Go Country Makin' Changes????

[romer979fm]

Similarly, data posted on the Nashville board shows no country station even in the top 5 25-54 there.

that's divided amont three 100kw FMs (all with Nashville COL)...and to a much lesser extent WSM-AM:
even for Nashville, that's probably one too many country signals on FM

 

[TheRadioGal]

Ever since Emmis flipped KZLA based on the demographics I started looking around. Concerts in LA are not just one type of person, it is so mixed it is a small united nations. This even includes huge events like Stagecoach.

So Cal now holds a few huge country concerts which only started a few years ago. Artists still sell out in record time and even add dates to concerts in Los Angeles. Local TV stations now send out reporters to cover the country awards show and National networks carry the CMAs and Fan Fest.

So it's not Los Angeles that can't hold a country station - it is the management decisions that are killing it.

 

[ceejay]

Has anyone else looked at the playlist for Go Country today? Seems like they haven't played any older songs like they have always done.

Older? They consider the '90's and early 2000's older at KKGO.

 

[ceejay]

Go Country has a huge playlist and plays far too many unfamiliar songs. Imaging is also too CHR sounding with nothing country about it. LA has a limited Country audience due to the fast changing ethnic makeup of the market and the station has to be right on target musically, as well as with the presentation, country content and personalities!

For Country Radio to work in LA/Orange County as it has in the past, at KIK FM and KZLA, you must have a tight, focused playlist. Be very current but don't ignore the classics that are part of the Country music heritage. Have great live, local air personalities that relate to the Country community. Nobody does this better than Shawn Parr. He is everywhere, everyday and gets right down in it with the listeners, every single day. Shawns voice is on all the Major award shows and is familiar from his years of experience in LA. Pulling Shawn off Mornings is a huge mistake. Focusing the music is what the station needs to do, as well as re-imaging and giving it a Country sound. People listen to Country radio because they LOVE Country music, Country DJ's, the Country lifestyle and sound. So many LA Country stations have tried to sound too slick, trying to pull in the non-country partisans. That's great but the music does that by itself. Taylor, Carrie, Rascal Flatts and others bring non-country listeners to the party. But too much of a CHR presentation blows off the Country core. It makes them feel disrespected.

Radio is simple....

Play the hits, live local personalities, fun contests with great prizes! = Big Ratings!

I love this post. Just one question..... when you say "hits", do you mean what the fans love to hear or what the labels want to continually shove down their throats whether they like it or not, like say, Taylor Swift.

 

[surfdude]

"when you say "hits", do you mean what the fans love to hear or what the labels want to continually shove down their throats whether they like it or not, like say, Taylor Swift."

Quick Quiz: Which country artist is currently selling the most CDs and downloads? (see above)

The "fans" love this artist, and are paying money to hear her (or his) songs.

Record companies don't have any say in what stations play, especially in large markets.

Hopefully KKGO is asking country listeners in LA what they like and don't like (research)

 

[pjc1961]

From right here at radio-info.com's news page: http://www.radio-info.com/programming/country/kkgo-adds-classic-country-weekend-show

KKGO Adds Classic Country Weekend Show

KKGO-FM (Go Country 105) Los Angeles has added a new weekend show, "Country Classics," hosted by air personality Ashley Paige. The two-hour show features such artists as Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, Garth Brooks, Johnny Cash, Loretta Lynn and Reba McEntire. It will air Sunday mornings from 8-10 a.m. The show launches with a sponsor, a local car dealership.

 

[Mac Daddy]

Noticed that KKGO has added a new V.O guy. Can't really tell who it is though. And since when did they drop traffic updates in the afternoon? Haven't heard Tammy Trujillio doing it the last two days.

 

[Marv-L.A.]

Another change at KKGO; Jay Coffey is gone after only five weeks, according to Gary Lycan of the OC Register.

 

[pjc1961]

OC Register on Jay Coffey exit: http://www.ocregister.com/entertainment/coffey-278742-station-kkgo.html

 

[TheRadioGal]

Something interesting that Saul and company should consider, plenty of the Sliver Lake/Los Feliz hipsters, maybe because it's "ironic," really like a lot of classic country music.

I have a hunch this crowd may be statistically invisible. Not a likely target for one of the market's big FM signals. Maybe one of the hipsters could start a Los Feliz LPFM

Nick Summers

Then there is something worng with the statistical analysis. There are a lot of "latin Americans" who loved KZLA and who were listening to KKGO. Somehow it seems the frame of mind towards the numbers don't show that.

 

[TheRadioGal]

I have to disagree with the posts saying "country is not a viable format in LA". KKGO would do a lot better if they did their homework and does a country station the right way. After all, didn't KZLA did well until it died in '06?

I also think it has nothing to do with demographics. Here's another city with huge diversity - Chicago. WUSN is doing well, and if KKGO sounded more like them, they can probably make it.

Plus Los Angeles sells out country concerts and is a huge market for CDs etc in the country music realm.

You are right. KZLA did well until the money dried up and Emmis held back. Bonneville did real well with the station.

Though KKGO may boast they play more titles, they are titles of the same 20 artists. That is a reason I flip the station off.

Also all these changes like this week's with Jay Coffey out and now most likely Ashley and Ginny in the mornings.

 

[davideduardo]

Then there is something worng with the statistical analysis. There are a lot of "latin Americans" who loved KZLA and who were listening to KKGO. Somehow it seems the frame of mind towards the numbers don't show that.

