LA Daily News Letter Writer Laments KOST cuts

[umfan]

https://www.dailynews.com/2020/01/2...n-isnt-alone-hundreds-more-losing-radio-jobs/


From the LA Daily News in response to a letter. The laments are familiar in the author's response to a letter writer regarding cuts at KOST, but the realities of the marketplace are necessitating this. I have to reject the author's theory that we wouldn't be here had industry consolidation not occurred. The cuts might not be as severe right now, but they'd be heading there regardless.

 

[CTListener]

https://www.dailynews.com/2020/01/2...n-isnt-alone-hundreds-more-losing-radio-jobs/


From the LA Daily News in response to a letter. The laments are familiar in the author's response to a letter writer regarding cuts at KOST, but the realities of the marketplace are necessitating this. I have to reject the author's theory that we wouldn't be here had industry consolidation not occurred. The cuts might not be as severe right now, but they'd be heading there regardless.

Agree. The internet has hurt all of our traditional media, just as it has bricks-and-mortar retail. Everyone tries to find ways to adjust and monetize their internet presence, but there's so much less overhead with an internet-only strategy that web-based media companies may have an insurmountable advantage.

 

[LKellerIII]

https://www.dailynews.com/2020/01/2...n-isnt-alone-hundreds-more-losing-radio-jobs/


From the LA Daily News in response to a letter. The laments are familiar in the author's response to a letter writer regarding cuts at KOST, but the realities of the marketplace are necessitating this. I have to reject the author's theory that we wouldn't be here had industry consolidation not occurred. The cuts might not be as severe right now, but they'd be heading there regardless.

I agree, too. Waaaayy before consolidation - back in the 1960s before FM became popular, FM stations that were not simulcasting their AM sister station were mostly automated (pre-recorded shows) because the audience was still small. Especially "Beautiful Music" stations, which were immensely popular with the World War II generation. Some had a live morning drive show, but they were practically all automated the rest of the day, whether on AM or FM

I recall that in the late 60s, KRLA-AM - second-rated as a Top 40 station to KHJ - automated everything but drive-times for a few years.

Back then, I guess it was mainframe computers with huge reel-to-reel tapes. But to suggest that modern radio would not be using current-day technology like voice-tracking without consolidation is just revisionist thinking. In fact, if we still had many small independent owners struggling financially, the trend might be even worse than it already is.

 

[TheBigA]

We've already commented on this article in another thread.

https://www.radiodiscussions.com/sh...-Wallengren-is-a-quot-displaced-employee-quot

The LA Daily News is also owned by a national newspaper conglomerate. They are no different from iHeart. They have made staff cuts as required by corporate ownership. And we're seeing this more and more at newspapers around the country. The consolidation at newspapers occurred without any changes in federal laws. It happened because people stopped buying newspapers and the classified advertising moved to the internet. Certainly Gannett is an example as well. This is the pot calling the kettle black.

 

[Y2kTheNewOldies]

I agree, too. Waaaayy before consolidation - back in the 1960s before FM became popular, FM stations that were not simulcasting their AM sister station were mostly automated (pre-recorded shows) because the audience was still small. Especially "Beautiful Music" stations, which were immensely popular with the World War II generation. Some had a live morning drive show, but they were practically all automated the rest of the day, whether on AM or FM

I recall that in the late 60s, KRLA-AM - second-rated as a Top 40 station to KHJ - automated everything but drive-times for a few years.

Back then, I guess it was mainframe computers with huge reel-to-reel tapes. But to suggest that modern radio would not be using current-day technology like voice-tracking without consolidation is just revisionist thinking. In fact, if we still had many small independent owners struggling financially, the trend might be even worse than it already is.

True but today Iheart has to compete against other audio content companies that only provide podcasts. Prior to the Iheart layoffs there were ads that aired on Iheart O&O's talking about their podcast division becoming that fastest growing area in the company. Iheart leaders must have seen the writing in the wall that they have to focus on podcasts to compete against Gimlet, Spotify and some independent producers of podcasts shows. Iheart must have seen something saying that they have to deal with other players besides Cumulus and Entercom on the OTA radio side though and start going after Spotify, Gimlet, Tunein, LivexLive and other Podcast apps for the Generation Z demo though.

