Encouraged by its seemingly
unexpected resurgence in popularity, radio - and talk radio, in particular
- would take the time to reassess itself in an effort to further expound
and capitalize on its new-found mass appeal. As veterans of a format that
many had previously regarded as borderline " fringe", station managers and
program directors worked overtime in the interest of generating new ideas
to maintain, if not bolster, their previously unheard-of Arbitron
market share. And no where can a more interesting textbook example of this
tweak-happy metamorphosis be found than at WFTL radio...
Given birth in the early 1990's as the brain-child
of program director and popular talk host, Steve Kane, WFTL would find its
niche by offering a talk format that initially ran counter to an already
rapidly developing trend in Talk Radio - syndication. Over time, with the
notable help of executive producer, Nick Lawrence, Mr. Kane would fill the
entirety of a 24 hour clock with all local, live talk, for listener
entertainment. But more to the point - and resulting signature sound - this
increasingly unique program structure offered Kane and Company the opportunity
to create something far more profound as part of the radio mix...
During his previous tenure as talk host at the
since defunct WNWS Radio in Miami, Mr. Kane was to fully realize the compelling
popularity of the much beloved, Battle of the Talk Show Hosts - a
twice a year affair where the air personalities would take their colleagues
to task as they simultaneously shared the often tense space of a single studio.
Not only were issues freely debated, but personal grievances were also openly
expressed, along with often lurid insider tales being revealed to an initially
stunned radio audience... So enthralled were many listeners, that the more
industrious among them often taped these heated exchanges as if they were
a special event - perhaps not unlike the more current library of home videos
that capture both natural and man-made disasters. It was this experience,
many reasoned, that inspired Mr. Kane to create and develop a talk station
that was based on confrontational exchange - along with the unabashed airing
of dirty laundry. Steve, himself, would innocently - if not coyly - refer
to his creation as mere " theatre". But if such were the case, then it might
easily be regarded as a Theatre of War...
As a shrewd move to establish immediate program
legitimacy for his new creation, Steve would convince station manager, Lou
Crone, to expend the necessary resources to secure the talents of yet another
member of the WNWS alumni... Al Rantel would arrive with both experience
and name recognition as an effective means to compliment - or perhaps
contrast - Steve's more recently acquired conservative ideology with
Al's more liberal point of view ( since reversed with the passing of time
). Long-time radio veteran, Craig Worthing, would also be signed as an additional
draw for a loyal and firmly established audience that tended to follow Craig
wherever he might land on the radio dial. Summarily, it would be this
less-than-holy trinity that provided the early foundation for what came to
be known, with promotional prodding, as HOT TALK...
But true to radio form, talk hosts were generally
not expected to pull 8 hour shifts. As such, if more voices were not found,
half of WFTL's 24 hour clock would remain talk-free. And faced with diminishing
resources at their disposal, WFTL would have to secure entirely new voices
at a bargain basement price - free. Acknowledging that one having
technical experience was subordinate to one who could express ideas and generate
excitement, Steve and Nick Lawrence set out to recruit new personalities
that would fit the bill - one that couldn't be paid for otherwise... Perhaps
capitalizing on the popular dream-like ambition of " being a star
", the clock would fill up with those having little or no broadcast experience.
Dangerous though this may have seemed - and despite its share of predictable
misses - Kane and Lawrence successfully managed to pull together an interesting,
if sometimes eclectic, 24 hour line-up at the right price... While few would
quit their day jobs from the onset, several would go on to become the paid
mainstays of mainstream programming, whether at FTL or in other markets.
From little acorns, to the blossoming of a true and bounce-free checking
account...
Reducing the formulated chemistry to its isolated
elements, the compound would include: Rick Seiderman, the abrasively rude
arch conservative who would serve as a catalyst of discussion for all
other programs; Joyce Kaufman, love child of the 1960's who offered
the compiled coursework from the Grateful Dead School of Liberalism; Pat
Stevens, the silicone-enhanced sex kitten who provided an imaginative palette
of aural stimulation; and Cliff Dunn, in search of both a political and sexual
identity... Weekends would provide an open forum for everyone from the just
and moral Pat Hurley, to the highly eccentric JimmieRae ( one word ), as
the station's resident female impersonator... Additional texture would be
added by the young, twenty-something board operators, as each would be granted
their Warholesque moments of fame.
