"THE BIG SHOW" on AM 820 WWBA

After a falling out between Mark Larsen of "Mark Larsen's Morning Magazine," in December of 2009, and WWBA executives, Mark Larsen was replaced with "The Big Show" on January 4, 2010. Mark's show held the 6 a.m. - 9 a.m. slot at AM 820, and the former AM 1040 before 1040 went on the sports bandwagon.
Larsen pulled no punches, speaking and professing as he thought- a process based on facts, and a small business owner prowess. While Larsen made PLENTY of enemies, his on-air persona-in my opinion-was just a slightly embellished reflection of his everyday self. After reading news story after news story, Larsen injected his "two Cents" into them, and showed relationships between the national stage and the local roll call of citizens. Numerous callers vented frustrations, or voiced accolades as the mornings began around Tampa Bay. "Mark Larsen's Morning Magazine" on AM 820 WWBA was the only morning news show to follow a traditional news-talk format while balancing local and national news and accepting calls on a regular basis.
"The Big Show" on AM 820 WWBA, with Mike Reeves, Jo Jo Walker, and Bill Connolly is quite a contrast against "Mark Larsen's Morning Magazine." Beginning in January of this year, "The Big Show" promised to be a "fun" show, a "entertaining" show, and an "informative" show. It was built as a show like no other...the build-up was/is correct. It's like no other since the "morning zoos" of the 1980's.
I grew up in and around the Washington D.C. metropolitan area from the mid-1970's through the late 1980's. I remember my mother tuning in a station called "Q-107" while we got readied for the torture called public school. "Q-107" was an obvious FM station, no different from any other FM station which hosted a "Q Morning Zoo." Complete with mediocre "morning" music sandwiched between nonsensical "news" stories, coffee breathed chit-chat about the irrelevent "news," and the weak attempts at humor-complete with duck quacks. Thus far, in their approximate 2 weeks in Larsen's slot, "The Big Show" is only missing the mediocre music.
Now you're probably saying, But Turbo, the 'Q' shows are on FM. It's not fair to compare an FM format without comparing 'The Big Show' to AM shows of the same period." You're correct. During the same period, in the D.C. area, AM 630 WMAL had a morning show called, "Harden and Weaver." "Harden and Weaver" were a couple of gentlemen a bit past their "prime." Now remember, their WMAL show was prior to the abolishment of the feared "Fairness Doctrine" by President Ronald Reagan. An abolishment which-whether we like it or not-allowed the infamous Rush Limbaugh to flourish.
Back to H and W..."Harden and Weaver" spoke of the local fender-bender on Wisconsin Avenue, or hit the high points of last night's Bullet's (now the Wizards)game (no pun intended), or chuckled about a peculiar scent in and around the studio. They never really went into any further detail other than what was pulled off the teletype; The usual slanted pull off from the Washington Post. I can't remember if they had a "Quack Quack," but one of them would impersonate a stereotyped elderly lady. Cheap, inexpensive filler between a Capital's hockey game, Bullets game, or the worshipped Washington Redskins Sunday. How am I doing so far?
With experienced news reporters, Roger P. Schulman and Shayna Lance, it is difficult to fault "The Big Show's" hard news breaks-Haiti, MacDill, local Police and Fire stories. News-Talk AM 820 WWBA executives should allow the true news-talk Veterans (Schulman and Lance) to host their own show from 6 a.m. - 9 a.m. Both give-and have given-WWBA mornings class.
On the other hand, "The Big Show" Reeves and Walker show an apparent (hope I'm spelling correctly) "low ball" approach. It's as if they themselves are trapped in the excesses that the '80's in America brought us-much to do about nothing. . The hype doesn't account for the substance. "Big Show on AM 820 WWBA is as vacant as the "Miami Vice" houses were after South Florida law enforcement busted the middle men in the South American cocaine industry. For example, earlier this week Reeves played a "Q" style parody about a ficticious FM country station, "WKKK." Huh? To which Reeves insinuated that country music fans are racists and backwards. This from a man who reads "Vanity Fair" and praises his facial plastic surgery. Another skit focused on bashing "Schnitt-J," a ficticious FM host. Perhaps Mike Reeves and Jo Jo Walker should try again at a "Q" station on the FM bandwidth. "The MJ Morning Show," which airs from 6 a.m. - 10 a.m. on 93FM WFLZ would rightly squash Reeves, Walker, and Connolly. Not that I listen to "MJ," but "MJ" is good at what his audience expects. Unfortunately for AM 820 WWBA, WWBA listeners are more "informed" than the typical demographic that is attracted to FLZ during that time slot. I can only assume that WWBA is slowly losing their educated listenership. Lest we forget the bathroom "humor" that is now rampant during "The Big Show."
"The Big Show," on AM 820 WWBA, weekday mornings from 7 a.m. - 9 a.m. is a "Big Let Down." After all the subliminal resume references of Walker and Reeves, complete with their "extensive" careers in the radio industry (or so the puff piece report ((http://www.tbo.com/ Walt Belcher January 19, 2010)) reports) one would think "The Big Show" AM 820 WWBA would rely on more than "What happened on American Idol?" "How's the Golden Globes doing?" "What is going on with Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien?" "We're just having fun right?" One who is "funny" shouldn't have to tell people they are "having fun," right? (My hat is off to "Lawrence from St. Pete." for even attempting to get into a political discussion with Mike Reeves last week. It is okay Lawrence, it's hard to converse with someone who stated, "We don't get angry around here." That's right Mike, go to your happy place...breathe in....breathe out...)
...even the bump music is mediocre '80's "party music." You know the kind, played from the speakers of a Chevy Caprice or Camaro, driven by a girl named "Donna," wearing loud colored oversized Wayfarer rip-offs.
Still WWBA executives think they are providing a service to the community. The question is, "Which community are they speaking of, or to?" Is it the "community" of St. Petersburg Times subscribers, or the 15% of the community who only get their news from other sources and news-talk formats? Might it be the community who tunes in from 6 a.m. - 6:30 a.m....then listens to the paid advertising for buying Gold...then tunes back in for "The Big Show?" Or is it the community who listens from 6 - 6:30, goes potty (quack quack) gets the kids out the door, then tunes BACK in at 7 a.m. for "The Big Show?" If "The Big Show" keeps it up, it may add up for a big loss for AM 820 WWBA owned by Genesis Communications. Don't think Mark Larsen's departure is an anomaly, a similar incident occurred on the afternoon drive with "Malcolm Out Loud," another "unresolved" compensation dispute-complete with Genesis saying they are trying to "serve the community." Huh? Malcolm is/was as middle of the road as one can logically get...but that's another blog for another day.
"WHO: Mike Reeves Jo Jo Walker Bill Connolly
WHAT: "The Big Show"
WHEN: Mon-Thurs. 6 a.m. - 6:30 a.m. then 7 a.m. - 9 a.m., Fri. 6 a.m. - 9 a.m.
WHERE: AM 820 WWBA