To follow-up the recent news of Rush Limbaugh's & Sean Hannity's ratings decline in the Twin Cities, both shows will be moving to FM talk radio (yes, FM talk radio) in the market:
http://www.startribune.com/stories/389/5585758.html
For those who read the previous diary (I forget who posted it), both Rush's & Hannity's Twin Cities numbers fell precipitously in the latest ratings (Rush 43%, Hannity 63%). KSTP-AM 1500 (owned by the local Hubbard Broadcasting) said they were re-thinking their relationship with the shows. However, beginning in January, both shows will move to Clear Channel's new FM talk station, KTLK-FM 100.3 (which replaces KJZI Smooth Jazz). Some interesting quotes:
From Clear Channel Twin Cities' VP & GM, Dan Seeman:
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"We're going to go out and hire the best talk show talent we can find, not the best conservative talk show host, or the best liberal, or the best car talk show host," he said. "What their political leanings are will be secondary to good talk shows."
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From KSTP's GM in a memo:
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The change "dovetailed with conversations we'd already been having about our future strategies and the state of syndication, particularly the conservative political shows that have shed much of their entertainment value."
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So, we'll see if Rush & Hannity can survive on FM talk, which has sometimes done real well, and sometimes tanked. Supposedly recent versions have been successes. Though, if Rush & Hannity's trends continue, maybe not so much of a success in the Twin Cities.