What’s wrong with KROQ 106.7 FM, and what can be done to fix it

[TheBigA]

KROQ's highest audience share averaged a 4.4 in 1994.

The ratings weren't great, but KROQ at one time was one of the highest billers in the country. The revenue came from NTR. That's why David Field loves the alternative format. Unfortunately, all NTR activities got shut down during the pandemic. So the real job for this station will be to rebuild its NTR division. That will be key to the station's future.

 

[adradio]

Yes!!!

I looked at the annual average share for KROQ going back to the start...

https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Duncan-American-Radio/Duncan-1975-1992/Los Angeles.pdf

The best year averaged a 4.4 and that was 1994. That is less than one out of every 20 people listening to the radio at any given time was listening to KROQ. They cumed just under 14% of the population. That meant that less than one out of every 7 people ever listened to it in the average week.

How can a station "be Los Angeles" if the overwhelming percentage of the population never listened? Well, KIIS had five or six years when over 20% of the population listened weekly. Was Kiss-FM Los Angeles?

I could say that KLVE, which had many years from 1995 onward that beat KROQ's best ones by significant percentages, "was really Los Angeles". After all, the numbers don't lie, do they? Heck, KLVE is in Spanish, and the name of the city is Spanish, so I guess KLVE can claim that LA is theirs. I'll bring it up in the next meeting.

What should really be said is "a bunch of people who loved System of a Down really liked KROQ... years ago". That is closer to the truth.

From a 'trendsetting perspective', among highly engaged radio listeners and music fans, KROQ was the biggest thing in Los Angeles radio in it's hey day. KROQ was at the forefront of the Alt. rock format. There were few if any commercial stations playing Alt. rock at that time in the U.S. It was a risk-taker and a ground-breaking station.

In any market, but specifically in huge, diverse markets like LA, it is very hard to break through and stand out. You can be cutting edge, and a huge innovater in the industry with a 4.0 rating in a market like LA. Looking at the top rated stations today...KRTH, KOST, KFI, KTWV...that's nearly 20% of the market that is essentially background music or talk radio. Those stations are in a completely different category...and will never be cutting edge. Unless one of them gets a 10.0 rating, none of these stations will ever standout and define LA radio. Let's just say that 40 years from now, the next Quentin Tarrantino would not be using any of these stations as the soundtrack of the times. But, if the movie was for the late '80s, early '90s, the soundtrack would be KROQ.

 

[TheBigA]

KROQ was at the forefront of the Alt. rock format. There were few if any commercial stations playing Alt. rock at that time in the U.S. It was a risk-taker and a ground-breaking station.

That's indicative of the problem when you base your radio station on a format and a genre of music that is no longer ground-breaking or risk taking. It really is the canary in the coal mine that sadly is alternative rock today. This is not to say that there aren't still some people who like it, and some radio stations that get good ratings with it. But the music isn't what it was 30 years ago.

 

[hotpatrick2004]

But that can be said about any format. Chr is very different then 30 years ago.

What was it then in 91? Let's take a trip back in time...

Chr was NELSON and ROXETTE and STEVIE B and BRYAN ADAMS everything I do and COLOR ME BAD with sex you up and C&C MUSIC FACTORY gonna make you sweat and JANET JACKSON love will never do etc...

And alt was like THE FARM all together now THE REMEMBRANCE that's just the way it is baby and NEDS ATOMIC DUSTBIN grey cell green and THE RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS give it away and NIRVANA teen spirit SOUSHIE AND THE BANSHEES kiss them for me etc...



Alt was more rock based back then. Chr was more pop less rhythmic back then.

Music is always in a state of flux

 

[TheBigA]

Music is always in a state of flux

I agree. But CHR is a general radio format that evolves as the music evolves. The artists change, but as long as the music is popular, it gets played regardless of musical genre.

Alternative is a genre based format that has had a lot of trouble trying to evolve. It's a niche of a niche. It's a subgenre of rock that was at one time very big, but has fallen on very hard times. Its fans want it to remain what it was, but it hasn't.

This subgenre has now developed subgenres within it, making it even harder to attract a sellable audience. KROQ is trying to latch on to the most visible part of the subgenre. So far, it's not doing very well. We'll see what happens as the station is able to hold outdoor events.

