Radio AM to FM: July 15, 2005
Radio Blunders
I was surfing around the internet this week looking, as I always do, for story
ideas to steal. Lo and behold, I found a great one on the Los Angeles radio forum
of radio-info.com. It was a thread on the worst blunders to ever have happened
in Los Angeles radio.
I, of course, have my own ideas. KHJ going country in 1980, for example, a format
change that reversed the hard work programmer Chuck Martin and crew did for the
station when they brought it back to top-40 glory -- and increased ratings. Country
fizzled on the station due to a few factors: KLAC still dominated the format,
KZLA added to the competition, and the popularity of the movie Urban Cowboy never
brought any long-term effects.
Other blunders as I see them: the change of Martin's (later) top-40 K-WEST to
new PD Jeff Salgo's Magic 106, one of the lamest formats ever to hit the airwaves.
Salgo also had the bright idea of changing the call letters because he thought
KMGG was better than KWST. Or how about the infamous Car Radio KHJ? Or just the
idea of dropping the legendary KHJ call letters?
On radio-info, some of the blunders mentioned included KFI dropping the Dodgers
in the early 1970s -- back when the Dodgers actually brought ratings to stations
carrying them; KUSC attempting to drop classical music in favor of some sort
of new age format; KTZN, The Zone: talk radio exclusively for women (it lasted
about 5 minutes); KODJ/CBS-FM ... as if sterile oldies on KRTH weren't enough;
Fred Sands business radio on 1580 KBLA ... it is said they never sold a single
advertisement in the eight months on the air.
Others: KABC passing on the chance to carry Rush Limbaugh'sprogram
... credited with making competitor KFI a success and ultimately the
dominant
talk station
in town; KMPC dropping standards for talk, Jim "Poorman" Trenton on
urban KPWR ... Poorman was synonymous with alternative KROQ; KMET becoming
The
Wave.
Anything you'd like to add? Drop me a line!
Rumor Mill
Word on the street has Clear Channel looking to buy up ABC owned and operated
radio stations ... if ABC is indeed looking to sell.
What would that mean for local radio? Well, since Clear Channel is already at
their station cap, they'd have to sell as many stations as they bought. With
their standard mode of operation, you could expect them to keep the best signals
and formats, dumping the remaining ones to a broadcaster who agrees not to compete
directly.
No, it would not be a good thing. Let's hope this one never gets past the rumor
stage.
The Legend Continues
Competition is supposed to make things better, right? If two companies compete,
quality is supposed to go up while costs go down.
So why does KLOS sound so much better ever since the demise of sole format competitor
Arrow 93 a few months ago? Is it some sort of renewed spirit on the parts of
the jocks, staff and programmer Rita Wilde? Is it having Joe
Benson back on the
air? Or is it ... something else?
Regardless, I'm giving credit where credit is due. KLOS, you're sounding great!
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Copyright © 2005 Richard Wagoner and The Copley Press.
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