Whoopi Goldberg's syndicated morning show "Wake Up With Whoopi" has been dropped from Clear Channel's WKTU/New York. I guess star-power isn't enough to make it in the #1 radio market (just ask David Lee Roth).
New York Daily News reports that a memo was circulated around the KTU staff late Tuesday saying the station would no longer be carrying the show as of yesterday morning.
Whoopi's show launched in late July 2006, and while it's still in syndication (her site lists 9 affiliates), "Wake Up With Whoopi" is now gone from its flagship station in the leading radio market.
This brings back the roaring debate about Celebrity-ism versus Radio Talent. It's not much of a debate actually, since this is proof positive that it actually takes a lot of talent and effort to be a successful on-air host - especially when it comes to terrestrial radio.
Tom Taylor of Radio-Info is quick to point this out in his recent newsletter:
"Politicians, entertainers, TV stars, businesspeople, professionals – they’ve all thought 'Hey, I can do what Rush Limbaugh does, or Howard Stern, or Sean Hannity, or…' And mostly, they’ve been wrong."
That's not to say that famous-folk can't possibly be good on-air hosts, there's a few that have made it, but to build an audience in talk radio takes a lot of time. And the ever fickle terrestrial radio industry is constantly in seek of "hits." There's no time to experiment, take a gamble, and try something new (maybe that's why regular radio sounds the same since the '90s?).
So why is that celebrities have seemingly found a home on satellite radio?
Martha Stewart, Oprah, Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Barbara Walters, Bob Dylan, Richard Simmons, Dale Earnhardt Jr, Tony Stewart, Cal Ripken Jr., Tiki Barber... the list goes on and on. Celebrities span the entire channel lineup on both XM and Sirius.
And while I'm not one to say definitively whether these celebrities are good at hosting shows (some of abysmal in my opinion), they do seem to hold a higher success rate than on terrestrial radio. The difference being, I think, that on satellite radio: it's not all about the ratings, it's all about the subscribers.
Celebrities on satellite radio are like mannequin displays at a store. Or those big posters of half-naked people frolicking with each other at Abercrombie. There's no chance in hell you'd actually wear what you see, but it gets the target demographic through the door.
That's the function on the celebrity. They create a level of familiarity with the product. "Oh, I like 50 Cent! I guess I'll get Sirius." "I'm a diehard Bob Dylan fan, so I'll sign up with XM."
And once you're through that door, you experience the rest of the service. You fall in love with a show that you otherwise wouldn't have listened to. Take Ron & Fez for example, by far one of the best kept secrets on XM. Incredibly funny, snarky, smart and entertaining all at once. But you have to give the show a chance to set in with the audience.
Another example is "Whatever with Alexis & Jennifer," which by the traditional formula should be a complete trainwreck. Still, for having absolutely no radio training whatsoever, these two deliver a surprisingly high quality and entertaining show. They have the drive and put in the effort, which is apparent on the air. But again, there needs to be a chance for people to experience that.
So bringing to back to Whoopi. Her show is (was?) personable and funny and worked hard at it, but for Clear Channel, it just didn't bring the "hit" that they needed. That's money on the table for them. Ad dollars that are disappearing as she (and the industry) struggles to gain traction in an increasingly fragmented audience.
The moral of the story: Whoopi, maybe you should've gone to satellite radio. Instead of failing to become a "hit" you could have become one of those secrets that people fall in love with.
A devote audience is better than none at all.
[via FMQB]
Zzzzzzzzz.......... is this day old news, and how does it affect Sat-Rad?
Wake up wif jimmie
I guess NitroDouche didn't read the story because Ryan connected it to SatRad.
Better get Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson on this .
NitroNeo just reads the headlines and looks at the pretty pictures.
Great post Ryan. I agree, celebrities have their place, and sometimes they shine, but it's the radio personalities who really make you love the service. Never heard Alexis and Jennifer, probably never will, but I'll take your word that they're good at what they do.
Ron & Fez are most definitely the best kept secret on XM.
If Oprah couldn't bring listeners to satellite radio, Whoopie wouldn't stand a chance.
Alexis and Jennifer on a slow day have way more listeners than the Virus in a week. Pretty obvious by the Arbitron ratings. Greg & Tony will be following Whoopi to Podcasts R Us any day now.
hold your head high whoopi,you at least finished higher in NY ratings better than 0.0 (remember those wacky morning zoo hacks who were self proclaimed saviors of FM radio that are now the laughing stock of talk radio?dont worry ..no one does either)
So if "Manners Monday" doesn't work for Whoopi, how will "Make Stuff Up Tuesday" fair?
