will be the death blow.

Posted by: Dave at August 31, 2005 08:59 AM

An excellent, most helpful post, Mitch. Certainly explains alot. Thank you.

Posted by: Eracus at August 31, 2005 09:48 AM

Bob Yates did both am and pm drive for kstp for awhile. got canned and then was on kfan for awhile followed by an overnite/weekend gig on the fm classic station - ksjn. he is currently doing mornings on the Mighty 1220 http://www.mighty1220.com/ out of Stillwater, MN. Lineup also includes Tony Snow and Bill O'reilly and Packer football.

Posted by: Kevin at August 31, 2005 11:25 AM

I agree with Dege. KSTP has not recovered from losing Jason Lewis. He was a tour de force (sorry about the French) for the conservative cause in Minnesota. It's too bad he left, but fortunately the Patriot is there to pick up the slack. The only downside is there is one less powerful voice for local/Minnesota conservative issues.

Posted by: Rambix at August 31, 2005 09:49 PM

I think KSTP was feeling what is a coming trend, that being that stations which advocate that they are merely airing a "show", and take no political position, have vulnerability if they consistently air ONLY one view. AAR will suffer the same potential knife. There is at least one court case I have read of seeking to declare as in kind contributions to political parties of their air time if the radio station appears to be strictly a strumpet for a particular party. You can say that this is ridiculous, but I would hardly agree with you, as the decision to put ONLY one view on the air is essentially nothing less than propoganda. The fact that advertisers will pay to expose products on that air time, doesn't diminish the fact that the station is essentially operating as a political arm.

If that happens, politically motivated radio of only one flavor, will be gone the way of the dodo. BTW Mitch, polital radio sells, but as you've pointed out, really only RIGHT-wing politcal radio sells. Wonder why that is? Is it because political radio is sculpted/manipulated half-truths seeking to pander to the self-fulfilling bias of the listener?

I am finding AAR nearly as unpalatable as anything on NARN. The only difference being the lack of cohesion and polish on AAR occassionally allows for some geniune fact or discussion to slip out, but not too often.

As for moving Rush and Hannity, well, since they are both gutter filth, draft dodging chicken hawks that I don't listen to (and just to put to rest the idiots who will respond - try having an opinion about something you know about - I listened to Limbaugh for 3 years), I surely won't miss them on 1500, nor do I much care.

J.Lewis was a classic radio talkinghead. He sought to manipulate facts to his reality and pound his message. He was less an idiot than B.Davis, but that's faint praise. He was certainly more articulate than many, but his act, like Limbaugh's does to concious people, was wearing thin, same old B.S. that doesn't work only is believable for so long. I think he left because he thought he was God when in reality he was really only a talk-show host.

Posted by: PB at August 31, 2005 11:09 PM

"I think KSTP was feeling what is a coming trend, that being that stations which advocate that they are merely airing a "show", and take no political position, have vulnerability if they consistently air ONLY one view. AAR will suffer the same potential knife."

Right - the Democrats want to reinstate the "Fairness" Doctrine through the back door, by judicial fiat.

"There is at least one court case I have read of seeking to declare as in kind contributions to political parties of their air time if the radio station appears to be strictly a strumpet for a particular party. You can say that this is ridiculous,"

The word I'd choose is "evil", or "Fascist".

" but I would hardly agree with you, as the decision to put ONLY one view on the air is essentially nothing less than propoganda."

So what? Do what Americans are *supposed* to do when faced with speech with which they disagree - speak yourself.

Which is, indeed, what conservative talk radio is in the first place - speech countering the blinkered, monolithic leftism of the major media.

Which is, indeed, what's behind the lawsuits.

" The fact that advertisers will pay to expose products on that air time, doesn't diminish the fact that the station is essentially operating as a political arm."

Wrong. Sympathy and support is not the same as being part of a party...

...unless you'd like to admit that the Strib editorial page is "operating" as an "arm" of the DFL. I mean, anything you can say of Rush Limbaugh - biased, not journalism, propaganda - you can say about the Strib editorial page.

