The 100.9 translator has been silent for the past couple of weeks. The programming continued on 95.9 HD4 for a few days, but now that seems to be silent, as well.
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Palm Springs Whither La Grande?
- Thread starter Nick Seneca
- Start date
K.M. Richards
Program Director, The Eighties Channel™
Best guess is that Daniel Melendez didn't pay the bills for leasing KJJZ-HD4 from Marker Broadcasting and K265FH from CRC Media West.
If that is the case, La Grande lasted for just shy of one year. La Poderosa appears to have won that format battle.
If that is the case, La Grande lasted for just shy of one year. La Poderosa appears to have won that format battle.
It is still up against Tricolor from Entravision in Regional as well as their adult hits Suavecita.
K.M. Richards
Program Director, The Eighties Channel™
I had forgotten those (but my fuzzy memory tells me it was Poderosa that Grande was targeted against).
But with that much competition overall in the market, I wonder what Melendez was thinking by creating a fourth similarly formatted station which would be signal challenged by comparison?
When I looked at buying in this market about 8 years ago, I thought that I would need two full FMs (an "A" is a full signal in this compact market if the transmitter is in the right place). One would do a KLAX style regional, with more gold than most in the format. The other would do a rhythmic reggaetón blend.
I figured I could beat the other three stations overall. But then I looked at how the owner of one has the Telemundo affiliate and the owner of the other two has the Univision set of affiliations, and I realized that I could not ever compete with the combo of radio and local TV; every time there was a hit soap opera or a major soccer game, the TV stations would push viewers to their radio station(s) and I could not ever buy that kind of promotion.
I feel bad for the guy, because I'm sure that in his heart he gave it a good try. I enjoyed La Grande, even if the imaging was...ahem...a little over the top. I don't know Daniel or anyone associated with the station, but my hunch is they never assembled a competent, hustling, feet-on-the-street sales department. It seems I heard the same 10 or 12 small local advertisers repeatedly for months and I seriously doubted those advertisers were actually paying for all those spots.
I wonder what's next for 100.9.
I wonder what's next for 100.9.
K.M. Richards
Program Director, The Eighties Channel™
Whatever format that whoever has the money to initiate new leases with Marker and CRC wants to program, that's what.
Decided not to renew my Second year of my LMA. Palm Springs has a down season (something we don’t experience in Texas) and that ended up hurting many of my clients and translating to a financial impact on the station . The station continues online with some of the clients staying on board . Focusing right now on La Grande stations I oversee in other markets! David E is right on the money the Combo deal they could offer was not easy to beat. Have a great week!
K.M. Richards
Program Director, The Eighties Channel™
Mr. Melendez, I would like to thank you for the response, and compliment you on choosing to reply yourself.
And you identified what long ago I called "Traverse City Syndrome". Traverse City, MI, had a summer season. Period. The rest of the year it was over-radioed and just a town of 20,000 with 12 or so radio stations.
Over the years, the winter activities have increased, and there is some Indian Gaming and "Wine Country" out of season visiting. But you make most of your money in 4 to 5 months of the year.
Palm Springs is a much bigger market, now at 500 thousand, but the economy moves on the Snowbirds from the north and Canadian Plains. There are over 50,000 homes that are vacant from later May to Late September. And many only come October to March so as not to be considered residents and subject to California's humongous state income taxes.
Radio people used to think that they could live off the peak months, but people who live here and depend on the Snowbirds and tourism know that for 4 to 6 months a year, they may not work... so retail responds differently.
All of which make it as bad a radio market as Key West, St. Thomas (USVI) and Traverse City.
Sorry we did not meet while you were working on your station here!
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