Jeff Gonzer joins KSWD; All premise that they're 'AAA' should finally be buried

[SuperRadioFan]

http://www.radioandrecords.com/RRWe...49159&ContentTypeID=106&Archive=0&FormatId=13

While Jeff Gonzer worked for KMET and KLOS (AOR stations) as well as FM 101.9 KSCA (a true AAA station), I think the PD Dave Beasing's comments and Jeff's comments about The Sound's format are telling.

So those of you who insist that The Sound is currently a AAA station and will blame that format for KSWD's eventual demise in Southern California, please make sure you understand that The Sound is an AOR station, not AAA. Having said that, I agree that ANY commercial station in the AAA format in this market will not do well. D.O.A. as Glenn loves to say.

 

[ChannelFlipper]

http://www.radioandrecords.com/RRWe...49159&ContentTypeID=106&Archive=0&FormatId=13

While Jeff Gonzer worked for KMET and KLOS (AOR stations) as well as FM 101.9 KSCA (a true AAA station), I think the PD Dave Beasing's comments and Jeff's comments about The Sound's format are telling.

So those of you who insist that The Sound is currently a AAA station and will blame that format for KSWD's eventual demise in Southern California, please make sure you understand that The Sound is an AOR station, not AAA. Having said that, I agree that ANY commercial station in the AAA format in this market will not do well. D.O.A. as Glenn loves to say.

I love KSWD, The Sound, LA's best Classic Rock!!

 

[SuperRadioFan]

;D

 

[scooty430]

The gap between what The Sound says it is, and what it really is, has become almost comical. A couple days ago....

"The Sound is where you'll hear new stuff that you don't know, but NEED to hear. And, it's also where you'll hear those B-sides you forgot about, or never heard in the first place. Welcome to....The Sound!"

They then played Manfred Mann's "Blinded By The Light."

 

[ChannelFlipper]

http://www.radioandrecords.com/RRWe...49159&ContentTypeID=106&Archive=0&FormatId=13

While Jeff Gonzer worked for KMET and KLOS (AOR stations) as well as FM 101.9 KSCA (a true AAA station), I think the PD Dave Beasing's comments and Jeff's comments about The Sound's format are telling.

So those of you who insist that The Sound is currently a AAA station and will blame that format for KSWD's eventual demise in Southern California, please make sure you understand that The Sound is an AOR station, not AAA. Having said that, I agree that ANY commercial station in the AAA format in this market will not do well. D.O.A. as Glenn loves to say.

I love KSWD, The Sound, LA's best Classic Rock!!

Of course my comment above was in jest, but it occurred to me they could probably significantly increase their ratings just by adopting the tagline and not changing a thing. I'm also getting tired of giving out all of the free advice, so Sound management, please feel free to forward the consulting check to ChannelFlipper, care of Radio-Info.com. Thanks! Appreciate it.

 

[radiojomo]

Here's what I think of KSWD as a whole...

I don't think anyone is catching on to AAA in LA. I know it's only been a year but if Bonneville bought the station for millions of dollars, don't you think they'd want some money back as soon as possible from the purchase? Don't believe me wrong, there is growth at KSWD especially with the departure of Indie 103.1 and 97.1 FM Talk (2 audiences that are targeted by KSWD), but the growth is going way to slow to believe that the format will make money. Similar to the Emmis move with "Movin'", it was only three years after Emmis realized that "Movin'" didn't make any money! There was growth at the station, in fact the audience increased by the thousands before the sale of the LMA to Radio Centro but when something isn't making enough progress, it's time to cut it. The only reason KSWD would have an increase of ratings over the course of the next few years would be if KROQ and KYSR went off the air or starting doing something really wrong or if KSWD went more mainstream with an alternative format. Sad to say, but if you're not mainstream in LA, you're done. Stations that play less mainstream music end up like Pirate Radio, Indie or even Movin. Stations make more revenue in Los Angeles than any other market in the US according to the recent report by Radio & Records and how many people out of a crowd would rather hear or even download Humble Pie, The Fixx and Steve Miller Band than more mainstream artists like The Killers, Fall Out Boy, Coldplay and Linkin Park in LOS ANGELES?
Home of 47% of the audience being a minority Latino or Black. It's nice to be different and cater to a different type of audience but not in LA, Bonneville. People don't like that stuff in LA. Just look at why KIIS doesn't play rock music in their Top 40 format and why every other station is flipping to Spanish. Bonneville should focus more on positioning its station along in the alternative rock war of KROQ and KYSR or another format. Hey! LA only has one straight up adult contemporary format that has a 3.7-7.2 share of the audience throughout the year, why not try to snag some revenue from that station just like KLSX flipped to steal some revenue from KIIS or like KYSR tried to snag some revenue from KROQ?

