Governor Dayton will be the first Minnesota governor since 1999 N not to have a weekly radio show.
The Governor asked for “bids”, which involved the stations proposing which hour they’d give him – and got responses from WCCO, which carried Ventura and Pawlenty for the past 12 years – as well as KTNF (the former Air America station), KFAI (a tiny public station on the West Bank in Minneapolis, with a range of maybe five miles) and Rick Kupchella’s “Bring Me The New”, which is largely web-based, but does supply stuff to radio stations).
Most of the stations offered time on the traditional Friday morning/midday shift; WCCO offered an hour early Saturday morning, and the proviso that Ted Mondale co-host. No joke.
Dayton – perhaps not wanting to be on the same day as the Northern Alliance – rejected ’em all:
Dayton’s spokesman, Bob Hume said none of the five offered what the governor was looking for.
“We were very clear that we were looking for a vehicle for people in every corner of the state to have access to the governor,” Hume said. “None of the proposals that we got back gave us that opportunity. So we have decided not to procede with contract negotiations.”
I’m disappointed. A radio show with Dayton would have been a smorgasbord of material.
“Free” radio (not MPR or Sirius) is funded by paid advertising.
Radio programming exists to convince listeners to hang on through the commercial break, so the advertisers get a shot at selling their product to the audience.
Radio execs must cater to audience preferences or the audience will change the dial, skip the commercial, advertisers will stop advertising and the radio station will go broke.
So when offered a chance for free programming, radio execs make a judgment – do our listeners want to hear this program? Will it bring listeners to our frequency, and will they hang on through the break to listen to our advertisers, or will he drive away listeners in droves?
The only surprise is that Dayton was offered saleable daytime hours, not the slot right after re-runs of Art Bell on Coast to Coast.
Governor Jim Beam stutters worse than I do. Chances of his handlers letting him go into anything other than a heavily scripted appearance? Less than zero.
He REALLY couldn’t find anyone willing to host him at a “convenient” time.
Sounds like a big facade to me.
He bobbled it with WCCO. Mondale would have helped him out immensely.
Well, I’ll miss the opening lines of “Coming to you live from his closet, it’s Governor Mark Dayton!”
It’s too bad, too, because with Dayton’s stuttering there was an opportunity for Mitch, with his background, to work on this impediment. And there goes my opportunity, too, to write the screenplay for “The Governor’s Speech.”
Perhaps he is pulling a Betty McCallum and knows it’s best just not to speak in public unless reading a script.
I actually liked Ventura’s program. He espoused his libertarian views and came across fine.
Ventura had years of experience in radio and calling pro wrestling matches. He was nothing if not supremely confident. Dayton persona makes him appear that he’s ready to shriek and dive under a bed with the slightest provocation.
I don’t know how they thought they’d get the gear in his closet anyway. Got to be getting pretty crowded in there, what with the new dog and all.
Surprising that his family or A4BM (PTR) couldn’t buy the time, or compel a station to give him any slot he desired. After all he’s their guy.
Dayton and Mondale on the radio? Personally I don’t think there’s enough in the well to fill an hour slot week after week.