popular thinking

DAVID LEE ROTH, ONE WEEK LATER

And a little bit about Howard Stern, too. First, Mr. Stern. I don't own Sirius, also don't own XM. But as someone who covers pop culture, it's a valid question to wonder whether now is the time for me to either buy a satellite radio or ask my employers to subsidize such an operation. And not simply because Roth isn't cutting it. That's not the issue. Nor is that a valid statement just yet. The issue is whether a substantial amount of people are listening to any one satellite radio program, whether it's Stern or Opie and Anthony or Eminem or Bob Dylan. And what constitutes a substantial amount? Or, what is the tipping point? If Sirius jumped from 600,000 subscribers to 3.3 million, is half of that due to Stern? Most of it? If so, does that mean the media needs to start monitoring satellite radio?

Perhaps a valid parallel is cable TV. At what point did the media start actually writing about HBO and Showtime original programming? Or USA? TBS? TNT? Should they have been paying attention sooner than they did? Well, it's all hindsight now. But still worth pondering...

Now, as to Mr. Roth. I stand by my original opinion. David Lee Roth is no Howard Stern, nor is he any sort of Adam Carolla. Roth acts like a new talk-radio host, still getting his on-air feet wet -- odd to think about, considering how much experience he has in the public eye, but not odd considering how others have needed a transition time in learning how to be a talk-show host. But Roth is adapting to his new New York City station's all-talk format. And that's what his show sounds like. Talk radio. Not morning radio. It sounds more jarring here in Boston on a rock station like WBCN-FM, but in New York, it's part of the format. The added sidekicks get in the way more often than not. Roth still veers too quickly from one thought to another. But maybe, just maybe, he'll settle in. Conan O'Brien did. Jimmy Kimmel did. So can Roth. But morning radio listeners have to know that if they tune into Roth, they're getting a retired rocker who wants to talk serious issues and play fun tunes, and may not have a long attention span. That's his show. Love it or leave it.