Flip Things Over, See What Happens
By Mitch Berg
Twin Cities broadcast legend John Hines is moving to KTLK:
John Hines, for the past 16 years a morning mainstay at country music station KEEY (FM 102.1) is moving down the dial to conservative talker KTLK (100.3 FM) where he will fill the 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. morning slot recently vacated by Andrew Colton.
On the one hand, good riddance to the arid, dull Colton.
But Caulfield-Rybak is playing to hype, calling KTLK a “Conservative” station.
Oh, it’s moved to the right since it’s original incarnation, which was spawned during the big craze two years ago that claimed conservative talk was dead; the station’s original lineup included only Limbaugh as a genuine conservative show, and was larded with the somnolent Colton and Guest, the mismatched Pat Kessler, the misconceived Janecek and Lambert, and the capable but not-really-aligned Dan Conry. As the original lineup melted down (only the Limbaugh time slot beat AM1280 the Patriot, a station with 1/20 KTLK’s power), they added more, proven, conservative hosts (Sean Hannity, Jason Lewis), but have studiously avoided (in my opinion) being identified as “conservative”.
Why? My guess – to try to validate some very expensive consultants’ highly-paid opinions.
Because Hines is certainly a high-profile attempt to salvage the “conservative talk is dead” strategy:
Anselmo acknowledged that Hines [like his predecessor Colton] would be a distinctly apolitical voice on a station populated by conservative hosts. “What he’ll bring is great morning radio, with personality, entertainment and local focus.”
Hines is one of the best in town. But can he save a concept – “conservative talk radio is dead!” – that the market nationwide shows is a dud?
I give him a year.
March 7th, 2007 at 12:04 pm
Seriously, man. What are you smoking? Conservative talk radio is a dud? The top three radio talk shows in the nation.
1. Rush Limbaugh
2. Sean Hannity
2. Glenn Beck.
They are all conservative.
Also, if conservative talk radio a dud, then why do democrats in Congress want to bring back the fairness doctrine?
Put down the pipe and the rolling papers.
March 7th, 2007 at 12:09 pm
To help your addled mind here’s a link listing the top 12 political talk radio shows:
http://www.numbersusa.com/text?ID=998
Almost all of them are conservative to libertarian with one “moderate” thrown in for the mixed. Please explain again how conservative talk radio is a dud?
March 7th, 2007 at 12:15 pm
Uh, j?
As I noted in my posting, it’s the theory of a number of consultants.
Not me – who, by the way, is a conservative talk show host in his alter-ego life.
Conservative talk is still the dominant form in talk radio. There is merely a large part of the media that wishes it were not so.
March 7th, 2007 at 1:13 pm
It makes no sense that consultants are trying to push a “non-conservative” line up at KTLK, when from just about every single program on KTLK is conservative. Heck, they just gave Jason Lewis a 3rd hour, and he is by far the most vocal conservative on the station.
I have heard of John Hines but I don’t know is politics or bent. But since I am a gamgbling man I would say his morning show will be tilted to the right. Why else move to a radio station that is going out of its way to be as conservative as it can be. You gotta know that going in, so I suspect he is making the move, not only for the money, but so he can stretch his conservative wings so to speak.
Sorry, for the confusion.
J.
March 7th, 2007 at 1:20 pm
It makes no sense that consultants are trying to push a “non-conservative” line up at KTLK, when from just about every single program on KTLK is conservative. Heck, they just gave Jason Lewis a 3rd hour, and he is by far the most vocal conservative on the station.
Right. But when the station flipped from “cool jazz” to talk, they were very different, and very much following the “conservative radio is so 2000” line that was current two years ago – the one that’s been pretty well shown not to be true since then, of course.
My guess – and it’s just a guess – KTLK’s management wants to try to appeal to everyone with the morning show, so Hines will be center-populist, at least to start.
After that? We’ll see.
March 7th, 2007 at 1:41 pm
Ahh good memories of Hines from the WLOL days:
1) I rode in a mountain bike race held in Kenwood Park in 1986 (yeah, just try that today…the race course was 12 feet wide and almost a quarter mile long, and at the end of the day COMPLETELY mud, since it rained the night before. The environazis would scream bloody murder if something like that was attempted today). A local bike store even brought in dozens of loaner bikes for those who didn’t have mountain bikes (which I didn’t, so I used one of those). I came in 3rd place in my class initial heat, beating out a schoolmate who had a really expensive bike and was lauding it over me that I sucked and would come in last. I was far back in the pack on my next heat since the serious athletes were competing. A few weeks later I was rollerskating at Cheep Skate in Minnetonka (remember that old activity?) and he was the guest DJ that night. I asked him how he did and he said he came in 3rd place. Cool.
2) I remember listening to a 24 hour marathon that he and Berglund put on in support of some abuse prevention fund raiser on-air telethon thing, and he was reading news articles about health stuff. He got to one article discussing a particularly difficult topic for males, and I remember him saying something along the lines of “and it goes in the…uh…i don’t even know if I can get away with SAYING this word on the air, but….PE-NIS…well, I guess I just said it…(blah blah blah). That was amusing.
March 7th, 2007 at 1:43 pm
Oh, and he had quite a prodigious mullet back in those days.
March 7th, 2007 at 2:29 pm
My two favorite bits from Hines at WLOL was:
1) The show when they staged being fired on the air by Doyle Rose. Hines was in rare form that day, suggesting commiting all kinds of FCC violations, finishing up to Bob Berglund with this statement: “We should just walk out. What are they going to do, fire us?”
2) Anytime he taked about facing the winter elements: snow, cold, wind. He’d claim John Hines will facing this–Alone!–Man against the wilderness!” Then he’d blow into his mike and remark to Berglund “That’s so they think it’s really cold out there.”
When it comes to ratings, in a business where getting canned is a badge of honor, Hines has been nearly bulletproof for over two decades. That distinction will now be put to the test.
March 7th, 2007 at 5:00 pm
KTLK’s Janazak and Lambert was a great show. They let Lambert off his leash and proved to the world what a left wing idiot he was.
KTLK has a morning show?
March 8th, 2007 at 1:59 am
“It’s the breakfast quiz, right now.
Be a breakfast whiz, right now.
Strap your thinking caps on tight.
Think of trivia with all your might.
It’s the breakfast quiz!”
Don’t change lanes in the tunnel! Tip your breakfast waitresses well! etc. etc.
March 11th, 2007 at 5:16 pm
Talk Radio is so dead.
How can anyone possibly listen to it anymore and take it seriously.
KTLKs ratings have been horriffic. They gave Jason the extra hour hoping it will stop the bleeding from Rush syncophant Sean Hannity, but Jason sounds the same as he did when he left the Twin Cities last time.
I bet if you put in a recording of one of his broadcasts from a few years ago, you would not be able to tell if it was current or not.
Conservative talk was fun while it lasted, but it has seen better days.