Another beautiful music station to disappear?

[passtheword]

I just read on Radio and Records that KWXY-FM in Palm Springs is being sold. It appears it's the same group that bought KWXY-AM last year. I did a search on radio-locator; it looks as though the buyer owns several talk stations there in the Palm Springs area. Will KWXY-FM be the next to go? :'(

Here's the link to the R&R story:

http://www.radioandrecords.com/RRWebSite/NewsStoryPage.aspx?ContentID=e7RP%2bmCl5zQ%3d&Version=0


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[Nick Gerard]

Yes, this is an unusual situation. There's been some discussion of it on the Los Angeles board. In a nutshell:

KDES, the oldies station in Palm Springs, owned by R & R Radio Corp. is on 104.7. The frequency has been sold and will be re-assigned about 40 miles west to Redlands, where it will pick up one of the Spanish language formats and broadcast in the Riverside-San Bernardino market. Concurrently, R & R Radio corp has purchased KWXY, the beautiful music station on 98.5 in Palm Springs (actually Cathedral City, the COL) and reportedly will move the KDES calls and oldies format there.

Jon Bruce, who's on KDES, has posted on radio-info that the KWXY call letters and format will move to one one of R & R's AM properties in Palm Springs, either 1340 or 1450.

Whew! What a come-down for this venerable beautiful music station - from a 50kw FM to an AM graveyarder.

I visit Palm Springs frequently and always enjoy listening to KWXY. It has seemed to me though, that the station has had fewer advertisers in the past couple of years than it did, say, six or seven years ago.

KWXY has had the same format since it was put on the air in the mid-60's by its original and current owner, Glen Barnett.

Nick Gerard

 

[rjoc]

I knew this was just a matter of time. Was just out in PalmSprings last week, and, as always, enjoyed listening to KWXY. They are now annoucing themselves at the "Valley's 24/7 news authority" after their live newcast at 45 past each hour.
I thought the ad load was still pretty respectable. Never more than 3 or 4 songs/instrumentals per set during the day with an ample supply of spots, in my opinion. Also lots of stock market updates during the business day.
Night-time they would frequently go 20 minutes per set, alternating between B/EZ instrumentals and VERY Soft AC/standards/oldies. And live news at :45 after each hour....a real rarity these days anywhere.
Maybe this won't be a done-deal for a while, but just the unfortunate reality of today's broadcasting business makes me think this will happen all-too-soon.

It will be interesting to hear what they sound like, and where they will be on my next trip out there in the Spring; although I will probably read about it here first.
.