On May 4, 9:00=A0am, patkeepsie <patkeep...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> The Next Howard Stern?
> Turning Adam Carolla into a radio star proves very tricky for CBS.
> By SARAH MCBRIDE
> May 3, 2008; Page A1
>
> LOS ANGELES -- Two weeks before Christmas, radio host Adam Carolla
> woke before dawn and called in sick. Jack Silver, program director of
> Mr. Carolla's popular morning show, didn't buy it. "The dude's not
> sick," Mr. Silver recalls thinking.
>
> Mr. Carolla was sick -- sick of his sidekick. Danny Bonaduce, the
> former child TV star and self-described "freak show," had been brought
> on board early last year to juice up the act. Thanks partly to Mr.
> Bonaduce, the show's ratings were rising.
>
> But Mr. Carolla had had enough of the frenetic Mr. Bonaduce: his
> interruptions; his over-the-top anecdotes; his suggestions, which
> included climbing into a tub of live s****s. If Mr. Bonaduce didn't
> go, Mr. Carolla would.
>
> "I just decided the show wasn't right," says Mr. Carolla, a tall and
> lanky 43-year-old. If he got fired, "so be it." Mr. Bonaduce says he
> thought he was adding "a quick wit, a reasonable knowledge of current
> events, a good sense of humor" to the show.
>
> The Carolla-Bonaduce standoff is one front in what is perhaps the $21-
> billion industry's biggest challenge: developing long-term radio
> franchises.
>
> Radio veterans say the talent to sup****t such franchises is in short
> supply, partly due to massive consolidation over the past couple of
> decades. In the old days, station program directors would spend hours
> each week helping hosts develop their comic timing and shape their
> sound bites. Now those same program directors lack the time because
> they often oversee several stations each. And typically when someone
> shows promise, he or she is quickly simulcast to several markets,
> reducing the chances for others to blossom.
>
> "There aren't many people coming up that are heirs apparent, and there
> used to be," says Michael Harrison, editor of Talkers, a trade journal
> focused on talk radio.
>
> So when radio stations lose a big national name, as happened in late
> 2004, when CBS found out it was losing Howard Stern to a satellite
> network, a scramble ensues for a replacement. The industry has
> experimented with Hollywood celebrities, but even veteran entertainers
> like Whoopi Goldberg can struggle in the unfamiliar medium. The
> shortage may explain why disgraced hosts like Don Imus, fired by CBS
> Radio last year for racially insensitive comments, was snapped up by
> rival Citadel Broadcasting Corp. six months later.
>
> Citadel Chief Executive Farid Suleman says Mr. Imus was no more
> disgraced than many other radio hosts and was hired for his immense
> popularity with audiences.
>
> =A0Talent is hardly the radio industry's only problem -- the medium is
> now competing against mobile phones, iPods and Web sites. But some
> industry executives say that an overreliance on syndication and the
> resulting lack of a farm team has created a staleness in radio
> programming, contributing to recent declines in listener****p and
> stagnating revenue. The average American adult listened to 18 hours
> and 30 minutes of radio each week last year, compared to 22 hours and
> 15 minutes in 1997.
>
> CBS doesn't dispute that Mr. Carolla staged a sick-out, but strongly
> rejects any notion that it's suffering a shortage of talent. In the
> past couple years, and particularly since Chief Executive Dan Mason
> took the reins last April, the company says it has been focusing more
> on local programming, and steering away from nationally syndicated
> shows led by big-time stars in the 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. morning time
> slot.
>
> A CBS spokeswoman notes that less than 10% of its 140 stations rely on
> national programming during that morning time slot and points to
> popular local shows like "Boomer and Carton," which replaced Mr. Imus
> on WFAN in New York and is attracting a younger audience than Mr.
> Imus's show did. With revenue of $1.8 billion last year, CBS Radio
> generates 12% of parent CBS Corp.'s total sales and is the second-
> largest radio titan behind Clear Channel Communications Inc.
>
> Painful Search
>
> But few dispute that finding talent has been particularly painful for
> CBS Radio because of the shoes the company had to fill: those of shock
> jock Mr. Stern.
>
> RADIO'S STAR SCRAMBLE
>
> =95 =A0Losing Howard: CBS struggled to develop shows that could replace
> broadcasting megastar Howard Stern.
> =95 =A0Talent Shortage: Industry consolidation has thinned the ranks of
> radio hosts who can succeed on a national level.
> =95 =A0Star Search: Radio titans are finding it increasingly difficult
to
> replace a big national name.Notorious for his raunchy, ***-soaked
> brand of comedy, Mr. Stern is a broadcasting megastar. His program was
> syndicated on 37 stations around the country, generating about $50
> million in annual cash flow. In late 2004, Mr. Stern announced he was
> leaving for Sirius Satellite Radio Inc., effective January 2006.
