It's Official: Saul Levine no longer a hero

[SuperRadioFan]

Next format for 105.1 will be oldies once K-Earth dumps the format. And that will happen in the next few years since their demos aren't growing any younger. Besides, this town has TOO MANY stations playing oldies right now (and the same damn oldies too). Anyone catch the 70's Weekend on V100. Was great to hear "Fly Like An Eagle" by the Steve Miller Band on V last night.

Why would you think oldies would replace country?? Wouldn't the ages of oldies listeners generally be higher than today's country listener?

Re. "Fly Like an Eagle" haha I remember working in New York City back in 1977 listening to 1190 AM WLIB (R&B/pop) which called itself B12 or something like that (sounds like a vitamin) and always thought it was strange hearing them play this Steve Miller song.

 

[mostb1]

Next format for 105.1 will be oldies once K-Earth dumps the format. And that will happen in the next few years since their demos aren't growing any younger. Besides, this town has TOO MANY stations playing oldies right now (and the same damn oldies too). Anyone catch the 70's Weekend on V100. Was great to hear "Fly Like An Eagle" by the Steve Miller Band on V last night.

Why would you think oldies would replace country?? Wouldn't the ages of oldies listeners generally be higher than today's country listener?

Re. "Fly Like an Eagle" haha I remember working in New York City back in 1977 listening to 1190 AM WLIB (R&B/pop) which called itself B12 or something like that (sounds like a vitamin) and always thought it was strange hearing them play this Steve Miller song.

Reasons: It's a format and audience Saul will feel comfortable with. They may not be any younger than the current country format audience but at least there are more of them. With the demographics of Los Angeles, it isn't gaining country listeners. Does any anyone expect this station to perform better than the low 1's (espcially since it's mostly Dial Global satellite country not programmed for L.A. tastes), if that? With K-FROG having a 6 month leap on this station, they will still get at least .5 share of KZLA's old not so steller rating. So there you go...country.

 

[dbdigital]

To be fair, when Saul flipped KKGO to classical in '89 he kept the format for 18 years. So he doesn't entirely change formats as often as he changes underwear.

A KABC newscast Friday night reported that KMZT was going country and aired a soundbite of Saul claiming that there are over a million country music fans in L.A. and he was determined to get them. We'll see if that happens.

But Saul still maintains hero (or demi-hero) status to me just by virture of his giving Clear Channel some much needed grief: http://www.lasarletter.net/drupal/node/352

db

 

[scooty430]

So true! KFAC goes dark, 105.1 goes classical, KLAC/XTRA drops standards, all of a sudden 1260/540 has standards, KZLA drops country, 1260/540/105.1 HAS to have country.

He should have left it as a jazz station. Would have perhaps been the longest-lasting format in town, since what - 1959? He had cool jazzy call letters: KKGO.

 

[scooty430]

To be fair, when Saul flipped KKGO to classical in '89 he kept the format for 18 years. So he doesn't entirely change formats as often as he changes underwear.

db

Not sure how often those Fruit of the Looms get changed, however the AM outlet must come close....

Talk, All-Beatles, Standards, All-Show Tunes, "The Shuffle," Oldies, All-News, More standards, Classical, Country, All-Traffic..... Am I forgetting one?

 

[dbdigital]

To be fair, when Saul flipped KKGO to classical in '89 he kept the format for 18 years. So he doesn't entirely change formats as often as he changes underwear.

db

Not sure how often those Fruit of the Looms get changed, however the AM outlet must come close....

Talk, All-Beatles, Standards, All-Show Tunes, "The Shuffle," Oldies, All-News, More standards, Classical, Country, All-Traffic..... Am I forgetting one?

LOL. To be sure, his AMs are problematic and I suspect, like the other formats you mention, classical will die a quick death on them.

db

 

[SuperRadioFan]

From the WTF Dept

WTF ??? They are playing Alabama's 1990 #1 hit "Jukebox of my Mind" a song I liked and hadn't heard since 1991 (?). Today Sean Paar played it around 9:30 am... Two hours later, the satellite-fed version is AGAIN playing it. CAN they get their act TOGETHER??

 

[surfdude]

"Fly Like An Eagle" charted Top 10 on the Black charts.
Listen to the lyrics, and you'll understand why.

Get outta da box, man.

 

[lash]

I'm in the mid-south. Finally able to log on and listen. Is this how L.A. radio sounds? Haven't heard the Dial Global hours yet, but afternoons are horrible. And your right guys, the imaging has no pop to it, and the songs fade completely out before the imaging even starts. Automation problems?

Someone needs to step in there and help them quickly! First impression? Horrible!

