22 November 2005

State of Talk Radio in the Valley 2005

Time again for my annual descent into the dark underbelly of AM radio, into the seedy realm of talk radio. Another examination, on a local scale, of a genre of radio that could serve so wonderfully as an open forum for erudite discussions on the issues of our time, but alas, it's more often the case that it caters to mob like thinking and and pumps fuel to simplistic "blame {target}" bromides.

Again, as with every annual roundup, a bevy of disruptions to the local talk radio scene, this year, even greater the drop into destitute tidings for the Phoenix listener. Air America burst upon the scene, but most if its programming is devoted to syndicated Democratic shill-dom, though they do offer up two of the better hosts, and a nice sampling of local voices on the weekend. The one time radio giant, KTAR 620 AM, dumped popular morning host David Leibowitz, and decided to substitute in a surrogate Limbaugh wannabee for morning drive time, much to the chagrin of the Valley listenership. KFNX 1100 AM retreated back into infomercial hell, after a promising 2004 program schedule full of local hosts, two of which migrated over to the Air America affiliate, KXXT 1010 AM. But one must wonder, given new ownership, how long KXXT will continue with the progressive talk format. Finally, ratings leader and neoconservative beacon, KFYI 550 AM, plods along, plugging in sweet sounding radio voices to prattle on a generic, homogenized, cookie-cutter setup, that is indistinguishable from the horde of syndicated talkers that occupy the radio dial, across the nation.

Now, onto the roundup…

  1. Charles Goyette (KXXT 1010 AM, M-F 6-9a)
    In past roundups, I've dealt some harsh works for Goyette, primarily for his rudeness to callers. Since leaving KFYI 550 AM (and Charles has now done service tours at least four Valley stations - KTAR 620 AM, KFYI 550 AM, KFNX 1100 AM until joining KXXT 1010 AM late last year), he's redefined himself as the "most independent host in America". But his show is part of the progressive "Air America" radio network, where the common bond is opposition to the U.S. military invasion and occupation of Iraq. Goyette's show has brought many informative voices to air that are marginalized and/or shunned by the mainstream media. Agree or disagree, it's been an open forum for critical questions on the new American militarism.

  2. Andrew Tallman (KPXQ 1360 AM, M-F 5-7p)
    What, a conservative evangelical Christian show placed in the upper echelon of this ranking list? No joke, the Andrew Tallman show is a rare phenomenon in these times, a program that values thoughtful discourse above inconsiderate bloviation, knowledge opposed to demagoging, and education over indignation. Like with my church group, I frequently don't agree with Mr. Tallman's takes, but appreciate the open forum and the host's manner of conducting his call-in show. The only negatives I can site are Andrew's tendency at times for long winded soliloquies and the "Wacky Wednesday" show format where the host argues in reverse for an issue position he is opposed to — universally terming something you oppose as "wacky" goes against the entire grain of the show.

  3. Mike Newcomb (KXXT 1010 AM, M-F 5-7a)
    The freedom fighting, truth telling, liberty loving Dr. Newcomb has his time slot shuffled again, moving from the 7p-9p slot into morning drive time (though it's a bit early too early for me). Dr. Mike, an unabashed Democratic ideologue, runs a passionate, fast paced show. Unlike shows on the conservative talk station, callers are not screened and setup as fodder for the host — here the good Doctor operates in search of a rightie to wrestle with on air. All the Bush bashing does get a bit redundant, and now that the Mike Newcomb show is syndicated, it means the local content gets even thinner. Still, Newcomb's show should be featured in afternoon drive time, instead of Randi Rhodes on tape delay.

  4. Ted Simons (KTAR 620 AM, M-F 1-4p)
    Ted Simons is all that is left of KTAR "live and local" past theme. Simons does double duty, and serves as news anchor in the subsequent 4-7p slot. Not a bad show at all, lots of guests and one of the few local talk shows covering issues germane to the Valley.

  5. John Dayl (KFNX 1100 AM, M-F 7-9a)
    Sandwiched between peddlers of nutritional supplements, Dayl, once one of my favorite hosts, has slid into oblivion, featuring crazy conservative conspiracy chatter. And when the rest of the station's programming is full of informercials and hate mongers, it's hard to tune the dial there.

  6. Bruce Jacobs (KFYI 550 AM, M-F, 5a-8a)
    I really can't think of anything more to add to last year's appraisal on Jacobs. Sure, he has a loyal following, but to me, he's the "Archie Bunker" of Phoenix AM radio.

  7. Liddy & Hill (KKNT 960 AM, M-F 5-8p)
    A new rug for Austin and a new nationally syndicated show for Liddy & Hill. Once, conservative talkers frothed at the mouth over the Clintons and entertained caller indignation over liberal lunacy. Now, with the rampant corruption and indictments the country's conservative political leadership is entangled in, the focus of Liddy & Hill shifts to mothers breast feeding in public, teenaged body piercing, tatoo parlors, and other such "coffee talk" topics. And they really need to work on that website, as it's dated and in poor form.

  8. Joe Crummey (KFYI 550 AM, M-F 4-7p)
    Not certain that Crummey should be included here, given that he broadcasts from California, even though listeners are presented with a "local show". Joe has a great radio voice, but the program is cut from the same cloth as a thousand other similar shows. And while I haven't timed it, it sure seems like during his time slot in afternoon drive time, commercials and traffic cut-ins comprise more of the show than Crummey and the occasional, time hurried caller segments.

  9. Scott Conner (KFYI 550 AM, M-F 7-10p)
    Too new to assess. Maybe too temporary too, but it might be another one of "chick boss" creations that endures.

  10. Jeffrey O'Brien (KXAM 1310 AM, M-F 9-10p)
    Imagine your teenaged son invited a couple of friends over and they went into his bedroom and turned on a microphone. They then would engage in some silly banter for several hours, cackling and giggling over trivialities. That, in summation, is the Jeffery O'Brien show, that once occupied KXAM afternoon drive time, but now is relegated to lower signal night time.

  11. Barry Young (KFYI 550 AM, M-F 8-10a)
    The stale seventies style sound effects are still there, but what's new is a greater presence for show producer Cruella Michella Buffy Lee Larson, another huckster of indignation for anything fair and balanced. But it adds some spice to compensate for the increasingly dispassionate nearly famous one.

Oh Willy Bills, we need you more than ever!

Comments

Are you sure that Joe Crummey still broadcasts from California? My feeling was that he finally moved here to Arizona-----and it seemed suggested by some of his personal stories that he is now living here. Maybe I'm wrong... (I have only been listening on and off.)

I think I'll add my own list too when I get some time - - - - and include some of the weekend hosts.