I've been thinking about this. CBS has been making all the right moves with KRTH and KTWV that's a given, but what happened to their programmer's previous triumph KOST? I've been listening to both in the last few days and it seems to me their local AC guru has made some pretty lame decisions with what has been one of the nation's premiere radio stations. We already know what Jhani Kaye did with KRTH and now he has KTWV and he's bringing them up a lot faster than some expected.
My quick analysis is that the WAVE has been moved into a more AC direction. More vocals and hits, while reducing the instrumentals and making the airstaff a little more chatty, but not too much. KOST on the other hand has done some really weird stuff. Last year they did something none of their competitors or even sister stations would. They dropped their old jingle company and familiar melody and replaced them with some really abrasive jingles. They're horrible! And that's not being mean. They're really loud. The music seems to be more repetitive too and they're playing a lot of sweepers which in my mind means more interruptions.
My conclusion is that KOST isn't as easy to listen to in an office or business as it's competitor for long hours. When will Clear Channel get a clue? Seems to me that they still have most of the successful elements in place. Good on-air staff and a pd who always made Don Barrett's top ten best list, but strange choices in many other departments. These changes have to be coming from somewhere else but where or who is a mystery.
They are still in the top ten, but can they stay there? Anybody heard anything? I can't get a word out of the people I know at Clear Channel.
My quick analysis is that the WAVE has been moved into a more AC direction. More vocals and hits, while reducing the instrumentals and making the airstaff a little more chatty, but not too much. KOST on the other hand has done some really weird stuff. Last year they did something none of their competitors or even sister stations would. They dropped their old jingle company and familiar melody and replaced them with some really abrasive jingles. They're horrible! And that's not being mean. They're really loud. The music seems to be more repetitive too and they're playing a lot of sweepers which in my mind means more interruptions.
My conclusion is that KOST isn't as easy to listen to in an office or business as it's competitor for long hours. When will Clear Channel get a clue? Seems to me that they still have most of the successful elements in place. Good on-air staff and a pd who always made Don Barrett's top ten best list, but strange choices in many other departments. These changes have to be coming from somewhere else but where or who is a mystery.
They are still in the top ten, but can they stay there? Anybody heard anything? I can't get a word out of the people I know at Clear Channel.