More Talk of Local Talk Radio Blues

An interesting if somewhat depressing story in the LA Times this morning about the decline of local talk radio in California, tied to the economy, and how it may affect the political contest over votes over the Governator's tax hike proposals this year.

... the reality is that conservative talk radio in California is on the wane. The economy's downturn has depressed ad revenue at stations across the state, thinning the ranks of conservative broadcasters.

For that and other reasons, stations have dropped the shows of at least half a dozen radio personalities and scaled back others, in some cases replacing them with cheaper nationally syndicated programs.

I would argue that "cheaper" is not the correct adjective. It should be "less profitable." It's instructive that not even the LA Times is contending that the local talkies are being dumped because of their political orientation, or in favor of liberal chatter.

I wonder if any of these stations are owned by Journal Communications?

Lamenting the Loss of Chris Medlock

It's Saturday morning, it's rainy and cold (but not as cold as the last couple of days), and so it's a good time to be indoors and contemplative. Thinking deep thoughts about water filtration, geothermal heating and cooling systems, and sadness over the loss of Chris Medlock's show at KFAQ in Tulsa.

Medlock's plug was pulled Friday morning, without warning, and Laura Ingraham was on from 2 to 5 (instead of 4-6. KFAQ itself isn't saying much about the switch but Michael Bates reports -- or perhaps speculates is a better term -- that the move was due to falling revenues at the parent company, Journal Communications, chiefly at its flagship newspaper, The (very liberal) Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.

Perhaps. But the suddeness of Medlock's departure seems a bit odd, even for KFAQ. Chris had good ratings for a tough time slot, up against the last hour of Rush and first hour of Sean Hannity on KRMG, largely because of his knowledge of Tulsa city government and his willingness to discuss the issues underneath the news reported -- or mostly non-reported -- by the mainstream Tulsa outlets. Granted that he did not have the flash of a Glenn Beck or John Gibson (nor the staff or resources), he was entertaining and enlightening, and without his voice it will be much more difficult for Tulsa-area citizens to know what is really going on.

I am a bit selfish in this since Medlock's show was a way for me to keep informed of issues "back home" now that I am considerably farther afield. While I like Pat Campbell's morning show, his focus is broader and he is more cautious on local issues. (His Wednesday conversations with former congressman Ernest Istook are a must listen, by the way.) For the record, I like Laura Ingraham and figure she will do well in that time slot.

The irony is that the loss of another conservative local talk show may actually give more ammunition to those mostly liberals who are pushing for a "local content" regulation at the federal level to force a reduction in the reach of successful syndicated talkies, who are overwhelmingly conservative. I wonder how many local hosts the Journal Communications group has canned recently systemwide?

A NOTE TO A COMMENTS POSTER WHO DIDN'T MAKE THE CUT (And you know who you are): If all you can do is call someone ugly names, you have nothing to offer any blog audience. Use your mind for thinking, not just for emoting. I know you can do it.