 

[AM FM listener]

Re: Jeff Gonzer joins KSWD; All premise that they're 'AAA' should finally be bur

I just looked on Yes.com to see what they are playing these days. In about an hour-and-a-half stretch, 9:00 - 10:30 pm, the Sound played 20 songs. 4 of them were the latest from Snow Patrol, Chris Isaak, Counting Crows and James Morrison, all top 20 songs on R&R's latest AAA chart. They did not play any songs from R&R's latest Rock (formerly AOR) chart. Sure, there were classic rock songs mixed in but there were also "classic" alternative and pop songs from Depeche Mode, Bob Marley and Paul Simon that one wouldn't normally hear on a Classic Rock station. So, although there are often fine lines between neighboring radio formats, I would say The Sound is AAA. BTW, R&R and Mediabase also classify it as such.

As much as I hope The Sound stays AAA, should it have to switch formats, I think it ought to go mainstream (English language) AC. KOST has had that space all to itself for quite a while now.

 

[calguy]

To those advocating a format change for The Sound, has anyone thought that they (Bonneville) like the station just the way it is. We're not talking about a company like CC or CBS and perhaps they would rather fill a teeny, tiny hole instead of going head to head with another station. AC? They had a bigger, better signal in KBIG when they owned it and for all the years that they went up against KOST they couldn't beat them. FM Talk? Too expensive. News? Again very expensive unless you want to just hook it up to a network and forget localism. Besides, news hasn't exactly been doing that well in the Arbitron/PPM ratings. By the way, whoever has been whining that they aren't a real AAA, you're right, they aren't really. Sort of a soft classic rocker with AAA trappings. But they have to be doing some research. What is it telling them and why are they sticking with the format? I think they like the format and want it to work and they're probably going to keep trying. So who cares? If you hate it, don't listen. If you're not white, you don't listen anyway, and is it bad to cater to an audience that isn't the dominant population? Maybe it's not so bad. A very few have their own station to listen to. Problem is a very small portion of that target audience is listening. So they'll have to work harder to get those numbers and they'll probably fail. But again, it might just be what they want...

Oh gee, I almost forgot about the first part of the subject line for this thread. Jeff Gonzer goes to The Sound for weekends. Will anyone really care about his heritage? Or will he just be viewed as another jock by a great portion of their tiny audience? Makes you wonder how many actually see his arrival as anything special? I mean it’s a curiosity to those of us in radio who know of him, but what impact does he really have there? We wait and wonder.

 

[romer979fm]

How's their billing? I see KSWD as still evolving and finding its way...Gonzer will hopefully be a good addition to
weekends: I enjoy Mimi Chen's early Sunday shift already. In fact, I appreciate that the airstaff seems
knowedgeable about the music without having to be the 'smartest person in the room'. I like the overall 'feel'
of the station, and at 56, I'm just out of the target. I guess.
Personally, I'd like to see them survive without having to clone KOST. One's plenty.

 

[justpassingthough]

I don't really listen to the Sound, so I can't speak to the station specifically. It is a little alarming, though, that the group think on the board is that they must play a majority of the songs on the current AAA chart, or they aren't a AAA station. Shouldn't a station serve its listeners first and play what they want to hear and what works for the local market, instead of what is a compilation of spins from across the country...

Now it appears the Sound is struggling because they haven't found what works for their audience or the local market, but that is an entirely different story.

 

[SuperRadioFan]

there is growth at KSWD especially with the departure of Indie 103.1 and 97.1 FM Talk (2 audiences that are targeted by KSWD), but the growth is going way to slow to believe that the format will make money.

Bonneville has deep pockets and therefore they will give it more time to develop; other radio companies may not be as patient.

The only reason KSWD would have an increase of ratings over the course of the next few years would be if KROQ and KYSR went off the air or starting doing something really wrong or if KSWD went more mainstream with an alternative format. Sad to say, but if you're not mainstream in LA, you're done.

