AM1500's Reusse moving to afternoons; pairs up with Soucheray
Well, this makes sense: according to an email sent to "KSTP Insiders," as of Monday, morning host Patrick Reusse is moving his show to noon, and he and longtime "Saturday Morning Sports Talk" partner Joe Soucheray will work together from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., whereupon Sooch will go solo until 6 p.m.
Because of a 60-day notice requirement between ESPN and current affiliate KFAN, AM1500 won't have its morning show right away. However, ESPN's Mike and Mike in the Morning — a 5-9 a.m. show currently split between KFAN and its smaller cousin, AM690 — will pop up by April. Another ESPN personality, Colin Cowherd, has a 9 a.m.-1 p.m. show that isn't heard here, so he can slide into KSTP's 9 a.m.-noon slot right away.
As Hubbard Broadcasting V.P. Dan Seeman notes, AM1500 was down to just three assets: Reusse and Soucheray — "who invented sports talk in this town," Seeman says — and the Twins, whose rights the station holds through this season.
Essentially, the Hubbards cut and ran on finding new, compelling local daytime personalities. But there's now a much greater likelihood the their biggest local personality — the Twins — will stay on AM1500.
I don't think club officials were pleased with the disconnect between the wholesome ball club and KSTP's polarizing talkers. Reusse's morning move, and the firing of low-rated conservative yakker Bob Davis several months ago was a big move away from political rants — but it also cost the station its identity, Seeman concedes. This latest move furthers that transition away from polarizing politics, even with Soucheray's two solo hours. I'll bet they're happy over on Twins Way.
While Reusse has been a nice surprise in the ultra-tough morning competition, Sooch has faded badly in the afternoons. However, they remain a fun combo, and with the station's ratings plunging, it makes sense that the desperate station would try to multiply the Saturday franchise times five.
The switch also means a solo Reusse will go head-to-head with KFAN "Common Man" Dan Cole; there, the mind boggles. But at least Patrick's sleep schedule got much more pleasant.
Though the Hubbards had to do something, there are still considerable risks to all this. The station's local identity is in the hands of two AARP-eligible dudes and a team that might flee next year. Seeman, a former KFAN exec, notes his former station succeeded without the Twins or the Vikings — but there was also no formidable competitor then, and The Fan didn't rely on drive-time syndication.
It also remains to be seen if the pool of sports talk listeners is bigger than the pool of conservative listeners KSTP once chased. The current "second sports station," AM690 (a.k.a. "The Score") was basically an asterisk in the local ratings, though its signal and brand are vastly inferior to AM1500's.
It's also important to note lots of good people lost their jobs today, including newsman Bob Berglund, producers Jason McGovern, Angie Ludwig and John Burns, Reusse's morning partner Jay Kolls, mid-day host Kelly Webb, and evening host Al Malmberg.
Joe Anderson, hired last month for an evening slot, will co-host an interim morning show (with regular substitute Scott Korzenowski) and hold down the 6-7 p.m. hour, Seeman says. Overnights, it will be ESPN guy Jason Smith.
Recent Stories
Most Commented
-
39 comments
-
27 comments
-
24 comments
-
22 comments
-
19 comments
Comments (21)
Bob Bergland can finally regain his rightful place at the side of Miscke now. Anyways it's a shame to hear about the job losses, and hopefully everyone can land on their feet.
This seems like a smart move, but it would be better with more local programming and perhaps in time that will happen. The problem for KSTP is that Sooch and Pat barely talk sports on their Saturday morning program and the Twin Cities does not need another station with a halfhearted sports format (see KFAN), where producers and hosts can't recall who's playing tonight or at what time, and can't be bothered to read a newspaper or watch SportsCenter to figure out last night's scores. There's a lot of that already on KSTP.
