KROQ

[Theater of My Mind]

Lance suggests it could go in the direction of "a harder leaning Alternative/Rock station along the lines of Emmis’ (sic) “105.7 The Point” KPNT St. Louis." (I'm pretty sure KPNT is actually a Hubbard station).

That makes a lot of sense. KPNT does well, and its playlist shows that there is indeed plenty of music "product" that works for the format. KROQ previously had a harder edge to its sound so an adjustment in that direction could still remain true to its legacy.

 

[Michael Rivers Kramer]

It could be that they used a template of a job posting and didn’t update it correctly.

 

[hotpatrick2004]

I find it fascinating that somehow someway Kroq whom has the heritage thing going for them has been outsmarted by a station alt 98.7 that has only been alt since 2007ish. How far the mighty have fallen. Goodbye walk the moon hello sevendust

 

[TheBigA]

I find it fascinating that somehow someway Kroq whom has the heritage thing going for them has been outsmarted by a station alt 98.7 that has only been alt since 2007ish.

Keep in mind that this is not just one station operating alone. This station is part of a very successful iHeart cluster, with four stations in the Top 10. Looking nationally, the iHeart alternative stations appear to be more successful than Audacy alternative stations, So this is not a one-off thing. Now it appears that Audacy has decided to use iHeart's DC morning show on their station in Kansas City. That's quite an unusual step for a company that just a year or so ago had launched its own alternative syndicated shows.

 

[macattack]

Lance suggests it could go in the direction of "a harder leaning Alternative/Rock station along the lines of Emmis’ (sic) “105.7 The Point” KPNT St. Louis." (I'm pretty sure KPNT is actually a Hubbard station).

That makes a lot of sense. KPNT does well, and its playlist shows that there is indeed plenty of music "product" that works for the format. KROQ previously had a harder edge to its sound so an adjustment in that direction could still remain true to its legacy.

KPNT from a music perspective follows a simple yet effective formula: cherry-pick the best of the Active Rock format and fuse it with a rock-focused Alternative playlist. Perhaps Audacy is eyeing KPNT as a model to fix some of their flagging stations?

KPNT has added a lot of songs the last two weeks so we can be examine what they're into rather closely:

1. Ice Nine Kills - Rainy Day: A mostly cleanly sung metal tune, with some metalcore influences.
2. Turnstile - Mystery: Turnstile is a buzz band and is a bizarre fusion of alternative metal and indie rock. They're hard to classify. Roadrunner tried "Blackout" on Active Rock in late 2021 and it didn't work out, but Alternative seems to be really into "Mystery", which as far as I know isn't Active-bound.
3. Bob Moses - Love Brand New: Bob Moses has been on Alternative (and KPNT) before but I suspect this will be their breakout single thanks in part to what Glass Animals' "Heat Waves" did last year. This is a very intriguing synthpop song with some killer synths and light guitar overtunes.
4. Eddie Vedder - Brother The Cloud: The Pearl Jam singer strikes it out on his own. This sounds like an indie spin on the Pearl Jam sound.
5. Falling In Reverse - Zombified: Active's favorite metalcore band after "Popular Monster" did gangbusters pre-pandemic. It was serviced to Alternative as well, surprisingly.
6. Giovannie & The Hired Guns - Ramon Ayala: This Trejano band abandoned their alt-country sound for a mixture of roots rock and grunge on this single that was serviced to both Active and Alternative. As of this writing it's actually getting more spins on Alternative by a decent amount according to Mediabase.
7. Muse: Won't Stand Down: Muse takes their synthpop from the last few albums and then fuses ferocious alternative metal riffs into the package. There's nothing quite like it on either format right now.

The rest of the KPNT currents playlist ranges from Imagine Dragons to Wet Leg to Mastodon. It's a quite intriguing playlist upon analysis.

 

[hotpatrick2004]

Keep in mind that this is not just one station operating alone. This station is part of a very successful iHeart cluster, with four stations in the Top 10. Looking nationally, the iHeart alternative stations appear to be more successful than Audacy alternative stations, So this is not a one-off thing. Now it appears that Audacy has decided to use iHeart's DC morning show on their station in Kansas City. That's quite an unusual step for a company that just a year or so ago had launched its own alternative syndicated shows.

I wonder if Mr weatherly was still there and was on it and paying attention when the downfall of Kroq began awhile back what he would should have done? I think iheart was smart hiring Kroq music director and assistant Pd away from them. That seems to be when alt 98.7 started to do better in the ratings consistently. The hiring of lisa had to have helped.

I for one miss kroqs rock of the 90s weekends. But I do like alt 98.7 emo weekends. I wouldn't call some of what they call emo emo but I like hearing the tuneage.

I am not a huge fan of bands like five finger death punch or sevendust but hopefully it will help them.

 

[CTListener]

Not only is LA very different in social values and self-identity, it is radically different in ethnicities and origins. LA is now well over 70% ethnic (Black, Hispanic, Asian) and first generation immigrants (not just Hispanics and Asians, but Russians, Persians, Lebanese, Armenians, etc.). Most of that huge category has no background that involves rock of any kind, particularly alternative.

I thought the Soviet Union had a vibrant underground rock scene that flourished once the old government was gone. What sort of music does Russian 18-34s prefer? (Yes, Russia consists of many "republics" of myriad ethnicities, as you might expect in a land so vast, but I'm talking about the European Russians of Moscow, St. Petersburg and other major western Russian cities.) Synth pop? EDM?

 

[Doctah]

Yes I know, that's why it's great for Portland. All the expats love it. That wouldn't be the case in LA.

Seems to me KROQ ran this format on HD2.