>
> CBS's struggle to replace him shows how much heavy lifting goes into
> creating radio franchises. The company considered dozens of
> replacements with the potential to hang on to Mr. Stern's core
> audience of young male listeners. Finally, in October 2005 CBS decided
> to divide Mr. Stern's turf into three different radio shows. Van Halen
> lead singer David Lee Roth would cover most of Mr. Stern's East Coast
> stations. Shane "Rover" French, an up-and-coming radio host in
> Cleveland, would get the Midwest. The West Coast slots would go to Mr.
> Carolla.
>
> Special Promise
>
> Mr. Carolla was viewed as particularly promising by CBS. Often attired
> in track suits, with the air of an overgrown college student, the
> comedian had made his name partly by exploring material akin to Mr.
> Stern's. Mr. Carolla worked for a decade on Loveline, a successful
> national radio show where he and Dr. Drew Pinsky parried questions on
> *** and relation****ps. From 1999 to 2003 he and close buddy Jimmy
> Kimmel co-hosted Comedy Central's "The Man Show," a televised male
> humor romp that regularly featured beer chugging and buxom women on
> trampolines.
>
> But Mr. Carolla's comedy isn't all lowbrow. He also dissects the
> hypocrisies of everyday life, from deep-fried "healthy" fish tacos to
> the relentless enthusiasm of Oprah's studio audiences. "The Adam
> Carolla Show" was launched in January 2006 with Mr. Carolla and a
> small cast, some of whom came from the comedy posse Mr. Carolla shared
> with Mr. Kimmel.
>
> Within a few months, it became apparent CBS's triumvirate plan wasn't
> working, CBS acknowledges. Mr. Roth, panned by critics as
> unlistenable, was quickly shown the door. Mr. French gradually lost
> markets and is no longer on any CBS stations. A spokeswoman for Mr.
> Roth declined to comment, as did a spokeswoman for Clear Channel, Mr.
> French's current employer.
>
> Mr. Carolla's show wasn't clicking, either, Mr. Silver says. Scripted
> pieces -- like taped interviews with a fake right-wing congressman --
> fell flat, he says. In the four-hour free-form environment, Mr.
> Carolla's rants on topics like people failing to turn right on red
> seemed to drone on.
>
> The ratings told the story. In the fall of 2005, Mr. Stern's last
> season, CBS station KLSX was riding high with about a 6.9% share of
> the morning Los Angeles radio market for men ages 18 to 49, a key
> target audience. By the fall of 2006, Mr. Carolla's share was at 2%.
>
> Initially, the message from the bosses at CBS was, "no pressure, we're
> sticking with you, no one expects you to be the next Howard Stern,
> this is a marathon, not a sprint," recalls Mr. Carolla, who believed
> listeners needed time to get used to his style. "And then four months
> later, it was like, 'Holy s-, this is a disaster.'"
>
> "With any show, any talent, it takes some time to develop the loyalty
> of the audience," says Chris Oliviero, CBS Radio's head of talk
> programming.
>
> Program Director Mr. Silver, a hardboiled radio veteran, says he was
> determined to make the show work. He recalled considering Mr. Bonaduce
> when searching for Mr. Stern's replacement, and in late 2006 invited
> him to appear on Mr. Carolla's show. "This is the sound of the morning
> show," Mr. Silver told KLSX's General Manager Robert K. Moore during
> Mr. Bonaduce's appearance. "Energy, testosterone."
>
> Mr. Bonaduce, 48, has plenty of both. The red-headed moppet from the
> 1970s TV show "The Partridge Family" had grown into a beefy, profane
> sometime-boxer whose checkered past includes periods of homelessness
> and drug addiction. Mr. Bonaduce also had a fan base from his reality
> TV show "Breaking Bonaduce," which followed Mr. Bonaduce as he
> struggled with the fallout from cheating on his wife and checked into
> rehab.
>
> Soon after, Mr. Silver sent Mr. Bonaduce a note thanking him for "the
> shot of rocket fuel this morning."
>
> Start Date
>
> "Thanks," Mr. Bonaduce swiftly replied. "When do I start?" He started
> in early 2007, and Mr. Silver fired much of Mr. Carolla's crew.
>
> "I was in no position to argue" with CBS, says Mr. Carolla. "I like
> ca****ng their checks, and I can't say, 'Leave me alone man, I've got
> to do my own thing.'"
>
> Mr. Bonaduce, meanwhile, imagined a show that would run for years. "I
> thought Adam and I would make a lot of money together." CBS declined
> to reveal the salary it pays either host.
>
> For the first few months, Mr. Bonaduce energized the show with crazy
> tales of his past drug- and alcohol-fueled adventures and his
> marriage, which fell apart shortly after he joined the show.
>
> Mr. Carolla also seemed to find his rhythm. Instead of scripted
> pieces, a series of ad-lib features evolved. Mr. Silver encouraged Mr.
> Carolla to develop regular features like "This Week in Rage," when Mr.
> Carolla rants about things that have recently annoyed him. Mr. Silver
> also encouraged Mr. Carolla to take more listener calls, playing to
> his improvisational strengths.
