Is Tom Finneran still having trouble generating calls? Here at SaveWRKO headquarters, that’s what we’re hearing.
While there is generally no direct, short- term correlation between call volume and the number of people listening to a talk show, in the long run, a lack of public participation can reflect badly on the host.
By now, Tommy Tune Out has had quite enough time to establish an audience bond and heavier call volume ought to be one result of that.
In addition, his show is heard during primetime hours, usually the easiest time to generate them.
Is this a reflection of the show’s failure to catch on with WRKO’s listeners? We’ll deal with that in a subsequent post.
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As a means of generating more calls, perhaps Finneran should borrow a page from WJMN-FM’s “Ramiro and Pebbles Morning Show” and have on a few rappers as guests, preferably ones with felony convictions. They’d have so much to talk about…
Mr. Maloney, aka the failed talk host, you are such a sad, sad, case, a few days ago you claimed WRKO had forgot to renew their web address and WRKO.com was gone, WRONG!, then you tried to make a factless claim that WRKO sales were not going well, now you are trying to make us believe that the morning show is not getting callers. It is an indusrty fact that ony 1/2 of 1% of the people who listen to talk radio ever call in and morning drive is the most difficult time to attract callers. You would know this if you ever worked at a station for any length of time. Given the format clock, callers have to wait far longer to get on the air during a morning drive show than during any other daypart. I am not holding my breath to hear the opinion of of some joe six pack who has all morning to dial into to talk radio to put in his 2 cents.
This site may have had a point when RKO first hired Finneran and outsourced the news operation, but now you have just become a sad pathetic cry baby who just can’t get over the fact that you suck as a talk host and WRKO or any other major market station won’t hire you.
Why don’t you return to your former role as the President of the Rush, the pill popper Limbo, fan club.
Not, you’re obviously an WRKO insider, one of the few still defending Julie’s boneheaded attempt at programming talk radio. That narrows it down quite a bit!
I know you’re trying to seem confident and assertive here, but it comes across as very defensive.
Go ahead with your personal attacks, there’s simply no way Tommy Tune Out’s poor performance can be propped up in the long run.
So now another dissenter gets labeled a “WRKO Insider”…while I don’t like it when the hosts of the site indulge in personal attacks on people I like, I give you props for posting a scathing personal attack against yourself as well. On balance though, I like it better when we can have substantive debate. While a small % of people call, a lack of callers can’t be good. Is it as damning six weeks in as Brian would like, probably not, but it can’t be a positive. That said, I reiterate my point from a couple of weeks ago that while RKO has lost some advertisers, they have gained more than they have lost in terms of customers and revenue.
So “Not an RKO Employee” thinks the demographic of the morning drive time is “Joe Six-Pack” and all that rip implies. Hmmm…it used to be a pretty intelligent listening audience that I heard calling in, it must of changed. I wouldn’t know of the change because I stopped listening to WRKO in the morning. I just listen to the news or Imus now. Imus may suck, but considering the alternative I can live with it.
Finneran? Is he still on? I discovered I can get WPRO pretty well.
Maybe Tommy’s problem generating audience and callers is due to his ignoring the basic principle: “Talk about what you know about.”
You know….he should be sharing his expertise on ballot-box stuffing; steering no-bid contracts to friends and relatives; collecting whopping “fees” for steering legislation to a successful passage.
Just think how he could get some guests on the show who REALLY know how the political game is played in Taxachusetts. Now that would be interesting.
You know up until a few weeks ago, I planned on going to school for radio. I don’t have a
Finneran-esk ego so I don’t need to be an on air guy. I just wanted to be in the industry that I grew up listening to. I spent my childhood listening to Larry Glick and Jerry Williams. Talk radio had a big influence on my life.
Now that I see what really goes on, I don’t even want to listen anymore.
The arrogance of the powers that be in the industry, blow me away!
Joe six pack huh?
Maybe I am just another Joe punchclock, but I think I am smart enough to know that if no one is listening to the radio then there is no radio.
