Couple of points, first, on topic. Format flips in medium and major markets are rarely telegraphed to clients. It's interesting, however, how the flips get telepgraphed through the grapevine by way of technology, particularly the Internet and media such as message boards. Seems the format flip at KLSX was discussed months before it happened. Although the moniker "Amp" was never in play, the speculated CHR format, was correct.
I've been through a few format flips in my career; most notably 97 Rock Buffalo, a heritage AOR that flipped to AC in January, 1985. (Yeah, the paleolithic era.) It was one of the uglier format flips ever because 97 Rock was beloved by masses of 18-34 Album Rockers who turned on their radios one morning to hear Barry Manilow in place of Bob Seger, America instead of AC/DC.
I don't know what was more difficult; watching my colleagues get fired "en masse" while I dodged a bullet because I was a production guy or having to pull an airshift and play "Morning Train" and "I Honestly Love You." I hated the AC format, but for me it was all about getting a check and being able to support my family.
Early in my career I learned that radio to a large extent was about being a professional mercenary. Small consolation that the AC format tanked. The AOR clients hated the AC format, which they felt was incompatible with their products. Most clients cancelled, despite being offered 2 for 1 and even 3 for 1 commercial packages. To the listeners the flip from AOR to AC was an assualt on a station they considered to be "their" tribal voice.
Six months later, sensing my AC grace period was about up, I moved to WNYS, one of four CHR stations in the market. (Four? Hell, it was the 80s!) In September 1986, Pyramid changed the call letters of WNYS to WHTT and flipped from CHR to Classic Hits, which was more to my liking. I went from playing Prince and OMD to playing the Doobie Brothers and Rascals.
The CHR listeners' outrage was strong but short-lived as they gravitated to the three competing CHRs in the market. The Classic Hits format became a raging success (1986-'89) and lasted for a few years until 97 Rock returned to the airwaves as a Classic Rocker. WHTT was knocked out of the box and out of the format and switched to WHTT / Oldies 104. The Oldies format (89-2004) was a consistent winner in the 25-54, 35-64 demo.
Advertisers accepted the transition from Classic Hits to Oldies and renewed or signed up in droves. Some Classic Hits listeners adapted to Oldies, and those who didn't found their way to back 97 Rock, as did I in 1990.
Fast forward through the late mid and 90s when I moved from production director of 97 Rock to program director of WGR-AM, a moderately successful news-talk station in the Clear Channel-Critical Mass mode. The year 2000 saw my dismissal and I rather than moving out of market, I moved back to WHTT, where I played the Oldies and did production.
Enough format changes? Feh! WHTT progressivley morphed from being a bonafide Oldies station to playing 60s-70s-early 80s Classic Hits to its present 80s-90s-2000+ based AC format as Mix 104.1. The Oldies listeners handled the transition to Classic Hits reasonably well, but a considerable number of listners showed resistance when John Mayer, Kelly Clarkson and Maroon Five were put in rotation. Moxing to Mix shored up the 35-44 Women. Some, but not all 55-64s departed.
And speaking of departed, I did middays until January 23 of this year when my "position was eliminated." Although it's not pleasant, I harbor no ill-will. There are a lot of people going through this and most are worse off.
It seems the longer a format has been in place, the more difficult it is for listeners to accept change. The poster who described changing formats as being "a sign of failure" for ownership and management is concerned had it right. But to listeners, a format change is usually seen as an affront, as if something that was rightfully theirs had been taken away. This likely is more the case in large-medium markets like Buffalo, which can be affectionately described as "the largest small town in America."
I'm not sure managment and ownership can finesse a new format into place, but management of KLSX deserves credit for giving their talk show people a chance to say their goodbyes. It's a luxury most of us don't and won't get.
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[EDIT-response to removed content]
I've been through a few format flips in my career; most notably 97 Rock Buffalo, a heritage AOR that flipped to AC in January, 1985. (Yeah, the paleolithic era.) It was one of the uglier format flips ever because 97 Rock was beloved by masses of 18-34 Album Rockers who turned on their radios one morning to hear Barry Manilow in place of Bob Seger, America instead of AC/DC.
I don't know what was more difficult; watching my colleagues get fired "en masse" while I dodged a bullet because I was a production guy or having to pull an airshift and play "Morning Train" and "I Honestly Love You." I hated the AC format, but for me it was all about getting a check and being able to support my family.
Early in my career I learned that radio to a large extent was about being a professional mercenary. Small consolation that the AC format tanked. The AOR clients hated the AC format, which they felt was incompatible with their products. Most clients cancelled, despite being offered 2 for 1 and even 3 for 1 commercial packages. To the listeners the flip from AOR to AC was an assualt on a station they considered to be "their" tribal voice.
Six months later, sensing my AC grace period was about up, I moved to WNYS, one of four CHR stations in the market. (Four? Hell, it was the 80s!) In September 1986, Pyramid changed the call letters of WNYS to WHTT and flipped from CHR to Classic Hits, which was more to my liking. I went from playing Prince and OMD to playing the Doobie Brothers and Rascals.
The CHR listeners' outrage was strong but short-lived as they gravitated to the three competing CHRs in the market. The Classic Hits format became a raging success (1986-'89) and lasted for a few years until 97 Rock returned to the airwaves as a Classic Rocker. WHTT was knocked out of the box and out of the format and switched to WHTT / Oldies 104. The Oldies format (89-2004) was a consistent winner in the 25-54, 35-64 demo.
Advertisers accepted the transition from Classic Hits to Oldies and renewed or signed up in droves. Some Classic Hits listeners adapted to Oldies, and those who didn't found their way to back 97 Rock, as did I in 1990.
Fast forward through the late mid and 90s when I moved from production director of 97 Rock to program director of WGR-AM, a moderately successful news-talk station in the Clear Channel-Critical Mass mode. The year 2000 saw my dismissal and I rather than moving out of market, I moved back to WHTT, where I played the Oldies and did production.
Enough format changes? Feh! WHTT progressivley morphed from being a bonafide Oldies station to playing 60s-70s-early 80s Classic Hits to its present 80s-90s-2000+ based AC format as Mix 104.1. The Oldies listeners handled the transition to Classic Hits reasonably well, but a considerable number of listners showed resistance when John Mayer, Kelly Clarkson and Maroon Five were put in rotation. Moxing to Mix shored up the 35-44 Women. Some, but not all 55-64s departed.
And speaking of departed, I did middays until January 23 of this year when my "position was eliminated." Although it's not pleasant, I harbor no ill-will. There are a lot of people going through this and most are worse off.
It seems the longer a format has been in place, the more difficult it is for listeners to accept change. The poster who described changing formats as being "a sign of failure" for ownership and management is concerned had it right. But to listeners, a format change is usually seen as an affront, as if something that was rightfully theirs had been taken away. This likely is more the case in large-medium markets like Buffalo, which can be affectionately described as "the largest small town in America."
I'm not sure managment and ownership can finesse a new format into place, but management of KLSX deserves credit for giving their talk show people a chance to say their goodbyes. It's a luxury most of us don't and won't get.
_________________________________________________
[EDIT]
[EDIT-response to removed content]