 

[ATSFGuy]

It’s funny what Mr Wagoner said about the company in his article,

iHeartRadio
iHateRadio

My sides are hurting from laughing so hard!

 

[ChannelFlipper]

https://www.dailynews.com/2020/01/2...n-isnt-alone-hundreds-more-losing-radio-jobs/


From the LA Daily News in response to a letter. The laments are familiar in the author's response to a letter writer regarding cuts at KOST, but the realities of the marketplace are necessitating this. I have to reject the author's theory that we wouldn't be here had industry consolidation not occurred. The cuts might not be as severe right now, but they'd be heading there regardless.

The column is pure nonsense. KMR has come in for a lot of criticism from yours truly on this board, but when one is right, well then one is right. The letter-writer KMR takes on the unusual role of being the adult in the room and voice of reason saying that consolidation has nothing to do with radio's current problems. KMR is correct - the act of consolidating operations has prolonged radio as we know it and, in and of itself was not the problem. The problem was the astronomical valuations that were put on the purchased radio stations that CC and others stupidly paid for and, in the real world, could never hope to sufficiently monetize given newer and more competitive technologies that were not unforeseen at the time. It is possible they could never have sufficiently monetized them even without the new competition.

As for Wagoner, for someone who purports to follow the industry, he doesn't seem to have much of a clue about it. he claims

"Had Clear Channel/iHeart, Cumulus, or Entercom actually put some thought into real programming instead of going after the easy demos, they wouldn't be failing".

Uh-huh. Because everyone outside of those companies knows that going after the hard demos with unproven formats is the way to make money in the industry. One gets the idea that he has never looked at the right side of those ratings charts that shows the companies that own the listed stations, showing iheart and Entercom dominating the top 10 in the market. Say what you want about the quality of radio, but BigA says it best when he says radio gives the audience what it wants. This is so sadly true.

My favorite part is when our intrepid radio beat writer in the local newspaper promises us "Next week: how to actually run a station to attract listeners and succeed" Uh... ok, looking forward to that bit of illumination you will be providing that no one in the industry has thought of before. Lack of self-awareness irony is always the best kind.

 

[TheBigA]

BigA says it best when he says radio gives the audience what it wants. This is so sadly true.

Wow I get name-checked! Yes, consider the formats chosen by a local broadcaster: Meruelo Media, in the stations they bought. How many chances do they take? This is not a corporate radio thing. The stations taking risks and programming to fringe demos tend to be non-commercial stations, and LA has a large number of those stations.

I also often say don't confuse programming with finances. iHeart has three stations in LA's Top 5. That's not an accident. They stayed popular and financially successful through iHeart's bankruptcy. So the popularity of those stations had nothing to do with the need for the company to restructure its debt. The Cumulus situation was different. Their mistake, in my opinion, was buying bankrupt Citadel. Had they not done that, they would not have taken on the $2 billion in debt. But it has nothing to do with the programming of their stations.

 

[davideduardo]

Wow I get name-checked! Yes, consider the formats chosen by a local broadcaster: Meruelo Media, in the stations they bought. How many chances do they take? This is not a corporate radio thing.

Meruelo bought stations that have, for the most part, single and exclusive formats. Classic Rock, Classic Hip Hop, Rhythmic CHR. All have done well. Where they have tried to directly compete... in the Reggaeton format... they have been rather poor performers and seem to be having a hard time finding a competitive advantage.

KLLI is getting about half the shares of the SBS station in the same general format. They have made some significant programming mistakes that I'd say even a beginner would know were wrong and that proves that they can do well in exclusive formats but are not a good performer in direct format competition situations.

 

[TheBigA]

Meruelo bought stations that have, for the most part, single and exclusive formats. Classic Rock, Classic Hip Hop, Rhythmic CHR.

