Or, Occam’s Razor.
I’m not good at a lot of things.
I’m a bad gardener – I always forget to water the plants. I’m bad at directions – I need Google Maps AND a GPS to find anything. I’m a bad camper – I don’t like being dirty, I don’t like those stupid chairs, and I always get lost without remembering to bring with me a flashlight full of beans. And, as my son will tell you, I’m bad at quantum physics. (Seriously, how am I supposed to know that Newton’s Laws don’t apply at the quantum level???)
But one (admittedly, pathetic) thing I’m pretty good at is predicting the programming changes in talk radio.
So…now that Frosty, Heidi and Frank are fired, the next question is: Who will replace them?
Here are my predictions, in order of likely-ness.
#1 Mr. KABC
He’s the one who has been doing the most fill-in work on the station lately, he’s good, he works cheap, he’s a beloved Southern California radio icon. And his NAME is, like, Mr. KABC. That has to mean something.
Oh…and…on Friday night he got all vasovagal-y when Sharon the Gossip Mom brought up the possibility.
#2 John Phillips
Boring. Boring. Boring. But KABC seems to love love love putting him in that 9-12 slot.
(Yes, I realize this would leave another empty time slot. But I can’t be in charge of every time slot right now. Maybe after I catch up on Mad Men.)
#3 Al Rantel
Kind of a dream choice. I have no idea if he’s ready to come back to work full-time. But he sure sounds good on those Natren Healthy Trinity commercials.
#4 Re-shuffle of the schedule where one of the above is hired, but in a different time slot.
Putting this option on the list because I learned from Tim Conway, Jr. you gotta box that trifecta, maan. (I’m not exactly sure what that means but I think it applies here??)
#5 Infomercial or some lame nationally-syndicated show
This might actually be more likely than #5 but I refuse to put it higher on the list. This option would make me forget that KABC was ever a station.
I suggest Merrill Schindler and Chef Pepe in this time slot.
Oh, Chef Pepe!!!
Honestly it makes not sense to bring back personalities that put KABC in the 27th place in the ratings. This would include Mr. KABC, Larry Elder or Al Rantel. Now John Phillips will ensure that they end up in 30th place. What must KABC management be thinking to bring back these guys. They need new fresh blood but certainly not the idiotic type like Bill Carroll. How about this….give Frosty Stilwell his own political show. I think it could work. The old biddies on KABC love him and his opinions.
KABC is never going to be a major player again. They’ve lost that battle. However, bringing back a well-beloved host from the past would certainly go a long way to ingratiate themselves with their current and potential audience. KABC has made SO many mistakes in recent years, I really do think this is their only chance at doing…something.
And besides that, this is not my ‘wish list’ – it’s what I really think is likely to happen based on recent decisions made at KABC.
I do tend to agree with you but the slide of KABC started a long time ago with Maureen Lesourd and then continued with a string of stupid program directors who felt they knew better than the audience. The results are that this once great and almighty station is relegated to the ratings basement. However I cannot believe that Citadel would bring in new management and be content to stay in the ratings basement. By the way, KFI is number one because they have no competition. No host at KFI is unbeatable. KABC or any other talk station just haven’t found those hosts.
Ok if you heard the after hours show with Heidi and Frank there was a clue as to the replacement. According to Smeeze a woman working at KABC is apparently making “contact” with the FHF replacement host at KABC. So we know that can’t be Mr. KABC since he is married. It can’t be John Phillips or Al Rantel for obvious reasons. So maybe Larry Elder is back.
I haven’t had a chance to listen to After Hours yet, but I’m not sure I understand your comment. Are you saying that Smeeze says the FHF replacement is sleeping with a chick who works at KABC? How would Smeeze know that? Sounds weird…but I’ll listen and see what I can make of it. Thanks for the heads-up!
And, btw, just because someone is married doesn’t necessarily mean they’re not sleeping with anyone else. ;)
Yes according to him this woman is sleeping with the replacement. After I posted the earlier comment I just realized it could be another woman – so is Tammy Bruce coming back?
That would be awesome – love Tammy Bruce. But…I did end up listening to that part of AH and they definitely said ‘man’ in reference to the replacement.
Actually, the way they were talking about the woman, it sounded like Mirthala Salinas. Who’s she sleeping with these days?
Barbara Whitesides from KFI way back would be a good choice. It looks like KABC is going more toward a lifestyle format instead of politics. Barbara’s sharp, funny and passionate when she gets going. But she’s been out of the game in LA so long they’ve probably forgotten her.