Nope, KROQ HD-2 is exclusively all-80s "Roq of the 80s." Not sure why you think the KINK format only appeals to people who leave LA. Why can't we try an adventurous format like this in LA? Seems to me the problem with KROQ now is that it *isn't* being adventurous like that.

 

[Doctah]

Not only is LA very different in social values and self-identity, it is radically different in ethnicities and origins. LA is now well over 70% ethnic (Black, Hispanic, Asian) and first generation immigrants (not just Hispanics and Asians, but Russians, Persians, Lebanese, Armenians, etc.). Most of that huge category has no background that involves rock of any kind, particularly alternative.

The problem with alternative in LA is the change in market composition. And it sure is not Portland (OR or ME).

Then perhaps it is time for iHeart to flip Alt 98.7 and Audacy to flip KROQ? If the demo no longer is there for alternative in the market.

 

[davideduardo]

Then perhaps it is time for iHeart to flip Alt 98.7 and Audacy to flip KROQ? If the demo no longer is there for alternative in the market.

There are 3% or 4% of AQH listening... enough for one station to do very well but not two. There just are not the 7 or 8 shares needed to sustain two in that format. And the iHeart station took music daypart dominance around four years ago... KROQ was living off the halo effect of the morning team and when that show broke up, it was over.

 

[chrocket87]

It’s not that the demo isn’t there anymore. It’s that it’s eroding to the point where LA can’t really support two stations anymore. Just a decade ago, KROQ by itself had close to the 6+ share that both it and Alt have combined today, with Alt holding down numbers in the middle 2-shares as well. In 2014, the Alternative format had a combined 6 share from the two stations. Nowadays, the two combine for less than 4 shares.

 

[davideduardo]

I thought the Soviet Union had a vibrant underground rock scene that flourished once the old government was gone. What sort of music does Russian 18-34s prefer? (Yes, Russia consists of many "republics" of myriad ethnicities, as you might expect in a land so vast, but I'm talking about the European Russians of Moscow, St. Petersburg and other major western Russian cities.) Synth pop? EDM?

European markets are as diverse as US ones, and there is everything from each nation's equivalent of country to rhythmic to AC to rock . There is no one kind of music that is dominant. And in many places, even if rock is popular it is preferred in the local language, not in English.

For example, the #1 station in Argentina (and, in terms of AQH audience the #1 station for a while in the Western Hemisphere) was a rock station. But all its rock was in Spanish, and even then it only played Spanish rock by Argentine artists.

It is very hard to draw parallels across different cultures. A Russian who like Russian alternative rock is definitely not going to automatically like American alt rock in English.

And, just like immigrants from Mexico, most from Russia are from smaller cities and rural areas, not folks who have established themselves in the bigger markets there.

 

[davideduardo]

It’s not that the demo isn’t there anymore. It’s that it’s eroding to the point where LA can’t really support two stations anymore. Just a decade ago, KROQ by itself had close to the 6+ share that both it and Alt have combined today, with Alt holding down numbers in the middle 2-shares as well. In 2014, the Alternative format had a combined 6 share from the two stations. Nowadays, the two combine for less than 4 shares.

KYSR averaged in the high 5's in 18-34 in a 3-month rolling average before the Christmas season, good for 2nd overall. And in 25-49 and 18-49 it was 9th, so it was a likely buy in a lot of demos. In Men, it even looked better... 5th in 25-49 and 1st in 18-34.

KROQ did not make the top 10 in any of those, and in 25-49 it was 17th.

 

[TheBigA]

Why can't we try an adventurous format like this in LA? Seems to me the problem with KROQ now is that it *isn't* being adventurous like that.

I don't see how playing 40 year old music is being adventurous. To me, going active rock in LA is adventurous.

 

[Doctah]

I don't see how playing 40 year old music is being adventurous. To me, going active rock in LA is adventurous.

(KINK mixes new rock, hot off TikTok and Spotify, with classics.) But as noted, the demo isn't there for it, although maybe it would at least steal some Alt 98.7 listeners away and perhaps restore some KROQ sheen. Going active rock, where there's no heritage, no audience, no demos, nothing at all in LA, is a death sentence.

 

[ChannelFlipper]

I don't see how playing 40 year old music is being adventurous. To me, going active rock in LA is adventurous.

Is it the kind of adventure you would stake your job on, knowing what you know about the LA demos?

 

[TheBigA]

Going active rock, where there's no heritage, no audience, no demos, nothing at all in LA, is a death sentence.

They've done the old & new thing before. This subject keeps coming up. They seem to be trying to reach a younger audience, and combining 80s and currents is oil and water. From what I can see, the KINK demos are pretty old. That's not going to help KROQ.

Is it the kind of adventure you would stake your job on, knowing what you know about the LA demos?

Fortunately it's not my job. But someone's job is on the line here, that's for sure.

 

[hotpatrick2004]

So my question is how did alt 98.7 start beating Kroq in day part dominance?

 

[TheBigA]

So my question is how did alt 98.7 start beating Kroq in day part dominance?

As we've discussed before, KROQ got lazy and KYSR took advantage. iHeart does this a lot. They see an opportunity and pounce. They did a similar thing with the heritage country station in Atlanta. That station fumbled the football, and iHeart jumped in and ran. Every day is an audition when you run a radio station. There can be no complacency. Because there are people out there who know how to turn that into an advantage.

 

[michael hagerty]

I find it fascinating that somehow someway Kroq whom has the heritage thing going for them has been outsmarted by a station alt 98.7 that has only been alt since 2007ish.

That's 15 years. About half the lifetime of the target listener.

Historically, when a heritage station gets taken down, it's by a newer, fresher competitor.