LA Radio reports some possible format changes

[djmimi]

David: Like many others, I check the LA board to read your posts which offer insight and valuable information, to say nothing of occasional sarcasm and wit. This having been said, I have to ask if and why there isn't a place in L-A for a station like Indie 103.1. I'm not a "fan" of the station, nor will I profess to know a lot about the LA market. I'm just some guy in Buffalo who enjoys the biz, having spent a few years in it.

It seems to me that a station like Indie serves a devoted, albeit small, segment of available listeners. At $10 million per rating share in LA, it has to be making some money. If Indie adopted a format that reached more listeners and generated better ratings, would it not be only a (short) matter of time before another full power LA station co-opted that format (either by direct competition or flanking) and squashed Indies (again)?

From the favorable Indie posts on this board and a look at the cursory 12+ ratings published in R&R, it seems Indie serves a fairly good purpose, especially given the limitations of its signal. Sure, the present format can be tweaked and polished, but given the big players and the big signals in LA, what's a little fish like Indie to do? Seems like it's swimming with sharks and surviving. Is "surviving" good enough? Thanks. Regards, -Mike Radknowski

I like this post. What I usually see is shark mentality on these boards. We're commercial broadcasters, we want to win and find the format that will get the numbers. But, truthfully, if I may get a little philosophical here, the commercial sentiment conflicts with our prime directive from the government, which is to serve the community. And that means serving those segments who don't run with the mainstream crowd. Perhaps David, if you can alter your thinking from the normal path to winning the greater majority to ways to helping out a unique format survive among the sharks?? This would involve some pretty creative thinking I would imagine!

 

[BACKnUSSR]

I like this post. What I usually see is shark mentality on these boards. We're commercial broadcasters, we want to win and find the format that will get the numbers. But, truthfully, if I may get a little philosophical here, the commercial sentiment conflicts with our prime directive from the government, which is to serve the community. And that means serving those segments who don't run with the mainstream crowd. Perhaps David, if you can alter your thinking from the normal path to winning the greater majority to ways to helping out a unique format survive among the sharks?? This would involve some pretty creative thinking I would imagine!

Although I agree with the sentiment of this post, I dont see how serving the "mainstream crowd" is a conflict with serving the "community". Just because a format is more niche, it doesnt mean it is any better at providing news, local information and public affairs issues that the government always cared about more than say a "top 40" station. Actually if a station reaches a larger audience, who really does a better job of serving the community?

 

[ajhenderson]

Correct me if I am wrong but I believe that a KNX/KLSX simulcast is not allowed by the FCC regulations since both have the same COL.

Perhaps I'm reading into something that isn't there, but KSL and KSL-FM are not licensed to the same COL; the FM is in Midvale.

Same Market definition.

 

[djmimi]

Although I agree with the sentiment of this post, I dont see how serving the "mainstream crowd" is a conflict with serving the "community". Just because a format is more niche, it doesnt mean it is any better at providing news, local information and public affairs issues that the government always cared about more than say a "top 40" station. Actually if a station reaches a larger audience, who really does a better job of serving the community?

Huh? I never said it was "better" at serving the community. I just said it serves a segment (read: a section, a part, not the whole) of the community who is not served by the bigger mainstream station!

Hmmmm. Also, it's all hypothetical. We know this could never happen in real life. I am just challenging people to come up with creative ideas here. The idea being "what would you DO to survive?" if this was YOUR format! I am NOT saying it is better at all...

 

[Indielover]

Although I agree with the sentiment of this post, I dont see how serving the "mainstream crowd" is a conflict with serving the "community". Just because a format is more niche, it doesnt mean it is any better at providing news, local information and public affairs issues that the government always cared about more than say a "top 40" station. Actually if a station reaches a larger audience, who really does a better job of serving the community?

Huh? I never said it was "better" at serving the community. I just said it serves a segment (read: a section, a part, not the whole) of the community who is not served by the bigger mainstream station!

Hmmmm. Also, it's all hypothetical. We know this could never happen in real life. I am just challenging people to come up with creative ideas here. The idea being "what would you DO to survive?" if this was YOUR format! I am NOT saying it is better at all...