 

[SuperRadioFan]

I'm in the mid-south. Finally able to log on and listen. Is this how L.A. radio sounds? Haven't heard the Dial Global hours yet, but afternoons are horrible. And your right guys, the imaging has no pop to it, and the songs fade completely out before the imaging even starts. Automation problems?

Someone needs to step in there and help them quickly! First impression? Horrible!

Lash, I think you've just heard the Dial Global syndicated programming. I believe currently the only live and local show is the morning show with Sean Paar 6 am - 10 am PST. A new music director Tonya Campos will be the mid-day live and local DJ starting on March 12th. So far the morning show is NOT being streamed!! I guess they'll realize they need to correct that situation immediately.

 

[lash]

The show I was listening to was called "The Big Show" with a female announcer. I run the Dial Global format on my station for three dayparts a day. It wasn't Dial Global. Whatever it was, it wasn't very good.

 

[mostb1]

The show I was listening to was called "The Big Show" with a female announcer. I run the Dial Global format on my station for three dayparts a day. It wasn't Dial Global. Whatever it was, it wasn't very good.

You were listening to Whitney Allen. Her show "The Big Time with Whitney Allen" is a Dial Global show but not part of the Dial Global mainstream country format. It is a stand-alone show. Whitney is very talented and has worked at Los Angeles stations including KIIS & KZLA. I don't believe she's done country before KZLA. She has gotten high regards from active country listeners posting on www.countryboards.com forums for KZLA. She's also a very nice true old school radio person.

 

[mostb1]

I'm in the mid-south. Finally able to log on and listen. Is this how L.A. radio sounds? Haven't heard the Dial Global hours yet, but afternoons are horrible. And your right guys, the imaging has no pop to it, and the songs fade completely out before the imaging even starts. Automation problems?

Someone needs to step in there and help them quickly! First impression? Horrible!

Los Angeles radio is getting more unprofessional year after year. Go Country 105 is just another bad example of what has happened to radio in this city. It's amazing who some of the program directors are here. The pd at KBIG has no prior programming experience but was given the gig since managment observed him as being a hard worker at the station. Hot 92 Jamz just hired R-Dub as pd. He was recentlytold to leave Hot 98.3 Tucson (his only radio programming experience) and gets a p.d. gig in L.A. Amazing. Or a cruise ship entertainer who lands the midday shift at Movin 93.9 and just plain sucks. I could give many more examples. No, L.A. isn't the promised radio land anymore.

 

[rwagoner]

his AMs are problematic and I suspect, like the other formats you mention, classical will die a quick death on them.

db

I bet he has classical on the AM so he can get around the "no ads" rule for the HD-2 channel.

 

[davideduardo]

I bet he has classical on the AM so he can get around the "no ads" rule for the HD-2 channel.

There is no "no ads" rule for HD-2. An HD-2 can sell all the ads it wants.

 

[rwagoner]

I bet he has classical on the AM so he can get around the "no ads" rule for the HD-2 channel.

There is no "no ads" rule for HD-2. An HD-2 can sell all the ads it wants.

Are you sure? I was under the impression that extra channels were still experimental, and thus could not have advertising. Which I thought explained why no extra channels outside of Levine's in LA had any advertising at all.

 

[dbdigital]

his AMs are problematic and I suspect, like the other formats you mention, classical will die a quick death on them.

db

I bet he has classical on the AM so he can get around the "no ads" rule for the HD-2 channel.

Judging from the interview he gave to Don Barrett's column, Saul probably thought classical on AM was a good match because both only appeal to the over 50 crowd (like myself).

Granted, there was a time in L.A. in the 50's and 60's when classical was on AM. But that was then and this is now. Today there are too many electrical "noisemakers" giving off spurious r-f to make analog AM viable for music. Couple that with the lack of respect from CE manufacturers, younger listeners and even from within the broadcast industry itself for AM and it just doesn't seem that the band has much of a future (unless it went all digital, of course).

I hate to say it, but instead of classical, maybe Saul should just broker the time or put infomercials with traffic and weather on his AMs.

db

 

[semoochie]

I think "no ads" is a Clear Channel policy that others may have picked up.

 

[Doctah]

RE: Ads on HD-2

I've been listening a lot lately to KROQ's HD-2 feed via the internet, and they definitely run ads.

 

[davideduardo]

I bet he has classical on the AM so he can get around the "no ads" rule for the HD-2 channel.

There is no "no ads" rule for HD-2. An HD-2 can sell all the ads it wants.

Are you sure? I was under the impression that extra channels were still experimental, and thus could not have advertising. Which I thought explained why no extra channels outside of Levine's in LA had any advertising at all.

I believe the HD Consortium recommends not running spots initially as a way to "sell" against Satellite. To require going non-commercial would possibly constitute collusion. Some broadcasters are not members of the Consortium and can do anything they want.