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Thursday, July 31, 2008
8/1: Sneak peak of “The Real Housewives of Atlanta”
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Bravo at midnight Thursday snuck in a 30-minute teaser of its upcoming “Real Housewives of Atlanta.” I would have posted this sooner but radio ratings and the Colbert Canton apology got in the way. And I had already done a “Housewieves” entry in Wednesday. So here is what you probably didn’t watch but I did:
Here’s how they introduce themselves in the credits:
“If it doesn’t make me money, I don’t do it,” Lisa said.
“I always knew I was destined for greatness,” DeShawn said.
“I don’t keep up with the Jones. I am the Jones,” NeNe said.
“In Atlanta, money and class do give you power,” Kim said.
“People are intimdated by my success,” Sheree said.
Oh, boy! “Atlanta’s a place where business like me can thrive,” said Lisa, who owns a real estate firm and a clothing line, designs jewelry, paints and has an infant. “Work is my life but I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
She’s impressively chipper. Her husband is a linebacker Ed Hartwell. She’s a workout fanatic. She has a bowling night — at her own home with two bowling lanes. She loves being in front of the camera. The show preview paints her life as busy and incredibly perfect.
NeNe is next. She likes to show off her cleavage and she’s sassy! “I always tell it like it is,” she said. “If you get in with the right people, you can get in any event going on around here.” She lives in an “exclusive gated community.” She’s married to Greg, an entrepreneur. She has a younger son who looks about eight. Her oldest son checks in Clark Atlanta. She thinks she looks younger than the kids there. No age given but she’s probably in her late 30s.
Token white gal Kim is next. She’s a blonde with big hair but she’s no Southern Belle. No discernible Southern accent. “I’m very materialistic,” she admits. “If I die tomorrow, I’ll die wearing Dior.” She’s buds with NeNe. “In Atlanta, you’re it with money,” she said. She buys a packed and stacked Escalade without really paying attention to price. Her boyfriend doesn’t want to be on the show so she calls him Big Papa, a “multimillionaire who doesn’t want to be in public. Some of my girlfriends don’t even know who he is.” She’s a divorcee with two daughters, a 10 year old and 6 year old. “My dream is to be a country singer,” she said. “I want everyone to know who I am.”
Somehow, Kim gets to work with Dallas Austin.
Housewife No. 4 featured is DeShawn, wife of veteran NBA player Eric Snow. “We moved to Atlanta. It’s the land of opportunity for African Americans,” she said. They built a 15,000 square foot home, a monstrosity of new money with chandelier, a chef’s kitchen, game room and lovely master bedroom. They check out the new home on camera. “Best thing about marrying an NBA player is the lifestyle,” she said. She hires an estate manager who oversees the staff.
Sheree is the fifth one. Her vibe: don’t mess with me! “My lifestyle is demanding,” she said. “I consider myself amongst Atlanta’s wealthy elite.” She’s a single mom and at the tail end of a long divorce with an NFL player. “I want a lump sum, seven figures,” she said. “I want to be able to maintain my exact lifestyle if not better.” She has a chef, a hairstylists, a makeup person, a creative director, a PR person and a personal assistant, Ivette Holyfield, Evander’s daughter. “She does everything I don’t want to do,” she said. Lisa calls her a diva and, um, confident. “I’m 38 and I am hot for my age,” she declared. A girl’s night out features Sheree learning to pole dance.
The previews for the rest of the season show NeNe and Sheree clashing. Looks like fun!
I’ve watched only bits of “Orange County” and “New York.” For you “Real Housewives” regulars who did catch the preview, what did you think? Will this be entertaining? Will this make Atlanta look good?
Check it out when the season starts Sept. 16. Or not.
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7/31: Stephen Colbert apologizes for “crappy Canton” remark
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Holy backtrack, Batman! Stephen Colbert has issued what he termed a “rare” apology for last week’s “crappy Canton” comment that “puzzled” mayor Gene Hobgood.
(The line was about John McCain’s schedule. He was listing cities and got to this: “And Canton, and not the crappy Canton in Georgia. I’m talking about Canton, Ohio!”
“Evidently, I offended some people because two days later, I saw this in the Atlanta Journal Constitution,” Colbert said in his Wednesday night broadcast. My colleague Jamie Gumbrecht’s print story is shown on screen and he reads the headline “Colbert’s ‘crappy Canton’ comment puzzles mayor.”
“Seems the mayor of Canton Georiga was none too happy with me,” he continued.
“It’s clear to me he has not been to Canton Georgia,” Hobgood says in a video clip from WXIA-TV.
“You’re absolutely right, Mayor Hobgood” Colbert said, to laughs. “I haven’t. But I hear it’s a beautiful place. Nestled in the scenic Blue Ridge Mountains, Canton is the fastest growing city in Georgia. It has so much to offer like the Canton Historical Theater and the HIckory Creek log dam. Not to mention oxygen and paved roads.”
“Yes, Canton Georgia, a wonderful place to live. So again, Mayor Hobgood. I apologize.”
“Why did I call your lovely city crappy? A simple mixup. I meant Canton, Kansas.”
Then he puts his “crappy Canton Georgia” comment to shame. “That place is a **hole. You can smell that place all the way from Topeka. You know what they say about Canton, Kansas? Nothing. Nobody talks about it. I would say you should convert it to a landfill but that is insulting to landfills. If Dorothy was from Canton, Kansas, she would have wished the house dropped on her. That reminds me of a joke: how many Canton residents does it take to screw in a lightbulb? None. They don’t use lights because they don’t want to see where they live. I’m glad I cleared that up because I don’t want to offend anybody.”
Here’s the video:
I called up Mayor Hobgood this morning and asked him, “Do you think Colbert’s apology was sincere?”
“I think it was about as sincere as anything else he says,” Hobgood said with a chuckle, “especially the comment about our paved roads and air. We do have those. I must say, very good ones, in both areas.”
“Are you happy with his apology?”
“I really am. Some of our people are very excited we have received the attention of such a celebrity,” he said. “I was surprised.. he used it as a great segue into Canton Kansas.” (population: 800 or so vs. 17,000 in Canton, Georgia.)
Hobgood invited Colbert to visit Canton, Georgia. “I’ll honor him and give him a day if he comes,” he said. In fact, he noted, there are Colberts in the county. Perhaps Stephen has distant relatives there since he’s from South Carolina.
He was also bemused that Colbert used his Hobgood name to mine laughs. He said as a kid, people would mispronounce his name Hopgood so he still signs his name with a big “B” to make sure people say it right. And yes, Colbert said it correctly more than once!
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7/31: What do you think of the spring radio ratings?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
As I noted in this story, there’s been lots of action in radio land the past few months.
The key spring Arbitron ratings book just came out, numbers that stations use to set rates and sell ads. Among the new and returning shows, the Regular Guys (Rock 100.5) and Giant Brian (Project 9-6-1) pulled in really strong numbers while Cledus T. Judd (94.9/The Bull), the Morning Mess (Star 94) and Zakk Tyler (Dave FM) all showed some signs of life after miserable winter numbers.
People seem to have transitioned fine at Kicks 101.5 with Dallas joining Caddy. And Don Imus over at 106.7/True Oldies brought in comparable numbers to predecessor Rhubarb Jones.
Tell us what you think!
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7/31: Spring ratings show Regular Guys, Grown Folks, Dave, Project up; Kiss, River, Fish down
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The spring Arbitron ratings book gave some of the first firm signs of where some of the new and returning morning shows stand. If I miss any show or demographic breakdown you’d like info about, email me rho@ajc.com.
Let’s go for the good news:
-For the first time, Grown Folks syndicated morning host Steve Harvey has beaten Kiss 104.1’s Tom Joyner in a key demographic, even with a relatively poor radio signal at 102.5. Steve is now 3rd among 25 to 54 year olds, slipping ahead of fourth-place veteran Tom Joyner. Since Harvey came along in 2006, he has been bit by bit stealing away Joyner’s audience. Harvey’s TV show and standup work has given him much broader (and younger) appeal than Joyner.
-The Regular Guys, in their first full quarter at Rock 100.5, quickly picked up most of their old audience from 96rock, even though Rock 100.5 isn’t as strong a signal 96.1, now Project 9-6-1. The show ranked a commanding second 18 to 34 and sixth 25 to 54. In both demographics, the show more than doubled what the new Morning X had been able to do in 2007 thanks to extremely high time spent listening. As “Southside” Steve might say, “Yeah, come on!” And after abysmal numbers in the winter for the music portion of the station, the mid-days and afternoons improved strongly.
-It appears the Regular Guys didn’t steal from any particular audience. The Zone was more or less flat, 680/The Fan dropped a bit and two of the other three rock stations moved up. Project 9-6-1 and Giant Brian didn’t get hurt by the Regular Guys. Among 25 to 54 year olds, Giant Brian more than doubled its ratings from the winter from 19th to 9th. Over at Dave FM, the new Zakk Tyler morning show bounced back from a poor winter and matched the final fall book with Firfer and Orff. (The strongest daypart for Dave is Mara Davis’ mid-day show, which came in 7th among 25 to 54 year olds, her highest in at least two years.)
-B98.5, with the soft rock format to itself, continues to pull in huge numbers across the board, with Delilah at night doubling her ratings in a year, finishing 3rd. The final spring book for Kelly & Alpha before Steve & Vikki entered the scene was flat, with the show finishing at a solid 7th place among 25 to 54 year olds.
Here’s the mixed news:
-Star 94’s The Morning Mess, replacing Steve & Vikki, is definitely skewing younger. The trio has lost about one-sixth of the total listeners vs. Steve & Vikki among 25 to 54 year olds compared to spring 2007. But its numbers were comparable to those of Steve & Vikki among the younger 18 to 34 year old demographic. And its spring ratings improved from a very poor winter book when Steve & Vikki fans who didn’t like the Mess left in droves. So don’t write them off yet.
