Rick Dees Out At KHHT FM

[TheBigA]

Maybe I am a strange duck and especially since I thought that the Edsel was a good idea I might very well be. But there must be some out there that can get by without hearing the same twenty songs, if you can call some of today's stuff that, over and over.

There are, but not enough to attract the advertisers it takes to pay for it. Which is why you find that kind of radio being done on listener-supported platforms like public radio and satellite. If you have champagne taste, you should pay to hear broader playlists. If not, join the commoners who prefer predictability.

 

[henry]

Could KFI win younger demos (and grow overall billing) putting KFI on 92.3?

If you throw away the Hot 92.3 audience, CCM+E loses its billing immediately. KFI advertisers aren't going to pay more for being on FM is the audience simply shifts from a now redundant AM signal to 92.3 FM.

To justify the move to FM, KFI needs to hope to grow its audience beyond Hot's current audience (or dollar-similar growth in other desirable demos). Is that even possible?

 

[KFodor]

Could KFI win younger demos (and grow overall billing) putting KFI on 92.3?

If you throw away the Hot 92.3 audience, CCM+E loses its billing immediately. KFI advertisers aren't going to pay more for being on FM is the audience simply shifts from a now redundant AM signal to 92.3 FM.

To justify the move to FM, KFI needs to hope to grow its audience beyond Hot's current audience (or dollar-similar growth in other desirable demos). Is that even possible?

Many stations that have added an FM talk simulcast have seen demos reduced...and, because there's far more people listening to FM as opposed to AM, cume has increased as well. You can't lower the demos on an AM station, because no one under 50 regularly listens, no one under 40 cares about AM and no one under 30 knows there is such a thing as AM radio.

 

[brlmedia]

was he on the air today?? is he saying goodbye tomorrow?

 

[henry]

Many stations that have added an FM talk simulcast have seen demos reduced...and, because there's far more people listening to FM as opposed to AM, cume has increased as well. You can't lower the demos on an AM station, because no one under 50 regularly listens, no one under 40 cares about AM and no one under 30 knows there is such a thing as AM radio.

I think Bill Carroll could do well with 18-34 "young mom" demos and probably cume better on FM. Conway could grab a lot of 18-34s male listeners who just don't know his show exists on AM. And reasonable increases for J&K and Handel too, I bet.

An FM simulcast is a great long-term strategy. But do you really think the improvement justifies the immediate audience/billing loss we'd see from blowing up KHHT? The station isn't doing "awesome," but it's ratings don't stink either.

 

[pjc1961]

The RAMP newsletter of 7/5/12 has CCM+E Sr. VP/Programming John Ivey's follow-up memo with news on the replacements for Hot 92.3 mornings starting on Monday 7/9/12:

Morning street guy Jimmy Reyes is the fill-in host (currently hosts Saturday night party show).
Natalia Perez continues with entertainment reports.
Keith Rhodes is the producer.
Street team member J9 replaces Reyes out in public during the morning show.

 

[TheBigA]

Makes sense. Confirms the view that the change was more about money than format.

 

[davideduardo]

Finally time for KFI FM?

No. Hot is doing really well after 10 AM and is a very viable format. The problem was mornings which underperformed the rest of the day significantly. They are fixing that

KFi is a top 5 station in 25-54 and for the moment does not need an FM simulcast. With billing that is second in the market there is not enough upside to make up for the significant billing that KHHT has right now.

 

[davideduardo]

Makes sense. Confirms the view that the change was more about money than format.

It is just as likely that the money issue was on the Dees side: not enough ratings achievement to make the contract pay off well...

This just might be a case where the talent made a deal based on performance and both sides were in agreement to end it. I doubt that this was one-sided.

 

[davideduardo]

I think Bill Carroll could do well with 18-34 "young mom" demos and probably cume better on FM. Conway could grab a lot of 18-34s male listeners who just don't know his show exists on AM. And reasonable increases for J&K and Handel too, I bet.

An FM simulcast is a great long-term strategy. But do you really think the improvement justifies the immediate audience/billing loss we'd see from blowing up KHHT? The station isn't doing "awesome," but it's ratings don't stink either.

The KFI kind of talk will never appeal to 18-34. When talkers attempt to lower the demo profile, the are referring to getting 35-54s which is hard for an AM in many markets. But they definitely are not after anthin much under 35.

 

[TheBigA]

I doubt that this was one-sided.

