Angry in the Great White North

Some time ago, I wrote about GreenStone Media, the all-women radio station for women about women, and wondered how one radio station for women could possibly think it could talk to all women. I figured that the definition of a woman was restricted to a Gloria Steinem type.

After some time, I checked back. I didn't think it looked good for GreenStone Media, based on the anemic activity on the GreenStone Media blogs.

The news today is bad for GreenStone Media and the fans:

To thunderous acclaim from the liberal intelligentsia, a team of feminist icons - including Gloria Steinem and Jane Fonda - last year launched a women-run radio network. The mainstream media dutifully parroted press releases describing the launch as a "breakthrough" for women in the male-dominated world of talk radio.

The Boston Globe, for example, proclaimed that "GreenStone gives women an outlet." Business Week described the venture as "Talk Radio Minus The Testosterone."

Last Friday, GreenStone Media signed off for good. Why did this effort fail? After all, the programming carefully was designed by feminist experts to appeal to female tastes. According to Steinem, "women are more and more turned off by the hostility and argumentative nature of AM talk radio." Greenstone Media was supposed to capitalize on that by offering a different tenor, more "community" and greater respect for different points of views.

GreenStone offered the typical liberal fare - boasting of interviews with Ralph Nader and Alec Baldwin - but also included programming that was downright girly. Morning show segments included "Mean Mommy," with advice for mothers, and "What's up with Guys," providing insights into the elusive male brain.

So I was wrong on that count. Or not entirely right. Typically liberal, with some innocuous apolitical programming to appear fair-minded and inclusive. I note the lack of truly conservative programming.

But still it failed. Why? The obvious reason, of course. No one was listening:

GreenStone's problem was it couldn't attract an audience of either gender. The programming was picked up by only eight affiliates in small to mid-sized markets. Apparently, GreenStone's programming wasn't the talk that women really want.

It wasn't talk anyone wanted. It is described as tepid and uninspired, with few surprises. In their own words, they were focusing on "community", as if you the packaging of uninteresting information would suddenly make it compelling. It doesn't. These women said exactly what you expected them to say on topics you expected them to talk about. All the warm and fuzzy feelings didn't make it less boring. Apparently their business model was based on the notion that being an all-woman radio station, women would listen no matter what they put on. Sisterhood and solidarity and such.

As anyone on the internet will tell you, content is king. And yes, the phrase uses the male "king" because it is alliterative with "content". Maybe the women at GreenStone were offended by that and so ignored that truism about media success. Well, they paid the price.