Krth 101 personality changes - weekends purged?

[Art Landing]

Yes, anyone can make any statement on here they want - subject to moderation, of course.

But whether its KRTH and you or Juls and WPHT in Philadelphia endless repetition gets a bit tedious. Times have changed, you and lots of other oldsters (including me frankly) don't like everything that has happened in the last fifty years, but restating our feelings ad nauseum accomplishes nothing. There are other stations besides KRTH - was the old version really THAT great that only it is important?

When one remembers KFI, KMPC KLAC and others in the fifties and sixties I submit their contribution to Los Angeles radio history was a significant in their day as any FM station. Their problem, as has been cited here before, is that the percentage of radio listening has shifted from AM to FM and other media/platforms. TV newspapers and cable have declined as well. Its the new reality.

 

[TheBigA]

When one remembers KFI, KMPC KLAC and others in the fifties and sixties I submit their contribution to Los Angeles radio history was a significant in their day as any FM station.

Everyone thinks that their era was the best, and everything that came after sucks. I learned that from my grandfather. That's what this endless thread is about.

 

[gr8oldies]

And they say it's the millenials who are the entitled generation. When my Mom wanted to hear some song she danced to in 1954 in 1994, she was SOL unless the Music of Your Life station happened to play it. Now we can find literally everything ever recorded in the rock and roll era online and often for free, but we're demanding some radio station function as our personal 8 track player. I don't get it

Everyone thinks that their era was the best, and everything that came after sucks. I learned that from my grandfather. That's what this endless thread is about.

 

[michael hagerty]

And they say it's the millenials who are the entitled generation. When my Mom wanted to hear some song she danced to in 1954 in 1994, she was SOL unless the Music of Your Life station happened to play it. Now we can find literally everything ever recorded in the rock and roll era online and often for free, but we're demanding some radio station function as our personal 8 track player. I don't get it

One of the things that surprised me most as I began collecting airchecks in the 90s was how contemporary the MOR stations of the 60s were. With relatively few exceptions, they played no music more than 5 or 10 years old...and 80 percent of their music was current. That was radio for 40-year-olds of the time. They weren't getting the songs they loved from WWII, and they weren't whining about it. Time had moved on and Stan Kenton had been replaced by Sergio Mendes. For the most part, they kept up with it until they hit their 50s, which was about the time the MOR stations became early AC stations and had replaced Sergio with Chicago...then they moved on to Beautiful Music and the beginnings of Music Of Your Life.

 

[TheBigA]

For the most part, they kept up with it until they hit their 50s, which was about the time the MOR stations became early AC stations and had replaced Sergio with Chicago...then they moved on to Beautiful Music and the beginnings of Music Of Your Life.

That's exactly right. Of course this was also back when there were far fewer radio stations, and less format specialization. That started to come in the 70s with FM, and really exploded in the 80s with Docket 80-90.

But yes, back then, the over 60 crowd had to be content with Beautiful Music or a small number of standards stations. There really was no place to hear Johnny Ray or Les Paul by 1962. And those songs were just ten years old at that time. This idea of playing 40 years of hits is a very recent phenomenon.

 

[oldies76]

It's been an experience posting here over the years, but the time has come to move on.
Unless I see a compelling reason to return (which is unlikely), others and future new posters can try to get the message across besides myself.

The radio professionals have it one way and the music listeners will have it another. It will always be that way and that's fine.

No sense continuing anymore with the same reasons any longer. So long.

oldies76

 

[michael hagerty]

It's been an experience posting here over the years, but the time has come to move on.
Unless I see a compelling reason to return (which is unlikely), others and future new posters can try to get the message across besides myself.

The radio professionals have it one way and the music listeners will have it another. It will always be that way and that's fine.

No sense continuing anymore with the same reasons any longer. So long.

oldies76

... he said for the third or fourth time that I can recall.

 

[Element9]

Whether it's here, Facebook or any other board or forum, whenever a person makes a grand farewell, this adage comes to mind: "Put your hand in a bucket of water...withdraw hand... observe the void in the water."

 

[Bob Hudson]

Anyone know why Dave Mason resigned as KRTH APD/MD? He wasn't there all that long and it's not like there's a bunch of great radio jobs to go home to in San Diego.