We are the listening audience. We are the ones that keep this crap on the air, yet we are looked down upon with such hateted that I see no point in bothering with the medium any longer. They know better than we do. They are smarter than us. They will tell us what we like and don’t like.
I have had it. Maybe it’s just the Boston market or radio all together.
I don’t need to be told by “insiders” that I am a moron and that whatever crap they put on the air is the greatest thing I ever heard.
I have been listening for 25 years, and I think it’s time for an extended break.
Sincerly,
A former talk radio listener
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Of course, Although my outside thermometer reads 50, my ‘inside source’ at the weather bureau tells me its really 15 with blowing snow, Who am I going to believe, the ‘insider’ or my lying eyes? Was your ‘inside source’ on this the same one who told you that advertisers wouldn’t touch Finneran with a ten foot pole right before he started his very public connection with TJX, the thousand pound gorilla of retail advertisers?
Did anyone stop to consider how ludicrous it sounds to rely on a ‘source’ on something as public as talk show call volume when all that is required is to turn on the radio and hear for yourself? If you had taken this obvious course, you’d know that Finneran is having no problem generating calls. But why let the facts get in the way of a good story.
So, how’s it going. The listener boycott seems to be a bust, the advertiser boycott appears to be wishfull thinking, and the ‘convicted felon’ meme obviously doesn’t have any legs.
Is it time to start a Save SaveRKO blog, or just let it blow away like it never existed? Not that it matters.
Regards,
Where can one see some pics of Julie on the RKO web site?
Why must the WRKO apologists troll this site? Why are they so threatened by this small website with a shoestring budget? Their posts seem more and more like WRKO damage control.
…Why must the WRKO apologists troll this site? Why are they so threatened by this small website with a shoestring budget? Their posts seem more and more like WRKO damage control….
Tough love? Fun? Inside work with no heavy lifting?
Sorry, but nobody is ‘threatened’ by this website, least of all WRKO. And since RKO has suffered no damage, there is nothing to control.
As for responding to the clueless posters, it’s a bit like riding up and down the field after the battle shooting the wounded.
You may now return to your favorite delusion.
Regards,
Very funny, Thomas. WRKO’s managers are our most dedicated readers.
It appears the supporters of WRKO management still do not understand the main thrust of the complaints against Finneran. WRKO’s “base” expected the station to remain committed to the vision that has sustained the station for 25 years: a vision that rejects the cynicism and corruption of Beacon Hill. By bringing on Finneran–who is, like it or not, a symbol of that squalid Beacon Hill culture–WRKO has evidently decided to (at least in part) embrace that which they have scorned for decades. As the GEICO commercials say, it doesn’t make a lick of sense…
A friend of mine called WRKO a few weeks back during Finneran’s show and said politely (I was in the car), “I’ve given your show a couple of weeks and I’m sorry, but it’s not entertaining and I’m not going to be listening anymore because I don’t enjoy it.” That was it.
The producer who answered said “Ok, let me add that to the book of things I really care about,” and hung up the phone.
They don’t care. Just don’t listen.
Thomas Bench wrote…
“As for responding to the clueless posters, it’s a bit like riding up and down the field after the battle shooting the wounded.
You may now return to your favorite delusion.
Regards,”
This my friends, shows the true nature of a liberal: snotty, condescending, mean and wrong.
…Very funny, Thomas. WRKO’s managers are our most dedicated readers….
It must come as a relief to them to realize what a joke this blog has become. You wouldn’t happen to know the names of any of those dedicated listeners in the management ranks, would you? Perhaps you could include their names in that list of the boycotting advertisers that you keep mentioning.
Regards,
WHERE IS HOWIE CARR ON WRKO STREAMING? Today they have some kinds of sports broadcast following a re-tread of Felon Finneran’s broadcast. I had to find an affiliate on line to listen to Howie today. What the hell is going on at RKO?????
