Neil Rogers Syndication?
Radio Hot Talk Mailbag
January 10, 2004
Lou Pickney, RadioHotTalk.com
Reader feedback is always welcomed here. If you have any e-mails to send to the Radio Hot Talk mailbag, shoot them my way at LouPickney@hotmail.com.
From: Ryan Priest
Sent: Saturday, January 8, 2005 10:00 PM
To: Lou Pickney
Subject: Neil Rogers
Lou,
In the Radio and Records article regarding Neil Rogers' 2-year contract extension with WQAM, it indicated a provision for him to become nationally syndicated if he wished to do so. Do you think Rogers is marketable outside of South Florida? He's 62 (not really a good age to start a nationally syndicated program), broadcasts most of his programs from Canada, takes unscreened calls (cutting most of them off before the caller has a chance to talk), and gears much of his conversation to the Miami audience.
But, he does generate ratings for WQAM and must still be interested in continuing his show, despite his previous assertions he would retire at the end of 2006. What are your thoughts?
Lou: Even at 62, I think Rogers could still handle the challenge of syndication. Clearly the expansion of liberal talk radio via Air America has created some potential opportunities for him in new markets, though Rogers might lean too much to the Hot Talk side to fit well. With WQAM dropping Howard Stern, Rogers will be able to start his show on time every day (at 11 AM). Rogers was a vocal critic of WQAM and Beasley deciding to pick up Stern in Miami, and I don't think the decision to drop Stern by WQAM and the re-signing of Rogers was any coincidence.
As it is, Rogers is a bit of a misfit on WQAM, which is leaning more sports-heavy again as it tries to fend off competition from WAXY (Jefferson-Pilot's AM sports-talker). Right now both stations are trying to obtain the rights for Miami Dolphins broadcasts, which WQAM had through this past season.
Rogers mixes personality and lifestyle with "guy talk", though like you mentioned he is Miami-centered, as you'd hope he'd be with a local show. The fact that he takes unscreened calls is brazen, and besides Bubba The Love Sponge I can't think of another major, nationally-known talent who takes that approach.
The main thing Rogers will have to decide if he tries syndication is what his focus will be. If he wants to go hard for the liberal talk audience, he'll have to make the show a bit more political. But by the same token, a strong-personality who happens to be liberal and who knows how to make good radio could be ideal for middays on liberal talkers (and/or stations that aren't afraid to mix-and-match). You notice that, as of this writing, the "Midday" section is missing from the show links section. Why? Because there aren't any nationally syndicated hot talkers in middays, and there haven't been since the Monsters moved to mornings last year (and the Monsters weren't ever really nationally distributed on the terrestrial level). Anyway, if Rogers decides to go less Miami and more toward either politics or hot talk, he could find success on either side. What remains to be seen is if Rogers is inclined to do that, and if so which direction he'll take (or if he'll hedge his bets, stay with the status quo minus the local stuff, and try to go for the liberal talkers AND the hot talkers). We shall see...
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