UPDATE: KPOJ fires Carl Wolfson, drops political talk radio, and goes all-sports
Kari Chisholm
It's unclear what exactly is happening at KPOJ, but local morning host Carl Wolfson just announced - via Facebook - that he's leaving the station.
To my friends -- Clear Channel informed me this morning that they are moving in a new direction with KPOJ, beginning on Monday. I appreciate the opportunity they gave me for six years to be a voice for progressive causes in our state and nation. I will miss all of my fun friends at work (my excellent producer Paul, remains employed!). I love all of you, my loyal listeners. It has been my honor to give a platform to all of the outstanding groups, volunteers, elected officials and good people who make Oregon so special.
Whether this means the cancellation of a local program, a new host (or hosts) for the local show, or if KPOJ is shifting away from progressive talk altogether, I don't know.
I do know that Carl's voice is one that will be missed. He had just the right mix of news and humor for a morning show.
UPDATE: Willamette Week reports that KPOJ is going all-sports.
UPDATE: It's confirmed. 620 KPOJ is now FOX Sports 620
More details to follow when I have 'em.
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11:32 a.m.
Nov 9, '12
That link goes to Carl's FB page, K.
11:32 a.m.
Nov 9, '12
That's a major loss to the community.
11:46 a.m.
Nov 9, '12
Clear Channel owns it. So it begins.
11:20 p.m.
Nov 10, '12
And Bain Capital owns Clear Channel. My theory... it was planned because they thought Mitt was winning and didn't want progressive talk to rally the masses like Rushbo & his clones do against Dems. Now that Mitt lost, they did it anyway so the next election they won't have KPOJ's progressive voice to keep everyone focused on what's really going on.
This is far more than a major loss to our community... this is a POWER GRAB by the 1% who know without a doubt that who ever controls the media and the message controls the power.
We're toast.
9:55 p.m.
Nov 11, '12
Over the past several years there have been a number of cities who like Portland have had popular successful progressive talk radio programming taken away from them. Some of these citizens have organized and brought back the diversity of opinions that make Democracy possible. I ask, What are we made of and Who is with Me?
11:47 a.m.
Nov 9, '12
Voter suppression, big time. One would think our air waves were public. Obviously, one would be wrong.
11:56 a.m.
Nov 9, '12
Well, no reason for me to listen to KPOJ anymore.
10:00 p.m.
Nov 11, '12
Let's tell their advertisers just who is and are no longer listening. Better yet who will no longer be buying their products. CAN I HEAR A "BOYCOTT"/
12:01 p.m.
Nov 9, '12
Time for me to re-program my presets. What a horrible move.
10:01 p.m.
Nov 11, '12
Don"t get mad. GET ACTIVE!
12:12 p.m.
Nov 9, '12
What a bummer, but not surprised. It was the same thing when Air America closed shop. Liberals/Progressives don't do talk radio http://www.huffingtonpost.com/nathan-harden/the-death-of-air-america_b_433208.html
11:24 p.m.
Nov 10, '12
But it is my understanding that KPOJ was profitable... the most successful progressive station in the country. At least that used to be true.
Air America just didn't have the financial backing to last long enough to succeed. They bit off more than they could chew. This was different. This was damned good radio and it's the 1% asserting their power to control the message. Bain owns Clear Channel after all.
10:17 p.m.
Nov 11, '12
Progressive Talk on KPOJ was a success. Authoritarian Right Wingers are content to throw away money on lost causes! Just look at the last election results. Billions of dollars spent to persuade the public with a lie. It did not work! Now those pathetic LOOSER'S are out for retribution. Come on Jeff! I smell Authoritarian Submissive too afraid to show his FACE! Cute kids though. Too bad their father (if those are really your kids) is unable to cope with real Freedom of Speech.
12:16 p.m.
Nov 9, '12
Sports on the radio is close to worthless.
12:16 p.m.
Nov 9, '12
Good god. And how graceless is this--in the week of Obama's election and the wide success for Oregon Dems? Uggh.
12:51 p.m.
Nov 9, '12
I know that this is probably a business decision but perhaps a boycott of all sponsors on the sports station will bring Clear Channel to it's senses that they can't win for losing.
7:23 a.m.
Nov 10, '12
Advertiser boycotts work phenomenally well.
