14 APR 05: OUT-FOX-ED

Well, that didn't take long! Less than three weeks after "ESPN Radio" returned to the air in Columbus, WRCG is dropping "Fox Sports Radio." In broadcasting terms, this competition lasted about as long as a Hardaway-Spencer baseball game.

WRCG managers openly admitted in Wednesday's Ledger-Enquirer they're making extensive changes next week because not many people are tuning in. They call themselves "two-way radio," but lots of listeners have taken the outbound lanes....

The last set of radio ratings found WRCG next to last, among stations based in Columbus. In fact, a year ago it had lower local numbers than an FM station in south Atlanta which was playing rap music. When listeners are that desperate to avoid you, it's not a good sign....

Your blog was tipped off two months ago that WRCG planned to drop Don Imus's morning show [10 Feb]. Sure enough, after Friday's broadcast it will be gone. Imus fans still can see him on MSNBC -- although sometimes I think that channel really would rather not put his face on TV.

WRCG isn't bringing back the old "Morning Magazine," but it promises two hours of morning news from 6:00 - 8:00 a.m. Maybe the station will go back to covering Columbus Council meetings - but I hope they DON'T return to the Doug Kellett era, when the newscasts included the Mayor reading a 40-second proclamation.

Callers to WRCG's "TalkLine" are being alerted to a major time change. Come Monday, it will move from after 12:00 noon to 8:00 a.m. This might make the program more interesting - because the callers will be grumpier, as they get out of bed.

WRCG's managers decided to keep Robbie Watson on "TalkLine" - but she'll now have a co-host. He's Matt Young of Port Columbus. Can we win prizes if we guess which Civil War uniform he's wearing?

The lineup of talk show hosts will change at other times of day. North Dakota liberal Ed Schultz will leave WRCG, replaced by conservatives Laura Ingraham and Chuck Scarborough. This only makes sense, considering this station is on the right-hand side of the AM dial.

The odd person out in all of WRCG's changes appears to be D.J. Jones. His sports show "D.J. and Friends" will disappear -- freeing him to try to make new friends, among managers at other radio stations.

(Which reminds me: who told the newspaper "D.J. and Friends" would "remain on WCGT?" It hasn't been there in months....)

WRCG is spreading the word about its program changes on the air, and in the newspaper. That's a good thing - especially since the station's web site still shows Bill O'Reilly's picture, and he hasn't been on that station in more than a year.

The public radio side of the dial is filled with "pledge drives" right now. Georgia and Troy Public Radio asked for money all last week - but I was SO disappointed this year, because neither one offered T-shirts and tote bags.

The Bible Broadcasting Network station WYFK finished a three-day "Share-a-Thon" Wednesday. I actually punched the button for this station on my car radio Wednesday morning -- and the first words I heard were "25 dollars a month." I still haven't found that phrase in my Bible.

(The BBN managers in Charlotte will stop at nothing to get donations during Share-a-Thons. Several years ago, the network president declared, "Satan doesn't want you to make that phone call." Wow - the devil actually wants me to donate to my church instead?!)

By the way - Instant Message to WKZJ "K-92.7:" Why do you keep telling me you're "The Big Station?" Are you saying "The River 95.7" where you used to be on the dial is a little station? Your ratings were almost even last fall....

Now let's turn down the sound and consider other items from Wednesday:

+ Which local school superintendent has a home phone number that's so private, it won't even accept outside calls? A voice mail message even tells you so! So much for THAT educator helping me with my homework....

+ The Canadian building materials company "IC Form" announced it will open a Columbus plant, employing about 100 people. This was quite a surprise to me. When Canadians said "I-C Form" before now, I figured they were talking about hockey skills.

(In fact, the President of IC Form is Jean Beliveau - sharing the name of the hockey star with the Montreal Canadiens years ago. It looks like the Cottonmouths' championship is improving the Columbus economy already.)

+ The morning news showed Mayor Bob Poydasheff promising a crackdown on land owners to clean up Victory Drive - and saying the city will use "the majesty of our ordinances...." [True/WTVM] Huh?!?! Our Mayor must have watched too much coverage of Prince Charles's wedding.

(A new board called "Columbus South, Inc." will work to improve Victory Drive - and I say it's about time this city had its own C-S-I unit.)

+ Columbus city officials told WRBL a long-promised trolley from downtown to Peachtree Mall is being delayed, because trolley costs are too high. Did the family of "Mister Rogers" sell his yet -- or is it now parked permanently in the Neighborhood of Make-Believe?

(Did you see how WRBL titled the trolley story in its 6:00 p.m. news - "Rails to TRIALS"? Talk about misleading - Amtrak never came up even once.)

+ Eric Rudolph pleaded guilty to a series of deadly bombings in Georgia and Alabama. He issued a statement saying the first bomb which killed Albany's Alice Hawthorne at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics was a protest of "the Washington government." There are other ways to do that, sir! For instance, Republicans impeached President Clinton.

+ Columbus State's baseball team beat nationally-ranked Montevallo 9-4, as the bullpen held onto a fifth-inning lead. Coach Greg Appleton may get a call today from Turner Field, proposing a trade....

(BLOGGER'S NOTE: Entries may be sporadic over the next week or two, as we finish our serious spring cleaning....)

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