KROQ

[radiojomo]

I don't like the fact klos has a fare number of syndicated hosts on the station. Live and local I like

The entire weekday lineup originates from KLOS, including Greg Beharrell, but his show is syndicated out to other stations. The other syndicated shows appear to be specialty shows, which don't move the needle at all considering the hours they are aired.

I bet that's correct. Seems to me they were doing better as strictly classic rock a few years.

I don't see what benefit that would give KLOS except in helping age out its audience a bit faster. The station likely made those small shifts in its music library a few years to better appeal to a younger audience to appease to advertisers. Even then, those musical changes were mostly '90s alternative tracks, but a very limited handful of tracks from significant artists of the era (Nirvana, Foo Fighters, U2, et. al)

 

[davideduardo]

According to the interview, KINK is #1 in Women 18-34, 18-49, 25-54 and teens, while retaining the previous base! That's no small accomplishment without completely changing format!

In the a 3-month 3-book average not including the Christmas season, they are 14th in 25-49, 12th in 25-54, 15th in 18-34 and 15th in 18-24. For some reason they are 7th in teens, but after the top 2 or 3 in teens, everyone has very minimal shares. The AQH Persons in teens is just 300... compared to 3400 in 35-64. Much of the audience is 65+.

They do look better in 35-64 women; 16th in men and 3rd in women. That in itself is a challenge, as agency buys for women tend to stay away from rock formats of all kinds as they usually lean very male.

 

[TheBigA]

I don't see what benefit that would give KLOS except in helping age out its audience a bit faster.

Maybe. We see classic rock stations in other markets doing very well in 18-34. I think the musical changes were aimed at KROQ.

 

[davideduardo]

Maybe. We see classic rock stations in other markets doing very well in 18-34. I think the musical changes were aimed at KROQ.

Of course, LA's 18-34 demo is approaching 60% Hispanic and that is not where classic rock does well... except in markets where the Hispanic population has always been a majority and has been there for 10 or more generations.

Add in nearly 10% African Americans in 18-34 and a very large number of other immigrants from Southeast Asia, India, the Middle East and places like Persia, Armenia and the like and you don't have a strong rock base in the younger demos.

 

[davideduardo]

There's a lot more white people in Portland than LA. I believe Black and Latino listeners account for 15% of the population vs. 50% in LA.

Black and Hispanic combined are now over 60% of the 18-34 population. Add in another 10% for Asians and nearly as much for other first generation immigrants from Armenia, Persia, Russia and other non-Hispanic and non-Asian nations and you have little left for a format that subsists on Non-Hispanic whites.

 

[TheBigA]

Black and Hispanic combined are now over 60% of the 18-34 population.

And Blacks and Hispanics are covered by two stations in the Top 5 of 18-34, with KSCA and KRRL. The other three stations are KOST, KIIS, and KYSR. So there's room for radio to address the other 40% of the population and still show up in the Top 5. This is why I say it's not hopeless for rock radio if it's done well, but so far it hasn't.

Based on what I see in other markets, there's no guarantee that if Audacy targeted the majority of the 18-34 demo that it would be any more successful than it is now.

 

[jt99]

KTBZ-FM in Houston does well 18-34 in a heavy Hispanic market with an Active leaning Alternative format, although the long running morning show certainly could have a part in that. I would certainly be interested to see how well it and KYSR do with Hispanics.

 

[seattlesarchiebunker]

The one thing I have noticed in the last decade is active rock tends to do best with personality-driven drive time hosts.

Right off the bat, I think of KRXQ-Sacramento, KISW-Seattle, and WIYY-Baltimore. All heritage rock stations. The drive time hosts are talk-based, maybe play 5-7 songs/hour (if that), and clean up in those day parts. Rest of the time, they’re middling at best.

Active Rock (or newer mainstream rock) really needs those hot talk-based shows to be any measure of success. I’m sure they could do it with the KROQ branding, but who’d be running those drive time slots?

 

[TheBigA]

Active Rock (or newer mainstream rock) really needs those hot talk-based shows to be any measure of success. I’m sure they could do it with the KROQ branding, but who’d be running those drive time slots?

How many NEW hosts have succeeded in the last ten years? Because that's what's needed at KROQ.