"If that happens, politically motivated radio of only one flavor, will be gone the way of the dodo."

Rubbish. WE'll return to the pre-1986 status quo - a few overtly right or left-wing hosts, and a lot of mushy-middle (leaning slightly left, reflecting the biases of the management of the media combines that own the networks).

" BTW Mitch, polital radio sells, but as you've pointed out, really only RIGHT-wing politcal radio sells. Wonder why that is? Is it because political radio is sculpted/manipulated half-truths seeking to pander to the self-fulfilling bias of the listener?"

If that were true, Jim Hightower and Mario Cuomo and Al Franken would all be raging successes, since they fit the description (sculpted, manipulated, half-truths (if that), pandering to the biases of 48% of the people). They're not. Political radio is a response to the existing bias in the major media; it took the path of least resistance (AM radio was cheap and underutilized in 1988, yet still ubiquitous).

"I am finding AAR nearly as unpalatable as anything on NARN. The only difference being the lack of cohesion and polish on AAR occassionally allows for some geniune fact or discussion to slip out, but not too often."

Bollocks. There's more genuine fact in five minutes of NARN than in a week of AAR.

"As for moving Rush and Hannity, well, since they are both gutter filth, draft dodging chicken hawks..."

Whooooaaaaaaah. PB, you've swerved so far into name-calling, I'm not sure you can come back.

I don't care for Hannity much - but Limbaugh? He's a fecking genius, the classic underdog, and he has not just beaten all of his highly-touted challengers, but humiliated them - AND done more for to educate Americans about politics than any other single source (and, for all the filth unquestioningly about him, he's right about most things).

And once people trot out the "chicken-hawk" canard, pardon me, but it's time to shut down the argument. It's a sign that nothing useful can come of much further discussion. So PB, quickly now, show me where Limbaugh dodged the draft by any means that wasn't used by the vast majority of the draft-age public at that time as well.

Show me the dodge, or retire the canard, if you please.

"J.Lewis was a classic radio talkinghead. He sought to manipulate facts to his reality and pound his message."

Well, it's easy to say. Harder to prove. On the one hand - Duh! EVERY talk show host manipulates facts. It's called rhetoric; the U of M has an entire department teaching it! It's a standard skill in ALL political debate. And pounding a message - the horror!

" He was less an idiot than B.Davis, but that's faint praise. He was certainly more articulate than many, but his act, like Limbaugh's does to concious people, was wearing thin,"

Er, his ratings were booming up until the day he left. Hardly "wearing thin".

"I think he left because he thought he was God when in reality he was really only a talk-show host."

PB, where ARE you getting this?

I'm acquainted with Lewis personally, and I know sources who are *intimately* familiar with every facet of Lewis' career and departure. And, without going into details, you're completely, utterly wrong. As in, so wrong, light leaving "right" right now won't reach us until long after your grandchildren are gone.

Lewis left for a variety of reasons, none of them captured in your statement.

Posted by: mitch at September 1, 2005 02:30 AM

Mitch throws a left, a right, an uppercut, a hay-maker....KNOCKOUT! Only to add to this, PB, but I thank God we have the Rush's and Lewis' of the world...to present another opinion and refute the daily liberal brainwashing of the Mainstream Media.

Go read the article, published yesterday, in the American Spectator Online about Lou Dobbs. Of course, YOU think of him as a "journalist" and believe every piece of tripe he spews, I'm sure. That's why people listen to Rush and not the liberal losers that Mitch referenced (Hightower, Cuomo, etc)...they want the other side of the story to make their OWN decisions. The MSM can't stand the fact that they have been discredited so badly by talk-radio and blogs (....call for Dan Rather....Mary Mapes on line 1....mysterious liberal Democrat Texas operative on line 2!).

