Stan "The Fan" Charles has announced that his "Sports Exchange" talk show will leave WCBM (680 AM) next year.
Charles, host of the six-nights-a-week show, will drop his Saturday program after the Jan. 28 show and will leave the station after the March 24 program.
"I've had a very nice three-year run at WCBM," said Charles. "It's been my best home since the days of being on the Orioles' flagship station, and if you can't be on the flagship, the next best thing is to be on an all-talk station."
Charles, 42, who had shows at WFBR when that station held Orioles rights and WCAO before coming to WCBM in March 1992, said he was "examining a couple of broadcasting options both locally and out of the area" as well as a possibility out of the industry.
Charles said WCBM wanted him to shift the starting time of his three-hour show to 11 p.m. from 10 p.m., a move he found unpalatable.
"I could not see the show making it during baseball season starting at 11 p.m.," said Charles. "I've got one chance to get the guy who's been watching the game or listening on the flagship station. He flicks to me at 10:15 after the game is over. If that show isn't on, he switches to something else and I've lost my chance."
Sean Casey, WCBM's program director, confirmed that the station had asked Charles to take the later shift, to make room for Les Kinsolving, who will now inherit Charles' slot.
"Obviously, we wanted to keep Stan, but he opted not to renew his contract. The ratings just weren't what we had hoped for in that slot and we needed some better performance," said Casey, adding that the station will get out of sports talk when Charles leaves.
Ratings grabbers
Though they couldn't pull out a win at the Baltimore Arena on TTC Saturday, the Maryland basketball team did quite nicely in the local ratings, according to Channel 2's Peter Leimbach, this week's official "On the Air" ratings supplier.
The Maryland-Massachusetts game got an 11.2 rating and 24 share of the audience for Channel 13, trouncing the Detroit-New York Jets game on Channel 45, which drew a 7.6/18. In the final 15 minutes of the Terps telecast, the numbers jumped to 15.9/32, which is a pro football-like performance.
And speaking of pro football, a lot of people just like you apparently managed to squeeze some NFL viewing in among the holiday parties and shopping. Saturday's Cleveland-Dallas game posted a 15.3/28 for Channel 2, which ties for the highest football rating of the year for WMAR.
Meanwhile, Channel 45 bounced back nicely Sunday. Its Philadelphia-Pittsburgh game (8.9/19) beat the Indianapolis-New England clash on Channel 2 (7.9/16). The 4 p.m. Washington-Arizona game on Channel 45 got an 11.3/20, the best Redskins numbers in Baltimore this year. The Monday night game, Kansas City-Miami, got a 17.1/27 for Channel 13, posting its best rating of the season.
Through 15 weeks, Channel 2's AFC coverage is up one-tenth of a ratings point from last season, and Channel 45's NFC performance is down 34 percent in ratings and shares from what Channel 11 did for the 1993-94 season. Channel 13's Monday night games are down 1.5 ratings points, representing roughly 15,000 fewer homes, from the previous season.
Let's stay together
ESPN and the Southeastern Conference are simpatico on a new contract for football and basketball telecasts through the 2000-2001 season.
The network will carry up to 12 football games on ESPN, with the possibility of four more games on ESPN2, with 12 men's basketball games on ESPN and up to eight more men's or women's games and the women's championship game on ESPN2.