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Television
John Kiesewetter on the world of local and national TV


Senior Entertainment Reporter John Kiesewetter has been covering TV and media issues for 20 years. After joining the Cincinnati Enquirer in 1975 as a summer intern, he worked as a county government and suburban reporter; assistant city editor and suburban editor; and features editor supervising the Life section. He has a B.S. in journalism from Ohio University.

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Thursday, December 13, 2007

Supertalk Changing Formats, Dropping Furman?

So what will "SupertalkFM96.5" change formats to at Friday noon?
Country music? Some sort of Rock & Jock combo of the "Two Angry Guys," rock music and sports franchises (similar to FOX92.5 mix of Bob & Tom, rock and Bengals games?)
Those are my best guesses. And I'm leaning towards Rock & Jock. Perhaps an assault on WEBN-FM? Without Andy Furman.
At 10 a.m. today, after the "Two Angry Guys," Cincinnati’s first FM talk station, "SupertalkFM96.5" (WFTK-FM) began playing construction sounds. The station's website featured a countdown to Friday noon.
The website also showed a logo for "Y96 Country," the station's long-standing format until last year. But if you hit refresh, you'll also see many other possible logos – with a disco ball, banjo, athletes (96WJOC), a Mexican sombrero and a crucifix (WWJD96).
Here's what we know: Richard Skinner, co-host of the "Two Angry Guys," says he and Tom Gamble will continue as morning hosts Jan. 2, after a previously scheduled vacation. They were told Wednesday a change was coming, although they were not told what it would be, Skinner says.
"We were told that we're changing formats and were a big part of it," Skinner says. He and Gamble, who left Clear Channel earlier this year, brought their "Two Angry Guys" show to SupertalkFM96.5 on Oct. 1.
General Manager Karrie Sudbrack hasn't responded to my calls or emails.
Furman – the fired WLW-AM “SportsTalk” host hired for the station’s first local show a year ago – apparently will not return with the new format. He told a guest booked for next week that he would not be on the air.
"I've got to assume I'm not coming back," is what I was told by Furman, whose one-year contract expires Dec. 31. "I was in negotiations, but I guess it's over now. I'm not spinning country music, that's for sure."
Local radio observers speculated Thursday that the new format could be country or rock music. Sports talk would be unlikely, if the station is dropping Furman, it's best known personality.
Furman says he regrets the Atlanta-based Cumulus Media pulled the plug on the format after less than 14 months. WFTK-FM launched Nov. 2 last year with Glenn Beck, Dave Ramsey, Bill O’Reilly and other syndicated shows.
Ratings finally began to improve after the "Two Angry Guys" debuted in mornings – radio's prime time – replacing Erich "Mancow" Muller's syndicated "Mancow’s Morning Madhouse."
"I wish they'd stayed a little bit longer with the format, because we had a pretty good (ratings) trend in November," Furman says.
"I didn’t think it would work without a live, local morning show," Furman says. "I'm not upset. I signed a one year deal."
Gamble, a teacher and director of Northern Kentucky University's sports business program, says the format change won't impact the "Two Angry Guys."
"We’re going to do what we do: It's sports and guy talk. It's working. It's worked for 11 years," says Gamble, who has done the show with Skinner for WBOB-AM, WSAI-AM and WCKY-AM.


44 Comments:

at 12/13/2007 12:59 PM Anonymous Anonymous said...

I'd be surprised if they didn't continue with sports in some form. Not that it draws a huge audience, but they have the rights to broadcast Miami University games. What would happen with that?

I think a mix is most likely. Some sports, some comedy. They'll leave the political stuff to the AM side.

 
at 12/13/2007 1:29 PM Anonymous Anonymous said...

And, if the new format doesn't work, we'll fire those people and try something else in the spring.

 
at 12/13/2007 1:30 PM Anonymous Anonymous said...

Bring Back Glenn Beck

And Defeat the Liberals (Communists)

 
at 12/13/2007 1:39 PM Blogger utech said...

i am about to be really pissed.
The 2 Angry Guys are ok, although I would like to hear about something other than how much the Bengals suck. I don't understand why Glenn Beck isn't a foundation of the station. And Dave Ramsey has a huge audience in Cincinnati. Anyone wanna start a FM talk station?

 
at 12/13/2007 3:14 PM Blogger Unknown said...