Opie and Dopey will soon be off the air in New York, and in Satellite.
0.0, I thought you liked Howard & the gang, why the harsh words?
i'm sorry, i thought i just saw "star" and "whoopi" in the same sentence.
0.0, I thought you liked Howard & the gang, why the harsh words?
F A I L
I really wish that the Hooked Nose Jew's Fans ( in case you are that dumb, I am speaking of Howard Stern ) would drop the 0.0 talk. You sound like a bunch of idiots when you write that and YOU know it is the furthest from the truth! O&A are the flagship of XM radio people, dont dilute yourselves. Who really cares about terestrial radio anyhow...I dont care they are on CBS...Let them do what they want. The XM side is what I care about, and why I have XM. Just like alot of people who have Sirius to hear that jerk & his backup bubba.
Anyone who wants to debate who is the bigger success on Sat Radio is MORE than welcome to contact me and we can discuss. O&A had 1.5 year head start, and its more then they needed. Sirius does a good job with their advertising which is the only reason they have as many subs as they do. It has very little to do with Stern. I know you have a tough time swallowing this, but look at your local Best Buy or Fry's....Sirius is plastered everywhere...they are all over TV...they have billboards...the list goes on. XM barely advertises on platforms they are the exclusive provider for. Watching NHL games on DirecTV, I see hardly any XM commericals. And There is another point...DirecTV. O&A dont even count the subs on DirecTV they have. And if you remember a year or so ago, when DirecTV made the mistake of dropping XM 202 off of their lineup, it was short lived. The O&A fans ( not pests, fans ) got DirecTV to put them back on.
For a radio show that has a 0.0, they seem to do quite well with hardly any advertising of the product. Again, I am speaking of XM Radio, not CBS. I dont care if CBS puts them on every station they own...it wouldnt make any difference. The O&A fan base are on the XM side...O&A know it...and they are why XM is where they are today...not MLB...not Bob Edwards...not the 69 channels of music....but O&A . Lets face it people...the demographic for technology such as sat radio is going to be the 18-49 group...which just happens to be a majority of the O&A listeners.
Do you think this happened by accident? Stop listening to that washed up phony who spends more time patting himself on the back of what a gift from god he has been to radio and listen to a bunch of guys who have no direction...take nothing serious....and just go out and have fun. They at least remember what this type of radio is all about...having fun!
I will admit that Stern did have some funny moments in his movie...I know I laughed my ass off when he was freaking out on the console during his first gig....fricken hysterical!
But how can you people backup someone who made his name by fighting the people who tried to silence him, then turns around and does the same thing to guys who call him out on lies he makes on air?
O&A are the real deal folks....so you Stern Hacks can throw whatever you want...Opie & Dopey...0.0 Clones...whatever clever names you geniuses come up with. Once this merger goes through, Mel will see ( cause right now it hasnt been disclosed, due to confidentiality ) just how much revenue O&A generate for XM...he will be re-thinking that 500 million contract he gave Stern...regardless if Stern is thinking about extending it or not. Mel will not get rid of the boys...and both Stern & O&A will have to find a way to co-exist.
Accept it! And quit your whining...O&A are here..and they arent going anywhere!
WSA, & others
The connection to Sat-Rad is conjured at best, get a mind, and get educated on how to use it.
It's obvious that most of the article is parroted from various other sources.
Making a few bad musical movies dressed as a Nun, and hosting a bunch of comedy specials on cable, doesn't make oneself a star. Even if being such, it absolutely does not make one qualified to be entertaining on radio or television.
•Marcus-"Accept it! And quit your whining...O&A are here..and they arent going anywhere!"
Except when dropped in struggling markets to play Chirstmas music.
NitroTroll... in case you haven't noticed, this is a blog. Conjuring opinionated connections to things is at the very heart of a blog's purpose. And since when does a blog not mention some other sources in a posting? Talk about getting educated. Move along troll.
Not to be confused with my music that's played in March.
Is it me or do all you Howard fans seem to know A LOT about the O&A show? Obviously listeners.
I really wish that the Hooked Nose Jew's Fans ( in case you are that dumb, I am speaking of Howard Stern )
O&A are the flagship of XM radio
WRONG (click here)
F A I L
Is it me or do all you Howard fans seem to know A LOT about the O&A show?
Just enough to know that they are hacks.
