CHRISTIAN TALK SHOWS TO START JAN. 1 (WKAT Radio Commits Ratings Suicide)

Miami Herald ^ | December 25, 2006

[PJ-Comix]

WKAT-AM (1360) will launch a Christian talk and teaching format on Jan. 1 with a lineup of popular ministry programs.

''Since entering Miami in 2005, we have looked for an opportunity to offer South Florida listeners quality Christian talk programming,'' said Joe D. Davis, executive vice president of California-based Salem Communications, corporate owner of WKAT.

Shows will touch on issues such as relationships and family concerns, as well as Biblical faith. Hosts include James Dobson and Pastor Chuck Swindoll.

[CDHart]

Bott Radio network is also a Christian talk/ministry radio network. It's popular, and in many ways far more interesting than the political talk shows.

Carolyn

[rodguy911]

It really doesn't work that way in Miami, top stations are spanish language, most english broadcasts are targeted northward to broward and palm beach where there are still a few gringos left.

[rodguy911]

Hannity really owns 3-6 Eastern.

[PJ-Comix]

It's popular, and in many ways far more interesting than the political talk shows.

Forgive me for finding Laura Ingraham a tad more interesting. And why couldn't they have kept the two popular talk shows and filled most of the rest of the time with Christian Talk?

[joesbucks]

You have to remember, ratings doesn't always equal income.

This company, Salem, has made a killing doing "pay to pray" with no or little ratings. When you have a non rated station or a low rated station, it's very hard to make money with a traditional format. Medved and Ingram are traditional formats.

Look, I'm not defending Salem. I don't particularly care for them. But their business model works for their directors and stockholders. And a big part of that business model is "pay to pray".

[PJ-Comix]

I like Medved better than Hannity. Here we are now stuck with Schnitt which is really Schnitty.

[PJ-Comix]

Sometimes I listen to Spanish talk radio. I guess I will listen to it a lot more now.

[NeoCaveman]

Hannity really owns 3-6 Eastern.

Buy my book and eat at Ruth's Chris Stakehouse.

[rodguy911]

I guess,but I can only guess what their numbers will be.

[rodguy911]

Hannity has his moments, however I usually try and listen to rush and then if i work late mark levin, other than that I have to work anyway.

[CDHart]

Well, they could have. But since it's their station, I guess they can do what they want with it. You may be able to listen online to the shows you like.

Carolyn

[CDHart]

P.S. You could try writing to them and protesting their programming change. You'd be surprised what an effect that has.

Carolyn

[rodguy911]

Yeah I get it, but you don't get 13.5 million listeners(# 2 to rush) solely because you follow the big guy.

[PJ-Comix]

I don't even know what Bill O'Reilly is doing on the radio. It sounds like he is only marking time on there. Every time I listen to O'Reilly on the radio it reminds me of that SCTCV sketch of Perry Como lying down on a stage and singing, "Am I Still Alive?"

[PJ-Comix]

P.S. You could try writing to them and protesting their programming change. You'd be surprised what an effect that has.

Probably somewhere between Nil and None. Look, I heard WKAT had the opportunity to boost their signal to 50,000 watts but just sat by until the opportunity lapsed. With that kind of managerial judgement, how can one reason with them?

[rodguy911]

Like minds, BOR is a Rush wannnnabe. He is so jealous of rush it's pathetic! No one in their right mind would go up against the big guy and expect to be successfully, ego run wild.

[PJ-Comix]

BOR just sounds tired. No enthusiasm at all. It's like he just wants to mark time on his radio show just to claim that he is doing radio.

p.s. South Florida is really lousy for talk radio. Even Fort Wayne, IN has a better lineup of talk radio.

[OXENinFLA]

Same thing happened up here in JAX w/ WJGR.

They used to have on Bennett, Laura, Prager, Medved, Hewitt, Galgher.

Now it's nothing but Religious Programming local talk show hosts that can't pull in the same caliber as the big guys/gals.

They went way left too. One local guy, Andy Johnson, is a flaming lib (even though he says he's "fair") Hell they got one guy on there that's a socialist once a week.

I don't much listen anymore.

[rodguy911]

Just because he is marginal on t.v. is no indication at all whether or not he can make it on talk radio, much less starting out against the best, bad move.

[showme_the_Glory]

They missed "Life Lessons" with Steve Schell.