Jeanne Jakle: Fans in uproar over demise of 'Woody' show
Web Posted: 10/26/2004 12:00 AM CDT
San Antonio Express-News
Cries of shock and dismay are pouring in after the sudden termination of a popular local morning radio show to make room for a nationally syndicated program.
A San Antonio media professor calls the move not only the wave of the future, but "the wave of the right now." Though it may be great for the radio business, reasoned Trinity University's Harry Haines, it could prove tragic for the listener.
Specifics: As of Friday, the 21/2-year-old "Woody & Jamie" show on KXXM-FM (Mix 96.1) was history. The new kid on the radio block is, well, a Kidd. He's Kidd Kraddick, a radio vet of the Dallas-Fort Worth area. His Top 40 music-and-entertainment show — "Kidd Kraddick in the Morning," which debuts Monday — has a trio of sidekicks and is known for its funny characters and big show biz interviews.
Listeners who have invested time and heart in the morning show led by Woody and Jamie were stunned. The duo never lacked for callers in the morning and were very active in the community. They even made local history when they were elected the San Antonio River's Mud King and Queen two years in a row.
"It's pretty sad that 'The Woody Show' is being taken off the air and being replaced by an 'out of town' morning show," wrote e-mailer Christina McNally, whose comments reflected those of lots of other fans who contacted this column. "I just hate knowing they are being replaced by someone who won't be as involved in our San Antonio community."
Management at KXXM and Clear Channel characterized the change as "competitive," as the new show's larger staff and national status permit it to get to bigger names in the screen and music world. The show already plays in Dallas and 20 other Texas and U.S. cities. San Antonio is a big catch, however, as it's the second-largest market that will be carrying Kraddick.
KXXM program director Jay Shannon said the show will continue to have a local flavor — the pop songs played will be chosen here, there will be local weather and traffic segments, and Kraddick will incorporate several minutes of S.A.-related talk throughout each hour. (He does that with other markets as well.)
As for why a show such as "Woody & Jamie" would be dumped, no one indicated it was ratings-related — the numbers continued to be good — or that it was a cost-cutting measure.
After all, the station is keeping Jamie Martin, who'll become the host of the midday show — 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. — as well as another voice from the mornings, Lou Ramirez, who will remain at KXXM as a producer.
Woody was let go but given a generous severance since his contract wasn't over until the middle of next year. When contacted at his other business, a male grooming shop called Roosters, he only had high praise to pay Clear Channel. He also indicated he will remain in San Antonio, a city he's loved since moving here from Atlanta more than two years ago.
But Haines, who teaches a course on media industries at Trinity, called a move like this "a direct result of FCC deregulation, very good for the industry and one that boosts profits enormously."
He said he sees it as a modern trend. After all, Clear Channel — the top owner of radio stations across the country — not only is a major player, "but the model."
Using syndicated fare "makes a lot more sense in terms of the bottom line, to homogenize programming rather than diversify it."
It's the listeners and radio talent who suffer, he added.
"We're losing places where local talent can break in," he said, and "the valuable localized sound and the enormous variety radio has to offer."
A listener also wondered at the growing number of "Kidds" in the market. "There's Kidd Chris on KTFM in the morning and now this Kraddick guy. Won't people get confused?"
Well, it doesn't sound as if there's danger of that. Kidd Chris is of the Howard Stern variety, and as KXXM's Shannon described, "very blue." He said it's clear Chris is going after the male audience.
Kraddick, by contrast, is described as "family-friendly" and appropriate for all ages. The target audience for his show is women 18 to 34 and a bit older.
To get a taste, you can click on kiddlive.com from 5 a.m. to 10 a.m. and listen to his material.
Travel radio
Have you listened in this week to "The Chris Duel Show" on KTSA and heard his broadcasts from Israel, where he and sidekick Ruben "The Bone" Hernandez traveled late last week?
Their descriptions of Jerusalem are a feast for the ears; the holy city comes across as a truly uniquely spiritual experience. Why Israel? KTSA got an invitation to bring the show there and the area is, after all, a hot spot in the world right now.
Travel seems to be the trend. Jeff Bolton, afternoon guy on WOAI, came live last month from a U.S. aircraft carrier — the USS Carl Vinson — from the middle of the Pacific Ocean. According to WOAI general manager Nate Lundy, a remote like this does make sense because San Antonio has such an active military and most people in the audience don't get the opportunity to travel to such unusual places.
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Jeanne Jakle's column appears Tuesdays and Thursdays in S.A. Life and Sundays in TV Now.
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