Posted by: Dave at September 1, 2005 08:47 AM

I haven't listened to Rush for a bit of time, could never make it through a Hannity broadcast and was spotty on Lewis.
Rush is just too much for me, like drinking a 10 oz imperial stout, I want something else after small amount.
Hannity is more like a beer that just tastes a little off and gets set down after a few mouthfuls.
Now, Medved, Hewitt and Prager are like a good IPA or scotch ale, you can spend time with them and you come back again because of the flavor.

See you folks Sunday night at the Town Hall Brewery.

Posted by: Matt at September 1, 2005 11:17 AM

This post brings back a lot of memories. I was there for it all. Vogel, Yates, tuned out the awful auction period, suffered through Turi, (cheered when she left), Babs and the boys, (the hot tub and the fights with her producer?), then the heyday of Rush, Soucheray, and Jason.

But, it's been downhill for a while now. Krok is unlistenable. Every time I turn on Joe he's got a sub host. Davis is the only bright spot.

The Patriot came along at just the right time, but still needs some wattage to really make its presence known.

Posted by: Sandy at September 1, 2005 04:28 PM

Wow....look at the ratings hit am1500 has taken: Summer 2004 was 6.0; Summer Period 1 2005 is 3.7! That's 40% loss of listeners. Amazing. And looking at the numbers, it appears they when to WCCO. Could this be why KTSP's idiot management is now claiming they need to move AWAY from political-type radio?

Losing Lewis started the trend downward, and the reaction of management to that was....tape delay Limbaugh? What shaved ape came up with THAT idea? That compounded the error, and am1280 came along to strip-off conservatives, who finally figured out that Soucheray is turned into Ruth Kosalack with male equipment.

This comes from a guy who has bought a CI indicator for the garage, a GL hat and T-shirts. I quit listening.

Posted by: Dave at September 2, 2005 08:24 AM

I can't add to much that has been said other than I'm kind of the type of listener KSTP would want since I drive for a living and listen to the radio a lot. I started with Rush, the Round Mound of Sound, Souch and later Jason Lewis. When Jason left I really hoped he could be replaced but sadly the station has been losing my interest ever since, GL is a shadow of it's former self and is basically living off it's past. When I can listen to him I do still enjoy Mischke though. BUT, the biggest change has been my purchase of XM, it gets turned on even before GL is over depending on how boring GL is and for sure it's on during Rush.

Posted by: Tom at September 3, 2005 01:26 PM

I think the most interesting thing about the story is, of course, the vanishing of the great talents such as Bob Yates and the verbose and condescending Russ Small, etc. Wasn't the broadcaster for today's US Open Tennis on USA channel a former broadcaster? Ted Robinson?
I am more curious about the tally of sexual harrassment charges that were referenced. Did my eyes deceive me? Seven sexual harrassment charges in a year and a half? I imagine KSTP as a little whorehouse in Texas, except the whores didn't know what a trick was.
I listened to Yates back in the 80's and I remember him vilifying a guy named Mike Dorwart quite a bit and I don't have any sources inside the station to confirm it, but I don't think Bob was referencing Ginny Morris or Kenny Soulman Olson as a sexual harrasser so it might be old Mike Dorwart. Anyhow Bob Yates is now on the 'Mighty 1220' in Stillwater. Everytime I am able to pick up the signal (high tide in Sri Lanka is the best time to try to try to tune in but I make no promises), I get a visual image of the old DJ in that show 'Northern Exposure' where his traffic segment consists of warnings to listeners/motorists about large piles of Moose dung on local roads.

No mistake Bob and Kenny and even old Mercedes are missed, thanks for the backround info letting us know why we have to avoid KSTP except for the Souchy boy show.

PS anyone know if Mercedes was as hot as Bob described her in 'Mercedes Weekend?' PLLLLEASE.... out with it dudes...

Posted by: Micael Svelten at September 8, 2005 09:33 PM

Mr. Svelten,

Mike Dorwart was NOT ever accused of any form of sexual harassment.

You got the wrong guy.

Posted by: mitch at September 14, 2005 06:25 PM

Here in Seattle we have quite a collection of local conservative hosts. Medved's also based out of here too. I just wish Medved were on at 1500 rather than Savage.

