Brutal write up. How long before we see the "Kaplan out at WNYL" headline? Anyone?
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KROQ, again
- Thread starter AceBiscuits
- Start date
K&B are personalities, they do not embody a lifestyle. In fact Bean did all but disown the KROQ "lifestyle" for many years. Disowning the lifestyle was almost his trademark.
I grew up with KROQ in the 80s and neither me nor any of my friends tuned in to find out what the newest fashion or any other lifestyle element was. We tuned in to hear acts like Oingo Boingo, Elvis Costello, Berlin, among a number of one-hit wonders that none of the other stations played. The music was the draw. Not Richard Blade's haircut and tan, not Swedish Egil's accent - they were just the DJs.
I know, they had to cancel the Weenie Roast and acoustic Christmas and all of that, but other stations had to cut back their NTR activities too (I think this is a lot of what you are referring to). But in the new environment where you have to stand on your music, there are still winners and losers, it's just that the game has changed, and KROQ has not adjusted well. Fix the music, the rest will follow.
I have no answers for their music problems and don't profess to - I am well out of demo and my tastes are even further out of demo. But, just thinking out of the box, what if they were to forget who their sister station Jack was and made a change similar to 91X? I keep hearing how they cannot cannibalize Jack with too much cross-over playlist, but Iheart has shown that it can be done (with a very skillful hand) with their "wall of women" approach. I would bet the cannibalization would not be as much as the pros think. Just a hunch.
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To go along with my point above (I didn't see this until after posting). here it is in Kaplan's own words:
https://variety.com/2022/music/news/mike-kaplan-out-kroq-los-angeles-radio-1235206028/
“We’re not just looking to play four white dudes in a band. Our audience is as diverse as ever and our playlist needs to be too. Whether it’s Billie Eilish or Lana Del Rey or rappers making alternative tracks such as 24kGoldn and Dominic Fike, we’re bringing together what millennials and Gen Z fans want. … We don’t just stand for one thing. It’s a lifestyle and an attitude.”
Exactly! forgetting that it is first and foremost an (alternative) rock station and trying to program to skin colors and lifestyles is what got him in trouble in the first place.
Even as just a casual observer, I knew he had earned the name “Mike the Show Killer,” or just "The Show Killer". Now I am beginning to understand why.
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You don't understand the difference between style and LIFE style. Two different things. The Weenie Road IS the lifestyle. Waking up late still hung over from the night before. That's the lifestyle.
If you want someone to "fix the music," they need to know how. They need to be someone who can work with musicians to make radio hits again, because no one at the labels knows anymore. Someone the artists know and trust. Who can fix the genre. Who can SAVE the genre. That's what this station needs.
Well that Variety article single-handedly summarizes and validates everything that's been discussed in this thread and the much longer previous thread. They even managed to include a "Mike the Show Killer" jab, wow.
I just don't understand why Audacy only yanked Kaplan from the KROQ PD role but left him in place as their corporate alternative format SVP. I can't think of a single positive thing he's done for the alternative format. Ratings are bad across the company, New York is in shambles and there's no brand-worthy national talent at Audacy comparable to iHeart's The Woody Show.
There's an old business saying about 'failing up' that seems to apply here, where a person rises to the level of his incompetence and then stays there because of his name recognition and connections.
They've been chipping away at his portfolio for the past 6 months or so. Hiring John Allers from iHeart started the process. He's been making major changes in Dallas and a few other places. I think the final straw in LA came with the promotion of Chris Ebbott to VP of Programming for all the LA stations except KROQ. You can't have a station in a market this size with a PD who is on the other side of the country. He lost touch with the market, the station, and the format.
I wouldn't bet any amount of money that he retains NYC and the title beyond 90-180 days.
What is Weatherly up to these day? Still at Spotify?
They need someone like him, but 30 years younger.
This is only going to make those rumors of KROQ leaning Active Rock red-hot like chili peppers. Kaplan infamously dislikes hard rock and metal and if the higher-ups feel that it’s the only way to save KROQ I could see him stepping down for that reason alone (I think it’s far from the only reason for the record). Why would you program music you don’t understand or like? It’s a recipe for disaster.
Donny at KPNT has wanted a PD opportunity for eons, will they lure him out there? Is there a bright young mind lurking out in the radio world? This will be interesting…
Donny at KPNT has wanted a PD opportunity for eons, will they lure him out there? Is there a bright young mind lurking out in the radio world? This will be interesting…
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KROQ was absolutely once a lifestyle brand. The Depeche Mode riot. Weenie Roast, Almost Acoustic Christmas, April Foolishness. Kevin and Bean of course but also Jed the Fish, Richard Blade, Freddie Snakeskin, the Poorman. KROQ was irreverent, sarcastic, dangerous. Exciting to listen to. Its young listeners wanted to be a part of that. Not many radio stations can boast they represent a lifestyle, you're right. But KROQ was an exception, which is why it's legendary in the way that few radio stations have been. And that's also why so much has been written about KROQ's demise. Because this hits differently, it's a true nail in the coffin for the KROQ lifestyle that meant so much to so many people.
The Peter Principle
It appears from the job description that they're looking to revive that kind of thing for a new generation. With new people.
With the news of Jake leaving, I was going to make the tired joke about how it is countdown to sports on 106.7, but the same signal issues that plague that station for alternative would still be present for sports, plus the issues of needing p-by-p rights.
If 106.7 was a totally new station (hypothetically say it was won in the auction last year) without the legacy and baggage of the current brand, the signal would be most ideally suited for... spanish-language programming? It's great in South LA like Downey/Norwalk, very solid in the northern part of the SFV as well as the El Monte/Covina area. It starts getting a little less reliable around the Anaheim/Santa Ana area, but is mostly okay.
This is just a thought experiment as the spanish-language market seems pretty full at the moment.
If 106.7 was a totally new station (hypothetically say it was won in the auction last year) without the legacy and baggage of the current brand, the signal would be most ideally suited for... spanish-language programming? It's great in South LA like Downey/Norwalk, very solid in the northern part of the SFV as well as the El Monte/Covina area. It starts getting a little less reliable around the Anaheim/Santa Ana area, but is mostly okay.
This is just a thought experiment as the spanish-language market seems pretty full at the moment.
Generally, there are fewer buys that include Spanish copy or creative, so there are not as many agency buys that are available for Spanish language stations. Further, there are very few Spanish language buys that buy as deep as general market ones and few if any buy all the FMs.
Further, as the Radio Centro experience showed, a single station can’t compete as easily as he Entravision, Univision, and SBS groups can.
If I were offered the GM position at a new standalone Spanish language station (even in a non-Hispanic cluster) I would likely not even consider it.
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Who is Jake?
Probably means Mike.
Correct. Mike Kaplan, the former brand manager for KROQ who left yesterday. My apologies.
There was a Jake Kaplan in creative services at Audacy too, might still be there. He did a lot of work at Amp. No aware there is any relation.
K.M. Richards
Program Director, The Eighties Channel™
That's who Audacy should bring back as PD ... Freddy Snakeskin. (Yes, he spells it with a "y" not an "ie".)
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