There are actually 9 logos...

try http://www.supertalkfm965.com/images/a.gif through http://www.supertalkfm965.com/images/i.gif

As long as they keep the Angries, I don't care what else they do.

 
at 12/13/2007 3:17 PM Anonymous Anonymous said...

It will be a major disappointment if they drop Beck, Ramsey and Riley.

 
at 12/13/2007 3:40 PM Anonymous Anonymous said...

I am not sure what their ratings were, but I knew of a huge following of listeners that loved hearing Glenn Beck and Dave Ramsey. I think they'd be foolish to move away from that. There are already plenty of other sports talk options. If they discontinue those two syndicated programs, another station would be wise to pick them up in a hurry.

 
at 12/13/2007 4:22 PM Anonymous Anonymous said...

I see Furman ending up replacing Burbank.

 
at 12/13/2007 4:28 PM Anonymous Anonymous said...

Here we go again. Remember this is Cincinnati radio, so thus, something goofy is about to happen. Maybe they will continue to have taped news on the hour in the morning, which is actually a tape from the night before. Real hard hitting news and information. God make it stop, as Gamble would say!! Is it asking too much to have a more in depth news/talk/information station somewhere on the dial in this market?

 
at 12/13/2007 4:43 PM Anonymous Anonymous said...

My sources tell me that they're dropping Riley, Beck, and Ramsey and going with the WJOC type format. All Sports Talk.

 
at 12/13/2007 4:57 PM Anonymous Anonymous said...

Lance, who are your sources? You should get some new ones.

 
at 12/13/2007 5:28 PM Anonymous Anonymous said...

What about the David Stein show, or the rest of the sporting news network? This is sports, so I would like to see them bring these back to the station. I am a HUGE fan of the David Stein and I "celebrate his entire catalog." I would be really disappointed if this show is lost in the cincinnati market and not sure what I would do to get my sports fix while working 3rd shift.

 
at 12/13/2007 6:54 PM Anonymous Anonymous said...

This is disappointing. The station was growing in audience with the folks I talk with. I am tired of all the nationally syndicated sports programing as seen with Clear Channel 1360. I like to hear the local guys and a well rounded array of national voices like Beck and
Ramsey.

 
at 12/13/2007 8:15 PM Anonymous Anonymous said...

Don't worry about my sources.

They're going to syndicate Dan Patrick after the Angries. The news on Furman is legit, he's out and I wonder who's going to fill his spot... maybe a popular, unnamed host finally moving from AM to FM?

 
at 12/13/2007 8:21 PM Anonymous Anonymous said...

Kiese don't be suprised if furman ends up once again at 700. He is the frontrunner for burbanks slot.

 
at 12/13/2007 8:36 PM Blogger Toddy-O said...

This format changes makes as much sense as WCPO airing a weather watch 36+ hours before the watch goes into effect.

John-have WCPO explain this one. This is getting old fast. Atleast Wink isn't interrupting the first 5 minutes of each program with "Nope, no snow yet, let's go to the salt dome. Yep Wink, they'll be here on standby, and now Janell at CVG. Thanks Bill, snow hasn't E-ffected travel as of yet. Let's go back to Wink. We'll have all of your school closings at the bottom of the screen (nevermind the snow is hitting on a Saturday) and we'll have your Ultimate, super dooper, totally awesome in HD radar at 11"

God, Make it STOP! (as Mr. Gamble would say)

 
at 12/13/2007 11:28 PM Anonymous Anonymous said...

We liked to hear Beck and Ramsey but also enjoyed Denny's Saturday morning gardening show and the VanWeelden's REAL DEAL ON MONEY on Sundays at noon -- will they be returning?

 
at 12/14/2007 12:31 AM Anonymous Anonymous said...

Let's see...what goes well with Two Angry Guys?

How about an ex-stripper at the Itchy Kitty in Reseda, California, whose claim to fame is a 13-week run as a late night TV talk show host (replaced by Danny Bonaduce in the final week), and whose expertise is largely in fart jokes?

Follow that up with a gun-toting, meat-eating liberal ex-football player and announcer out of Fargo, North Dakota, with a reputation for taking Daryl Parks to the woodshed.

Hey, it just happened in Columbus.

http://www.wvko1580.com

 
at 12/14/2007 7:32 AM Anonymous Anonymous said...

