• Get involved.
    We want your input!
    Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.

    After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
    If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.

    After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
    https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/

    Thanks in advance and have fun!
    RadioDiscussions Administrators

Format flip?

Biggest format hole: 1940s-50s-60s MOR hits. But no station will play that music anymore---they want younger listeners.

Second biggest format hole: 1951-1963 pop/r&b oldies. But no station will play that music anymore---they want younger listeners.

Third biggest format hole: 1950s-60s classic country. But no station will play that music anymore---they want younger listeners.

Next question?
 
radiofan said:
These stations need a flip. Klac Kabc Ktnq Ktlk.

KLAC has arguably the second-best AM signal in the market. They have the Dodgers for years to come. They won't always be as bad as they've been playing lately. Sooner or later, if not already, the Lakers will regret leaving KLAC. With tweaks here and there, sports should do just fine at 570.

KABC is living on its heritage and reputation. The old ABC ownership/management is long gone. Different people are running things. What would you do? Just about everyone that made KABC great at one time are either dead or playing shuffleboard. The signal is problematic in some areas. The reigns of Maureen Lessard and Diana Cridlund obliterated KABC, and they're still recovering. How do you make this mess attractive to listeners and advertisers?

KTNQ should be changed to what? Mr. DE can correct me if I'm wrong, but I was under the impression that their heads were above water, if not doing great. And if they need to change, should they beam in English? I don't think that you'll be seeing the Ten-Q Duck there again.

KTLK has a decent daytime signal, and a lengthy history going back to their days as KRKD. What can they do that isn't being done?

It's much easier to point out problems than to offer solutions.
 
Eh I still think it's ridiculous that there is no active rock station in LA. You've got platinum rock bands under the age of 40 like Shinedown, Halestorm and Deftones that tour all over the country and have no airplay here because all we have are dinosaur stations. Probably why they play Oklahoma 2-3x on tour and LA once.
 
LARadioRewind said:
Biggest format hole: 1940s-50s-60s MOR hits. But no station will play that music anymore---they want younger listeners.

Second biggest format hole: 1951-1963 pop/r&b oldies. But no station will play that music anymore---they want younger listeners.

Third biggest format hole: 1950s-60s classic country. But no station will play that music anymore---they want younger listeners.

Next question?

Amen from one who the advertisers don't want. I still buy stuff, I have to, but they just don't care. But whenever I find a station playing what I like I do go out of my way to support their sponsors. I even mention where I heard about them when I am buying. And I listen to all of the music you mentioned and I love it.
 
traxan said:
Eh I still think it's ridiculous that there is no active rock station in LA. You've got platinum rock bands under the age of 40 like Shinedown, Halestorm and Deftones that tour all over the country and have no airplay here because all we have are dinosaur stations. Probably why they play Oklahoma 2-3x on tour and LA once.

Don't understand why the bands you mentioned would play Oklahoma "2-3x on tour and LA once". I'd guess the reason is Oklahoma City at the junction of I-35 and I-40 is basically "on the way" to somewhere else...

In the ENTIRE STATE of Oklahoma there are three AAA stations. One is a college non-com running 1kw on an antenna 60 feet tall in Tonkawa, Oklahoma a town of 3,100 people. The other, a Class A FM station in Soper, Oklahoma that covers a total population of 300 people. The largest facility is in Pryor, Oklahoma a "massive" market of 3.000.... So the total audience reach is around 6.500 people IF everyone in the towns from cradle to grave listened and that is NOT likely.
 
Jay Walker said:
traxan said:
In the ENTIRE STATE of Oklahoma there are three AAA stations.

AAA is adult album alternative...."alternative" aimed at 30-50-year olds (and older)....it's not active rock. Oklahoma has at least a couple of top-rated active rock stations KATT (OKC) and KMOD (Tulsa).
 
Well, the Pryor station in OK is part of the Tulsa market, #66, although the station you're refering to is KMYZ which is Alternative, similar to KROQ and KYSR.

And that's why LA has no Active Rock station. Most of the listening by men in their 20s, 30s and 40s is to Alternative stations and Classic Rock stations (KLOS and KSWD).

LA used to have an Active Rock station, one of the best known in the U.S., KNAC 105.5. But the owners realized they'd make more money with Regional Mexican. Today, there is a KNAC in California, but it's between Bakersfield and Fresno, a part of California where Active Rock apparently goes over better than Alternative.