Plus, we here at Entercom know way more about radio than you bloggers in your pajamas. Gosh, how dense *are* you people?!
How many times must I say it. Get thyself screamer-radio.com. Wrko is on the presets. Howie is on right now.
Thank you, LOL. I found Howie on one of the affiliates, but I will look into screamer radio. RKO can go to hell.
Try WGAN 560AM or WXTK 95 FM on the Cape.
Do you know what’s going on with Howie and RKO, Brian? I’m listening to him on WNTK but I got on late.
After listening to Fox sports radio for a couple minutes around 3:10, its nice to know that I have WCRN reception in Stoneham and I will no longer have to listen to Howie on WRKO. They have to be destroying WRKO on purpose becuase no one in a managerial role at a major corporation could be this stupid
…This my friends, shows the true nature of a liberal….
Liberal? What have I posted that you lead you to believe that. I’ll save you the trouble. Answer, nothing.
….snotty….
Translate? That I know more about radio than you do? Okay, guilty
….condescending….
Hard not to be when you run into posts like yours.
….mean….
Shucks, I must have hurt your feelings. Life’s like that. Guess the pool’s too deep for non-swimmers.
…. and wrong…
But instead of bleeding in public, how’s about pointing out where I was wrong.
Thanks and regards,
Very easy way to prove the Felon is the second coming. . .
Is it true that a ratings period starts the end of this week? Look at the numbers.
My guess is that the Felon is a Flop.
Then to prove that it’s the Felon and not the “difficult time slot”, put Howie on in the morning for a few days and let the Felon have afternoon drive on those days.
If RKO management, who appear to be the biggest posters here, are right: Howie won’t generate calls, blogs will start calling for boycotts, the Felon will own afternoon drive, pigs will fly, Peace will cover the Middle East, and the world will be a perfect place.
Thomas B. is obviously a bitter, mean-spirited tightass!!
Wow, things are buzzing here. Couple of things to add: 1. D.R. is on target in his assessment of the alienation of the base, I think I said something similar a while back. Whether it makes sense or not remains to be seen. The WRKO that was attempting to serve the base the last few years has not been successful financially. We’ll see what the future brings. Regarding BJD’s thought about the ratings, they are not like TV ratings that are available overnight, and they are not broken out by individual days. Radio takes longer to roll out and are better off viewed as trends since the diary methodology is antiquated. I think I posted this already, but the best way to judge Finneran’s numbers is to see whether they increase over time. With the influx of Red Sox, Finneran’s name recognition and Scotto’s lowering of the ratings bar, I suspect that there will be positive numbers to spin. Either way, his first numbers will be based on half a book and not indicative of much. We need to judge this over time. If he dies, it will likely be a slow death rather than a Roth style implosion. Less dramatic for sure, but that’s the business.
Mr. Bench wrote:
“Plus, we here at Entercom know way more about radio than you bloggers in your pajamas. Gosh, how dense *are* you people?!”
I don’t have a clue how to run a radio station. I have had a lot of experience listening to one though.
I assumed the overall plan is to provide entertainment to your customers while bombarding them with advertising in hopes we purchase something.
If a radio station doesn’t provide what the listeners want then we don’t listen and advertisers don’t sell.
Kind of a funny marketing approach.
WPRO is great! Maybe you ought to get that DePetro fella’ back again.
What’s up with Tommy Taxes yakking right thru the news break at the top of the hour?
More than once recently I’ve switched over around 9 because the other stations were in commercials and there he was still pontificating away.
Aren’t we supposed to be getting our 3 or 4 sentences of superficial, prepackaged phoned-in news at the top of the hour?
Mr. Bench wrote:
“Plus, we here at Entercom know way more about radio than you bloggers in your pajamas. Gosh, how dense *are* you people?!”
Well, actually Mr Bench (me) didn’t write that, which the folks who run this site know but decided to let fly anyway since its considerably easier than making a cogent argument or supplying real data.