I disagree. First we all know there no chance that KROQ is going to change and little chance KYSR will change. The best thing for The Sound would be for KLOS to become something other than Classic Rock. That is a possibility these days given the PPM world and Mark & Brian's ratings compared with the rest of the KLOS schedule.

Bonneville should focus more on positioning its station along in the alternative rock war of KROQ and KYSR or another format. Hey! LA only has one straight up adult contemporary format that has a 3.7-7.2 share of the audience throughout the year, why not try to snag some revenue from that station just like KLSX flipped to steal some revenue from KIIS or like KYSR tried to snag some revenue from KROQ?

Yikes another boring KOST-clone? That's even worse than being KLOS-Lite!!

 

[SuperRadioFan]

Re: Jeff Gonzer joins KSWD; All premise that they're 'AAA' should finally be bur

I just looked on Yes.com to see what they are playing these days. In about an hour-and-a-half stretch, 9:00 - 10:30 pm, the Sound played 20 songs. 4 of them were the latest from Snow Patrol, Chris Isaak, Counting Crows and James Morrison, all top 20 songs on R&R's latest AAA chart. They did not play any songs from R&R's latest Rock (formerly AOR) chart. Sure, there were classic rock songs mixed in but there were also "classic" alternative and pop songs from Depeche Mode, Bob Marley and Paul Simon that one wouldn't normally hear on a Classic Rock station. So, although there are often fine lines between neighboring radio formats, I would say The Sound is AAA. BTW, R&R and Mediabase also classify it as such.

From what David Eduardo has posted in the past, the radio station tells Arbitron and the trades what their format is. Correct me if that perception on my part is incorrect. My contention is that when compared with a variety of other 'AAA' radio stations, The Sound has evolved into something that's not quite AAA, but not quite pure classic rock either. Stations like WXRT, KFOG, KMTT, KINK, KBCO, KGSR, WXPK, WRNR, KPRI, WEHM all have a different flavor from what KSWD tastes like. There are very few tracks that The Sound totally owns in a 'AAA' format.

 

[SuperRadioFan]

To those advocating a format change for The Sound, has anyone thought that they (Bonneville) like the station just the way it is. We're not talking about a company like CC or CBS and perhaps they would rather fill a teeny, tiny hole instead of going head to head with another station.

They're 'fixing a hole' but it's still leaking

By the way, whoever has been whining that they aren't a real AAA, you're right, they aren't really. Sort of a soft classic rocker with AAA trappings. But they have to be doing some research. What is it telling them and why are they sticking with the format? I think they like the format and want it to work and they're probably going to keep trying.

Excellent calguy, "Sort of a soft classic rocker with AAA trappings" I like that description. I believe their research is extensive but again I remind everyone they started out as a real "AAA" station until they had a PD and MD and within a few months after that the lean towards more classic rock had begun. Their research directed them that way I guess. We will see if that works.

Oh gee, I almost forgot about the first part of the subject line for this thread. Jeff Gonzer goes to The Sound for weekends. Will anyone really care about his heritage? Or will he just be viewed as another jock by a great portion of their tiny audience? Makes you wonder how many actually see his arrival as anything special? I mean it’s a curiosity to those of us in radio who know of him, but what impact does he really have there? We wait and wonder.

Those few who were fans of FM 101.9 and are still listening to The Sound will remember Gonzer, and those who also remember him on either KLOS and KMET will also care but my guess is since he'll be on weekends, it will mean less.

 

[SuperRadioFan]

I don't really listen to the Sound, so I can't speak to the station specifically. It is a little alarming, though, that the group think on the board is that they must play a majority of the songs on the current AAA chart, or they aren't a AAA station. Shouldn't a station serve its listeners first and play what they want to hear and what works for the local market, instead of what is a compilation of spins from across the country...

Now it appears the Sound is struggling because they haven't found what works for their audience or the local market, but that is an entirely different story.

I don't know if it's a 'group think', some agree with me and others don't. Far as serving it's listeners first, I'm no longer a 'listener' just an observer now. Some other actual listeners who post on their message board have voiced many of the same complaints I have about the too much classic rock, the dearth of new tracks, the lack of female artists, the repetition of the same songs from the few typical AAA (not classic rock) artists and bands and so forth.
They have stretched the definition of the format to be just about unrecognizable as "AAA". We will see if what they have done 'works for their audience or the local market'.

 

[radiojomo]

When I heard LA was going to get a AAA format, I was excited. I loved listening to KPRI in San Diego and KINK in San Francisco. Both stations consist of edgy hybrids of Alternative and Hot AC. This?? The Sound?? This isn't the AAA i'm used to.