 

[hotpatrick2004]

I like to see the weenie roast and acoustic Christmas return. Seems like alt 98.7 stealing lisa from Kroq has paid off. The two stations flipped pd,s and great for alt 98.7 Kroq not so much.

The alt genre had it's heyday in the mid 90s I doubt the format will ever achieve that level again.

 

[TheBigA]

The alt genre had it's heyday in the mid 90s I doubt the format will ever achieve that level again.

I think you're right.

 

[davideduardo]

In any market, but specifically in huge, diverse markets like LA, it is very hard to break through and stand out. You can be cutting edge, and a huge innovater in the industry with a 4.0 rating in a market like LA. Looking at the top rated stations today...KRTH, KOST, KFI, KTWV...that's nearly 20% of the market that is essentially background music or talk radio. Those stations are in a completely different category...and will never be cutting edge. Unless one of them gets a 10.0 rating, none of these stations will ever standout and define LA radio. Let's just say that 40 years from now, the next Quentin Tarrantino would not be using any of these stations as the soundtrack of the times. But, if the movie was for the late '80s, early '90s, the soundtrack would be KROQ.

In the late 80's and early 90's KIIS had at least double the share of KROQ in every year. In 1985 they had almost 4 times the KROQ audience, and when KROQ came even close to KIIS it was already 1993.

In the '85 to '86 period, KIIS came close to having shares as high as KHJ had. It was, in fact, the last LA station to have double digit shares outside of one KOST Holiday book in the PPM.

 

[davideduardo]

The ratings weren't great, but KROQ at one time was one of the highest billers in the country. The revenue came from NTR. That's why David Field loves the alternative format. Unfortunately, all NTR activities got shut down during the pandemic. So the real job for this station will be to rebuild its NTR division. That will be key to the station's future.

That was long ago. By the end of the 90's, KROQ was 8th or 9th in billings in LA, beaten by KKBT, KCBS, KLVE, KTWV, KIIS, KRTH, KLSX. KOST and tied with KPWR (BIA 1998).

The problem with the big shows, even when the station was so important to the artists, is that they were very expensive and did not have a radio-like profit margin.

 

[boombox4]

How important was KROQ to the development of New Wave in the US in the early 1980's? We even had an all New Wave station here in Seattle between 1982-1984. I'm guessing that, like many other radio trends, it started elsewhere -- in a bigger market.

 

[MarkW]

The ratings weren't great, but KROQ at one time was one of the highest billers in the country.

In A25-54 and especially M25-54, once upon a time, KROQ did have great ratings.

That 4.4 share annual average in 1994 had to have been darn near matched around a year or two either side of 2000. Undoubtedly, the mid 90s were a great period for the format.

As for the format's issues today, the problem is simple - the music. Alternative radio listeners don't want to be treated to oversized portions of slow, melodic music or mid-tempo electronic music. As long as that style of music remains the backbone of the format, it will only enjoy very niche appeal and work well in a select few markets.

 

[CTListener]

In A25-54 and especially M25-54, once upon a time, KROQ did have great ratings.

That 4.4 share annual average in 1994 had to have been darn near matched around a year or two either side of 2000. Undoubtedly, the mid 90s were a great period for the format.

As for the format's issues today, the problem is simple - the music. Alternative radio listeners don't want to be treated to oversized portions of slow, melodic music or mid-tempo electronic music. As long as that style of music remains the backbone of the format, it will only enjoy very niche appeal and work well in a select few markets.

I'd imagine, though, that billing never came close to matching its listener popularity owing to negative perceptions of the audience by the advertising industry -- the cynical, underemployed slacker stereotype. Wasn't the "Lilith Fair" invasion of the format in the late '90s an attempt to attract a more salable (read: "young moms") audience to alt radio?

 

[macattack]

I'd imagine, though, that billing never came close to matching its listener popularity owing to negative perceptions of the audience by the advertising industry -- the cynical, underemployed slacker stereotype. Wasn't the "Lilith Fair" invasion of the format in the late '90s an attempt to attract a more salable (read: "young moms") audience to alt radio?