And Greg Simms is headed north to do weekends at KRTH, which must mean that, as usual, weekends are for announcers, not personalities.

 

[michael hagerty]

Anyone know why Dave Mason resigned as KRTH APD/MD? He wasn't there all that long and it's not like there's a bunch of great radio jobs to go home to in San Diego.

And Greg Simms is headed north to do weekends at KRTH, which must mean that, as usual, weekends are for announcers, not personalities.

Dave only needed one in San Diego, Bob...and he found it. He's going back to XHPRS in San Diego, which is giving him his Assistant PD job back. Jay Coffey is out.

Whether Dave quit to go back or KRTH dumped him and XHPRS moved quickly to catch him isn't clear.

 

[K.M. Richards]

One of the things that surprised me most as I began collecting airchecks in the 90s was how contemporary the MOR stations of the 60s were. With relatively few exceptions, they played no music more than 5 or 10 years old...and 80 percent of their music was current. That was radio for 40-year-olds of the time. They weren't getting the songs they loved from WWII, and they weren't whining about it. Time had moved on and Stan Kenton had been replaced by Sergio Mendes. For the most part, they kept up with it until they hit their 50s, which was about the time the MOR stations became early AC stations and had replaced Sergio with Chicago...then they moved on to Beautiful Music and the beginnings of Music Of Your Life.

My radio career started at a MOR station (KOVA in Ojai CA) which survived only by going more contemporary but keeping one "classic" per hour plus a six-hour big band era program on Saturdays. Four years after I left, the hourly "classic" song was gone, replaced by two "easy listening" hits from the mid-60s to early 70s. Two years later, they went beautiful music (just in time for the demise of that format) and were in a current-based format two years after that.

By that time, another of my former stations (KAAP in Santa Paula) was doing automated adult standards on AM and was contributing nothing to the bottom line, which was entirely funded by the co-owned FM CHR. At one point they sponsored a big band dance party ... at which a grand total of 12 listeners turned up.

It went automated Drake-Chenault oldies a few months after that.

 

[krth101]

I'd like to go back and revisit the original intent of this post and ask once again if anyone can further explain the reasons why KRTH chose to let 4 quality broadcasters go all at once. And to proceed to let a 5th go this week with the sudden departure of Dave mason.

*If it is cost cutting by CBS why are we not seeing similar moves at their stations in other markets? If KRTH*is doing as well in the ratings as has been noted here, wouldn't this be an unusual time to let the talent that took it to the top go? Even more curious, the word i received *from someone inside the building stated that the weekend ratings were actually better than the weekdays.

The only conclusion I can draw, is this recent purge, along with the phasing out of Charlie van dyke must be the sole decision and vision of the new pd. Where I question a previous response indicating "the man in charge" hasn't changed, and that the new pd reports to the head of CBS, obviously chris ebbot has clearly some autonomy in where he's taking the station. Just like the definition of classic hits changes from market to market and pd to pd, these other programming elements must as well. How much of this is CBS and how much is it chris ebbot?

At the risk of being redundant, how interesting is it that the station climbs to number one in July and some fairly dramatic changes occur just 3 months later. It should be noted that the ratings have declined since the change of leadership took place as well. Coincidence that the new pd is right in the middle of all this. I think not

 

[michael hagerty]

I'd like to go back and revisit the original intent of this post and ask once again if anyone can further explain the reasons why KRTH chose to let 4 quality broadcasters go all at once.

*If it is cost cutting by CBS why are we not seeing similar moves at their stations in other markets? If KRTH*is doing as well in the ratings as has been noted here, wouldn't this be an unusual time to let the talent that took it to the top go? Even more curious, the word i received *from someone inside the building stated that the weekend ratings were actually better than the weekdays.

I don't know about other markets, but KNX also let a few people go last week.

Randall, Walker and Amierto had been there long enough to get a few raises. Their replacements would only have to be paid union scale. So there could be a cost component.

And remember that shares are percentage of audience listening to the radio. Weekends might have a higher rating, but all that means is a bigger slice of a much smaller audience than is listening weekdays.

The money is made Monday through Friday. I have corresponded with Dave and Sky over the years. I think they'd be the first to acknowledge that Gary Bryan, Jim Carson and Shotgun Tom took KRTH to the top, not the weekend staff.

