KKGO VS. KZLA

[Rebafan]

The Topic of KZLA VS KKGO Mornings was brought up long ago... I have seen where KKGO is now called the "Most Listened to Country Music Radio Station"... I believe that looking at the format of when Saul Levine flipped 540AM, then 1260AM to the format it is now... the loss of yet another popular radio personality and the station now playing music reminiscent of that played by KZLA as well as having taken away the "human" connection from 7PM to 5AM every night of the week, rather than one being better than the other we are seeing the reemergence of KZLA at KKGO.

Wondering what others think as to the current playlist and programming on KKGO. With 2.4 ratings holding steady it would seem that the world is happy with what the station has become...

My opinion is that KKGO Go Country 105 is now a radio station that mirrors KZLA in their musical playlist. Playing pop country or "hot" country with some classic country sprinkled in. The radio personalities with the exception of a couple were all former KZLA personalities. They still play the paid programming, talk show stuff etc. So the station has become the remake of KZLA, a station fans were sad to lose but a station where listeners also complained about the very thing that KKGO has become.
The one thing KZLA had that KKGO does not was the evening programming, no after midnight with Blair Garner, no personality from 7 to midnight (like WHITNEY ALLEN).

Some would say my harsh opinion is due to the loss of Jimmy Kay and Sunday Night Classics... while I truly miss Jimmy and Jeff on Sunday Nights because they has something different... offered something to KKGO that other stations did not give their listeners, the disappointment is not JUST because of that. It is the loss of Whitney Allens' Big Time, No radio personalities on overnights and the current playlist being "pop" country

That being said, as a fan of classic country music, I continue to support other classic country fans in asking KKGO Go Country 105 to bring back this great show and I hope others will continue to ask the station for this... BUT since they have yet to change things in the direction listeners seemed to have asked for in the past (bringing back Whitney Allen weekdays, bringing on After Midnight with Blair Garner on overnights)...In the endeavor, I am planning for the worst and hoping for the best...

 

[nmoore6676]

I have, sad to say, not been listening as much to KKGO as I did. I wanted to support local radio and country radio in particular. I also want to support KGIL but while Saul Levine says that he is interested in locally owned and diverse programming he has not lived up to that promise. Recently LARadio had the voting results for listening in afternoons. In last year's poll Todd Baker ranked higher than Paul Freeman. While I like Paul I felt that he was better in the evenings. Now that he has moved up they go automated after 7pm and yet they did not put Whitney Allen back on. If they can’t be live and local at least have a good syndicated show, this is Los Angeles not Podunk.

By the number of people tuning in KKGO may well be the most listened to station and while I don’t expect a lot of “classic country’ their mix at the onset was better. I suppose new PD is driving those changes. I think they are running classic country on one of the HD channels but I don’t own a HD receiver. I get classic country on the web, with live DJs, so I can live with it.

 

[kgoddess]

Basically, the only times I listen to KKGO anymore are during Paul Freeman's show, & for the live weekend crew. Interestingly, all of them are Dial Global people. KKGO lost me when Sunday Night Classics was taken off the air, leaving nothing by iPod programming in the evenings. I really would like to see Saul Levine put his money where his mouth is...original, intelligent programming that is local. The music mix is just way too much Nashville pop, & the best personalities are gone.

 

[Rebafan]

I listen to Melody Morgan and Gary Campbell on Sundays and then KKGO is off the air for me.

Much of the changes since Go Country went FM, unfortunately have seemed to make the station less appealing to me and have caused it, at least in my opinion to sound more like KZLA.
In a round table with Vince Daniels shortly after KZLA went off the air Tonya Campos (current Music and Program Director) stated that KZLA didn't play enough of the classic country... that it was just sprinkled in... yet is doing the same thing as music director of KKGO that was done at KZLA... sprinkling in classic country.
The TALK radio paid program on Sunday mornings and the lack of evening and overnight programing is a minus in my book...

Listening to the listeners is something I believe this station should consider... the listeners support the advertisers that support the station...
Taking away programming and personalities that the listeners enjoy only causes them to find other sources for the music and personalities they wish to hear.