11:25 p.m.
Nov 10, '12
I don't believe for a minute it's a business decision.
1:00 p.m.
Nov 9, '12
I am sick to my stomach. I listen from 5 in the morning until about 8 at night and often beyond if I am in my car. Since day one, eight plus years ago. I was thinking Carl should go national, but we won't get that either. None of them...
1:03 p.m.
Nov 9, '12
I sent a protest message to Clearchannel (not that they will care). Isn't it about time that we turn more attention to the corporate control of our media?
10:52 a.m.
Nov 12, '12
I tried to call and get a human, but after about 30 rings could only leave a message. This is b.s. It's simply suppression of free speech, just like they suppressed the vote. We need to flood them with angry letters, calls, e-mails...whatever we can....and boycott their sponsors. Get Active!!
3:56 p.m.
Nov 12, '12
[email protected]
1:10 p.m.
Nov 9, '12
Like we need another sports channel. This makes me sad. I listened on myway to work and the way home. Kari now they'll want you on in the morning for your Heisman forcasting.
2:11 p.m.
Nov 9, '12
Just from a business standpoint it seems odd to have a 3rd (I think it's a 3rd and not a 4th or 5th) sports station in town.
It seems like lazy thinking and will probably fail. Of course I'm probably not the best judge of such things. Before KPOJ was liberal radio it was 1950s style rock n roll, with lots of Little Richard. I thought it was great but I believe it did horribly in the ratings. Maybe these radio people know what they're doing, but I doubt it.
2:12 p.m.
Nov 9, '12
I was worried about this. You could tell that they weren't picking up new ads and running a lot of PSAs.
2:43 p.m.
Nov 9, '12
The funny thing is that most people who listen to sports on the radio already have their presets. In the back of their minds, they're not thinking of KPOJ as a sports station. CC must really have felt good about their experiment with OSU sports...though I'm pretty certain most of those listeners were talk listeners who just left the radio on.
Internet radio/podcasting is the way to go, anyway. FCC is far less aggressive with whatever creative direction the hosts want to go with. Most of the Air America folks went on to do their own subscription based podcasts and such...if they didn't land on TV.
10:30 p.m.
Nov 9, '12
I love athleticism and sports, but KPOJ is dead to me. I remember listening to the same 3 Patsy Cline songs and national guard adds, for about 2 years. Then came progressive talk, and now this. Definitely a step down, from Patsy Cline as well.
3:59 p.m.
Nov 12, '12
Streaming is fine, but more of a work-around for someone who tuned to KPOJ on the shower radio! And no ethernet tap in the head! ;-)
4:04 p.m.
Nov 9, '12
I think what is going on here is this. I've noticed a lot of the local right-wing ranters on radio being displaced by sports broadcasts, and I strongly suspect that the stations' ratings increased due to that.
So, imagine how this sounds to some corporate-board GOPer at Clearchannel. They won't admit to themselves that right-wing ranting is unpopular. No, instead it has to be "politics" that's unpopular. Especially informative, issue oriented, factual, center-left policy. That's the only framing these tools will accept.
This will prove untrue, of course. But it will hardly matter, because Republicans in media always fail upwards. None of the fact-free fools who attacked Nate Silver based on their "gut" will ever be fired, for example. They'll always have multi-million dollar TV gigs, to keep peddling their B.S.
4:41 p.m.
Nov 9, '12
The airwaves are already loaded down and overflowing with monotonous right wing garbage if the format is indeed changing those of us who are left of center are indeed poorer because of it
4:44 p.m.
Nov 9, '12
So sorry to there this, Carl. You've been an important voice on the air, often the first media on an issue.
We'll miss your show. You'll miss a piece of your life you clearly cared about.
I can't "like" this post. I hate it's news.
5:42 p.m.
Nov 9, '12
You will definitely be missed Carl...and so will the others I listened to daily.
6:12 p.m.
Nov 9, '12
For all of the folks who have enjoyed KPOJ, I count myself among them what is next? Now, will the freequent contributors of opinion on this site please acknowledge that Social Security is not safe. In addition, this country is not safe because its enemies are multi-national corporations and folks that more than one hundred years ago planned for the EU and the Fed.
Please, Bill Ryan, shake off your stupor and get all of your friends to protect social security. Because Schrader and Obama will gut it. Mark my words.
