Just a Toddler, 107.3 Roars At Powerful Competition

BATON ROUGE — For a world-beater like Matt Kennedy, taking on his former bosses is all in a day’s work.  Now Kennedy, along with co-conspirator Brian Haldane, are working hard to steal listeners for Talk 107.3 from the heritage news talk station, WJBO.
Kennedy’s fresh conservative talk captures listeners like with ease.  Guaranty Broadcasting market manager Gordy Rush says Kennedy is one of the reasons 107.3 is having an impact on the Baton Rouge market after less than two years in the news talk format.
Guaranty, a Baton Rouge-owned broadcaster with more than 60 years’ experience, owns other stations such as big dog Eagle 98.1, but Gordy Rush is excited about 107.3.  “Over 90 percent of all radio listeners are on the FM dial, and we’re having an impact there.”
Talk 107.3 is emphasizing local news and local personalities more than big-name national syndicated talk shows.  However, it is committed to Dave Ramsey in the afternoon and Dennis Miller at night.
In addition to Matt Kennedy and Brian Haldane, the station is betting on Clarence Buggs and Bill Profita.
Gordy Rush said, “Most Top 100 markets have two news talk radio stations, and we felt there was room to grow.”  So in 2011, Guaranty changed the format on 107.3 to news talk.
So far, Rush is pleased.  “We’ve doubled our expenses but quadrupled our revenue,” he said.
“Most of our listeners are conservative, but they know there’s more to life than what’s happening in Washington.  They want to know what’s happening here in Baton Rouge,” he said.
“Our listeners are a little younger.  I think WJBO listeners average about 60, while ours average about 50,” he said.
The station recently signed Clarence Buggs, a long-time name in Baton Rouge radio, to do the Clarence Buggs Show from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. — in direct competition with Rush Limbaugh.
“There’s an audience looking for an alternative to Rush, and Clarence is a good choice.  In a sense, that’s what we offer — alternatives that reach out into the community,” Gordy Rush said.
In addition to local news and talk, Dave Ramsey is a major draw to the station.  After years on WJBO, Ramsey is now on 107.3 head-to-head against Sean Hannity weekday afternoons.   His combination of personal and financial advice have a different appeal.
Moon Griffon mixes tough conservatism with a generous dose of Cajun humor.  His statewide network has a big following.  But he competes in a tough time period, 9 to 11 a.m., when it’s hard to capture listeners.
Dennis Miller keeps his nationwide audience laughing and thinking during his 6 to 9 p.m. time period.
Gordy Rush is excited about Guaranty’s thrust into the digital world.  One of the unique parts of that equation is Louisiana Daily — www.louisianadaily.com, a news site whose content is emailed to subscribers each morning.  “One of the great things about digital is that you know exactly how many people are visiting your site everyday.  Arbitron ratings of radio listenership are imprecise but in the digital world, measurement is exact. With Louisiana Daily, we put the world at the listeners’ fingertips.”
“We’ve been on the air less than two years, and we are committed to the long run — to providing local news coverage and local talk.”
Rush is proud to have captured some of WJBO’s best former newsmen and talk show hosts.
He is especially high on Matt Kennedy. “Matt is one of the most recognized people in the market. He has been in morning drive for 22 years in this market.  Bill Profita has seven years in the market, and Clarence Buggs is an household name.”
Ultimately, Talk 107.3 will have to challenge WJBO in the ratings game, Rush said.
In the ratings, white males are under counted, Rush said, and that’s true of both WJBO and Talk 107.3.
He laughs about phantom ratings.  “Too many people write in their Arbitron books, ‘Matt Kennedy, WJBO’ when Matt has been at 107.3 since we switched formats.”
Arbitron is an antiquated system for keeping tabs of listeners, Rush said.  “They pay people $3 a week to keep a diary. Only 4/10ths of one percent of the population participates, and it’s just not accurate.”
“Going head’s up against a heritage station like WJBO is a process.  But the fact is, we’re making progress,” he said.  He cites a 38 percent decline in WJBO ratings from the fall of 2009 to the fall of 2012.
“At the end of the day, advertisers care about results, and that’s what we’re providing,” he said.
Fortunately, Talk 107.3 has staying power.  Guaranty Broadcasting is a big player in the market and has plenty of time to build for the future.