The Twin Cities supports four pro teams, a Big 10 university, and a vibrant high school and amateur sports scene. It has never had a station that takes sports seriously enough to program most of the day for the sports fan. It's worth a try.
http://twitter.com/#search?q=%23randballonkstp
To Bob Jason and especially Malms,
Sorry to hear your looking for a new job. I'll miss you until I find you again. EL
"It's also important to note lots of good people lost their jobs today, including newsman Bob Berglund, producers Jason McGovern, Angie Ludwig and John Burns, Reusse's morning partner Jay Kolls, mid-day host Kelly Webb, and overnight host Al Malmberg."
Not to mention all the terrific weekend people who played to a more specialized audience week in and week out.
While this may turn out to be a good thing for KSTP, to this listener, AM1500 just finished jumping the shark. It's an incredibly sad day in Twin Cities radio history.
I don't like the way things are going.
Pretty aggressive move. What's the length of the ESPN deal? Presumably long enough to prevent a switch to, say, B96 in November.
Adam Platt puts his finger right on the point here: For years, KFAN has been only tangentially about sports over major segments of the day. It's unclear whether the idea is to give listeners what they want or only to allow the hosts to do as they please...but it feels mainly like the latter. In fact, listeners with the temerity to complain when the conversation drifts away from sports are a regular object of KFAN scorn. If KSTP truly commits to all sports conversation, the contrast could make KFAN appear too comfy and self-important. Judging by KFAN's ratings, the audience for sports talk is small but valuable...and apparently loyal. KSTP just might be able to test how loyal.
What's most galling about local sports radio is the pride it seems to take in not knowing or caring much about its subject. A kind of ironic detachment that becomes a crutch for lazy producers and talent. "Common Man" Dan Cole is clearly the smartest man in local radio, having convinced Clear Channel to pay him six figures to spend 3 hours a day pretending his ignorance and disdain is studied comedy. What a gig!
As for Mr. Malmberg, the reins WCCO kept on his genial innocuousness were loosened at KSTP, where his show devolved into a bunch of unlistenable right-wing talking points delivered in a calm, friendly tone. It was a dreadful transition after Twins' games and quickly sent most of us to another channel.
Adam, Common is a genius and he is not a sports talk host. I LOVE the fact that Common drives "serious" sports people nuts. I think his long played promo of him making fun of "serious" sports people telling them to eat the sports section is still an all time classic. I think the audience of "serious" sports listeners is quite small and if this new ESPN station (the national programming part) becomes a player in the ratings I may just eat my sports section...
I don't get it Scott. I've listened to a lot of Common over the last year and it's not even a "bit." I understand the conceit, but it's not funny. I never laugh, though I get what he's trying to do. Sort of like programming a sexist guy on FM 107 expecting people to laugh just because it's so counter intuitive and infuriating to the core listener.
And Common is very sports focused when it comes to the VIkes. The other 7 months of the year it's "genius."
KSTP's decision is in part, a decision to give up on the idea of the local radio station.
Scott: you probably will. In LA, for example, Colin Cowherd does a 3.5 in a market where a 5.0 from the likes of Adam Carolla is a leader. The economics are such that this move can't fail: KSTP-AM gets the programming for free in exchange for the ad spots. For KSTP, it's really a no-brainer. Shed payroll, probably add some ratings, and keep a shot at retaining the Twins.
We all romanticize the notion of local radio, but we don't seem to spend a lot of time listening to it.
Well said by William and Adam. I personally enjoy Common Man but I can see the other side. My beef --other than Paul Allan's laughable homerism -- is Barreiro. He won't be pigeonholed as all-sports, but offers no strong balance. Lately he's seemed bored by all of it. (Indeed, Adam.) Seemen is on record saying it's hard to succeed in talk without owning a niche. How about dominating as a station that does both NEWS and SPORTS well, preferably with some ideological balance and some real meaty questions and clear, honest, thoughtful answers. KFAN once understood the need to offer more than sports, but they struggle at it. The market NEEDS a thoughtful, balanced news voice in these times. Is it really that hard to find someone who can talk news, sports and culture? Brauer! Come back to the Tower! All is forgiven. Do the Glean at 5 in the morning then re-hash it all from 9 to noon on the new 1500. Double-dip and you can still tee it up by 1. BTW, Souhan's Sunday Sports Talk on KSTP is a hidden gem.
