[IRCA] KOMY radio station finds it hard to sell ads

KOMY radio station finds it hard to sell ads.

While listeners like what they hear, businesses aren’t buying air space.

By Shanna McCord

Santa Cruz Sentinel staff writer

September 13, 2005

SANTA CRUZ-Even in the nuclear-free zone of Santa Cruz, leftwing talk radio doesn’t sell well.

Since programming content for local AM stations 1080 KSCO and 1430 KOMY made the great political split July 18, the liberal arm has been slow to hook advertisers.

It’s so slow, station owner Michael Zwerling went on the air recently with an ad of his own threatening the future of progressive shows on KOMY.

“For liberal programming to continue…you need to support it,” he said.

“You can’t be coy in this business,” said Zwerling, who shifted his personal politics right of center in the 1970s when faced with the burdens of government bureaucracy while building a house in Santa Cruz. “You have to spell it out, especially in Santa Cruz where everybody thinks they deserve everything.”

KOMY, the new home to the Air America network featuring Al Franken and Randi Rhodes, lags in advertising appeal, Zwerling said, especially compared with Rush Limbaugh, who has ruled the KSCO airwaves for more than a decade blasting conservative tirades.

“I wouldn’t have bought the station if it didn’t have Rush Limbaugh on it,” Zwerling said. “Rush is our biggest player.”

Zwerling brought Air America to the Central Coast in July. During negotiations between the station and Air America, Zwerling said Air America executives refused to allow Al Franken to share a dial with radio shock jock Michael Savage, a brash conservative previously on KOMY who rants against big government and illegal immigration and says “liberalism is a mental disorder.”

“As soon as I said Michael Savage, the door slammed shut,” Zwerling said.

All along Zwerling believed Air America would fit well in this radio market that reaches from Davenport to King City and beyond.

Zwerling finally agreed with Air America executives, and decided it would have the best chance for success here if KOMY and KSCO divided their programming according to liberal and conservative content.

Now KSCO is stocked with Limbaugh, Bill O’Reilly, The Savage Nation and Phil Hendri, while KOMY airs Al Franken, Randi Rhodes and Alan Colmes.

Zwerling said making the political split on KOMY and KSCO made sense given what he sees as the deepening polarization of politics across the country.

“Liberals don’t even want to listen to conservatives,” he said. “And conservatives don’t want to listen to liberals. I think it’s a sad state of affairs.”

Since Air America debuted on KOMY, the station has been praised by listeners writing and calling with appreciation, but not a single business has stepped up to buy air time specifically during Air America’s slot.

On the other hand, Limbaugh’s show-with an estimated 5,000 local listeners per quarter hour-is mostly sold out, station General Manager Michael Olson said.

Many businesses buy ad time for both KOMY and KSCO to avoid alienating customers with political extremes, Olson said.

Santa Cruz County Employees Credit Union purchased a 60-second spot that runs on both stations during Good Morning Monterey Bay.

Tracy Dunbar, credit union chief executive officer, said as a financial institution, they’d rather stay nonpolitical.

“I wouldn’t advertise during the Rush Limbaugh show, and wouldn’t advertise during the Al Franken show,” Dunbar said. “We chose the morning show because that doesn’t really have a political slant to it.”

Meanwhile, Olson said he never expected Air America to be an instant hit with advertisers.

Advertisers, he said, plan budgets many months in advance and Air America has been playing on KOMY less than two months.

Olson said it’s too soon to rush to judgment, though he believes Air America will one day hold its own.

“Will it get as many listeners as Rush? I doubt it,” Olson said. “Personally, I don’t think Al Franken is as entertaining as Rush, but I do think he will pick up a nice audience.”

Art

Folsom, CA