Wednesday, July 18, 2012
On KCUR and Jabulani Leffall
You have to hand it to KCUR.
They had a huge opening in their daily program lineup, what with the retirement of "Mr. Kansas City," Walt Bodine.
They needed someone to come in and build a program around, someone to talk about Kansas City and they selected one Jabulani Leffall.
In the first place, I don't believe anyone knew of Mr. Leffall. Not many, locally, knew his name, really, I don't think, so that's tough.
And let's be honest, he's a black man and that, with a white audience, could still, even today, be a gamble, sadly, unfortunately.
But KCUR took it.
Good for them.
It's odd about radio, isn't it?
You can't see the person but the color of the person somehow, strangely can be a consideration for why the audience listens. Or doesn't listen.
The only other radio station in town to have any programs more specifically for blacks--programs that cover minority issues, other than KMXV (93.3 FM), which is more purely music, is KKFI ((90.1 FM) and that just isn't much coverage in this city for African-American and other's issues. Let me make clear, too, I'm certainly not saying that Mr. Leffall covers black or minority issues singularly, far from it. It's just that he covers some of these issues, along with others, and not a lot of other radio stations or programs do locally.
So KCUR chose this unknown but award-winning young man and ran with it. (If you're still not that familiar with him and his work, you might go to the links below at KCUR. He's written and worked for some very big, renowned organizations, for sure).
It would be good to know the ratings of his program now, especially compared to what it was with The Walt Bodine Show.
Hopefully the ratings are about the same, at minimum. It would be terrific if those ratings were even higher.
Hopefully people are listening. He has, I think, gotten more comfortable and relaxed with the show and his own delivery, it seems. At least it seems that way to me. I can't imagine what others think.
Radioman? Others? Thoughts? Input?
Links: http://kcur.org/programs/central-standard
http://kcur.org/people/jabulani-leffall
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4 comments:
While I'm a liberal, I always wax philosophical about corporate decisions. I'VE ALWAYS FELT THAT COMPANIES HAVE A RIGHT TO RUN THEMSELVEWS INTO THE GROUND!
I don't know too much about this guy and I don't listen to him. I've only noticed that too many liberals take PC to the point of its illogical absurdity.
I suspect that KCUR was more preoccupied with political correctness than trying to replace Walt Bodine with a similar candidate to keep that white, upscale, probably elderly audience!
Liberal media has a tendency to do that in these contemporary times, even if it's not in its own logical best interest to do so!
I'm sure KCUR could have found something better to fit that emptiness, but they clearly wanted to stop looking when they found a minority player who sounded fairly good.
So let them live with him. Who are WE to say he was a bad choice, until we look at his ratings and acceptance?
Moreover, public radio talk show choices (hosts and topics) are very problematic, for so many reasons!
I had to do PA programs in radio years ago, and I just HATED IT because I knew few people where interested in that fare, and they were always bitchy.
Thanks for the insights.
And while I do agree on your point for why KCUR likely chose Mr. Leffall, I also think it was, in fact, the right thing to do. Also, sure, it may have been driven by wanting to either be PC or wanting to do the right PC thing, I think it's good for Kansas City.
Hopefully it's successful for them and him. We'll see, of course.
Side question: what's a PA program? I'm foreign to the industry.
America must absolutely increase the representation of under-represented groups in business and politics; however, when organizations simply promote members of those groups on the basis of mere identity, they end up putting forward people who may be ambitious, but aren't necessarily very good.
This isn't substantially different than the surfeit of barely competent white guys who get to the top on the basis they're ambitious, well-connected and look good in a suit.
Of course, when a barely competent minority makes it to the top, naturally, that's just outrageous to white guys, and prima facie proof that minorities get special privileges! But I digress.
Thing is, Mr. Leffall just isn't very good — despite his career pedigree.
Broadcast interviewing is a business that requires prodigious mental quickness and the ability to compose elegant sentences on the fly. Yet Mr. Leffall could hardly be described as either quick-witted or articulate.
I can practically hear Mr. Lefall's gears grinding while he tries to compose the sentences he is often reduced to almost stammering out. This on the rare occasion he's actually listening to his subject and trying to extemporaneously construct a meaningful line of questioning — rather than just waiting to ask the next question on his clipboard.
Is he better than the zombie Walt Bodine that KCUR pathetically propped up for the last couple of decades?
Definitely.
But the best person for the job? That couldn't possibly be the case.
(BTW: PA = public affairs)
And thanks, too, for your thoughts, Crusty, along with RDM.
I have to say, though I think it took guts for KCUR to select a minority--any minority--for the job and that it is and was important to do so and while, as I said, I would like the new program, "Central Standard" and Mr. Leffall, both, to be successful, I personally can't bear to tune in most days. He has gotten better, I will say that. When first on, he seemed so formal and rigid it was painful to listen. Now, I'm usually not interested in his subjects. That's not always true but it frequently is.
I still wish him, the program and KCUR luck.
All that said, if I had to put money on it, I'd have to come to the assumption that listenership is down. Possibly down sharply. And again, I certainly hope that's not the case. It may be a situation of a program trying to find itself, still, along with it's "core audience."
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