Where for are thou, local radio?

Another example of looking at this week's bottom line as opposed to months down the road. WWWQ Atlanta's morning show "The Bert Show" will be simulcast starting next week.

What's the big deal? The station that will also air it happens to be WNFN, which is in Nashville.

Don't these station manager's look at the possible consequences? Sure, this week they are giddy because they are paying for one morning show production and now airing it on 2 stations.

However, in Atlanta, listeners could either hear about Nashville, which is of no use to them in the morning, if that is the direction The Bert Show takes. If the show does include Nashville related content, it will totally bore the established Atlanta audience, which could scan the dial in search of more local content, and put the current success at risk. If the show does not include Nashville related content, then there is much less of an appeal to Nashville listeners. Instead they could compare The Bert Show to other syndicated content or stick with a truly local show.

Either way, this decision, albeit to save money now, could hurt the ratings for one or both in the long run.

Look before you leap.