Yes, and the backlash was so immense that it led to the rise of Korn, Limp Bizkit, Papa Roach, Linkin Park, Breaking Benjamin, Chevelle, Evanescence... I can keep going.

Even Slipknot scored a top 10 on Alternative in 2004. Imagine them even making the Alt chart today.

 

[TheBigA]

As for the format's issues today, the problem is simple - the music.

Radio stations are not in the music business.

The station is trying to retain a format after the music has died. Tough thing to do. They seem to be invested in the format, so that means they have to wait out the current music situation. In a way its similar to what happened to smooth jazz,

 

[Delete My Account]

I love alternative music. I loved the new wave and Rodney days of KROQ. And I'm beginning to question if it's a "format" for commercial radio purposes in most markets any more. A lot of people have fond memories of the 90s, but the whole point of "alternative" is that it's an always evolving, changing sound that's supposed to be "ahead" of the mainstream. The idea that a commercial radio station in LA can truly capture that in 2021 - I'm somewhat skeptical. I can see the case of heritage alternatives in smaller markets who can take chances and are highly local - WWCD and WEQX, for example.

But can a station in a market the size of LA with its cultural diversity find a consensus that's profitable and reflect the "alternative" culture? To the extent that can be monetized and supported, I'd venture that KCRW and KCSN have figured that out. And that's not a level of profit or mindset that works for Audacy or most commercial broadcasters.

I'm starting to believe there simply isn't a consensus format between classic alt fans, 90s nostalgia, the "indie" sound and current pop alternative. Some listeners are partisan to their memories and their decade, and the most open minded, discovery oriented, highly involved audience have found digital alternatives or a home at stations like KEXP and The Current. There's not much for a commercial "alt" station to work with.

 

[TheBigA]

I love alternative music. I loved the new wave and Rodney days of KROQ. And I'm beginning to question if it's a "format" for commercial radio purposes in most markets any more.

I think that's the situation KROQ found itself in. They were becoming a museum for something that existed 25 years ago. Radio stations aren't museums. All of that music is available anywhere. The purpose radio stations have for playing music is to attract an audience they can sell. If the music doesn't do that, then it's time to change the music. That's what KROQ did.

 

[davideduardo]

That 4.4 share annual average in 1994 had to have been darn near matched around a year or two either side of 2000. Undoubtedly, the mid 90s were a great period for the format.

The early KROQ was rather unstructured, and what we see in the ratings is the "coming together" of the station as much as the growth of the genre it represented.

As I mentioned, the early days of KROQ on Riverside in Toluca Lake just up from Patty's were filled with record ducks in the studio, and a sort of ongoing party atmosphere.

Here are the annual averages from the mid-70's to the early 2000's...

https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Duncan-American-Radio/Duncan-1975-1992/Los%20Angeles.pdf

As for the format's issues today, the problem is simple - the music. Alternative radio listeners don't want to be treated to oversized portions of slow, melodic music or mid-tempo electronic music. As long as that style of music remains the backbone of the format, it will only enjoy very niche appeal and work well in a select few markets.

That's not the problem at all... Alternative has split into subsets, with not much music that is shared in appeal among them. There is not enough consensus music to build a strong format any longer.

 

[101tm]

The alt genre had it's heyday in the mid 90s I doubt the format will ever achieve that level again.

I agree, but it seems Audacy and David Field are more than willing to take a loss and believe otherwise looking at stations in NYC, Dallas, Orlando, and Detroit.

 

[TheBigA]

Audacy and David Field are more than willing to take a loss and believe otherwise looking at stations in NYC, Dallas, Orlando, and Detroit.

Not exactly, if you consider the changes they've made. They've rebudgeted the format in those markets in terms of staffing, and they've changed the approach to the format in terms of music. So they're not just sitting back and watching the grass grow.

 

[MarkW]

Sorry; not fully buying into the "subsets" theory. The thrust of the format nationally has taken a clear direction. The style of music that constitutes the brunt of the format simply isn't fun or edgy like the material that propelled the format to great heights in the 90s and even early 00s.

Low quality music = low ratings.

Most stations in the format would do well to lean heavily on tried and true library material for the time being. 98.7 in L.A. follows such a formula more or less.