 

[hillbillyRockstar]

I have nothing bad to say about a station that plays country music in the LA area.

If there were two stations, or a big chance that another one would come, then maybe you could add some criticism.

For now, KKGO is the best country station here, the only one here, and I'd never say anything that would make it go away.

Have fun with your other genres, internet, satellite, or whatever. It doesn't matter what you are doing because there are a million other people that like KKGO and won't stop.

 

[Rebafan]

I have nothing bad to say about a station that plays country music in the LA area.

If there were two stations, or a big chance that another one would come, then maybe you could add some criticism.

For now, KKGO is the best country station here, the only one here, and I'd never say anything that would make it go away.

Have fun with your other genres, internet, satellite, or whatever. It doesn't matter what you are doing because there are a million other people that like KKGO and won't stop.

Constructive criticism of a radio station is not what will cause it to flip formats, Saul has made it clear he intends to stick with the country music format no matter what.

There are people who LOVED KZLA, loved everything about it and many of those same people LOVE KKGO and the ratings show that.

I was just stating an opinion that the 2 stations are more alike then different. As well as an opinion that the management of KKGO has made some decisions that have disappointed me as a listener causing me to no support the station as I once did.

 

[romer979fm]

KZLA didn't do anyting wrong, they just decided the shrinking audience base
made it impossible to survive. without huge debt, Saul may be able to keep a mainstream KKGO afloat

BTW...classic county only works in very small doses: as a part of regular dailly programming, the
older tunes QUICKLY become a tune-out to the majority of listeners.

 

[Rebafan]

KZLA didn't do anyting wrong, they just decided the shrinking audience base
made it impossible to survive. without huge debt, Saul may be able to keep a mainstream KKGO afloat

BTW...classic county only works in very small doses: as a part of regular dailly programming, the
older tunes QUICKLY become a tune-out to the majority of listeners.

KZLA had many complainers... listeners that weren't happy with some of the choices in music (pop country) some of the personalities etc. THAT may have been reasoning for a shrinking audience although in reality... Emmis THOUGHT they could make more money with a different genre only to find themselves losing money with the Movin' format.

Pop country is popular but not with all country music fans, so to reinstate a show that many of a stations listeners liked is not asking too much I don't believe.
Tonya Campos said herself in an interview just after KZLA flipped that they needed to add more of the classic country to the main playlist in order to allow all demographics of country fans to hear it... heck, I am not even asking for that...

I am not asking Saul Levine or the KKGO management to make Go Country a classic country station or even to go any more mainstream country than when they first went FM, I am simply asking them to bring back the 3 hour, once a week show hosted by Jimmy Kay that allowed Classic country fans to listen to the music they loved, be informed by Jimmy about the songs etc.

The other issue of the station is that it is automated from 7PM to 5AM all weekdays except Friday nights, Saturday from 12pm to 5AM, Sunday from 9PM to 5AM. 5AM - 9AM Sundays offers Paid Programming and more automated music...
Evenings could have Whitney Allen Big Time, Overnights could offer After Midnight with Blair Garner....

Complaining and offering constructive criticism are 2 different things, IF ideas and thoughts offered in the form of constructive criticism are considered and at times implemented it makes for a better outcome for all... Just my opinion...

 

[nmoore6676]

I agree with Rebafan but I fear that most programmers operate on the assumption that if you don't hear a familiar song that you will tune out. That might make sense for the mainstream stations like KIIS, Power and so on because there are other similarly programmed sources that people can tune too. KKGO is the only station for a lot of listeners in this area so if they like country where else would they tune?

I liked Jimmy's Sunday Night Classics and I don't see why it can not be a part of the lineup. I also like classic country a lot but I can get it on other sources which stream, but a local show is nice and the enthusiasm that was evident on their show was a big attraction.

As for putting more older music in the rotation they did at first but not so much now. I don’t have anything against the new artists but there are some that I am not so fond of, however I can't really flip anywhere else unless I'm out in the San Gabriel Valley where the pond people come in. The same would apply to those who don’t like the classic sound and prefer the newer stuff. I really think a nice balance could be arrived at.

