Digital Radio Dials Into Vintage TV

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TV fans remember Robert Conrad as the actor in bygone series “Wild Wild West” and “Baa Baa Black Sheep.” But for radio listeners, Conrad is a contemporary talk show host who’s only a phone call away.

CRN Digital Talk Radio in Sunland produces Conrad’s weekly radio program, which has featured interviews with such actors as Cloris Leachman, Kevin Sorbo, Jon Voight, Gary Sinise and Lynda Carter. The company also produces a political talk show hosted by Fred Dryer, a former pro football star and lead actor on “Hunter,” and a show about the golden age of TV hosted by Larry Manetti, the actor who played club manager Rick Wright on “Magnum P.I.”

Michael Horn, CRN chief executive, said putting yesterday’s TV celebrities on the air is not a nostalgic labor of love but a viable business strategy. In fact, a few weeks ago, CRN launched a show hosted by Bodie Stroud, a custom car builder from the age of hot rods. Horn acknowledged Stroud is a niche celebrity.

“He’s not a celebrity in the larger sense, but in the world of custom cars he is,” he explained. “This is an alternative to traditional talk radio, which is either conservative or liberal. It works for us.”

CRN has eight talk radio channels that can be heard on cable TV. They are distributed by such operators as Cox Communications, Time Warner Cable and Comcast Corp., and are available in 20 million households. Horn said about 0.02 percent of the cable TV audience tunes in at any given time, or about 45,000 – about the same as late-night auto racing on ESPN2 or the 12:30 a.m. rerun of “Life’s Too Short,” an HBO comedy.

The company also resells some of its shows to broadcasters such as Salem Communications, a Christian radio group in Camarillo.

CRN makes money by selling spots to such advertisers as Motel 6, Geico and PetSmart. Depending on the day and time slot, prices vary from $150 to $250 for a half-minute commercial.

Celebrity hosts are paid employees of CRN, but Horn said money isn’t their main motivation.

“They are passionate about the subject matter,” he said. “Bob (Conrad) told me it’s the most satisfying thing he’s ever done because the callers give him instant feedback.”

“I never thought about radio until I was approached to do this show,” Conrad said in a statement. “For me it’s fun because of the things we have in common and because the listeners have a chance to ask questions and interact with them.”

Horn said celebrity hosts always light up the switchboards because callers flock to talk to someone famous.

Although Horn has approached other celebs, sometimes TV acting gigs take priority.

“My first idea about celebrity hosts came when my friend William Shatner wanted to do a wine show,” he recalled. “A few weeks later, he landed a part on ‘Boston Legal.’ But I think someday he’ll be ready to do a radio show.”

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