Posted by madcityradio.com on January 14, 2009 at 10:52:51:
In Reply to: Hartmann back on the air posted by FMQ on January 13, 2009 at 22:10:34:
Making waves: Complaints prompt The Mic 92.1 to bring back 'Thom Hartmann'
Samara Kalk Derby/The Capital Times — 1/14/2009 8:54 am
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A week after they replaced a popular three-hour progressive talk show with a financial advice program, officials at The Mic 92.1 announced that they are bringing "The Thom Hartmann Program" back.
The station's program director Brian Turany said he received between 350 and 400 e-mails from listeners who were upset by the change. Clear Channel's local operations manager Mike Ferris, likewise, was deluged by angry listeners.
The two men met with a group of about 50 devoted fans of the station Tuesday night at the Dardanelles restaurant on the near west side. Listeners bashed "The Dave Ramsey Show," a nationally syndicated financial program that Ferris programmed in Hartmann's 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. weekday slot in the hopes of attracting new listeners.
Starting this Monday, Hartmann will be back at his usual time, and Ramsey's show will be heard from 5 a.m. to 8 a.m. weekdays, a time slot left vacant by the recent departure of local morning show host Lee Rayburn.
Xavier Casto, like many in the crowd who voiced disdain for Ramsey, said that he has tuned into Ramsey's show and called it repetitive.
" 'Live within your means.' It's the same thing every day. Why should I continue to listen?" he said.
Others were critical of Ramsey, complaining of the show's religious overtones and the host's connection with Fox News. Ramsey's program airs on about 375 radio stations nationwide.
Barbara Wright, who owns the Dardanelles, threatened to withhold "her hard-earned advertising dollars" from the station.
"I don't want to support a station with a host like Dave Ramsey," she said. "It's the worst business decision you could have made. Why would you inflict this guy on us? He has all the Fox talking points."
Ferris told the crowd he intends to give Ramsey's show nine months to prove itself and generate ratings.
In the latest Arbitron ratings, The Mic 92.1 ranks 11th, just outside of the top 10 local stations. According to Ferris, the station reaches 27,000 different listeners each week, which he said is not enough to survive financially.
Rumors that Clear Channel is going to change the format of The Mic 92.1 are altogether are untrue, Turany said.
"I can understand why people would be worried about that," he said. "Just because we have 'Free Thought Radio' on Saturday mornings doesn't mean that the whole station is going to become an atheist radio station."
Two years ago when the station was in jeopardy of becoming part of the Fox Sports Radio network, more than 5,000 people signed petitions to keep The Mic 92.1 on the air.
Introducing Ramsey's show is just a way to try to increase the station's audience, Turany said.
"We are looking for a program to bring in additional listeners," Ferris said. "This is a financial talk show that talks about the nuts and bolts. It doesn't talk about (Federal Reserve Chairman) Ben Bernanke and the invisible hand of the market."
He added that the goal isn't to reach the station's dedicated listeners, but a different audience that is interested in personal finance.
Many in the crowd expressed their disappointment over Rayburn's departure. In his resignation letter, Rayburn said he wanted the radio station to stay "all progressive," Ferris said, adding that it was Rayburn's primary reason for leaving.