But even more explosive than the individual
elements, would be the chemical interaction... A brief sampling of the station's
on-air detonation would include: Program Director, Steve Kane, publicly firing
weekend host, Amie Deaveroux on the air; Charismatic Catholic, Pat Hurley
taunting Pat Stevens with the recent death of her father; and Joyce Kaufman
storming out of her show as she voicetourously requested her co-host, Cliff
Dunn, to "take the fucking microphone and..." ( with the dump button
activated just a little late ). Yet other memorable moments would
be provided for the listener... Craig Worthing would become entirely incoherent
as he experienced a stroke on the air - not once, but twice. Another
host is encouraged to openly discuss his arrest concerning the solicitation
of an undercover policewoman posing as a prostitute - and does so,
freely. Yet another host back-hands a guest in the studio. For the more
titilating - or, perhaps, disgusting -several hosts huddle together to broadcast
naked. And not to feel excluded, Steve Kane would be accused of having an
affair with Pat Stevens, as well as being sexually dysfunctional as a result
of his obsessive-compulsive masturbatory behavior... Keep in mind that this
represents a painfully abridged short list of events... Summarily,
if Howard Stern proved to be kinkier, then FTL promised to be more decadent.
As a means to further encourage the argumentative,
the so-called crossover hour would be created... This would function
as a program segment where the final hour of a preceding program would overlap
the first hour of the following show. If the hosts involved differed
in both political philosophy, as well as tenor, so much the better. In fact,
such was its design and intent. As each host had their adherents, the often
heated exchange would extend into the listening audience, as callers fueled
the fires of the respective hosts... This free-for-all crossover was quickly
to become a de facto standard of FTL programming, and further helped define
the station's signature sound.
In truth, Steve Kane's own comforting synopsis
that referred to FTL as mere " theatre" proved too innocent, as it suggested
the ability of the hosts to remove their masks of comedy and tragedy at the
day's end. Clandestine calls in the night, combined with aggravated assaults
in the parking lot, would seem to indicate otherwise. Indeed, genuine animosities
often existed among the personalities. And with the station's increasing
popularity, the internal warfare intensified as the second-string hosts vied
for choice positioning. In instances, newcomers were immediately regarded
as the enemy, as all held the potential promise of ousting yet another.
Clearly, as the Arbitron cumes and shares
steadily increased with the publication of each new book, FTL could no longer
be regarded as a college station in search of a campus... HOT TALK
had come to mean something in the market, and industry insiders surely
took notice. In fact, FTL - and its attendant hosts - would often find themselves
the on-air mention of competing stations... But among those who would be
taking notice, would be the acquisition-happy Paxson Communications. Headed
by founder, Lowell Paxson, his corporation was built on the sizable revenues
generated in the 1980's by Paxson's own Home Shopping Network. This,
in turn, would fuel the finances to ultimately own or operate 26 FM stations
in the Florida Market, further supplemented by 14 AM stations. Thanks to
the recent regulatory changes of the Federal Communications Commission -
lobbied for by Paxson, among several others - Lowell Paxson could build a
broadcasting empire that seemed reminiscent of a poor-boy's Citizen
Kane. While still easily dwarfed by media moguls such as Ted Turner,
Paxson nevertheless could make his presence known - and felt. And in an effort
to expound upon this presence, Paxson and Company presented their acquisition
overtures to WFTL Radio...
While originally under the exclusive ownership
of local entrepreneur, Paul Bronstein, the station had since been sold, as
a generally uncontested internal transaction, to Steve Kane, Lou Crone, and
Rick Seiderman for the relatively paltry sum of $ 100,000... As such, with
the formation of Tri - Talk, the power - and attendant decision-making
- would remain entirely in-house. And now, with the approach of Paxson
Communications, perhaps the most profound decision in the station's five
year history would have to be made... After a period of sustained consideration,
in what had to reflect at least a 2 to 1 vote, a puff of white smoke
emerged from the WFTL chimney... The decision: Sell - for an amount reportedly
said to be two million dollars. While generally regarded as a modest - if
not inexpensive - purchase by industry standards, it nevertheless represented
a twenty fold net gain, relative to the original investment.