9:44 p.m.
Nov 9, '12
Left wing paranoia is no more credible than right wing paranoia. Harry Reid just stated "we're not messing with Soc. Sec."
4:30 p.m.
Nov 13, '12
Didn't say a word about Medicare or Medicaid. Did you see the released memo from last summer? Obama was contemplating substantial current benefit cuts to both programs.
6:15 p.m.
Nov 9, '12
KBOO is the only progressive station in Portland. It has been there for over thiry-five years. It and Amy Goodman put BO to shame. Wake up blue folks. Give them some money.
11:30 p.m.
Nov 10, '12
I support the concept of KBOO, but by and large it bores me to tears. KPOJ did progressive talk MUCH better with much more energy and focus.
10:55 a.m.
Nov 12, '12
I agree. High-minded, but boring.
1:44 p.m.
Nov 12, '12
Totally. Has anyone ever spit Mt. Dew out their nose while listening to Amy Goodman?
4:09 p.m.
Nov 12, '12
Have the preset button on NPR until there is a replacement for KPOJ.
4:35 p.m.
Nov 13, '12
I like a lot of what's on KBOO and usually found KPOJ kind of boring. De gustibus non disputandam. Of course on KBOO you get the conspiracy theorists too, and for every interesting Latin or African music show there's the Dutch music show. But really, KBOO is organically connected to a lot of progressive groups and brings the left side of progressives together in a particularly important way. The two forms of broadcast are different, just as KBOO's community radio public radio approach is different from OPB's. All have value. It's the reduction in variety that is most bothersome here, in a way.
6:59 p.m.
Nov 9, '12
Welp, from the looks of things, KPOJ's listenership will drop further. Ah, well. I've been doing the Podcasting thing for a while now, so I guess I'll go dig up a few more subscriptions.
3:02 p.m.
Nov 12, '12
Today I ordered a satellite radio and plan to listen to Sirius with most of the talk show hosts I like with the exception of Randi Rhodes and I can get her live on the computer.
I am so sad. Feel like I lost my best friend.
4:20 p.m.
Nov 12, '12
Do they offer a shower radio? ;-) And do you have to hunt for the individual programs or are they all in one place so you can just listen and not have to fiddle?
7:28 p.m.
Nov 9, '12
Carl Wolfson is a Portland treasure and i for one, am crying mad!
9:05 p.m.
Nov 9, '12
I've listened to KPOJ since 2004. I saw Al Franken do his live show at the Governor Hotel. I interned on Thom Hartmann's morning show, when he still did a local morning show from 6-9 AM with co-host Heidi Tauber (RIP) before his national show.
So to have this station--which is THE ONLY reason I walk around town with a Walkman or have the radio on any preset stations when I drive. Interning at KPOJ introduced me to BlueOregon, and it allowed me to channel my frustrations of the 2004 election. It was through this experience that I went to graduate school--with support from a letter of recommendation written by THom Hartmann--intern with Congressman Blumenauer, and so on.
And that's just my story. I'm sure similar stories can be told many time over by other Portland residents influenced by KPOJ. And this story is NOT going to have any chance to be repeated when the station changes to its new sports-talk format.
And can someone explain the point of having multiple sports talk stations in a town that has a NBA franchise, MLS team, junior hockey team, and that's it...? Oh, the Ducks are a great college football team? Well, that's of interest, maybe once a week for a few months of the year.
facepalm
All the local advertisers on that station were just knifed in the back today....
9:14 p.m.
Nov 9, '12
You might say it's progressive... This was an awesome http://markcrispinmiller.com/2011/12/clear-channel-ends-green-960-in-san-francisco-kkgns-new-line-up-will-include-glenn-beck/
Try AM1090 Seattle http://seattle.cbslocal.com/station/am-1090/ (CBS Feed) and online tunein.com and the Tune-In App. http://tunein.com/mobile/
Rhandi is late, but Ed, Thom, and Norman are real-time. Norman said he was getting threats to toe the line, then his show got cut. Shortly thereafter I started noticing 2nd hour repeats of Rhandi, instead of the full 3 hours. I called the KPOJ Program Director, actually got him on the line and we had an engaging debate, but his point of view was that: (paraphrased) advertisers were more willing to pay for alumni ears than progressive ones. One caveat I did notice, 1190KEX started the same thing, cutting Mark & Dave. Y'all know they're in the same belly of the beast... Anyone interested in setting up a micro FM station like this: http://www.libertyandjustice1640.com/schedule.html let me know. I would like to look into it.