LA used to have what then was called Soft Rock but now is called Adult Alternative. CBS tried the format TWICE on 93.1 as KNX-FM. But each time the ratings weren't that great. Could it work these days? In nearby San Diego, KPRI is now consistantly in the Top 10. Yet KFOG in San Francisco, while profitable, is only ranked at #17. And that's with two signals, 104.5 in the North Bay and 97.7 in the South Bay. (Didn't KSWD try Adult Alternative briefly before settling on pop-leaning Classic Rock, while KLOS does its harder-edged Classic Rock?)

As for AM stations, I wouldn't know how to boost the ratings on any of the existing AM stations. According David Eduardo, KLAC makes a lot more money than its ratings would indicate. Same with KSPN. As said above, KABC has signal limitations, even though I can remember in the 70s the station was #1 in LA. Today the same signal doesn't cut it. I'm surprised Cumulus tries as hard as it does to do local programming on KABC, and not simply use it to clear the Cumulus Talk line-up in Market #2.

Someday the AM band, except for KFI, KNX and a few others, may simply break down to all Ethnic and Religious broadcasters. As it is, LA now has stations in Korean, Mandarin, Cantonese, Farsi and others. I don't think we'll abandon AM radio in our lifetimes. But as the prices drop, they'll be bought by ethnic and religious groups, to communicate with their audiences. Enjoy their general programming while you still can!
 
MarkO said:
Jay Walker said:
traxan said:
In the ENTIRE STATE of Oklahoma there are three AAA stations.

AAA is adult album alternative...."alternative" aimed at 30-50-year olds (and older)....it's not active rock. Oklahoma has at least a couple of top-rated active rock stations KATT (OKC) and KMOD (Tulsa).

Got it...
The stations you list, KMOD and KATT, show the format as "AOR" in the 6+ online ratings available, which back when I was in programming (moons ago) stood for Album Oriented Rock. I am familiar with both stations as I worked in both markets before the fragmentation of the rock format...

I've always had a hard time figuring out the difference between "alternative" "Active Rock" "AOR" and "AAA"
My question:
What are the target demos for "alternative" "AAA", "Active" and "AOR"?

However, my original point about the touring schedules of bands playing OKC/Tulsa is still because OKC/Tulsa "is on the way to somewhere else"...

Thanks!
 
Gregg said:
LA used to have an Active Rock station, one of the best known in the U.S., KNAC 105.5. But the owners realized they'd make more money with Regional Mexican.

A little more background, as "I was there": KNAC's owners sold the station because the ratings were down around a 1.0 and they were losing money. The new owner saw the limited coverage of 105.5 reached a high percentage of Hispanics and flipped to a different format after the sale.

A similar thing happened with AAA KSCA. The Gene Autry / Golden West ownership saw the station hovering around a 1.1 to 1.2, and sold... blaming the signal. But within 6 months as a regional Mexican format, the station was in the 5 to 6 share range and #1.

Someday the AM band, except for KFI, KNX and a few others, may simply break down to all Ethnic and Religious broadcasters. As it is, LA now has stations in Korean, Mandarin, Cantonese, Farsi and others. I don't think we'll abandon AM radio in our lifetimes. But as the prices drop, they'll be bought by ethnic and religious groups, to communicate with their audiences. Enjoy their general programming while you still can!

Like all markets, there are few really good signals (very few in many markets) on AM. The rest can't compete for general market audiences, and look for niche formats. Even some niche opportunities shrink: with more Spanish language FMs, stations like KWIZ (AM) in Santa Ana could not survive and so that facility became all-Vietnamese, serving a significant concentration of Vietnamese residents in the Westchester and surrounding area communities. KSKQ 1540 used to be Spanish, and fell victim to FM growth and is now, IIRC, in Korean. KALI 1430 was, in much of the 70's, the leading Spanish language station... now it is focused on the Asian community also... because that is what their signal delivers.
 
radiofan said:
These stations need a flip. Klac Kabc Ktnq Ktlk.

OK:

KLAC. Flip? That station billed over $16 million last year, which is up about 70% over 2011. They are doing great, and are the 4th highest billing AM in the market.

KABC. This one is likely on the fence, deciding if it should go with the CBS / Cumulus joint sports venture or find something else. It does not have the signal to compete with the major stations in the market.

KTNQ. Part of the national Univision América network, and viable. This is another station that has seen its signal, particularly at night, outgrown by the market.

