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10/5: Dave Ramsey in Atlanta
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Syndicated debt-fearing consumer talker Dave Ramsey (heard locally 3 to 7 p.m. on WGST-AM) weekdays) visited Atlanta and held a free workshop Thursday evening for 500 people at the Waverly-Renaissance Hotel off I-75 and I-285 next to the Cobb Galleria.
He’s in good spirits. Ramsey, who made his early money in real estate, at age 47 has seen his career trajectory gradually grow. More than a decade after he started syndication, he’s now up to 337 stations and has a new show on the upcoming Fox Business Channel that launches October 15. (I first interviewed him in 2001 when he had just 35 stations.)
“It’s kind of exciting,” Ramsey told me before his seminar. “I’ve got a lot of learning to do.” He said his face betrays his thoughts and he has to restrain himself when someone says something he doesnt like while on TV. “I could never win a poker game,” he said. Otherwise, he hopes to have some regular segments but won’t be playing off the news very much. He just hopes his radio show, in which he helps solve people’s financial problems with a faith-based foundation, can translate on TV.
During the talk with the WGST listeners, in which he walked through his life history, he mentions that he’s “the Clark Howard of Nashville.” After the crowd laughed, he said, “I’d just like a little piece of his world here.” And knowing that getting ratings, it’s all about branding so he asked the crowd: “What station am I on?” “WGST!” the crowd responded. (He said he and Clark are competitors but “have mutual respect.”)
“I’m riding from the airport with this guy. I ask him, ‘You ever listen to Dave Ramsey?’ He responds, ‘I love WSB!’ “That’s brand confusion,” he said.
Later, he notes, “I’m not Tom Cruise doing TV. I’m not any smarter. I’m a B student, maybe a C student depending on what class I was in. I didn’t quit. The only redeeming character I have his I tell the truth, sometimes brutally. Other than that, I don’t quit. Ever. You can do it too!”
His show is not corporate owned. He runs his own syndicated show and it’s taken a lot of time for him to build respect in the business. “I’m going to show up every day,” he said. “I’m going to help people every day. If you kick me off, when your replacement comes in, I’ll be back. I will outlast you.”
As for the mortgage crisis, Ramsey says it’s overblown, that problems are primarily focused on the subprime market. “Regular mortgages are just fine,” he said. “Rules are still the same. Nobody is freaked out except the news media. The mortgage meltdown is in the subprime market. It’s horribly constructed loans with high interest rates and prepayment penalties given to people already struggling with bad credit.”
ABOVE: WGST’s morning hosts Randy Cook and Spiff Carner introduced Ramsey at the workshop. Carner notes the physical resemblance between him and Ramsey.
Ramsey’s “Total Money Makeover” event at the Gwinnett Arena is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. November 8, followed by two smaller events on Friday November 9. Get more info here.
Comments
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By Bud
October 5, 2007 9:46 AM | Link to this
Who could have forseen his show becoming such a hit? His show will catch on even more as the mortgage meltdown and credit crunch continue. Kudos to Dave for being able to syndicate his own show and succeed on his own terms. Yeah, he went bankrupt, but he came out of it and went on to help many other people buckle down and pay their bills without declaring bankruptcy.
By jss
October 5, 2007 1:41 PM | Link to this
I’ll save everyone some time. Pay your bills. Don’t spend more than you make. Save money for retirement. There, that about covers it. No charge.
By plutarch
October 5, 2007 1:54 PM | Link to this
Kinda like weight loss…consume fewer calories, exercise to burn more calories. No need to buy diet or exercise books.
By ma573zda
October 5, 2007 9:38 PM | Link to this
c879t
By Michelle
October 8, 2007 10:23 AM | Link to this
Well, if everyone HAD common sense, we wouldn’t need people like Dave telling them what to do!
Good for you Dave!
By William Phillips
October 10, 2007 11:23 AM | Link to this
Please send press releases or anyother pictorial so that I could push it out to my clients.
Thanks again…,
William