Only about 10% of the 25-54 average quarter hour persons of KKGO are Hispanic... while the market is about 42% Hispanic. Country only has an opportunity among Hispanics after several generations... which is why it does very well in San Antonio and Albuquerque that have huge later generation Hispanic communities. But it is not happening in LA.

 

[nmoore6676]

Don Barrett has it this morning that already Jay Coffey is gone!

Has Saul Levine lost it? I thought his sudden shift from news talk on KGIL was just another of his incessant AM format flips but he has always been more conservative and business like with the FM side.

Any thoughts, no one in the know (at least the concerned parties) is talking.

 

[calguy]

Don Barrett has it this morning that already Jay Coffey is gone!

Has Saul Levine lost it? I thought his sudden shift from news talk on KGIL was just another of his incessant AM format flips but he has always been more conservative and business like with the FM side.

Any thoughts, no one in the know (at least the concerned parties) is talking.

Yes and according to Barrett, Jay Coffey does not know why he was fired. Barrett got nothing from Levine's camp, other than a "we don't comment on these types of things" email. Weird, someone knows but isn't saying...

 

[kflash]

Although I'm not living in L.A. I've been listening to Go Country 105 for more than two years online. Over that time I've noticed the changes going on at KKGO. Some were good other bad. But on December 5th they made their worst decision so far. They shut down their stream, which means no more listening to Go Country 105 online possible. I was a little confused because they name the reason of prohibitive costs for shutting it down, but on the other hand Mt. Wilson FM Broadcasters has enough money to run an internet stream called Go Country NY, which started on July 3 this year. Isn't that weird that the more popular KKGO stream is being cancelled and an other one who nobody knows is launched? I can tell you something, if KKGO is continuing like that their rates will drop more and more, and the day they run out of money is getting closer. By the way how is KKGO earning money? They only have some small ads on their website and on air they make almost no commercial breaks compared to other stations?

 

[davideduardo]

By the way how is KKGO earning money? They only have some small ads on their website and on air they make almost no commercial breaks compared to other stations?

KKGO was bought and paid for about 50 years ago. It's family owned, and probably has zero debt. I'd be willing to bet that the owner has many tens of millions saved, as well.

They probably bill in the $8 to $10 million range, at least half of which would be cash flow... of course, that is a guess based on published data for 2009 and other factors.

They certainly don't make any money from streaming outside the LA area, so that part of your argument fails anyway.

 

[nmoore6676]

By the way how is KKGO earning money? They only have some small ads on their website and on air they make almost no commercial breaks compared to other stations?

KKGO was bought and paid for about 50 years ago. It's family owned, and probably has zero debt. I'd be willing to bet that the owner has many tens of millions saved, as well.

They probably bill in the $8 to $10 million range, at least half of which would be cash flow... of course, that is a guess based on published data for 2009 and other factors.

They certainly don't make any money from streaming outside the LA area, so that part of your argument fails anyway.

Interestingly enough the are still streaming Retro 1260 and I believe that they also run the stream for KKJZ. But you are right, the streaming costs money in hosting and bandwidth usage fees so it probably adds no revenue and is in fact a loss.

For 1260 it could be that they want people in offices to listen and given that it is on AM and a weaker signal that seems likely. I suspect that another AM station I listen to online is doing it for that reason, though they have also recently added an FM translator for their local area. KKGO does have better building penetration so maybe Saul is just tightening the purse-strings where it does the least harm.

But given the trend to listening online and the spread of internet radio even for cars are they maybe getting off the horse before the end of the road so to speak?

 

[kflash]

Mt. Wilson FM Broadcasters still run three other streams apart KKGO: KGIL (Retro 1260), K-Mozart and Go Country NY. So I can't understand why they keep the Go Country NY stream instead of the Go Country 105 stream? They could save money by cancelling for instance the K-Mozart or Go Country NY stream. Wouldn't that be more logically? For those of you who've never heard about Go Country NY here is the URL http://gocountryny.com/.

 

[TheRadioGal]

Then there is something worng with the statistical analysis. There are a lot of "latin Americans" who loved KZLA and who were listening to KKGO. Somehow it seems the frame of mind towards the numbers don't show that.

Only about 10% of the 25-54 average quarter hour persons of KKGO are Hispanic... while the market is about 42% Hispanic. Country only has an opportunity among Hispanics after several generations... which is why it does very well in San Antonio and Albuquerque that have huge later generation Hispanic communities. But it is not happening in LA.

Guess I should tell all my first generation Latin American friends they shouldn't be listening to KKGO. What's a matter with them??? Don't they the read stats...oh but stats have error margins.

 

[TheRadioGal]

Don Barrett has it this morning that already Jay Coffey is gone!

Has Saul Levine lost it? I thought his sudden shift from news talk on KGIL was just another of his incessant AM format flips but he has always been more conservative and business like with the FM side.

Any thoughts, no one in the know (at least the concerned parties) is talking.

Yes, on Friday he was let go. Also streaming is gone. In my opinion all for money issues with the station. Ashley, though taken off the air a while ago, remained at the station. Then she started with the classic show Sunday morning and now has the Morning show. If I am correct, didn't Shawn Parr bring Ashley over to KKGO? Ouch. I'm guessing she has a contract they have to pay no matter what, so they will just use her and save some money. These just my thoughts from watching the overall picture there.

The list of old KKGO DJs is a long one in the short time it's been country. Country fans are a loyal bunch of listeners yet the station doesn't allow them to be loyal to anyone as no one appears to stay there long (Exception, Paul Freeman who was through Dial Global for some time before actually becoming 100% Mt. Wilson).