The Death Of Indie 103.1

[Jay F]

One of my favorite non-radio bloggers wrote about radio this week. Since many people on this board were obsessed with INDIE 103.1, I thought you might find his thoughts interesting. He hit on the point that non-Hispanic whites are making up a shrinking % of the younger population in LA. But he didn't mention and doesn't seem aware of how signal challenged INDIE was.

www.whiskeys-place.blogspot.com/2009/05/media-failure-part-one-radio-and-death.html

 

[Buckethead]

I was a big fan of Indie 103.1 and am sorry to see them gone, but this guys assessment is nonsense.

 

[OC Radio Geek]

I was a big fan of Indie 103.1 and am sorry to see them gone, but this guys assessment is nonsense.

Yeah, I agree! What a baffoon!

 

[radiojomo]

WOW. First of all, Indie could have never tried to compete with KROQ because it didn't not even have a full market signal. Second, Indie did not just attract young white kids. Indie attracted all types of people. Third, all these facts this guy has are just crazy!

 

[OC Radio Geek]

WOW. First of all, Indie could have never tried to compete with KROQ because it didn't not even have a full market signal. Second, Indie did not just attract young white kids. Indie attracted all types of people. Third, all these facts this guy has are just crazy!

Yes, you are correct. Indie's big flaw and demise was it's signal, but they sure sound good online!

 

[radioresearcher]

WOW. First of all, Indie could have never tried to compete with KROQ because it didn't not even have a full market signal. Second, Indie did not just attract young white kids. Indie attracted all types of people. Third, all these facts this guy has are just crazy!

Yes, you are correct. Indie's big flaw and demise was it's signal, but they sure sound good online!

If it was the signal, how come the current Regional Mexican station on the same frequency has four times the ratings against three other full signal competitors.

The programming was bad. It didn't even win where it had an equal signal to KROQ or 98-7.

 

[OC Radio Geek]

WOW. First of all, Indie could have never tried to compete with KROQ because it didn't not even have a full market signal. Second, Indie did not just attract young white kids. Indie attracted all types of people. Third, all these facts this guy has are just crazy!

Yes, you are correct. Indie's big flaw and demise was it's signal, but they sure sound good online!

If it was the signal, how come the current Regional Mexican station on the same frequency has four times the ratings against three other full signal competitors.

The programming was bad. It didn't even win where it had an equal signal to KROQ or 98-7.

You just answered your own question. It's a Mexican station! Huge audience!! The indie/alternative music listening audience is much smaller. I beg to differ on the programming. It was not bad programming! I believe that Indie was and still is playing cutting edge indie/alternative rock. There are several other Indie fans on this board who will agree!

 

[radioresearcher]

WOW. First of all, Indie could have never tried to compete with KROQ because it didn't not even have a full market signal. Second, Indie did not just attract young white kids. Indie attracted all types of people. Third, all these facts this guy has are just crazy!

Yes, you are correct. Indie's big flaw and demise was it's signal, but they sure sound good online!

If it was the signal, how come the current Regional Mexican station on the same frequency has four times the ratings against three other full signal competitors.

The programming was bad. It didn't even win where it had an equal signal to KROQ or 98-7.

You just answered your own question. It's a Mexican station! Huge audience!! The indie/alternative music listening audience is much smaller. I beg to differ on the programming. It was not bad programming! I believe that Indie was and still is playing cutting edge indie/alternative rock. There are several other Indie fans on this board who will agree!

How come the other two Alternative stations post a 3 share and this one had a 0.4? Even in areas where it's signal was on par, it got clobbered by the other two. It was horrible programming - plain and simple.

 

[OC Radio Geek]

The other 2 stations are playing much more mainstream/popular alternative songs and they market their stations a lot more than Indie. Indie's programming was not bad or horrible, they just do not play the "playing what the major wants to hear" game. That's all! Also, I don't think Indie cared about competing with KROQ or KPWR, hence their name, Indie.