I agree.

 

[Captain Klutz]

I like the idea of Dees at K-Earth, but wasn't he offered the job a few years ago? Word was he turned it down because he didn't want to be a "dinosaur" playing "golden oldies". Anyone else ever hear this?

 

[henry]

Give him a few years off the air. He'll get too hungry to be on-air again. KRTH!

 

[TheBigA]

Once the Social Security checks start coming in, he'll change his tune.

In the meantime he's having fun with rick.com. He was very smart to lock down that domain very early on.

 

[nmoore6676]

Maybe I am a strange duck and especially since I thought that the Edsel was a good idea I might very well be. But there must be some out there that can get by without hearing the same twenty songs, if you can call some of today's stuff that, over and over.

There are, but not enough to attract the advertisers it takes to pay for it. Which is why you find that kind of radio being done on listener-supported platforms like public radio and satellite. If you have champagne taste, you should pay to hear broader playlists. If not, join the commoners who prefer predictability.

Yes and even the commercials are stupider, I shake my head at some of them. Americans in general are just plain stupid and radio and TV as well as the movies are playing to less discerning audiences. Even the quality of public broadcasting is becoming more banal. I never considered myself a snob but perhaps I am.

 

[henry]

I find the contrast between "Mercedes-Benz of Laguna Niguel" spots (above my league) and "1-800-LOANMART" (well below my league) to be very stark.

And the spots targeting the "lower end" are quite dumb. Does anyone really believe they can get $500 dollars in free gas money? Or a free laptop? Simply by calling an 1-800 number?

 

[KPWRairchecks]

They shoulda gotten Jay Thomas and the Morning Zoo back...at least he still does a show that doesn't sound VOICETRACKED.

Speaking of KPWR, I'm always looking for airchecks of Power 106 from the 80s and early 90s. Have any? Let me know!

 

[radio-darn]

Yes and even the commercials are stupider, I shake my head at some of them. Americans in general are just plain stupid and radio and TV as well as the movies are playing to less discerning audiences. Even the quality of public broadcasting is becoming more banal. I never considered myself a snob but perhaps I am.

Not a snob - just ill informed: remember "Ring Around the Collar," "Three's Company," Paper Lace singing "The Night Chicago Died," The Bad News Bears Go To Japan?"

 

[Robnoxious]

I must be one of those odd ducks. Born in 1970, I danced the dialed from KFI to XETRA to KHJ (Car tunes era) on the AM band to KIQQ, KMET, KNAC, KQLZ, KROQ (Hell, even KKHR) on the FM side. All each had something I wanted to hear at the time. Lohman & Barkley are still radio Gods in my book, the cream of the crop. I even have a few Hudson & Landry albums but nothing connected to me like L&B did in the late 70's early 80's with them and legendary Bruce Wayne "KFI in the Sky". I suppose I'm a bit of an anomaly since I was listening to this in the outskirts like Palmdale and Visalia and Bakersfield but listen in I did. I learned the freeway systems of Los Angeles having never driven a car for yet another 10 years let alone in Los Angeles. By age 18, I knew the Sepulveda Pass was always a mess, you could count on traffic where the Ventura hits the Santa Ana or that the San Bernardino near the Long Beach Freeway (then the CA-7) was jammed.

I live in Los Angeles now and still don't know where the 4-level is or The Slot despite hearing about it for years prior. I do however, know where the Slauson Cutoff is.

I realize I am not the advertising demo anymore. Perhaps I never really was. Outside of buying records from WEA that Dr. Demento always instructed me to do I don't think I was ever "captured" as an ad mark. All radio did was capture me as a listener. My tastes and preferences run an immeasurable gambit but it always came down to the talent of what I heard.

Be it Mark Chase or Robert W. or The Tuna or even Rick Dees and the countless other nameless jocks I have unfortunate misfortune of not remembering. They all had an impact on me and I dare say shaped me to what I am today. While I am not a radio disc jockey it was always a life long dream. I merely brushed close to my goal working at record stores and attending concerts. Now I do dumb internet radio shows to fulfill my childlike urge. It's enough to satiate my hunger but it'll never be the real thing.

 

[LKellerIII]

I live in Los Angeles now and still don't know where the 4-level is or The Slot despite hearing about it for years prior. I do however, know where the Slauson Cutoff is.

I think that was a Johnny Carson joke - "take the Slausson Cutoff, then cut off your Slausson..."