As the previously rumoured sale was affirmed,
the internal mood at the station could be described as somber. Producers,
hosts, and office personnel alike, now pondered an uncertain future as resumes
and demo tapes were hastenly organized in a somewhat paniced aire of bemoanment.
This, despite Paxson's assurances that no substantive changes would be made
in the programming for a year or so. Indeed, Paxson and Company would prove
to honor this unwritten promise, and despite the unfortunate dismissal of
office personnel, the program line-up would remain essentially unaltered.
As the year passed with little incident, the previously uneasy hosts were
becoming increasingly more comfortable with their position - perhaps falling
victim to an unrealistically false sense of security...
As the date approached for the much delayed
move into the new studio located at Paxson's own broadcast facility, executive
producer, Nick Lawrence would tease the audience - if not taunt the hosts
- with the impending announcement of " The New Team ". Synchronized
to be unveiled during the final broadcast day from the old studio, an uneasy
tension returned to the hosts, while being more generally regarded by the
listeners as a "cry wolf" promotional ploy of calculated design... With only
a day left prior to the announcement, the notably diminishing supply of working
microphones would be secured for the ensemble presence of the surviving hosts.
And with this final acknowledgment of FTL's long-held maintenance deficiencies,
the stage would be set for what many would come to regard as Black
Friday...
With the New Team announcement set for noon,
the morning proceeded normally with The Steve Kane Show... But behind
the scenes, all other hosts were being called, one by one, into the temporary
make-shift office of Paxson program director, Peter Bolger. It would be here
that the hosts would learn their fate... The hallway and reception area,
in turn, would become an area to mourn and commiserate, following the word
of regrettable losses. Among the dismissed would be early-morning host, Norm
Kent, and more profoundly, Rick Seiderman - a previous member of Tri -
Talk who had originally sold to Paxson... With the formal noon announcement,
the imposed departure of Seiderman would seemingly be the greatest
shock to his fellow hosts and audience alike. For many - both adherents and
adversaries - Rick had provided more than mere texture, but rather, had proven
to be an integral part of FTL's foundation. As such, Seiderman's dismissal
would stand - and, perhaps, remains to be - the most controversial decision
made by the programming department to date... In the week prior, Al Rantel
and Steve Kane would speak, in general terms, of talk hosts who might be
regarded as indispensable, while Rick would argue - with prophetic irony
- that no one was indispensable...
Naturally, with these departures, the new FTL
would have to provide suitable replacements... And Paxson's FTL believed
that they had found that suitability in nationally syndicated hosts made
available to them by way of a syndication deal previously signed with Westwood
One, among other syndicators. Conservative talk host, Bob Grant, would be
piped in as part of the daytime line-up, while the overnight would become
the syndicated domain of Jim Bohannon and Art Bell. While their appointed
time slots would remain true to FTL's original premise of all live talk,
misgivings would still remain regarding the sense of continuum - or
flow - that an all locally produced program roster had provided for
the ardent listener.
While many listeners have since " settled in"
with the changes implemented by Paxson, others remain passionate in their
longing for the original. Perhaps this passion reflects just how much FTL
had come to mean to many listeners, as several had come to personally identify
with the station and its hosts. For these, the hours of intrusive syndication
might likely leave them feeling somewhat disenfranchised from a station they
had regarded as "accessible" - as well as home...
On June 13th, 1997,
at 3:30 PM, a call was placed by WFTL management to Rick Seiderman,
inviting him back for a regular weekend program. This, following a period
of negotiations that resulted in an agreeable resolution. While not having
the daily exposure previously enjoyed, most listeners rejoiced in his return,
albiet abridged.
On June 23rd, 1997,
Clear Channel Communications, Inc. entered a letter of intent to purchase
the radio broadcasting assest of Paxson Communications, placing WFTL in the
hands of yet another broadcasting empire - now twice removed from its
more humble beginnings...
Within a year and a half of the Clear Channel
takeover, the station would be sold yet again to James Crystal Broadcasting.
Only talk host, Joyce Kaufman, would be retained at the WFTL frequency, while
the remaining hosts would be set out to pasture to turn up in other radio
arenas to compete with the cookie-cutter national syndication trends set
by Clear Channel. But the era of WFTL's "Hot Talk", and its originality ...
was now gone. |