KTLK. Clear has one station too many on AM. KFI and KLAC take 8% of all market revenues, but beyond mainstream talk and sports, what else is there to do with an AM? Like KTNQ, a decent daytime signal, but deficient at night.
 
traxan said:
Eh I still think it's ridiculous that there is no active rock station in LA. You've got platinum rock bands under the age of 40 like Shinedown, Halestorm and Deftones that tour all over the country and have no airplay here because all we have are dinosaur stations. Probably why they play Oklahoma 2-3x on tour and LA once.

Hear, hear! Ever since KNAC went bye-bye in 1995, nobody ever really picked up the mantle. There's 96.7 in the Inland Empire but it's a peanut whistle station--once you hit about Laverne or San Dimas, forget it!

And KLOS is "classic rock," of which this is my translation: "We play the same three songs over and over again: 'Stairway to Heaven,' 'Hotel California' and 'Light my Fire.' If we really feel more dashing than usual, we'll play 'More Than a Feeling.'"
 
traxan said:
Eh I still think it's ridiculous that there is no active rock station in LA. You've got platinum rock bands under the age of 40 like Shinedown, Halestorm and Deftones that tour all over the country and have no airplay here because all we have are dinosaur stations. Probably why they play Oklahoma 2-3x on tour and LA once.
Um, what about KROQ and KYSR? I hardly think the demos for those stations are "dinosaur".
 
RicoGregg said:
radiofan said:
These stations need a flip. Klac Kabc Ktnq Ktlk.

KLAC has arguably the second-best AM signal in the market. They have the Dodgers for years to come. They won't always be as bad as they've been playing lately. Sooner or later, if not already, the Lakers will regret leaving KLAC. With tweaks here and there, sports should do just fine at 570.

KABC is living on its heritage and reputation. The old ABC ownership/management is long gone. Different people are running things. What would you do? Just about everyone that made KABC great at one time are either dead or playing shuffleboard. The signal is problematic in some areas. The reigns of Maureen Lessard and Diana Cridlund obliterated KABC, and they're still recovering. How do you make this mess attractive to listeners and advertisers?

KTNQ should be changed to what? Mr. DE can correct me if I'm wrong, but I was under the impression that their heads were above water, if not doing great. And if they need to change, should they beam in English? I don't think that you'll be seeing the Ten-Q Duck there again.

KTLK has a decent daytime signal, and a lengthy history going back to their days as KRKD. What can they do that isn't being done?

It's much easier to point out problems than to offer solutions.

The only way you can listen to AM these days is over the internet. There is too much buzzing on the AM dial unless you only listen in your car. I like to listen on a walkman or at home. Smartphones drive you crazy with all the buffering. Walkman reception is bad now it's not what transistor radio used to sound like. I used to listen to WABC in the midwest back in the 60's and WLS AM in LA back in the 70's and 80's.
 
hm insulators said:
Hear, hear! Ever since KNAC went bye-bye in 1995, nobody ever really picked up the mantle.

Why would anyone try? KNAC failed due to declining interest in the music and changing demos in LA.
 
JON BRUCE said:
David means Westminster for the 1480 Vietnamese, Westchester is for 1460 KTYM.

Thanks for the catch. That's exactly what I meant.
 
JohnnyOhJohnny said:
RicoGregg said:
radiofan said:
These stations need a flip. Klac Kabc Ktnq Ktlk.

KLAC has arguably the second-best AM signal in the market. They have the Dodgers for years to come. They won't always be as bad as they've been playing lately. Sooner or later, if not already, the Lakers will regret leaving KLAC. With tweaks here and there, sports should do just fine at 570.

KABC is living on its heritage and reputation. The old ABC ownership/management is long gone. Different people are running things. What would you do? Just about everyone that made KABC great at one time are either dead or playing shuffleboard. The signal is problematic in some areas. The reigns of Maureen Lessard and Diana Cridlund obliterated KABC, and they're still recovering. How do you make this mess attractive to listeners and advertisers?

KTNQ should be changed to what? Mr. DE can correct me if I'm wrong, but I was under the impression that their heads were above water, if not doing great. And if they need to change, should they beam in English? I don't think that you'll be seeing the Ten-Q Duck there again.

KTLK has a decent daytime signal, and a lengthy history going back to their days as KRKD. What can they do that isn't being done?

It's much easier to point out problems than to offer solutions.

Smartphones drive you crazy with all the buffering.
Not mine. If you have a decent phone, carrier and coverage area, you experience no buffering (at least I don't on iHeartRadio).
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom