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Letter: KOWL defends programming switch


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To the community,

KOWL 1490 AM “Tahoe’s Talk” was one of the original Rush Limbaugh affiliates from his days being based out of this region in Sacramento.

KOWL canceled the Rush Limbaugh show and it is off air as of this week. As the station owner and GM I made the decision. This was done for economic reasons and not for political reasons. I spent several years as the morning show host on KOWL and was well known as “lefty liberal”. However, I would often defend Rush Limbaugh on air as having the right to say what he wants to say as this is America and we have that freedom. He spoke out against a society where everyone boycotts everyone else that offends them.

I repeatedly said that it should be up to the free market and not a knee-jerk reaction to someone’s opinion. And now the free market has spoken. Rush has repelled local, regional, and national advertisers from KOWL costing the stations thousands of dollars in advertisers. Since KOWL is a small unrated market, advertisers would rather just avoid the whole station than take the risk of being associated with Rush’s increasingly toxic brand.

In addition to that, Rush Limbaugh is one of the only shows in radio to charge a monthly fee to affiliates. I spent a lot of time negotiating directly with Limbaugh’s syndicator. I told them that we didn’t want to lose his show, but that we couldn’t pay him a fee in addition to him losing us money repelling advertisers and they refused to drop the monthly free. Ironically, they lost the fee anyway and a long time affiliate. I really don’t understand why they forced our hand like this, it’s now a lose-lose situation.

As further proof that I did not do this for political reasons, I replaced Limbaugh with another prominent conservative who does not charge a monthly fee and is not on the radio industry “controversial programming list” that advertisers avoid: “The Dennis Prager Show”. Prager now airs live on KOWL from 9am-noon Monday-Friday in the same spot that Limbaugh occupied for well over 20 years.

KOWL is a news-talk station that represents a variety of opinions from across the political spectrum with national shows. We have live local news each weekday morning and CBS news at the top of every hour. We thank Rush Limbaugh for his years of representing the conservative side and now hand that torch off to Dennis Prager.

Steve Harness, KOWL owner-general manager

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Comments

Comments (19)
  1. duke of prunes says - Posted: August 13, 2015

    Remember that time when Rush promoted the idea that all drug users should go to jail, and then it was revealed that he shopped doctors for oxycontin?
    I guess he is that lucky few percent that didn’t die from that poison. Oh well.

  2. M. Elie Alyeshmerni says - Posted: August 13, 2015

    Good choice, Steve.
    I think you will have a great reaction to Dennis Prager.
    He is bright and engaging. He often has amazing conversations with people who disagree with him. No vitriol. Just a soft spoken dialogue by both sides.

  3. Biggerpicture says - Posted: August 13, 2015

    Good riddance to bad rubbish.

  4. Dumbluck says - Posted: August 13, 2015

    The Donald Trump of the airwaves lost his edge years ago.

  5. Justice says - Posted: August 13, 2015

    Most people listen to KKOH 780 out of Reno anyway and have for years because of the power and coverage. Rush’s show is the most listened to show on talk radio in the country and he can charge whatever he wants while his advertisers are many and always growing. The letter author’s spelling is very odd and would give an English teacher a serious hair-pulling fit. Might want to hire someone in the office with a college degree for future press releases.

  6. Cautious and Skeptical says - Posted: August 13, 2015

    Yes, I agree Dennis Prager is a great replacement show and will stand the test of time

  7. copper says - Posted: August 13, 2015

    Tell whatever tale you want, Steve, everyone within range of KOWL’s electromagnetic radiation just saw a 1.5 point increase in their I.Q.s. I know you don’t believe me, but I’ll bet you wind up listing it as a public service with F.C.C.

  8. Dogula says - Posted: August 13, 2015

    As usual, the tolerant lefties coming out and bashing everybody whose views don’t correspond to the prevailing fashion.
    Diversity of skin color, sexuality, but NEVER of ideas.

  9. Biggerpicture says - Posted: August 13, 2015

    C’mon Dogula, show us what comments on this thread are “bashing everybody whose views don’t correspond to the prevailing fashion.”

  10. gigguy says - Posted: August 13, 2015

    Good thing you’re in the business of talkers and listeners. I am stunned that a business owner would do a press release without running a spell check.

  11. Cranky Gerald says - Posted: August 13, 2015

    Come on people….this letter is easily as accurate as the average Tahoe Trib article. Listen and give him a break.

    Justice, I am not sure I buy your concept that Rush’s advertisers are growing. That is rather the opposite of what I’ve heard from other sources. What are the facts?

    If Rush is so popular, what happened to all his TV shows and appearances? There was a time when you could not turn on TV without running into his face and mouth.

    I further believe that the talk radio genre has lost some of it’s allure except to the way-out-to-the-right listeners.

    I have listened to Rush on long night drives, because he was so outrageous it kept me too mad to doze off. I guess that makes him useful after all.

  12. Kits Carson says - Posted: August 13, 2015

    This is liberal politics trickle down at it’s finest. I’m offended so I think I will boycott liberals. LOL

  13. Liberule says - Posted: August 13, 2015

    Lol!!! Accurate as a trib article! I honestly do not understand how that rag is still around. The publisher is about as motivated as a rock.

  14. Hikerchick says - Posted: August 13, 2015

    Limbaugh spewed hatred, anger, divisiveness,prejudice and skewed stories of national and international events. And way too many people believe him and spread the anger and hatred around. The last thing our nation needs.

    It makes me sad to know how many children have been exposed to his vitriol because their parents are glued to it. I think a lot of his listeners are disappointed with their own lives and his condemnation of everything from food stamp recipients to Muslims gives them a place to “put it”.

    Good riddance to a hypocrit and a blowhard.

  15. Kits Carson says - Posted: August 13, 2015

    With Rush gone I suppose we can leave it up to the intelligent people of Ferguson to spread hate and anger, along with the fool in the white house and his right hand man…Al Sharpton. They’re all doing a fine job of it. Oh, but it’s not THEIR fault.

  16. Redfacedrepublican says - Posted: August 13, 2015

    Sometimes I try to imagine what Kits Carson might looks like. I imagine him as an overweight 50+ white male, shoveling heaps of red meat and soda down his gullet. All the while shouting at his computer about liberals. Ugly picture if you ask me..

  17. liberule says - Posted: August 13, 2015

    Really? I always thought Kits was a “she”. Shoveling food down its gullet is a certainty though.

  18. SCTahoe says - Posted: August 13, 2015

    No surprise with this decision. Any business in Tahoe that openly advertised on this program would suffer the open minded yet intolerant wrath of the liberals. Everyone needs a boogy man and there is just no room for strong conservative opinions in California anymore.
    Of course nowhere does it say listenership was down…just advertising. I’m curious what story those numbers tell.

  19. nature bats last says - Posted: August 19, 2015

    I think kitty litter looks in the mirror and sees rust limpaugh…