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KPCC Rebrands as LAist 89.3
- Thread starter coachguy6
- Start date
What I may be suffering is a generation gap... or just confusion with a new brand.
But...
I don't get it. The name has no warmth or feel to it. I guess it assumes that everyone living in the LA metro area feel "LA-ish" and wants to identify with the city of Los Angeles. I wonder if that is an identity that, let's say, those in Anaheim or Woodland Hills or Pasadena or any other suburb wants to assume.
This has a sound of a bunch of insiders at the organization deciding, with no research, what listeners and new media users will identify with and like. I get that they want a common identity for all the aspects of the organization but this name, to this old guy, seems kinda' cold and aloof.
And I also wonder how many people will call it El-Ay-ist and how many will turn into Lay-ist, which sounds like a mattress commercial... or worse.
Public radio station KPCC is rebranding as LAist 89.3.
"Public Radio’s KPCC-FM Rebrands as LAist 89.3 in Effort to Streamline Identity Across Media Platforms" (Variety)
In 2018, KPCC acquired LAist, the blog that is dedicated to coverage of things that are happening in Los Angeles. The blog was founded by Gothamist LLC in 2014.
"Public Radio’s KPCC-FM Rebrands as LAist 89.3 in Effort to Streamline Identity Across Media Platforms" (Variety)
In 2018, KPCC acquired LAist, the blog that is dedicated to coverage of things that are happening in Los Angeles. The blog was founded by Gothamist LLC in 2014.
The article doesn't give a start date. The website doesn't reflect the change.
There's a lot of this going on in public broadcasting, getting away from traditional call letters, combining identity with other platforms beyond traditional broadcasting, as they note their potential audience is mainly online. Obviously fundraising will be done in support of the broader platform rather than transmitters & towers. A similar move was done last year with WGBH Boston.
There's a lot of this going on in public broadcasting, getting away from traditional call letters, combining identity with other platforms beyond traditional broadcasting, as they note their potential audience is mainly online. Obviously fundraising will be done in support of the broader platform rather than transmitters & towers. A similar move was done last year with WGBH Boston.
I don't see this happening in New York City. WNYC owns Gothamist; however, New York Public Radio continues using the legacy call letters.
Current.org, which covers public media, says KPCC's news release says the station will start using LAist for its branding in “coming weeks.”
How's KPCC's signal down in the OC?
More important than the branding is do they have a bureau in OC and do they ever cover news happening there?
If they don't, then it doesn't matter.
I would think KCRW would have the better signal over Orange County, but I really don't know.
While KPCC has been known for such programs as the Larry Mantle-hosted AirTalk, a fixture since April 1985, its LAist podcast and news feature service has exploded in stature since its relaunch under KPCC leadership five years ago.
Now, Southern California Public Radio believes the LAist brand is so big, it should be applied to its broadcast operation.
In the coming weeks, all of the organization’s local news and information resources will operate under a unified brand. As part of this change, radio station KPCC will now be branded “LAist 89.3.”
As SCPR sees it, “Coordinating all efforts under one LAist brand – including radio (LAist 89.3), online (LAist.com), LAist on social media, in-person programming and events, and on-demand audio and podcast studio (LAist Studios) – is part of an organizational-wide priority to service the audiences in the region across multiple media platforms in an integrated way.”
Herb Scannell, President/CEO of Southern California Public Radio, explains, “As a leading public media organization we cannot stay static. The moment to change to service more Angelenos and beyond in the platform of their preference is now. A cross-platform approach will be the tip of the spear of our evolution, and a powerful unified brand is table stakes to future-proof our mission. It is essential that we take steps to not only serve current listeners and readers better, but to engage the public media audience of the future. We here at LAist aim to stay at the forefront of innovation when it comes to being a trusted and independent resource for all, in the right places, at the right time. We are made of L.A. We rely on Angelenos and not algorithms to tell us what’s important for them, and that’s how we frame our stories. Our new brand will be an embodiment of that unique way of covering Southern California. With this change we feel better positioned than ever to spark the audience’s curiosity, make them feel more connected with others and their community, help them understand issues that are important to their life, find ways to enjoy their city even more, and even be equipped to make a positive difference.”
Scannell adds that unifying under a cross-platform LAist brand “ensures that news and resources are easily accessible, meeting people where they are: on the radio, online, on mobile devices, in person and on-demand.”
As the FCC sees it, KPCC will remain “KPCC.” But, for those from Ojai to Redlands and from Glendale to Mission Viejo, “LAist 89.3” will soon be a reality.
A SCPR spokesperson declined to respond to RBR+TVBR’s query that the branding shift for KPCC was due to any weakness in year-over-year underwriting support or listener financial contributions.
KPCC vigorously competes for listeners against Santa Monica College’s KCRW, known for its eclectic music programming; California Lutheran University’s KCLU, in Ventura County; and KVCR-FM 91.9 in Riverside-San Bernardino.
More...
According to Radio-Locator -- and I know, I know, but take it as an apples-to-apples approximation -- the 60 dBu contour or KCRW hits just south of Long Beach, and just north of Anaheim, with Santa Ana within the 50 dBu. The contour of the 40 dBu "fringe" signal hits San Clemente.
KPCC's signal into the O.C. seems a little stronger. Santa Ana is within their 60 dBu. It looks like they transmit from further east than KCRW, so they put a stronger signal into coastal O.C.
Exactly. This has got to be one of the dumbist rebrands ever. Nothing like telling a large part of your audience that what we have here is an elitist club, and, ah-hem, you're not included (even if you were previously under the mistaken notion that you were).
I thought folks in the OC loved elitist clubs.
I also thought public radio is viewed by some as an elitist club.
Well, BigA, there's Newport Beach and then there's Santa Ana.
Not hardly. It is nearly 35% Hispanic, 21% Asian and about 2% Black. That means that non-Hispanic whites are just 40% and a minority. The ethnic groups are hardly what one would call "elitists".
I'd say in a car with a good radio, in the absence of terrain blockage and incoming interference, KPCC should be listenable in Orange County, with a bit of high blend on some radios. Yes, a lot of qualifiers. But consider due to terrain blockage there are places in Orange County where higher power Mount Wilson stations have greatly reduced signal.
I think the most interesting takeaway from this is KPCC is the only Class B station on Mount Wilson that is Class B facility compliant.
(Scott Fybush jump in here and correct me if I missed something.) That shows the magic of Mount Wilson is having enough ERP to overcome distance and take advantage of the phenomenal line of sight to most of the LA basin. Even so, Mount Wilson has image significant areas in LA that are terrain blocked. That is where KPCC goes away, but the grandfathered stations hang in there.
The Class B compliant stations on Verdugo and Briarcrest (Hollywood Hills) have the juice problem. That is, not enough ERP to make the distance, and less height than Wilson. However, Verdugo and Briarcrest do not have significant terrain blockage in San Fernando Valley.
Despite all that, it is still LA, home of so many talented people. Every one of those signals is a wonderful thing.
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