I'M 'SCHIZOPHRENIC'! AGREED

During the KEYS format blackout there was a lot of speculation about Eric, the station, General Manager Randy Brown's agenda, etc.

And a tiny bit of speculation about me. You can always depend on the crazies at caller.com to provide wildly nonsensical speculation about all things they don't know about and the KEYS shake up was no exception.

One poster wrote a book about the changes at KEYS. His speculation was that since I was quoted in a story, I obviously would be around for something. His thought was that if Eric moved to the morning, I would take a daily 5PM slot for one hour. What would that look like? This commentor is obviously a big time listener to both talk radio stations as evidenced by his/her knowledge of all the players and the depths to which (s)he had details about each show. Here's what (s)he had to say:

Hilliard in the afternoon.
Currently Joe Hilliard has a one hour program on Saturday that is very difficult to describe. He tends to talk stream of consciousness, weaving in-and-out of events going on around town. He’s as likely to talk about illiteracy in the Coastal Bend as he is to discuss where to find the best breakfast taco. Every few weeks he conducts ‘on the lighter side’ interviews with big name local guests. He never talks partisan, national politics and, to my knowledge, has never revealed his political affiliation. In the rare occasion that he talks local issues, he is very passionate with a clear opinion and is sometimes more engaging than Von Wade or [Zzzzzz] who are much more passive. On the Saturday following the council vote to end negotiations with Brass, Hilliard’s hour on the Memorial Coliseum was more informative and engaging than anything I’ve heard the other three local hosts say on the subject.
If he is moving to weekdays at 5PM for an hour-long lead in to Savage, his show could work with some changes.

Hilliard’s strengths are the entertainment value of his program, his non-partisanship, his ability to get interviews with almost anyone locally—including guests I don’t hear on Von Wade or [Zzzzzz]—and his knowledge of the arts and culture scene.

Hilliard’s weaknesses are 1) his non-partisanship. I believe he can get honest interviews with newsmakers because he doesn’t seem to push a political agenda in those interviews, but some listeners may not enjoy ‘equal time’ for non-conservatives. He allows them to be themselves and off guard. Local talk radio listeners like their hosts ultra-conservative and Hilliard doesn’t play that card.

2) Schizophrenic content. Being a Hilliard listener requires patience because you never know what you’re going to get on any given Saturday. You might hear a show about downtown development; you might hear an hour long rock trivia contest; you might hear Henry Garrett talking about motorcycling across America. Many people may prefer to know, generally, what they can expect before the show begins. To succeed in the afternoon, Hilliard must define his show more clearly which he may be unwilling or unable to do.

3) Lack of name recognition. Even though he puts on a entertaining show, the Saturday time slot hasn’t made him the household name that [Zzzzzz] is.

I can't argue with much of any of this. The show has always been contrary to the unwritten rules of talk radio--especially conservative talk radio. I'm not a conservative talk radio host and I've never wished to talk politics at a national level. Know your wheelhouse--national politics is not mine. When I talk local goings-on--and expect more of that by the way--partisan politics doesn't factor into it. At least not the issues I discuss. It doesn't matter who you vote for for president to know what to do with the coliseum or to discuss CC's brain drain.

The show is a nice show and that is why we can get guests--we're nice. And the guests typically have fun if they allow themselves to.

I might adopt the phrase Schizophrenic Content. It's fair and funny assessment. I believe, though, that the show will come into focus a little more and that that's overdue. It's been tough figuring out what to do with one hour after having the luxury of three hours. With three hours you could relax and have fun. One hour requires focus and, admittedly, that's been lacking.

I don't have it all figured out, but I'm getting closer.