9:19 p.m.
Nov 9, '12
Edit: (This was an awesome)... AM legend in San Francisco- went down early this year.
Edit2: Anyone interested in setting up a micro FM station like this: http://www.libertyandjustice1640.com/schedule.html Let me know. I would like to look into it.
8:38 a.m.
Nov 11, '12
Information on setting up low-power radio: http://www.fcc.gov/guides/low-power-broadcast-radio-stations
Unlicensed broadcasts are limited to 200 feet.
There's an off chance (very very off) that we might be able to set up a station with more power; it depends on available frequencies, and it's not cheap. http://www.fcc.gov/guides/how-apply-radio-or-television-broadcast-station
Other than that? Podcasts, and streaming from non-Portland markets.
Yes, this sucks.
9:34 p.m.
Nov 9, '12
I listened (note the past tense) all day long. Every show was worth listening to. Now I listen via tunein to KPTK out of Seattle.
If we can fight to save KPOJ then we should start organizing NOW. I have little doubt that Carl Wolfson will reappear on the air elsewhere, since he had listeners calling in daily from all over the world. Still, we cannot take this obvious rightist retaliation lying down. How do we fight back? Boycotting their sponsors isn't enough.
9:03 a.m.
Nov 11, '12
We might not be able to save KPOJ, but maybe we can convince the owners of AM 910 to pick up a progressive format. Right now they're just HD2 streaming KNRK. It's a long shot, but what do we have to lose?
9:56 p.m.
Nov 9, '12
Owning and running a radio station is an expensive proposition. Is it viable for someone like Carl Wolfson could do an online progressive talk radio and have possibly a subscription business model, focusing on the Portland, Willamette Valley audience? Daily Kos is doing an experiment in progressive talk radio online.
8:48 a.m.
Nov 10, '12
If sports talk is replacing political talk, then maybe it's time to look at new media to focus public attention on progressive issues and values.
8:55 a.m.
Nov 10, '12
WE HAVE ARRIVED. The "dumbing down of American" has once again, knocked on our door. This is voter suppression at it's best. I love the people and contributions they made on KPOJ. Carl, with his humor and serious Oregon politics specialty. Ed, "Fire up the base" what can I say. He CAME from Sports background and eased into politics like a lead balloon and I have loved him ever since. Thom Hartmann is available in other venues but....a huge void went away. He is all of our history teacher and collective consciousness. (and Alan Combs, Randy Rhodes and Bill Press, and I loved it when Adam Klugman has a slot).....
12:03 p.m.
Nov 10, '12
This is truly a sad day for the northwest. I've listened to radio all over the country and we are going to be just like Utah, Houston, and thousands of other cities and states with absolutely no voice. It is truly a sad day for Americans.
12:42 p.m.
Nov 10, '12
I used to love listening to Thom Hartman (sp?). If you want progressive talk on the radio, the way to do it is the good old American way - raise the funds, buy time on a station, staff it with good hosts and sell ad time to pay for the programming.
Given that they're switching to sports, I suspicion that the progressive talk wasn't making enough to pay the bills, or the management thinks that sports broadcasts will make more money than progressive talk.
And as far as this being voter suppression, come on people. Not even close.
5:15 p.m.
Nov 10, '12
So why is it you think that there is so much conservative talk on the radio and so little liberal programming. There has to be a little industry bias don't you think? Given that the market seems to be pretty liberal in it's make up. Limbaugh and Beck are very talented and it makes sense for them to be on but guys like Levine and Savage can't be more lucrative than Rhodes or Schultz. In the end though someone I'm sure will see the value in serving this market right?
11:44 p.m.
Nov 10, '12
Businesses think they have to be republican... not all, but a LOT of them and that makes them more likely to advertise on conservative radio. However, remember that in the beginning of right wing radio (and Faux News TV, for that matter) they lost MOUNTAINS of money, but they had a lot of wealthy backers who saw the value of propaganda and wanted to control the message. Even now, do you seriously think it's actually profitable for conservative talk stations when some markets have 3 or 4 stations that ALL carry Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity and all those creeps? Hell NO... but esp. in rural America many stations get their programming for almost nothing. Who do you think is paying for that?