 

[TheBigA]

The only conclusion I can draw, is this recent purge, along with the phasing out of Charlie van dyke must be the sole decision and vision of the new pd. Where I question a previous response indicating "the man in charge" hasn't changed, and that the new pd reports to the head of CBS, obviously chris ebbot has clearly some autonomy in where he's taking the station.

What do you prefer: Someone in NY making changes or someone in LA?

The timing of CVD was clearly and obviously due to his contract ending. Go back exactly one year, and you'll see a discussion about his contract renewal. He obviously got a one year extension that ended in August. So the timing was his. Perhaps the others also had contracts coming up. LA is an AFTRA market.

 

[krth101]

Thanks for the feedback. It's not a matter of making change. It just seems very premature to see such dramatic moves a mere 90 days after being the top station for the first time in the stations 40 plus year history. One would have thought mr. Ebbot would have enjoyed the view from the top at least for a little while.

Any idea what time slot Scott Shannons show will occupy *when it debuts 2 weeks from now? Seems strange to see a 4 hour syndicated show, not hosted by local personalities *on KRTH

 

[TheBigA]

Any idea what time slot Scott Shannons show will occupy *when it debuts 2 weeks from now? Seems strange to see a 4 hour syndicated show, not hosted by local personalities *on KRTH

Shannon of course was a familiar voice to LA when he was at the Pirate 25 years ago. A lot of those listeners are now in KRTH's core demo.

WCBS is running the Shannon show Sunday nights, so that's probably where it'll air on KRTH.

By the way, my suspicion is that because it's a national show, you're more likely to hear music that isn't typically in the daily KRTH library. This is not to say that he'll play something completely off the grid, but there's a better chance you'll hear it there than in morning drive.

 

[gr8oldies]

WOWO in Ft. Wayne (one-time sister of KFWB) was one of the stations I grew up with, and one of the few reliable strong day and night signals where I lived. There were times in the 70s they rocked harder than top 40s WMEE and WPTH, while keeping the news, farm, weather and full service features (The Little Red Barn featured country music). If they had wanted to play 30 or 40 year old music they could have, as they had a full time music librarian. WJR and WLW would play Andy Williams, Perry Como and Robert Goulet, but always their latest releases before gradually mixing in what we would now call "A/C". I would imagine the product wouldn't have been available if a station did want to play WWII oldies. Those songs largely weren't available to consumers. The first Big Band/Nostalgia station I remember was WRFD, Columbus "The Unrock of Central Ohio". Then Al Ham came along and the rest was history. Of course, Al Ham launched "Music of Your Life" records, bringing some of the pre-rock oldies back.

 

[michael hagerty]

I would imagine the product wouldn't have been available if a station did want to play WWII oldies. Those songs largely weren't available to consumers. The first Big Band/Nostalgia station I remember was WRFD, Columbus "The Unrock of Central Ohio". Then Al Ham came along and the rest was history. Of course, Al Ham launched "Music of Your Life" records, bringing some of the pre-rock oldies back.

In Los Angeles, KMPC had a library that went way back, as did KFI (which got use out of it because of Chuck Cecil's "Swingin' Years"). But by and large, the stations played very little that was more than 5 years old. That generation didn't define itself by the music of its youth until it was in its 50s, adult contemporary replaced MOR and Al Ham gave them Music Of Your Life.

Boomers were the first generation to sink, en masse, into nostalgia in their 30s.

 

[Thomps2525]

Michael, don't forget the old KGRB (named for owner Robert Burdette and his wife Gloria), which was at 900 AM in West Covina and played big-band music from the original 78-rpm phonograph records.

gr8oldies, may I add some detail? And you know I'm not the detail adder I used to be...but Westinghouse bought WOWO in 1936. Westinghouse bought KFWB in 1966 and installed Bob Oakes as program director. Oakes created the "news boom," the sound effect that was used at the beginning of every newscast, not only on KFWB but also on WOWO. An interview with Oakes can be heard at http://historyofwowo.com/interviews.html

Westinghouse sold WOWO in 1982 and KFWB in 1995. We now return you to your regularly scheduled KRTH discussion.

 

[gr8oldies]

I had listened to that interview on the WOWO site. Yes, the "boom" was nationally famous, KDKA, WBZ, etc..Folks, check it out if you have a minute!