Buc,
Thanks for the post. Here are my thoughts:
Wes is one of the most experienced PD's in Lubbock, he's probably been in the market long before I could walk. So I would never try to second guess him. The truth is, he probably didn't have much choice in the matter. He had to cut somewhere. Those cuts came down from the top.
For him to say a syndiated show is "better?" Well, we probably should take that statement with a grain of salt. FMX is on top for 2 reasons. First, they are the only station in the market that plays Active Rock, so that's the station those listeners turn to, they really have no other choice. Rock 101 is also a good station, but only plays Classic Rock, and appeals to that audience more. The second reason FMX is on top is because of their personalities. Every one of their personalities was entertaining. To say that a syndicated show is "better?" Welll, look at what happened with JACK and the coments made by Dave Walker. When you have no local personalities, you have a disconnect. Ya think long time listeners can't tell the guy comes from some other city? They know the minute they realize he hasn't made reference to a single street in Lubbock, or talked about any local events, or our crazy wind, or when he pronounces our city as "Lub-bick" instead of "Lub-buck." Or how about his strange new 800 number that doesn't have KFMX or 95.4 in it? Yeah, some listeners will figure that out. The ones who don't are listening by default, because its the only station in Lubbock that plays Active Rock. Remember, radio is an appliance, people set it to one level, and leave it there ,and those listeners probably don't ever notice the jock, and don't care.
No, the truth is that Wes is the PD and he has to say positive things about his station, espeically if it's to a industry trade magazine like Radio & Records. Did you expect him to say: "Actually, it sucks, now I have to fire a guy who is local, who I like, who brings in listners?" Of course not, GAP would fire Wes's axx yesterday! So read between the lines and look closely. A $100 says Wes is not exactly crazy about the new era, and is using cryptic language to get the point accross.
One thing I have learned is that it is one thing to talk about genearl 12+ cumes, but another to consider the full breakdown. Where does KFMX stand in the different shifts? Are they on top across the board, or just at certain times like mornings or afternoons? How do they do among the different demographics, like 12-24 year old men, or 18-36 year old women? If FMX is Number 1 in the next book (and the last one was almost a year ago), I bet it won't be because of a syndicated night show...