Rush is good part of the time, but he's too big on himself. The creaking noise you hear is his ego trying to fit through my car speakers. But he's better than Hannity or some of the other nationals.

Posted by: aodhan at September 15, 2005 04:32 PM

"lesser talent Hanity"? Dude tell me all about your huge radio show then get back to us about the "lesser" talent...

Posted by: mike at September 16, 2005 07:58 PM

Why would a major market 50,000 watt station put Chris Kroc on the air? Perhaps I am in the minority and Kroc’s ratings are good, but I doubt it. If the ratings ARE good I'm sure someone will let me know. I think KSTP management has just given up on the 8 to 10 timeslot. Cris Kroc lends a rich new meaning to the phrase "air talent." I am embarrassed for KSTP-AM and Hubbard Broadcasting.

Posted by: Derrik Caspersen at September 20, 2005 03:09 PM

Mitch Berg and Dave Elvin made The Round Mound of Sound Rock! Without their creative talents, music and political mayhem, Vogel wouldn't have been quite the Vogel that he became! Ah, the fantic plea-bargaining and chair throwing prior to Vogel's start time. Why, he'd wave off 10 great show ideas from the lads with a flip of his hand and a gracious, nah I don't want to do that...and then turn back to his brail machine and tap away. Mitch, Dave and Vogel...now there was a creative radio team. (Chair throwing not-with-standing.

Posted by: Rob Pendleton at September 24, 2005 03:10 PM

News Flash: Bob Yates just got let go from this Stillwater gig.

Where is the next Don Vogel anyway?

Posted by: Doug P at December 1, 2005 08:57 AM

I used to work for KSTP in the mid 90's - mid-day board operator for Babs - Pendleton and I replaced Peter Thiele, and I ran the board during Rush, and I lasted about three weeks after Babs' first retirement doing 40 hrs/week of satellite programming before I put the wrong Dr. Laura reel on one too many days and decided it was time to change jobs before someone else made the decision for me.

In retrospect it was the best thing for me - got me out of poverty into a respectable job - let's see if I can give you any good dirt.

It was something in the heydays of KSTP - You're right on about one thing - irreverance was the buzzword even then. The honcho at the time (Konrad) was telling Lewis he wanted his show to be a bit more like Jason's personable style off the air - smarmy, a bit of a smartass - but Jason was always total business on the air. -

His logic - if you do what you think is best and get fired, fine - but if you do what the boss wants against your better judgement, you're not gonna keep your job just cause you took the boss's advice -

I should point out, you imply they dropped Rob Pendleton (my cohort in crime) - they did, but it was Babs' first retirement that put him in the crosshairs - he was a fairly well paid producer at KSTP - (one could easily argue that was combat pay) and without Babs, and that slot transitioning to satellite programming, it was an easy layoff - they left me - the $7.25/hr board op. to run things.

They tried a liberal bent with David Brauer - all I remember is the guy who brought him in ran right away to TV - David ended up leaving and Babs came back but once I left KSTP I don't think I ever listened to it ever again.

Now I'm more left wing - you get older and things are less black and white -

I got a couple good stories - if anyone wants them I'll post them on the blog.

Posted by: Russ at January 12, 2006 06:20 AM

Limbaugh and Hannity are has-been Republican sycophants. Limbaugh hasn't been listenable for years. Hannity has always been a bore. Count me among the 60% of 25-54 yr olds who have given up on either of their shows.

The fastest growing (and #3 overall) AM talk show host is Michael Savage. Talk about "irreverent". This guy isn't a schill for any party, he calls them like he sees them. That's what the listening public wants right now. I never miss his show, if I can help it.

PS: Thanks for the info on Bob Yates. I never ever listened to talk radio until I heard him. His morning shows were the best, I miss them a lot. My favorite line of his is "for those of you scoring at home -- and I hope you are".

Posted by: Keith at January 26, 2006 02:17 PM

Posted by: Clark Boggart at May 3, 2006 06:06 PM