The irony here is the station in question "indie" has survived (against all odds and predictions by the "all knowing" "experts") for nearly 5 years.

 

[BACKnUSSR]

Although I agree with the sentiment of this post, I dont see how serving the "mainstream crowd" is a conflict with serving the "community". Just because a format is more niche, it doesnt mean it is any better at providing news, local information and public affairs issues that the government always cared about more than say a "top 40" station. Actually if a station reaches a larger audience, who really does a better job of serving the community?

Huh? I never said it was "better" at serving the community. I just said it serves a segment (read: a section, a part, not the whole) of the community who is not served by the bigger mainstream station!

Hmmmm. Also, it's all hypothetical. We know this could never happen in real life. I am just challenging people to come up with creative ideas here. The idea being "what would you DO to survive?" if this was YOUR format! I am NOT saying it is better at all...

So you meant to say "....and that means [ALSO] serving those segments who don't run with the mainstream crowd...." correct?
It seemed to me as though you were saying that those who serve segments OTHER than the mainstream were the ones in line with the government's prime directive rather than those stations who do.

I think the bottom line to any station survival is better marketing, most stations no matter what the format fail to reach the majority of radio listeners in a market completely.....there are thousands of potential indie listeners that would listen but are currently a) unaware it exists b) arent thinking about it when KROQ plays that song they hate c) tuned in during some specialty show and thinks that its a reggae station or metal station or some other variance of what it usually is.
Successful off air marketing is one of the toughest and most expensive challenges for stations, when its done well,
it can create a positive image, and sample listening that a station can build on.

 

[djmimi]

So you meant to say "....and that means [ALSO] serving those segments who don't run with the mainstream crowd...." correct?
It seemed to me as though you were saying that those who serve segments OTHER than the mainstream were the ones in line with the government's prime directive rather than those stations who do.

Yes, every station 'serves' the community in their own fashion. However, we're all trying to figure out what serves the greatest amount of people due to the ratings system. Of course, you can argue that serving the alt crowd is the position of non-coms, but having done time in the non-coms, ugh, they're really in the same boat, different set of problems...it's all about the money.
However, thanks, that is a good point to make about marketing.

Would be nice if a billionaire like Paul Allen buy INdie just for the fun factor...lol, he DID do that with that sports outlet, but subsequently sold it.

 

[AM FM listener]

As the old song goes, "...Every hand's a winner and every hand's a loser..." [The Gambler, by Kenny Rogers]

In other words, maybe it isn't so much WHICH format is chosen but rather HOW that format is executed that is more important to a station's success. In many markets, the formats most likely to attract a significant audience -- e.g., Talk, Country, AC, CHR, Classic Rock -- are already in place. [Seems like Country is more of a challenge in LA but it's huge in other parts of the nation.] So, a station owner could opt to be the market's 3rd or 4th variety of Talk or AC and try to do it better, or, go for a "niche" that hasn't been fully explored and do it well.

Indie 103.1 seems to be programmed well, musically, so maybe more, or better, marketing would help them grow enough to afford staying in its current format. I hope so. It is fun to listen to. So is The Sound, BTW. I believe they will continue to fine-tune their programming and marketing in order to succeed as an AAA.

 

[davideduardo]

Indie 103.1 seems to be programmed well, musically, so maybe more, or better, marketing would help them grow enough to afford staying in its current format. I hope so. It is fun to listen to. So is The Sound, BTW. I believe they will continue to fine-tune their programming and marketing in order to succeed as an AAA.

The real issues with Indie are signal and changes in management / sales.

The dual 103.1's do not have much penetration of the total LA market. The Santa Monica one is at the West side of the Baldwin Hills, and does not look at the LA basin well due to blockage by the eastern part of the hills. The OC signal is too close to the coast, and has all to frequent ducting, inversion and similary issues limiting it.

Signal wise, it is what it is, and the pair will always be best suited for something that fits the smaller area it reaches, or to extend some other limited signal.

The station manager recently left, and I was told (unconfirmed) that their sales agreement with KDAY had ended. This may make owership reevaluate the format or the stations or, simply, do nothing. You and I are not in that particualr building, so we're guessing based on what we do know.