Is No News Good News?

KVET/KASE general manager Dusty Black's reasons for the switch were predictable enough -- this is what the market demands. Unfortunately, he seems to be right. Is there really a demand for discussion of local issues and news? The ratings certainly don't indicate it. Neither does Austin's voting record -- our citizenry has an image of being politically involved, but a typical city election draws only about11% of voters, a truly pathetic number. Longhorn football games, on the other hand, can fill an 80,000-seat stadium every time.

"When we switched to talk and news in April of 1997, our goal was to build a station that was a force in the marketplace, and that never developed the way it was intended, both in ratings and revenue," Black says. "Another overriding factor was that the consistency of the format was such that 75% of the week was sports, and the rest was news/talk, and it didn't flow right. One of the real tenets of a station is that when the listener tunes in, they know what they will get."

Former KVET reporter Larry Cordle, who quit in March, agrees that that was the problem. However, he contends that the problem developed because KVET management never really got behind the format.

"Instead of seeking out skilled journalists, properly equipping them to do their jobs, and making excellence a priority, KVET fell back on a consultant-driven, all-things-to-all-people mishmash," Cordle wrote in a letter to the Chronicle (see "Postmarks" for the whole text). "Instead of offering a bold, progressive alternative to KLBJ, KVET management, with no radio news talent or experience whatsoever, struggled to create a pale replication of it. The ratings were abysmal due to a dreadful AM signal, misplaced priorities and a woeful lack of equipment and technical support. That doesn't even consider the total lack of leadership that seems to permeate the entire KVET/KASE operation."

Not all of Cordle's colleagues agree with this assessment, however. The now-former news director Jerry Johnson says, "No, they gave us plenty of support. It's just that new management had a different way of doing things. They wanted it to work, [but after continual low ratings] I just don't think in their minds it was going to and they had to switch."

Blumberg refused to comment for this article, but John Doggett had plenty to say about the switch.

"It won't work," he says. "KFON fell off the charts when they went all-sports. There is not enough [listeners] without multiple pro sports teams."

Is Doggett bitter? "Not for myself, but for my friends. Blumberg, [former KASE music director] Steve Gary, Jerry Johnson. The theory at Capstar is that they can cut staff and send music by computer." (Black didn't dispute that KASE and KVET are leaning more towards pre-recorded programming, especially in the late-night hours, but countered that before KVET went talk, the station had 72 employees, and now currently employs 75, although there are four fewer full-timers.)

Doggett, who also teaches law courses at the University of Texas, says the lack of commitment to talk radio is a problem throughout the Austin market, and cited not only his newfound lack of Austin airtime, but also that of some of his ideological adversaries.

"There is a talk radio industry magazine, Talkers, and the two people in Austin selected for their 100 Most Influential list are me and Jim Hightower [a populist/liberal host who broadcasts a nationally syndicated show from downtown Austin, which is not carried by an Austin station]. Neither of us are on the air. That's why I don't take it personally. When Jim Hightower, Eric Blumberg, and I are off the air ... if someone was serious about talk, we would be on the air.

"Seven hours of debate is gone. Right, middle, and left. And talk radio, if done right, will contribute to debate. ... I'm sorry for the people that it's gone."

Asked about his future plans, Doggett says, "Most likely I'll go in the Jim Hightower direction [of national syndication]. If they [the local radio industry] were more serious about talk, Jim Hightower would be on the air."

It's a chicken-or-the-egg question: Did KVET news/talk die because a lack of effort and commitment from management failed to whip up public interest, or did lack of interest from the public kill the will of management? It's tough to say. From this reporter's personal perspective, though, Austin radio is now the poorer. We need more discussion of local issues, especially on commercial radio. Oh, well. Hook 'em Horns.