-It’s a similar story for Cledus T. Judd over at 94.9/The Bull. After a miserable opening frame in the winter, Cledus gained back a bit in the spring, hitting numbers comparable to Nashville’s Big D & Bubba in 2007. But the station only ranked 18th among 25 to 54 year olds in the morning. Given all the billboard and TV advertising, that’s not exactly a boffo performance.
-Don Imus and True Oldies had its first full book and didn’t really do any better than Eagle. (Hey, at least it’s a lot cheaper!). And the station hasn’t done much advertising so those ratings are from scratch. Imus had far greater time spent listening than Rhubarb but far fewer listeners, too. He ranked 19th among 25 to 54 year olds but probably did better in older demographic cells which I don’t have on me. The station did slightly better the rest of the day with fewer listeners than Eagle but more time spent listening, the same pattern as Imus.
-The Fan fell back to earth after a huge winter book and among men 25-54, fell behind the Zone (though just barely) in mornings and middays while prevailing in the afternoon shift. I don’t have show breakdowns because each station has hours that don’t quite match up to each other and those specific hour-to-hour numbers don’t come out until Thursday. I’ll update this when I get them.
Here’s the not-so-good news:
-The River, after an unusually good winter, fell back to 2007 levels, ranked sixth among 25 to 54 year olds, down from fourth. But it held its own considering Rock 100.5, which is the closest competitor for the station.
-Sean Hannity and WSB-AM dropped to third place among 25 to 54 year olds for the first time in years, falling behind both Ryan Cameron at V-103 and now Michael Baisden at Grown Folks 102.5. The primaries, which dragged on into the spring for the Democrats but was over for the Republicans, did not help him.
-WGST-AM also returned to normal numbers after a strong winter book. In other words, its numbers were not terribly good. I looked at how the station did among 25-54s in the mornings with Tom Hughes five years ago and he was tripling what the station is getting right now with Randy Cook, who is ranked just 24th among 25 to 54 year olds.
-104.7/The Fish has been slipping gradually the past 12 to 18 months for reasons I can’t ascertain. The station ranked 18th among 25 to 54 year olds, down from 10th a year earlier. Kevin & Taylor is a bright spot, maintaining its numbers in that demo and outperforming the rest of the station.
Top morning shows
25 to 54 year olds
Rank, show, station, format (winter rank)
1- Frank and Wanda, V-103, R&B/hip hop (1)
2- Scott Slade, 750/WSB-AM, news/talk (2)
3- Steve Harvey, Grown Folks 102.5, R&B/talk (3t)
4- Tom Joyner, Kiss 104.1, R&B (3t)
5- The Bert Show, Q100, Top 40 (5)
6- The Regular Guys, Rock 100.5, rock (10)
7- Kelly & Alpha, B98.5, soft rock (6t)
8- Cadillac & Dallas, Kicks 101.5, country (9)
9- (tie) Yolanda Adams, Praise 97.5, gospel (8)
9- (tie) Giant Brian Show, Project 9-6-1, rock (19)
18 to 34 year olds
1- Frank and Wanda, V-103, R&B/hip hop (1)
2- The Regular Guys, Rock 100.5, rock (4)
3- The Bert Show, Q100, top 40 (3)
4- The “A” Team, Hot 107.9, R&B/hip hop (2)
5- Murph Dawg & CJ, 95.5/The Beat, hip-hop (6)
6- (tie) Steve Harvey, Grown Folks 102.5, R&B/talk (7)
6- (tie) Cadillac & Dallas, Kicks 101.5, country (10-tie)
8- Scott Slade, 750/WSB-AM, news/talk (5)
9- (tie) Los Patrones de la manana, 105.3/El Patron, Hispanic (9)
9- (tie) Kelly & Alpha, B98.5, soft rock (10-tie)
I had a request for Baisden, 2 Live Stews and Ryan Cameron. So here are the ranks for 3 to 7 p.m. weekdays. I still need to check on the Stews since they air odd hours (1 to 4 p.m.)
Afternoon top 5
25-54
1- Ryan Cameron, V-103, R&B/hip-hop (1)
2- Michael Baisden, Grown Folks 102.5, R&B/talk (6)
3- Sean Hannity, WSB-AM, news/talk (2)
4- Kelly McCoy, B98.5, soft rock (7)
5- Art Terrell, Kiss 104.1, R&B (3)
18-34
1- Ryan Cameron, V-103, R&B/hip-hop (1)
2- E4Real & Shyneka, Hot 107.9, hip-hop (2)
3- Maverick, 95.5/The Beat, hip-hop (4)
4- Michael Baisden, Grown Folks 102.5, R&B/talk (9)
5- Cindy & Ray, Star 94, top 40 (3)
SOURCE: Arbitron ratings, April 3 to June 25, 2008