11:38 p.m.
Nov 10, '12
Really? Clear Channel, who owns the station, is owned by Bain Capital. I think the point of dumping progressive talk is that they think Oregon is close enough to half and half (progressive and conservative) that without a voice to rally the troops in the next election they'll be able to easily turn the state Red. Control the media control the message. Control the message control the power.
7:48 p.m.
Nov 11, '12
While radio-philes will note that KPOJ ratings were down somewhat, and remained behind several of its AM competitors, its performance was midrange in the AM market and filled a niche that is addressed by no other local station. Radio, like any other product, needs advertising and promotion. Clear Channel chosse to punt on any of this for KPOJ and manipulated the hell out of staffing and promotional operations. KPOJ Manager Mike Dirx was laid off about 2 years ago, and the budget left for KPOJ in-community efforts and promotions was depleted, as a single manager took on the duties for all the CC stations. Well established stations held a decisive advantage in this set-up.
Personally, I could give crap about another sports station. Sports talk radio on the local level is repetitious and often sophmoric. Self proclaimed pundits - with a few exceptions - speculate ad nauseum about starting line-ups and riff endlessly about predictions, rankings, playoff scenarios, blahblahblah. National radio personalities are overplayed walking egos like the acerbic Jim Rome. YECH.
But FOX Sports radio (argh) will perform well enough to compete with the 2 other sports radio stations. Clear Channel shifted Blazer Broadcasts from KEX 1190 to 620, so it will undoubtably attract the Blazer fans who'll leave the new numbers programed on their radio.
I, like most of the commenters here, think this all sucks (and BTW, I AM a Blazer fan). I will listen to the SIRRUS, which offers both MSNBC 117 and LEFT 127, and ocassionally to OPB and KBOO. But the latter, which are more accessible to the broad population, are not the hard-driving counterparts to the rightwing crap which permeates even our Northwest airwaves.
This is how censorship looks when it's legal.
10:36 a.m.
Nov 12, '12
Will the Progressive majority in Oregon organize an effort for Carl Wolfson and other Progressive voices to continue on a different radio channel?!
It's my position that the big money of the far right and corporate interests obviously influenced the already conservative clear channel owners to take down a voice of reason and the modest counterweight to "fox noise," Lars Larson, etc. Does anyone else agree?
I wonder if individuals & groups might be working on an appeal to wealthy and Progressive donors to encourage a consortium that will purchase a radio station? A radio station that will be the alternative in Oregon to the many right wing media entities?
It seems that we need several fundraisers to make this happen as one way to begin a movement for Oregon Progressive Radio.
Can we get this together, please?
Sincerely,
James Jacobson, Eugene (a labor union active member) I have been listening regularly in the Eugene-Springfield region up until Friday, Nov. 9.
10:58 a.m.
Nov 12, '12
I find it amazing that in a city the size of Portland, Oregon, that we have so many sports radio programs and now NO Progression talk radio. So sad. I don't know anyone listening to sports radio. This was a very uneducated move on the part of KPOJ. Boycott sponsors?
5:17 p.m.
Nov 12, '12
Yeah Joan ... and we have only the two professional sports franchises (major) in this 'burg at that.
11:15 a.m.
Nov 12, '12
This is an even greater loss than just to us in the Northwest. KPOJ was available on I Heart Radio and streamed over the internet and I've heard callers on Carl's show from all over the country. I have friends in San Francisco that tuned in to KPOJ in either format when their progressive station replaced Thom Hartmann with Glen Beck. This was no business decision this was the propaganda machine expanding. Sign Kari's petition and forward it to everyone you know especially out of the broadcast range.
5:14 p.m.
Nov 12, '12
Can we all show-up at the new Clear Channel Diggs in Tigard and each of us formally request to view the station license and whatever files that an FCC license holder is required to make public?
11:36 a.m.
Nov 13, '12
Kari -- I've always enjoyed listening to you on KPOJ and sure think that the loss of Carl and progressive talk is a terrible thing! I tell people often that if they listened to KPOJ and progressive radio in general, the Dems would win every time! I look forward to having the progressive voice once again on the radio here in Portland! Yours, Caleb