>
> Listeners responded. Ratings started creeping steadily back up,
> hitting 3% and 2.8% among the target male audience in the last two
> ratings periods of 2007, better than at any time since Mr. Stern's
> departure.
>
> But Mr. Carolla was unhappy. Mr. Bonaduce's wild energy didn't fit the
> more mellow atmosphere Mr. Carolla favored. Mr. Bonaduce frequently
> interrupted Mr. Carolla and guests, often to tell a story he had told
> previously.
>
> "Danny is not the kind of guy who's just going to sit there quietly
> while you interview the guy from 'Two and a Half Men,'" says Mr.
> Carolla, referring to the TV show. "Danny Bonaduce is a whirling
> dervish." Mr. Bonaduce responds that Mr. Carolla's rants went on too
> long and by cutting them off, he was preserving the "special quality"
> of Mr. Carolla's speeches.
>
> "Neither one is a second banana," says Mr. Kimmel, Mr. Carolla's close
> friend who hosts a late-night show on ABC.
>
> Tension emerged. Teresa Strasser, the show's newscaster and sidekick,
> says Mr. Carolla would occasionally catch her eye, eyebrow raised,
> when Mr. Bonaduce started talking, and joked with her about how many
> times they'd heard variations of the same story.
>
> To Mr. Silver, the tension only added to the show. When Mr. Carolla
> complained, Mr. Silver told him that most shows would "give their eye
> teeth" to have a partner as well-known as Mr. Bonaduce.
>
> "Suck it up. Toughen up," is the way Mr. Silver sums up his attitude.
>
> Mr. Bonaduce says he thinks good stories deserve to be retold,
> particularly since different people tune into the show at different
> times. He adds that he was oblivious to Mr. Carolla's growing
> frustration. One day, Mr. Bonaduce overheard Mr. Carolla complaining
> to Mr. Silver that the show had "two Eddie Van Halens," a reference to
> the lead guitarist of rock band Van Halen. Mr. Carolla's point was
> that the stage wasn't big enough for both of them, but Mr. Bonaduce
> interpreted it as "quite the compliment."
>
> With Mr. Carolla's contract up at the end of 2007, talk turned to the
> future. Mr. Silver made it clear he wanted to keep Mr. Bonaduce on
> board.
>
> Mr. Carolla's entreaties to do the show without Mr. Bonaduce fell on
> deaf ears. So in mid-December, a few days before a holiday break, Mr.
> Carolla -- who had taken only two days off when his twins were born
> the year before -- began calling in sick.
>
> Mr. Silver considered firing Mr. Carolla. Consulting his own bosses,
> Mr. Silver says he pondered several possibilities, including handing
> the whole show over to Mr. Bonaduce.
>
> Complicating matters, Mr. Carolla admits he wasn't taking calls or
> responding to e-mails from anyone. Mr. Kimmel's and Mr. Carolla's
> mutual New York-based manager, James Dixon, enlisted Mr. Kimmel to
> drop by Mr. Carolla's home and urge him to return Mr. Dixon's calls.
>
> As the two men sat in the den and played with Mr. Carolla's twins, Mr.
> Carolla explained he didn't want to get into debates or talk to anyone
> at CBS until the situation was resolved. Mr. Kimmel says he left
> convinced his friend would quit unless he could do the show the way he
> wanted. Mr. Carolla did decide to start talking to Mr. Dixon, his
> manager.
>
> Meanwhile, streams of listeners phoned in to say they missed Mr.
> Carolla. Mr. Bonaduce says he seized Mr. Carolla's absence as "a
> moment to ****ne."
>
> Big 'Investment'
>
> In the end, Mr. Silver, along with CBS's New York management,
> concluded they had too much invested in Mr. Carolla to throw in the
> towel. Plus, he decided the show had evolved to the point where it
> didn't need Mr. Bonaduce as much. A few days after Mr. Carolla first
> called in sick, Mr. Oliviero, CBS's head of talk programming, called
> Mr. Dixon to say Mr. Carolla could do his show without Mr. Bonaduce.
>
> And Mr. Silver called Mr. Bonaduce with the news that he would be
> moving to a slot from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. to lead his own show called
> "Broadcasting Bonaduce."
>
> The gamble seems to be paying off. On April 28, Arbitron released its
> latest data showing that Mr. Carolla drew 3.5% among the target male
> audience, his highest ratings yet. Mr. Carolla likely got a big boost
> from "Dancing With the Stars," the television show where he was a
> contestant for several rounds this season.
>
> "There's nowhere to go but up," says Mr. Silver. He predicts that all
> of Mr. Carolla's big rivals for the male, English-speaking market will
> eventually confront their own changing of the guard.
>
> The "good thing about Howard Stern leaving our station is that it
> already happened to us," he says.
>
> Write to Sarah McBride at sarah.mcbr...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
questions; (1) Who is this Mr. Imus guy? and (B) Howard who?
Regards,
John
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