Is It Me Or Has Local Talk Radio Moved Somewhat Away from Politics?
Okay, this has been bugging me for a while.
I began noticing several months ago that radio talk show hosts at WPRO (John Depetro, Dan Yorke, Buddy Cianci, Matt Allen), who had previously focused mostly on political news and commentary, had begun incorporating non-political topics into their shows. (John Loughlin’s Saturday show is not 100% political but that’s more understandable as it’s a weekend show and intended to be lighter.)
The shift seems to have happened more recently but more markedly with WHJJ‘s Helen Glover Show. For example, she used to have reps of the various RI Tea Parties on her show regularly. No longer.
As it appears to be uniform across the board, it is presumably a decision by the management of the respective radio stations. (Happy to be corrected on that point.) But none of the shows lack for advertising that I can see. Isn’t management concerned that if they change what has been a successful – as judged by advertisements – show format (i.e., political talk), they will disrupt the revenue stream?
ADDENDUM
And speaking of taking the politics out of radio (though in a slightly different way), the Providence Journal‘s Kathy Gregg reports that
State Rep. Doreen Costa, R-North Kingstown, is leaving her sales job at WPRO-radio for a new full-time job as the state Republican Party’s finance director.
Monique is a political gadfly, data junkie and contributor to the Ocean State Current and Anchor Rising. Please consider supporting the terrific work of the Rhode Island Center for Freedom and Prosperity here:
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