poops said:
... a true sign of despiration....
Oh, so anyone who dares speak out against anything KROI does is "desperate?"
Uh huh.
I have friends working there, so I certainly hope they succeed. That said, when I've tuned in, which admittedly hasn't been often, I haven't been impressed. I find it hard to believe that I happened to tune in during the one and only segment where Billy Joe and Bubba calls were making it to air. It was simply awful radio. A good air talent could have improved those calls somewhat with a little interaction, but it just wasn't there. If I were a regular listener, had simply seen the billboards and decided that was the moment where I would sample News 92, it would have probably been the last time I tried them.
At this point, I don't think KTRH has anything to feel "desperate" about. Frankly, I think their re-imaging from "news talk" back to "news radio" was an overreaction. Just because the "all news" option is there doesn't mean Houstonians will embrace it. Like it or not, I don't believe most people want straight news with no spin, particularly here.
Take a look at the success of Fox News Channel. Now consider the erosion of audience from the more traditional news outlets like the evening news on the big 3 networks. If the supposedly unbiased approach isn't working on TV anymore, what makes you people think it will work on radio?
I think this format has very little chance of succeeding. The initial numbers don't look promising. Radio One pulled off a very cheap format and replaced it with a very expensive one that has so far failed to attract half the AQH shares of the old format.
People who want radio news with a left wing slant are already being super served by NPR. News with a conservative slant might work, as it works for Fox News, but I can't see Radio One having the stomach for that.
I predict another cheap to operate music format on 92.1 by the end of 2012. Given what RO has done in other markets, I don't think 92.1 JACK-FM is too far fetched.