I was never a huge KSTP listener, but at least it was live local programming most of the time. With ESPN radio, KSTP now becomes just another one of the hundreds of stations like ESPN Boise, ESPN Omaha, ESPN Billings, ESPN Salt Lake, etc. that have the same bland national programming (except for 2 local guys in the afternoon. I see this as saying goodbye to a legendary station that once served the Twin Cities with local interests at heart.
I would think the Twins would look favorably at returning to WCCO (or possibly KFAN) and bailing on a station that features mostly nationally syndicated programming.
Regarding Common (brilliant!) and KFAN, they get it.
I am a HUGE sports fan, but if I had to listen to them brake down the Eden Prairie vs Blaine football game for an hour, I think I would pass out. KSTP's switch to ESPN breaking down the Bulls vs Nets game last night is not even close enough to interesting to make me switch.
I also feel bad for the staff that is getting let go. Hopefully they will land successfully somewhere else, but where?
I know it is a trend in local radio to dump local staff and flip a switch to bland national syndication, but I hope 'CCO and KFAN stay the course with local interest at heart.
R.I.P. KSTP. It was a nice run.
I'd suggest spending money on improving transmission. The so-called Twins flagship fades badly at night as you near St. Cloud.
Al Malmberg deserved better than this. A move with very, very little class. But hey, it's the Hubbard Empire, remember? Perhaps they could launch another satellite or something.
ESPN has been pushing for stronger affiliations over the past few years, so it's not surprising that they've found a new home in the Twin Cities. (They've moved to stronger signals or expanded their lineups in Milwaukee, Madison, Wausau, Duluth, Des Moines, Sioux Falls, and Rapid City, just to name a few.)
What is surprising is that KSTP is the new affiliate, but it makes sense when you consider that KSTP has been struggling to find its identity since KTLK-FM took Rush Limbaugh & Sean Hannity. When KSTP first launched the Talk format in the `80s, they were the only commercial all-Talk station in town...now there are six others, including Hubbard's 107.1. In the Sports format, they're really only competing with KFAN.
> The so-called Twins flagship fades badly at night as you near St. Cloud.
The Twins Network has affiliates in St. Cloud and Mankato. It's very easy spend a minute scanning the dial to find a Twins transmission almost anywhere in the state.
I gotta admit I am amused by this fetishization of local radio, spending time as I did listening to Arthur Godfrey on the Good Neighbor in the 1960s through '71 or '72. Total local radio is actually more of a recent invention than many remember.
Soucheray and Ruesse, ISH.
"It's also important to note lots of good people lost their jobs today, including newsman Bob Berglund, producers Jason McGovern, Angie Ludwig and John Burns, Reusse's morning partner Jay Kolls, mid-day host Kelly Webb, and evening host Al Malmberg"
It's February 14 and it's still hard for me to believe that KSTP made the decision to go all sports (which they announced 2/11).
For me this is the end of road with KSTP and I've been a faithful listener for many years. Oh, I'll tune in Garage Logic now and then but it certainly won't be the same without Angie who represented the shows only link to the modern world!
I'm also amazed but not surprised at how quickly those who lost their jobs were expunged from the am1500.com website as if they never existed!!!
Goodbye KSTP and I'm sorry!
KSTP can probably make a "go" of being an all sports station, but sadly, the Twin Cities lost a good radio station. Perhaps the ratings weren't the best but their news coverage is good and their weekend personalities were appealing. I don't know why they would essentially pin their wagon to two personalities: Ruesse and Soucheray. Patrick's work ethic is unrivaled but Soucheray is off the air nearly as much as he is on. Best wishes to all who lost their jobs.