 

[SuperRadioFan]

KFOG is in San Francisco; KINK is in Portland OR

But you DO get my original point

BTW KPRI's playlist has vastly improved from a year ago

 

[radiojomo]

When I heard LA was going to get a AAA format, I was excited. I loved listening to KPRI in San Diego and KINK in San Francisco. Both stations consist of edgy hybrids of Alternative and Hot AC. This?? The Sound?? This isn't the AAA i'm used to.

CRAP! I MUST HAVE HAD A LONG DAY!
HAHAHAHAHA
I'm not even THAT old and I'm already mixing up cities! Sorry, I was checking up on KFOG while I was writing this!

 

[DrLove]

If Bonneville was really smart they would flip to mainstream AC before KOST starts playing Christmas music. Bonneville are the guys who held the KBIG property before the Clear Channel purchase. In those days, they nearly beat KOST more than once in both 12+ and key demos. It was quite the battle and kept KOST on their toes. As a previous front office "suit" and as a listener, I can tell you. KOST is ripe for getting their fannies kicked. Why not recreate that Bonneville-KOST battle from years past? They're certainly not going to make any money or get any higher ratings with what they're doing now at The Sound.

With twenty-five year KOST veterans like Kim Amidon, Mike Sakellarides and Ted Ziegenbusch on the sidelines, they (Bonneville) are missing a golden opportunity. Didn't KOST just let their entire weekend staff go, too? There you go! It's a turnkey situation. I'm sure somebody out there has the knowledge to program an AC station against KOST. Want to make a name for yourself? What to get the headlines? Make it happen. Let the fun begin!

 

[calguy]

If Bonneville was really smart they would flip to mainstream AC before KOST starts playing Christmas music. Bonneville are the guys who held the KBIG property before the Clear Channel purchase. In those days, they nearly beat KOST more than once in both 12+ and key demos. It was quite the battle and kept KOST on their toes. As a previous front office "suit" and as a listener, I can tell you. KOST is ripe for getting their fannies kicked. Why not recreate that Bonneville-KOST battle from years past? They're certainly not going to make any money or get any higher ratings with what they're doing now at The Sound.

With twenty-five year KOST veterans like Kim Amidon, Mike Sakellarides and Ted Ziegenbusch on the sidelines, they (Bonneville) are missing a golden opportunity. Didn't KOST just let their entire weekend staff go, too? There you go! It's a turnkey situation. I'm sure somebody out there has the knowledge to program an AC station against KOST. Want to make a name for yourself? What to get the headlines? Make it happen. Let the fun begin!

Yeah, Bonneville's old KBIG almost beat KOST a couple of times in the 12+ but almost is just that-almost. They would come close, but no cigar. And then instead of building on that near win, they would make all kinds of changes and blow up their own success. What KOST had was a clear focus on what to do and they didn't waver. I believe that a lot of the reasons that you might think KOST is now ripe for the taking would come from the suits at CC that don't seem to understand what they've got in an established brand like KOST. As for the weekend staff being laid-off, that's true. But it may not be as weak a line-up as you think as the regulars now pull weekend shifts. Karen Sharp is their night time star, listeners love her. Mark & Kristin have split Saturday & Sunday mornings and I heard Brian Simmons on last Saturday as well. Having your regulars on a weekend shift is thought by many to be stronger than having a weekender there. Oh and they still have Christine Martindale on the weekend as well. It may not be the KOST of old, but it’s still getting the job done. And let’s say that Bonneville did try mainstream AC and go up against KOST. It could be a tough road---unless they do it right. Get a PD that understands what needs to be done and who knows the LA market, hire those KOST cast-offs and publicize the hell out of it on TV and billboards which means spending cash, something they may not want to do. While trying this right before or when KOST goes Christmas might seem to be a good idea, it may not as you’ll probably see most of your audience locked in to KOST.

 

[OC Radio Geek]

Hey guys, this is my first post! I have been listening to KSWD for a while now and I must say that the playlist is hit and miss. Sometimes it is quite good and sometimes it is terrible. I really think that the PD and MD are desperately trying to refine the playlist, but it's just not quite right yet. I think that KSWD should be a cross between KROQ/KYSR and the former 103.1 Indie station, which I loved very much. I believe this would be the perfect format for them!