This kind of stuff is so corny. Andy Furman knows full well what is about to happen. I dont know what is worse in this town,,,,, the radio or the reporting of the happenings thereof. YUK!

 
at 12/14/2007 8:28 AM Anonymous Anonymous said...

Lets see. SuperTalk changes formats, Doyel gets fired at Homer for "budget" reasons, Burbank's retirement...........Anyone else want to connect the dots????

 
at 12/14/2007 8:30 AM Anonymous Anonymous said...

While I agree that Furman probably knows what is going on, maybe not. When the station I work for tweaked formats and was in stunt mode, most of the staff believed that the stunt was the real format and were unaware that the entire airstaff was being taken off air until a new one was hired(I went from part time to overnights at the time and survived the transition and was informed by the PD of the real transition). So it is very possible that Furman does not know what is happening, though his remark that he is not spinning country records probably suggests otherwise.

Remember even at 12 today we may not know the real format of the station with the air personalities evidently off air until 08.

 
at 12/14/2007 8:33 AM Anonymous Anonymous said...

AWWWWWwwwww C'mon.

What better way to start the day on an ALL GAY radio station than with the 2 Angry Guys? The irony would be simply delicious.

 
at 12/14/2007 8:51 AM Anonymous Anonymous said...

Two angry guys are great. Homer is a joke for letting them go and has killed their morning audience. Whoever is making decisions there is an idiot.

Furman doesn't even keep up on sports anymore. He has become a shadow of his former self, with his race-baiting and other nonsense. Get him off the air.

Darryl Parks is the worst thing to ever happen to Cincinnati radio.

 
at 12/14/2007 8:51 AM Anonymous Anonymous said...

I just hope they drop Riley , Beck, and Ramsey. The last thing this City needs is more conservative talk dribble. Bring back Ed Schultz.

 
at 12/14/2007 8:55 AM Anonymous Anonymous said...

I read online, that Ramsey had disappeared. But you can listen to him online. Beck on the other hand you must subscribe & pay to listen. which is crap b/c radio is FREE!!! I will miss these 2 shows. Don't give a rats arse about the others.

 
at 12/14/2007 8:58 AM Anonymous Anonymous said...

When the new format takes over, does anyone know in the mornings will they still be running taped news headlines that were broadcast at 6pm the night before and the weather forecast that was done at 8pm the night before?
Just wondering.

 
at 12/14/2007 9:44 AM Anonymous Anonymous said...

Lance...buddy...really...get some new sources.

Check back with me at 1 o'clock.

 
at 12/14/2007 10:50 AM Blogger Robert Scott said...

I think for Andy to continue to do a Sports Talk show and retain a good sized listening audience, he might need to pick up an opening in another city.

I hope he stays on the air in this city. I like Paul Daugherty but he only comes across as the person who is trying to help WLW Sports Talk work without Furman.

I would really like to see Andy Furman back on AM 700.

 
at 12/14/2007 10:52 AM Anonymous Anonymous said...

For those of you looking for a Dave Ramsey fix, he has a show on the Fox Business Channel from 8-9 PM, Monday thru Friday

 
at 12/14/2007 11:17 AM Anonymous Anonymous said...

I'm sure one of the AM's will pick up all your favorite neocon blabfests...I mean, 1360 isn't registering with sports so they can take back the 96.5 ship of fools and score at least the same ratings.

The Furman lovefest has to quit...his best days are so far behind him. Be bold Cincinnati...stop retreading and bring on something new and challenging.

 
at 12/14/2007 11:43 AM Anonymous Anonymous said...

Doc is a nice guy. But...
For WLW to again be a flame-thrower in the Midwest, gotta get Furman back on SportsTalk and back in the building. 700 was never so great as when he was on the scene.
Now, SportsTalk is just another show. Furman made it THE sportstalker of the airwaves.

 
at 12/14/2007 12:04 PM Anonymous Anonymous said...

Great - a WEBN clone with two angry guys in the morning. Who needs another station catering to aging rockers?

Letting Furman go is a big mistake.

 
at 12/14/2007 12:20 PM Anonymous Anonymous said...

Yes, but you can listen online. This is a reply I got from Dave Ramsey's people: "Dear Listener,
Thank you for contacting us regarding the changes with our radio affiliate in Cincinnati. We apologize that this happened so fast and without warning. We will be and are actively pursuing a new home for The Dave Ramsey Show there. Please stay tuned for further developments.
In the meantime, you can hear The Dave Ramsey Show at www.daveramsey.com. The program airs live from 1-4pm cst or you can hear archived shows 24 hours a day.
We appreciate your support of The Dave Ramsey Show!"

