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Thursday, February 20, 2003
Radio Beat: Liberal talk radio: Build it right and they will come
Is there a national market to support a stable of liberal talk show hosts on commercial radio to rival the right's Rush Limbaugh, Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity, Michael Savage and dozens of others?
Past results haven't been encouraging but another group is taking a shot at it.
The Associated Press reported recently that a group of venture capitalists from Chicago and an Atlanta radio executive are trying to put together a radio network. They've pledged $10 million and are looking for others to join the effort. One of the people they're talking to as a potential host is writer Al Franken -- author of the book "Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Fat Idiot."
AP says the group maintains liberal talk radio hasn't worked in the past because it wasn't marketed properly and wasn't entertaining enough. They want to counter what they see as right-wing domination of the radio talk show sector.
The right would argue that talk radio arose as its media outlet to counter the left's dominance of agenda-setting newspapers, the television networks and public radio and television. The left, in turn, argues that there is no such domination, that NPR isn't liberal . . . and around and around it goes.
For some perspective on the issue, we turn to Ken Berry, who manages news-talk KIRO-AM as well as the new entrant to right-wing talk, KTTH-AM.
Does liberal talk work? Berry says he thinks so, "because I hired Mike Webb," heard at 10 p.m. weeknights. Weekend host Erin Hart also holds liberal views, he says, "and you could make the case that Dave Ross is on the liberal side of moderate."
"Individual liberal hosts have worked in a lot of different cities," he adds, noting the success of Bernie Ward at KGO in San Francisco, a station where Berry used to work.
But why aren't there more, and why no national hosts? Berry cites several reasons: the differences between the way conservative audiences relate to one another as well as to talk hosts and radio stations, the pull of public stations among liberal audiences (particularly in this market, with KUOW-FM and KPLU-FM) and the approach of some liberal hosts (Webb succeeds, Berry says, because he is "a crusading liberal . . . not apologetically liberal").
The biggest problem, he says, is not that the unsuccessful hosts are liberal, it's that "they're bad radio talent."
Most of the conservative talk hosts didn't come from politics. Limbaugh spent years in radio learning what works before he made it big. One attempt to create a national liberal talk host that didn't work: Mario Cuomo.
Bill O'Reilly made roughly the same point when speaking at a radio convention in Seattle last year. A liberal host can succeed if he or she is engaging and entertaining, he said.
That's why Berry thinks organizers of the new network are making a mistake if one of their prospective hosts is Franken. "We've had him on as a guest," he says. "He's not a good radio guest."
In other radio notes:
ON THE DIAL
| KVI | AM | 570 | Talk |
| KCIS | AM | 630 | Christian |
| KIRO | AM | 710 | News/sports/talk |
| KTTH | AM | 770 | Talk |
| KGNW | AM | 820 | Christian |
| KIXI | AM | 880 | Nostalgic pop hits |
| KJR | AM | 950 | Sports/talk |
| KOMO | AM | 1000 | News |
| KBLE | AM | 1050 | Religious |
| KYCW | AM | 1090 | Classic country |
| KKNW | AM | 1150 | CNN News |
| KNWX | AM | 1210 | Business/investing |
| KKDZ | AM | 1250 | Radio Disney |
| KKOL | AM | 1300 | Talk |
| KKMO | AM | 1360 | Spanish |
| KRKO | AM | 1380 | News/talk -- Everett |
| KRIZ | AM | 1420 | Classic soul/R&B |
| KXPA | AM | 1540 | Spanish |
| KLFE | AM | 1590 | Christian |
| KYIZ | AM | 1620 | Urban contemporary |
| KPLU | FM | 88.5 | Jazz/news/NPR |
| KNHC | FM | 89.5 | Top 40/dance |
| KGRG | FM | 89.9 | Alternative rock |
| KEXP | FM | 90.3 | Alt./world music |
| KSER | FM | 90.7 | Pub. affrs/wrld. Mus. |
| KBCS | FM | 91.3 | Jazz/folk/world music |
| KLSY | FM | 92.5 | Adult contemporary |
| KUBE | FM | 93.3 | Rhythmic Top 40 |
| KMPS | FM | 94.1 | Country |
| KUOW | FM | 94.9 | News/NPR |
| KJR | FM | 95.7 | '60s/'70s hits |
| KYPT | FM | 96.5 | '80s popular music |
| KBSG | FM | 97.3 | Oldies |
| KING | FM | 98.1 | Classical |
| KWJZ | FM | 98.9 | Smooth jazz |
| KISW | FM | 99.9 | Rock |
| KQBZ | FM | 100.7 | Talk |
| KPLZ | FM | 101.5 | Adult contemporary |
| KZOK | FM | 102.5 | Classic rock |
| KMTT | FM | 103.7 | Adult alternative |
| KMIH | FM | 104.5 | Contemporary hits |
| KCMS | FM | 105.3 | Contemp. Christian |
| KBKS | FM | 106.1 | Contemporary hits |
| KRWM | FM | 106.9 | Soft rock |
| KNDD | FM | 107.7 | Modern rock |
P-I reporter Bill Virgin can be reached at 206-448-8319 or billvirgin@seattle-pi.com
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