"Rock Scream Thursday". Now that's some ~edgy~ stuff. (snicker)
""Rock Scream Thursday". Now that's some ~edgy~ stuff. (snicker)"
So, we can call you "not gets the bit guy" then?
I love it when a story,that has nothing to do with O&A/Howard,becomes a story about O&A/Howard~!
Anonymous....
Would you please? If you know anything about sat radio, you would know that regardless of what that story about the numbers says, XM doesnt release sub statistics about what % of their subs listen to what.....
You are going to have to better than that....and spare me any numbers on the terestrial side...like I said before, terestrial radio is a dying format, and is of little use to those of us who only care about the sat numbers....
And that Troll term...could you stern fags use it any more?
I only see one reference (two if you count it as part of the name) to the word Troll and it doesn't have anything to do with Howard or O&A.
Coward, you're using arbitron numbers to back up your opinion?
F A I L
So, we can call you "not gets the bit guy" then?
No, angry typing clonefan, you can't. I "get the bit". The douches are ostensibly mocking what they consider hack radio. The problem is, "the bit" is itself the very essence of hack radio. Ironic, isn't it?
Wake Up Whoopi!!!!!
LINGER LONGER
NitroNeo is hurt because we called him out. Don't cry trollboy, just go to your fav porn site and rub one out onto your big belly. That'll make you forget all the bad things.
Stern fans only know so much about O&A because he works less than a school teacher, and they have a whole summer off...
http://www.orbitcast.com/archives/howard-stern-will-get-more-time-off-at-sirius.html
They need something to listen to..... and Bubba aint it.
Coward, you're using arbitron numbers to back up your opinion?
Let's not forget the earlier study that showed less than 10% of XM subs bother to listen to the Gregg & T0.0ny show.
pFAIL
Funny, XM contunues to state they are one of the most listened to channels and generate more $ than anything else on the platform. Oh yes, you are the madman, mad because you're a FAILED radio guy. A never was and a never will be. Boo Hoo.
Funny, XM contunues to state they are one of the most listened to channels and generate more $ than anything else on the platform.
I'll tell you what's funny, Mr. Peef... what's funny is how CloneFans such as yourself will immediately scoff at anything positive that Sirius says as spin and lies - whereas when XM says something supporting your b-b-b-b-b-b-b-boys it is to be taken as Holy Gospel, no questions asked, independent studies be damned.
Oh yes, you are the madman, mad because you're a FAILED radio guy. A never was and a never will be. Boo Hoo.
Erm... ok. There you go again. Dude, what's up with that?
The grammer and spelling in this article are the worst I've ever seen in a published article.
Pot meet kettle. Dumb ass.
LOL the only trolls in here are you whiny little fools who always cry when you don't get "First Post" after your silly little statements.
banff21... Funny, really it is funny, I love it. Keep up the good work.
Ron and Fez is one of the best shows on any platform of radio. The author is right on about them...
but the Greg and Tony show is definitely numero uno....no one hammers out the stocks like Boardroom Jimmy.....beware of AJ Poopieshits......
black Philip r00Lz!!!
LingerLonger!!!
Don’t believe one optimistic word from any public figure about the economy or humanity in general. They are all part of the problem. Its like a game of Monopoly. In America, the richest 1% now hold 1/2 OF ALL UNITED STATES WEALTH. Unlike ‘lesser’ estimates, this includes all stocks, bonds, cash, and material assets held by America’s richest 1%. Even that filthy pig Oprah acknowledged that it was at about 50% in 2006. Naturally, she put her own ‘humanitarian’ spin on it. Calling attention to her own ‘good will’. WHAT A DISGUSTING HYPOCRITE SLOB. THE RICHEST 1% HAVE LITERALLY MADE WORLD PROSPERITY ABSOLUTELY IMPOSSIBLE. Don’t fall for any of their ‘humanitarian’ CRAP. ITS A SHAM. THESE PEOPLE ARE CAUSING THE SAME PROBLEMS THEY PRETEND TO CARE ABOUT. Ask any professor of economics. Money does not grow on trees. The government can’t just print up more on a whim. At any given time, there is a relative limit to the wealth within ANY economy of ANY size. So when too much wealth accumulates at the top, the middle class slip further into debt and the lower class further into poverty. A similar rule applies worldwide. The world’s richest 1% now own over 40% of ALL WORLD WEALTH. This is EVEN AFTER you account for all of this ‘good will’ ‘humanitarian’ BS from celebrities and executives. ITS A SHAM. As they get richer