Rock Radio At Audacy

[TheBigA]

Here's an interview with Audacy's rock format captain on how they approach the format.

How Vince Richards Shapes Audacy’s Rock Radio Future | Barrett Media

Vince Richards’ journey in radio began at KSHE in St. Louis, where he worked as an on-air personality and programming assistant.

barrettmedia.com

He oversees mainstream, active, classic rock, and adult hits.

 

[Delete My Account]

It's not the most exciting musically, but I do appreciate that KISW Seattle has remained a consistently solid rock station in the Audacy portfolio. Personality driven and still keeps their legacy specialty shows going on the weekend. I'd enjoy a few more currents, there is good new rock in the KISW vein being made, but I recognize the era we're in. Still, it's an excellent station overall.

 

[Bongwater]

KISW is one of the toughest rock stations to compete with, that's for damn sure. Every competitor ultimately gives up (although in all fairness, 96.5 KXRX changed because they were sold to an owner who specialized in an in-house Pop Country format called "Young Country") 102.5 KZOK was nearly full tilt Metal in 1984 until some yuppie corporate PD put something called "Quality Rock". Out with Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and Fastway, in with James Taylor, Huey Lewis and Eurythmics. They tanked and were utterly lost for a couple years before they went Classic Rock in late 1986.

And 98.9 KVRQ, with the right idea, just didn't have either the currents the budget and perhaps even the seriousness it takes to really make it work. Plus if they were wall to wall Hard Metal, they'd have had a much better shot than copying KISW's golds.