 

[ChannelFlipper]

The one thing I have noticed in the last decade is active rock tends to do best with personality-driven drive time hosts.

Right off the bat, I think of KRXQ-Sacramento, KISW-Seattle, and WIYY-Baltimore. All heritage rock stations. The drive time hosts are talk-based, maybe play 5-7 songs/hour (if that), and clean up in those day parts. Rest of the time, they’re middling at best.

Active Rock (or newer mainstream rock) really needs those hot talk-based shows to be any measure of success. I’m sure they could do it with the KROQ branding, but who’d be running those drive time slots?

So DJs or "personalities" have to carry the music? That doesn't say much for the music.

Back in the day, it was the music that made KROQ "World Famous" long before Kevin and Bean came along.

 

[Yabadabado1]

Good power, not much antenna height in the very early 60's.

They were on that tower since they signed on in 1960 until they were bought by RCRG, and probably for a short time after they were bought. I do remember driving by that tower several times and thinking that it was awfully short for a radio station antenna, the original tower was destroyed by a windstorm in Feb. 1967 so have no idea what the height was before that storm. Since it was so short, maybe that's why they had 118,000 watts of power which they were "grandfathered" into being allowed to keep it at that when the FCC started liming Class B FM stations to 50,000 watts. And you were sorta right about Barberton. Originally ,it was licensed to the city of Barberton but I am pretty sure they never broadcast from there. When they were "Beautiful Music" formatted they sure had a lot of competitors in the area: WQAL, WDOK-FM, WKSW, WAEZ and WBEA, all of them long gone.
As far as you having problems picking it up, seems strange. They were heard as far north as Flint, Michigan. Maybe their pattern was different back then. I remember that they signed off at Midnight Sundays till 6 am Monday for transmitter maintenance at which time I was able to pick up WHNE [Honey Radio] out of Birmingham, Michigan with a 50s/60s oldies format which I absolutely loved since there weren't any stations with that format in the Akron/Cleveland area at the time.
I think the original owners died a few years ago but I used to know some of the people that worked there, but haven't talked to them in decades. Have to see if I can find them again, if they haven't all died.

 

[TheBigA]

So DJs or "personalities" have to carry the music? That doesn't say much for the music.

On the other hand, are you saying the only role for radio is to operate as a music distribution system?

 

[davideduardo]

So DJs or "personalities" have to carry the music? That doesn't say much for the music.

Back in the day, it was the music that made KROQ "World Famous" long before Kevin and Bean came along.

No, it was the music and unconventional jocks like Freddy Snakeskin and the whole crew. It was alternative in total style, not just the music.

 

[davideduardo]

Good power, not much antenna height in the very early 60's.

They were on that tower since they signed on in 1960 until they were bought by RCRG, and probably for a short time after they were bought. I do remember driving by that tower several times and thinking that it was awfully short for a radio station antenna, the original tower was destroyed by a windstorm in Feb. 1967 so have no idea what the height was before that storm. Since it was so short, maybe that's why they had 118,000 watts of power which they were "grandfathered" into being allowed to keep it at that when the FCC started liming Class B FM stations to 50,000 watts. And you were sorta right about Barberton. Originally ,it was licensed to the city of Barberton but I am pretty sure they never broadcast from there. When they were "Beautiful Music" formatted they sure had a lot of competitors in the area: WQAL, WDOK-FM, WKSW, WAEZ and WBEA, all of them long gone.

Back then, around 1960, WDOK was more MOR than beautiful music, and the others were not in the format yet. That's why I listened to a station in its fringe coverage area as there was nothing in Cleveland like it.

As far as you having problems picking it up, seems strange. They were heard as far north as Flint, Michigan. Maybe their pattern was different back then. I remember that they signed off at Midnight Sundays till 6 am Monday for transmitter maintenance at which time I was able to pick up WHNE [Honey Radio] out of Birmingham, Michigan with a 50s/60s oldies format which I absolutely loved since there weren't any stations with that format in the Akron/Cleveland area at the time.

I was at the edge of their indoor coverage area, on a rather early FM portable. Even today, that location is barely in the 60 dbu with a much taller tower.