I think they've also retained the formats that had been chosen by the previous corporate owners. Which counters the generalization that corporate owners didn't "put some thought into real programming."

 

[radio128]

I wonder if either Big A or ChannelFlipper can elaborate more on "BigA says it best when he says radio gives the audience what it wants. This is so sadly true." Thank you.

 

[TheBigA]

I wonder if either Big A or ChannelFlipper can elaborate more on "BigA says it best when he says radio gives the audience what it wants. This is so sadly true." Thank you.

I think the sentence before the one in your post provides the elaboration, namely the fact that iHeart and Entercom have the Top 5 radio stations in LA. You don't get to that point by ignoring what their audience wants. BTST I believe that KCRW and KCSN each gives its audience what it wants.

 

[hotpatrick2004]

Christmas on the kost just wont be the same without mark wallengren.

 

[LKellerIII]

I think they've also retained the formats that had been chosen by the previous corporate owners. Which counters the generalization that corporate owners didn't "put some thought into real programming."

Another consolidation myth I've heard often is that formats are changing much more frequently than before consolidation. But again, the opposite is true. iHeart in the Bay Area recently changed the format of 98.1 from Old School to Light Rock...or whatever they call it these days, but that was the first format change I can recall in years until KNBR-FM a few months ago. Formats do tend to morph a bit, but I don't consider those format "changes" per se. In fact, 98.1 flipped because the former Light Rock station - KOIT, had gradually morphed from LR to pretty much straight CHR.

Other examples - KMEL was an album rock station in the 70s, but flipped to a hits format about 1981, and morphed over a couple of years into Hip Hop and Rap - and has not changed formats since perhaps 1985 - over 30 years. KFOG had the same basic album rock format for just as long until it was blown up recently to be the FM simulcast for KNBR - an AM Sports Talk station.

 

[TheBigA]

Another consolidation myth I've heard often is that formats are changing much more frequently than before consolidation. But again, the opposite is true.

Because changing formats is expensive. It's much cheaper to simply tweak the music or the presentation and keep the overall structure.

 

[gr8oldies]

Uh-huh/ Let me guess, play a bunch of unknown artists with lots of DJ talk, like absolutely every hobbyist and amateur programmer thinks. Reminds me of a time when I worked at an upstart classic rocker. A guy wrote an letter to the editor about the sad state of radio in the late 80s, and if only some station would give him two hours, he'd show them how it was done. The newspaper ran it as an op-ed. The station I worked at actually called his bluff. Let him play two hours of alternative on a Sunday night. He played a bunch of obscure stuff that alternative fans of the late 80s had never heard of. He didn't "show us how it was done" nor ever find himself behind a mic again

"Next week: how to actually run a station to attract listeners and succeed"[/I] Uh... ok, looking forward to that bit of illumination you will be providing that no one in the industry has thought of before. Lack of self-awareness irony is always the best kind.

 

[LKellerIII]

Uh-huh/ Let me guess, play a bunch of unknown artists with lots of DJ talk, like absolutely every hobbyist and amateur programmer thinks. Reminds me of a time when I worked at an upstart classic rocker. A guy wrote an letter to the editor about the sad state of radio in the late 80s, and if only some station would give him two hours, he'd show them how it was done. The newspaper ran it as an op-ed. The station I worked at actually called his bluff. Let him play two hours of alternative on a Sunday night. He played a bunch of obscure stuff that alternative fans of the late 80s had never heard of. He didn't "show us how it was done" nor ever find himself behind a mic again

Yet another post-consolidation myth. Again, in the Bay Area, KOIT was "Light Rock, Less Talk" for over 30 years - way before consolidation, until they dropped the slogan along with the light rock, recently.

In the 1980's, there were 3 of 4 stations with the slogan "More Music insert call letters," and they allowed very little DJ talk. They might as well have been voice-tracked for all that it mattered. This was more than a decade before consolidation.