new discussion. how to improve KLOS listenership?

[32james]

so what can be done? KLOS bills great, but how can Cumulus improve its listenership?
cut ad time like KSWD does? add more currents to the mix?

your thoughts?

 

[davideduardo]

so what can be done? KLOS bills great, but how can Cumulus improve its listenership?
cut ad time like KSWD does? add more currents to the mix?

KLOS is now 20th in revenue, down around the KKLA range.

 

[TheBigA]

As I've said in the KRTH thread, I feel the problem here is too wide a range of music. Too much old stuff. KCBS and The Sound are really hurting them.

 

[ChannelFlipper]

As I've said in the KRTH thread, I feel the problem here is too wide a range of music. Too much old stuff. KCBS and The Sound are really hurting them.

As I noted in my recent comments regarding KSWD's success (http://www.radiodiscussions.com/sho...-Ratings-September-2014&p=6003700#post6003700), KSWD plays an even wider range of music in terms of how far back their music goes and a larger playlist overall, which they have effectively used to catch and surpass KLOS, so I think your analysis falls flat.

KLOS purged most of the 60's titles several years ago when Bob Buchman came in and for a while were not even playing the Beatles(!). They have since backed off that strict of a policy, but the average age of a KLOS on-air record (and by extension, one presumes, their listeners) is much younger than KSWD.

I think much more of the change can be chalked up to the fact that KLOS decided that heritage personalities* do not matter any more and they can just bring anyone in to spin the 600 song playlist. They let go Jim Ladd, Cynthia Fox, and Rita Wilde, and the Sound was smart enough to pick a lot of them up (although they even more smartly passed on Ladd). In particular, Rita Wilde brought a lot of credibility to the Sound when they were building their brand. While I understand the Heidi and Frank show has settled down since it's rough start and now has kept a decent share of the old Mark and Brian audience, they simply do not have the gravitas to carry the station like M&B did for so many years.

Over the last several years, in my rock music travels (mostly at concerts for classic rock acts like the Eagles, Tom Petty, etc.) and just on the street, nobody mentions KLOS to me anymore; when they discuss local classic rock radio, they always mention The Sound. (I am always doing more listening in these conversations as I want to ascertain what the "man on the street" thinks since I am a radio geek myself and my opinions are already well-established). I find that interesting and after awhile, I begin to feel that these findings are less anecdotal and more representative of a larger trend. People have tuned out KLOS and feel that the Sound speaks to them more.

I am not a Sound honk, although my last couple of posts on this would possibly make you think so. I just think they have done a better programming job over the last few years and the ratings reflect that. If I saw it the other way, I would be glad to heap the praise on KLOS. In fact KLOS does still have some good things going for it, particularly on Sundays where Chris Carter does an excellent job keeping the 30 year old "Breakfast with the Beatles" fresh and Bob Coburn has been playing great free-form rock on Sunday nights. I wish he had more opportunity to do this (maybe Ladd's old 10pm to 2 am slot? Hint hint Mr. program director).

* To be fair, while they did let the big names go, most of the remaining staff are still heritage jocks, such as Bob Coburn, Denise Westwood, Tony Scott, Gary Moore (one of the best) and lately they've even been letting Frazier Smith in the room on Sunday afternoons.