I think the original owners died a few years ago but I used to know some of the people that worked there, but haven't talked to them in decades. Have to see if I can find them again, if they haven't all died.

There were a bunch of independent FMs back then, and all the ones in Cleveland I visited. None of them made much money, and, of course those that had a sister AM just fed the FM like a pet. At WCUY, we did logs at least a month at a time, as there were no paid ads at all.

 

[Theater of My Mind]

I remember that they signed off at Midnight Sundays till 6 am Monday for transmitter maintenance at which time I was able to pick up WHNE [Honey Radio] out of Birmingham, Michigan with a 50s/60s oldies format which I absolutely loved since there weren't any stations with that format in the Akron/Cleveland area at the time.

Not to hijack the thread but it was WHND (correction, I see that was Monroe, MI, and WHNE was its sister in Birmingham). Awesome deep oldies format with music well before my time but a fun listen with great jingles, there are some airchecks around. I think it was automated at least part of the time so I guess it was a pioneer of voice tracking, not just oldies music. Good topic for the Detroit board. Anyway, back to L.A...

 

[radiojomo]

The one thing I have noticed in the last decade is active rock tends to do best with personality-driven drive time hosts.

Right off the bat, I think of KRXQ-Sacramento, KISW-Seattle, and WIYY-Baltimore. All heritage rock stations. The drive time hosts are talk-based, maybe play 5-7 songs/hour (if that), and clean up in those day parts. Rest of the time, they’re middling at best.

Active Rock (or newer mainstream rock) really needs those hot talk-based shows to be any measure of success. I’m sure they could do it with the KROQ branding, but who’d be running those drive time slots?

I think KLOS is trying to emulate that formula with Kevin & Sluggo, although it is relatively music intensive.

 

[Doctah]

No, it was the music and unconventional jocks like Freddy Snakeskin and the whole crew. It was alternative in total style, not just the music.

How did KROQ rate back in the early 80s, when it was more of a rebel station with a more eclectic playlist and off-the-wall jocks?

 

[semoochie]

In the a 3-month 3-book average not including the Christmas season, they are 14th in 25-49, 12th in 25-54, 15th in 18-34 and 15th in 18-24. For some reason they are 7th in teens, but after the top 2 or 3 in teens, everyone has very minimal shares. The AQH Persons in teens is just 300... compared to 3400 in 35-64. Much of the audience is 65+.

They do look better in 35-64 women; 16th in men and 3rd in women. That in itself is a challenge, as agency buys for women tend to stay away from rock formats of all kinds as they usually lean very male.

I've never quite been able to get the hang of KINK. I'd listen for awhile and it would seem OK and then I'd hear songs that just weren't what I wanted and I'd leave again. It's probably because I've always preferred the hits from whatever generation to the great unknown. That said, I listened awhile today and found it quite pleasant. This latest format adjustment is relatively new and it looks to me like it's finally starting to catch on, so I'm not surprised that the current ratings are better than the previous two. Now, I suppose it's possible that the latest one is a fluke but if we wait for two more, perhaps we'll have a better idea or better yet, wait another year.

 

[ChannelFlipper]

No, it was the music and unconventional jocks like Freddy Snakeskin and the whole crew. It was alternative in total style, not just the music.

With all due respect to Freddie (and he was and is entertaining) I never heard anyone say, "put on KROQ, I want to hear the Freddie Snakeskin show."

The only DJ with that kind of cache was Rodney B., and that is not because of his quirky English delivery, but because he played a much more diverse playlist, especially European music otherwise not played. Again, it was the music that made the show.

I must confess, I have a small personal habit that goes against my own point. I tune in Egil on SiriusXM at night just to hear him talk in his unique accent, especially when he says "Siwius XM" with no R.

 

[ChannelFlipper]

On the other hand, are you saying the only role for radio is to operate as a music distribution system?

Let's put it this way. A music format without DJs or "personalities" is still a music format. A personality without the music is a talk format. Therefore, to put the "personality" above the music is like putting the cart before the horse.

In my childhood, the DJ that had the most impact on me was Wolfman Jack. NOBODY sounded like him; he was entertaining on his own. But he never made himself the star of the show. He talked about the music constantly, it was the star.