Regards,
You hoi polloi had better start listening to me, or I might throw a hissy-fit and hold my breath til you all admit that I know much more about radio than you do!
And once I have finished showing off for the station management at ‘RKO, maybe they’ll give me my old job back!
Thomas Bench said…
“Shucks, I must have hurt your feelings. Life’s like that. Guess the pool’s too deep for non-swimmers.”
Thomas, I’m not going to respond to each of your points because they are not meant for serious discussion. I will say you are not hurting my feelings as much as you are embarrassing yourself.
BTW, you might try out for the reality show Flavor of Love next year. Your childish rants would make for good television. Dare I say the collective intelligence level of the show might actually go down with a TB appearance?
…Thomas, I’m not going to respond to each of your points because they are not meant for serious discussion….
Yeah, that’s the ticket.
Do yourself a favor and stay out of poker games.
Regards,
Is that the best a “Radio Expert” of your caliber can do?
…Is that the best a “Radio Expert” of your caliber can do?…
You bluffed holding nothing, I bet, and you folded. How much better did I have to be?
But, thanks for playing.
Regards,
Mr. Bench
Why don’t you please illuminate us peons as to what position you hold in the radio industry? Lay your credentials out on the table and be vetted. That way the rest of us “clueless posters” as you have labeled us, will be able to bow to your feet in awe or then once and for all ignore your posts for the bullshit they sound like. Fair enough?
Are you serious??? A lame poker analogy is the best you got???
Someone been watching too much World Series of Poker. BWAHAHAHA! Yup go for Flava of Love tryouts. They’re def your crowd.
And why say “Regards” when you don’t mean it? Is that part of your tactical poker gaming theory?
Thank you for calling Howie Carr, you chump!
this site is hilarious. an incredible amount of callers start their calls with “i love this show.” or “i didnt think i would listen but this show is great”.
bye the way, sales are through the roof.
uridiots Said…
“bye the way, sales are through the roof.”
Yeh, you’re right, we are the idiots. I’m rather surprised you didn’t write ‘sails’ instead of sales. BTW, it’s BY the way, not “bye the way”.
this site is hilarious. an incredible amount of callers start their calls with “i love this show.” or “i didnt think i would listen but this show is great”.
Well, we do have a large state payroll….
Peter Blute can be found on the AM dial, 850, I think.
“Yeh, you’re right, we are the idiots. I’m rather surprised you didn’t write ‘sails’ instead of sales. BTW, it’s BY the way, not “bye the way”.”
Great job refuting my points. Really smart.
Peter Blute is on 830.
Has the felon been on two months already? Finny, I don’t know yee at all. I haven’t listened for narry a minute, me boy.
But I still call in most mornings and only got a busy signal the other morning when the topic was all of the murders in Roxbury. Must have been a fluke. No, it was a fluke.
The big deal about Finneran being on the air is that he has had the nerve to show his face after tampering with the basic structure of our way of political life. Yet he has no problem remaining in public view… Moreover I see now how the politics in Massachusetts is far more corrupt than I, and probably many others, had ever even imagined. The reason why the “BIG DIG ” is falling apart is we have hacks of all pursuasions filling key positions where important decisions are made by people who have no idea what they’re doing. Ditto that for the Pike which I predict will never be paid for. Hack heaven. I remind you of the hissy fight as to wheather or not the “discount” was to remain or not or if we should have to pay for the transmitters or not. Not one single break for the average person, this on top of the fact that the whole “BIG DIG” is being paid for by people who are only trying to get to work and happen to be coming from the west of Boston. I can’t wait to see Boston in my rear-view mirror for the last time. On the bright side of this situation, I guess we should expect that the place where all this political nonsense began would be the most corrupt in the nation. No real surprise here. Lastly how can we as intellegent taxpayers allow politicians to manipulate the system to the extent that allows these hacks to leave with these unbelievable retirements. This will break the back of this state in the long run. My solution is to NEVER VOTE FOR AN INCUMBENT. Unfortunately