As for Beck, hopefully he'll be back soon.
Did anyone know this was coming? Cause I heard nothing announced on-air. I called Cumulus and the dumb lady acted like she had no idea what was going on with Supertalk. She dumped me into the "Program Director's" voicemail, and I demanded answers for us loyal listeners as we deserve it.

After hearing Metallica on the "new" radio station, I will NOT listen to it.

 
at 12/14/2007 3:30 PM Anonymous Anonymous said...

Bring back Beck and Ramsey. There is no chance that I'm listening to this station without them!

 
at 12/14/2007 4:07 PM Anonymous Anonymous said...

The whole station is going down hill... Its time to get a satalite radio.

 
at 12/14/2007 5:49 PM Anonymous Anonymous said...

I've lived all over the country and this city is the worst when it comes to radio. As for Furman I could care less, but the rest of the format I thought was good and worthy of a pre-set on my radio. I deleted it at 12:05 today. Beck and Ramsey were great and I even enjoyed the Angry Guys but I confess I could not stand Furman. My I-Pod will now get more use and my wife will be happier! Cincinnati has to be one of the biggest JOKE cities in the US. This crap proves it. I must tune in and see what the Angry Guys have to say in January!

 
at 12/14/2007 5:55 PM Anonymous Anonymous said...

Beck and the rest of the righties can stay gone. We hear enough of their crap everywhere else. Gonna' miss the Furbag, though.

 
at 12/14/2007 7:32 PM Blogger Robert Scott said...

"at 12/14/2007 5:49 PM Anonymous Anonymous said...
. . . . I thought was good and worthy of a pre-set on my radio. I deleted it at 12:05 today."

I was going to tell you to keep your pre-set to 96.5 so that you can listen to Denny McKeown on Saturday morning, but I just checked his web site, bloomingarden, and found an announcement that said, "Here We Go Again! As of 12/13/07 Denny's Changing Radio Stations. Stay Tuned for More Information to Be Announced Soon!"

 
at 12/14/2007 10:31 PM Anonymous Anonymous said...

As their new slogan says...Angry in the morning and pissed all day..which is how i felt seeing Furman is gone from the radio...again. What's the guy got to do to get a steady radio gig (wonder if WLW will take him back).

 
at 12/15/2007 11:55 PM Anonymous Anonymous said...

I tuned into 96.5 to hear Furman and when the Angries came on left the radio on 96.5 all day, I think you just blew it.

 
at 12/17/2007 12:39 AM Anonymous Anonymous said...

I'm living in Lexington, KY, but have caught SuperTalk whenever I passed through Cincy. I heard Furman's show two weeks ago when he was talking about the Xavier / Cincinnati matchup and the show was great! I started listening to the Internet stream of Glenn Beck's show, but I couldn't believe it when I turned the radio on Thursday!

I managed to get to the website five minutes before 10AM and nothing was out of the ordinary. The Internet stream was playing the same old commercials it always had, but then the construction noise started. Some Internet radio stations will play some odd filler music, but after a while, it started to sound really odd. I finally go refresh the homepage and it was completely changed!

That sucks that I just started to find a good station and it changes. I think I'd rather have the ongoing construction noise than the new format, since there are so many like it out there already. I let the construction noise play for a while, since working in an office that is part of the construction industry, it kind of fit anyway!

 
at 12/17/2007 7:44 PM Anonymous Anonymous said...

I was a faithful listener of the Angry Guys on 1360, was very disappointed when that run ended, was extremely happy to hear they were back on Supertalk FM. I hope they get to continue their show, and it sounds like they will. But it sounds like what is happening is the norm for Cincinnati radio. I live in Dayton but I listen every morning to Tom and Richard. Please keep them on!!

 
at 1/10/2008 4:57 PM Anonymous Anonymous said...

I am very sad I won't be listening to Andy on my back to home commute from work. I just really liked his show and his point of view of several sports topics. Please let us now where he'll be next.

 
at 1/11/2008 9:17 AM Anonymous Anonymous said...

I love the new rock format. A lot better than 94.9 and WEBN.

I think they should have gotten right of the Two Crying Girls in the morning too. They are terrible and a waste of time to listen to.

 
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