 

[AM FM listener]

Regardless of one's personal taste, Indie was recognized amongst the "rock elite" as an excellent radio station. Its programming was targeted to a niche audience within the rock genre. It never aspired to become mass appeal and indeed, it did not. It's sort of like an Oscar winning film that did modestly at the box office (e.g., Best Picture winner "Crash"). Had economic times not fallen so hard, perhaps it would still be around today.

 

[OC Radio Geek]

Regardless of one's personal taste, Indie was recognized amongst the "rock elite" as an excellent radio station. Its programming was targeted to a niche audience within the rock genre. It never aspired to become mass appeal and indeed, it did not. It's sort of like an Oscar winning film that did modestly at the box office (e.g., Best Picture winner "Crash"). Had economic times not fallen so hard, perhaps it would still be around today.

I could not have said it better. You hit the nail on the head!

Correction: Indie still is an excellent radio station. Listen at www.indie1031.com

 

[RBB05]

The signal was always an issue. Lack of ownership support was also big, There were opporunities to improve the signal, but the station ownership is a TV-first company, with radio playing second fiddle, and English-language radio playing a distant third in their priorities.

 

[davideduardo]

The signal was always an issue. Lack of ownership support was also big, There were opporunities to improve the signal, but the station ownership is a TV-first company, with radio playing second fiddle, and English-language radio playing a distant third in their priorities.

There is absolutely no way under the current rules to improve the signal.

Indie has nothing to do with corporate priorities. Corporate priorities generally are to make money from every asset. As such, with the JSA with CC and then with 93.5, they made money. Without a JSA, they did not, so they changed format.

 

[Buckethead]

Regardless of one's personal taste, Indie was recognized amongst the "rock elite" as an excellent radio station. Its programming was targeted to a niche audience within the rock genre. It never aspired to become mass appeal and indeed, it did not. It's sort of like an Oscar winning film that did modestly at the box office (e.g., Best Picture winner "Crash"). Had economic times not fallen so hard, perhaps it would still be around today.

I could not have said it better. You hit the nail on the head!

Correction: Indie still is an excellent radio station. Listen at www.indie1031.com

If it's just a webstream, it's not a radio station any more than your myspace page is a television station.

 

[OC Radio Geek]

Regardless of one's personal taste, Indie was recognized amongst the "rock elite" as an excellent radio station. Its programming was targeted to a niche audience within the rock genre. It never aspired to become mass appeal and indeed, it did not. It's sort of like an Oscar winning film that did modestly at the box office (e.g., Best Picture winner "Crash"). Had economic times not fallen so hard, perhaps it would still be around today.

I could not have said it better. You hit the nail on the head!

Correction: Indie still is an excellent radio station. Listen at www.indie1031.com

If it's just a webstream, it's not a radio station any more than your myspace page is a television station.

haha very funny

 

[RBB05]

Indie's revenue was pretty much the same with the JSA as without it and they ran lean with only a few AE's. The station operation was expensive.

 

[LA_Guy]

Actually there is...

The signal was always an issue. Lack of ownership support was also big, There were opporunities to improve the signal, but the station ownership is a TV-first company, with radio playing second fiddle, and English-language radio playing a distant third in their priorities.

There is absolutely no way under the current rules to improve the signal.

Actually there is...but the former KTPI (now KVVS?) would have to go along with it-and with Clear Channel owning it now, that's not gonna happen!

At one point I came up with the idea of forcing 103.1 to move to 98.9 and then putting 103.1 somewhere way up north as a first service. That way, the Santa Monica 103.1 could have moved to the 98.7/89.9 site in the SM mountains. Problem is it would have also involved moving/reclassifying the 88.1 in Mojave and would have simply been too complicated-although they would have had a MUCH better signal as a class A with decent tower height them the B1 with no antenna height they are now. Plus, Entrevision didn't want to pay me nearly enough to make it worth my while.

 

[davideduardo]

Re: Actually there is...

Actually there is...but the former KTPI (now KVVS?) would have to go along with it-and with Clear Channel owning it now, that's not gonna happen!

LOL. That is sort of like my saying I could improve KRCD by buying KOST and moving it to somewhere nearer to Barstow.