and richer, less wealth is left circulating beneath them. This is the single greatest underlying cause for the current US recession. The middle class can no longer afford to sustain their share of the economy. Their wealth has been gradually transfered to the richest 1%. One way or another, we suffer because of their incredible greed. We are talking about TRILLIONS of dollars. Transfered FROM US TO THEM. Over a period of about 27 years. Thats Reaganomics for you. The wealth does not ‘trickle down’ as we were told it would. It just accumulates at the top. Shrinking the middle class and expanding the lower class. Causing a domino effect of socio-economic problems. But the rich will never stop. They will never settle for a reasonable share of ANYTHING. They will do whatever it takes to get even richer. Leaving even less of the pie for the other 99% of us to share. At the same time, they throw back a few tax deductable crumbs and call themselves ‘humanitarians’. IT CAN’T WORK THIS WAY. Any 'humanitarian' progress made in one area will be lost in another. EVERY SINGLE TIME. IT ABSOLUTELY CAN NOT WORK THIS WAY. This is going to end just like a game of Monopoly. The current US recession will drag on for years and lead into the worst US depression of all time. The richest 1% will live like royalty while the rest of us fight over jobs, food, and gasoline. Crime, poverty, and suicide will skyrocket. So don’t fall for all of this PR CRAP from Hollywood, Pro Sports, and Wall Street PIGS. ITS A SHAM. Remember: They are filthy rich EVEN AFTER their tax deductable contributions. Greedy pigs. Now, we are headed for the worst economic and cultural crisis of all time. SEND A “THANK YOU” NOTE TO YOUR FAVORITE MILLIONAIRE. ITS THEIR FAULT. I’m not discounting other factors like China, sub-prime, or gas prices. But all of those factors combined still pale in comparison to that HUGE transfer of wealth to the rich. Anyway, those other factors are all related and further aggrivated because of GREED. If it weren’t for the OBSCENE distribution of wealth within our country, there never would have been such a market for sub-prime to begin with. Which by the way, was another trick whipped up by greedy bankers and executives. IT MAKES THEM RICHER. The credit industry has been ENDORSED by people like Oprah, Ellen, Dr Phil, and many other celebrities. IT MAKES THEM RICHER. Now, there are commercial ties between nearly every industry and every public figure. IT MAKES THEM RICHER. So don’t fall for their ‘good will’ BS. ITS A LIE. If you fall for it, then you’re a fool. If you see any real difference between the moral character of a celebrity, politician, attorney, or executive, then you’re a fool. WAKE UP PEOPLE. ITS ALL ABOUT THE MONEY. The 1% club will always say or do whatever it takes to get as rich as possible. Without the slightest regard for anything or anyone but themselves. Vioxx. Their idea. Sub-prime. Their idea. NAFTA. Their idea. Outsourcing. Their idea. The commercial lobbyist. Their idea. The multi-million dollar lawsuit. Their idea. $200 cell phone bills. Their idea. $200 basketball shoes. Their idea. $30 late fees. Their idea. $30 NSF fees. Their idea. $20 DVDs. Their idea. Subliminal advertising. Their idea. The MASSIVE campaign to turn every American into a brainwashed credit card, pharmaceutical, love-sick, celebrity junkie. Their idea. All of which concentrate the world’s wealth and resources and wreak havok on society. All of which have been CREATED AND ENDORSED by celebrities, athletes, and executives. IT MAKES THEM RICHER. So don’t fall for their ‘ good will’ ‘humanitarian’ BS. ITS A SHAM. NOTHING BUT TAX DEDUCTABLE PR CRAP. Bottom line: The richest 1% will soon tank the largest economy in the world. It will be like nothing we’ve ever seen before. and thats just the beginning. Greed will eventually tank every major economy in the world. Causing millions to suffer and die. Oprah, Angelina, Brad, Bono, and Bill are not part of the solution. They are part of the problem. EXTREME WEALTH HAS MADE WORLD PROSPERITY ABSOLUTELY IMPOSSIBLE. WITHOUT WORLD PROSPERITY, THERE WILL NEVER BE WORLD PEACE OR ANYTHING EVEN CLOSE. GREED KILLS. IT WILL BE OUR DOWNFALL. Of course, the rich will throw a fit and call me a madman. Of course, their ignorant fans will do the same. You have to expect that. But I speak the truth. If you don’t believe me, then copy this entry and run it by any professor of economics or socio-economics. Then tell a friend. Call the local radio station. Re-post this entry or put it in your own words. Be one of the first to predict the worst economic and cultural crisis of all time and explain its cause. WE ARE IN BIG TROUBLE.