As for the automation, a lot of stations do it now but I think that in this market that if we are not to have live local talent that shows like Whitney Allen’s Big Time would be a better choice. I liked the lineup when they had Todd Baker followed by Paul Freeman and I was disappointed as a fan when Todd was let go. Nothing against Paul but if they wanted to go the cheaper route for evenings I would have preferred Todd then Whitney. Again there was a lot of energy and fun with Todd that isn't quite there as much with Paul.

I had a lot of hope for KKGO but they have made a lot of choices that have made me angry since they began. I still support them as a local broadcaster since I believe that there is too much mass and distant ownership for my taste these days. However an important part of being local is that they should be more responsive as to what the people in the community want.

 

[john77]

I haven't been listening to KKGO as much these days either... I'm more often opting more for KHAY (Oxnard) which I pick up very well where I live right near the L.A./Ventura County line...

I for one don't have too much of a gripe with the music there as I'm more of a pop country fan myself, though I do also appreciate the old standards... I'm a fan of a big music library... My biggest problem with KKGO today is with the personalities (or lack thereof). I miss Todd, and gosh I sure miss the heck out of Whitney!!!... Paul is OK, but he just doesn't have the personality of those two and he most certainly didn't make any friends when he tried to ram the Dixie Chicks back down loyal KKGO listeners throats 2-3x a week several months back... thankfully, that only lasted a month or so.

I do have hope that someday, KKGO will be the station we all want it to be... the good thing is that they're not changing formats anytime soon. That's reassuring, but we all know this station can be soooooo much better... giving the listeners personalities they love and can relate to would be a good start towards making us all happier.

 

[Rebafan]

As many talk of missing Todd Baker and Whitney Allen, I miss Whitney and I also now miss Jimmy Kay greatly.
That is why I asked people to write the station etc.

SO, in my final appeal for 2008:
As the New Year approaches I appeal to Classic Country Fans and friend to e-mail, snail mail, and call KKGO asking them to bring back Sunday Night Classics and Jimmy Kay. I ask you all to sign the petition for the show as well as sending blogs, bulletins and e-mails to friends who might be willing to ask the station to bring the show back.

People who learn about the show may tune into the show if local or stream the show via the Go Country website should it be returned to the air ... SO KKGO would be adding to their listenership by returning the show to the airwaves!

Petition
Please sign the petition asking KKGO to bring Sunday Night Classics back!
http://www.petitiononline.com/JimmyKay/petition.html

PLEASE call the station management at 310-478-5540 and request the show be returned to Sunday Nights!!!

Email
Saul Levine: [email protected] (Station Owner)
Charlie Cook (Sr. Manager of Country Programming) - [email protected] (I am sure it will be forwarded for a short time) you could also try [email protected] as well in case this is the new address for him.
Mike Johnson - [email protected] (Operations manager)
Michael Levine - [email protected] (Marketing Director)
Tonya Campos - [email protected] (music Director, Program Director)
Kane Biscaya (General Sales Manager) [email protected]
General Mail address: [email protected]

Snail Mail Address:
Mount Wilson FM Broadcasters Inc.
1500 Cotner Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90025

Social Networks: Myspace, Facebook, Twitter, Tagged:
There are many social network sites on the internet such as Myspace, Twitter, Facebook and SO many more... use them to post a blog, a bulletin and ALSO if possible Post an event... let people know the EVENT is writing letters to KKGO... Event Date should be the Sunday following your event post.
Send the invite to ALL of your friends on your list and let them know that all it will cost them is time at the computer appealing to KKGO to bring Sunday Night Classics with Jimmy Kay back on the air.

Blogs:
There are MANY blogging sites all over the internet. If you are a member of a site like blogspot, blogger etc consider posting a blog on those sites in regards to assistance in bringing Jimmy Kay and Sunday Night Classics back to KKGO.
By posting to these blogs sites more classic country fans nationwide will know about what a great show Sunday Night Classics with Jimmy Kay was and perhaps will join in an appeal to KKGO to reinstate Sunday Night Classics.

Please help the Classic Country Fans bring back a show that set KKGO apart, Help give the fans back Sunday Night Classics a LIVE and LOCAL classic country show on Sunday Nights with Jimmy Kay and Jeffery Smart!