Radio: November 24, 2017
The
end finally came for The Sound 100.3 FM, Thursday, November 16. It came
after weeks of goodbyes, allowed due to the unknown timing of the
transfer of ownership of the station from Entercom to EMF, and Entercom
management allowing the staff to stay on until the end, a rare gift that
was truly appreciated by the Sound staff and listeners alike.
Entercom
management does deserve kudos for that, in my opinion, even though they
made the decision to sell the wrong station. That just isn’t done very
often.
Just
before 1 p.m., Andy Chanley, the first DJ to be heard on The Sound
almost ten years ago, wrapped it up with these words: “This has been
KSWD Los Angeles. This is The Sound. And this dream will self-destruct
in three, two, ...” followed by silence and one of the most awkward
transitions to a new format I have ever heard ... including two segments
of dead air. The new station is KKLQ, K-Love, yet another (I count six)
Christian radio station serving Southern California.
EMF
bought the station for far less than market value because Entercom
wanted to make sure that the new owners did not compete with existing
CBS/Entercom stations as the two companies merged.
What
makes this story so interesting is the reaction from listeners. The
Sound, after all, was far from a trendsetter station. It played classic
rock ... how hard is that? How original?
But
while the music was part of it, it was far from being the most
important element. Indeed, The Sound could have played almost anything.
But unlike most stations, The Sound made a bond with listeners that just
doesn’t happen often any more.
As
mentioned, it wasn’t the music. It wasn’t the album sides played on
actual vinyl. It wasn’t the way DJs or programmer Dave Beasing would
personally contact listeners to ask what they thought of the station or
to answer a question. It wasn’t the special weekends. Nor the concerts.
It was all of that and more, including an air staff and people behind
the scenes who truly love music, and love and understand good radio. It
took time to build this bond, but it was most definitely built.
Perhaps
that is why most listeners I have heard from will not be replacing
their Sound preset on their radio. They are moving on. To Sirius/XM, to
MP3 players, to online listening services.
This
is unfortunate, but a reality. Unlike many who think a Sound-like
station will never return, I do believe it can ... I can give you a list
of underperforming stations right now. Hopefully, former Sound
programmer Dave Beasing will get another shot to build a great station,
and our on-air friends can be heard once more.
Effect on Entercom
The
CBS-Entercom merger should be complete by the time you read this,
meaning that CBS Radio no longer exists and stations formerly part of
one of the oldest broadcasting companies are now owned by Entercom. It
was this merger that forced the sale of The Sound (or another local CBS
property) as the combined company was over the ownership limit of radio
stations in a single city.
That
former Sound listeners may leave radio altogether is not good news for
Entercom or CEO David Field, who made the decision to sell The Sound.
The reason is shared listeners. Yes, Sound fans may have listened to
100.3 more often, but they also sampled Jack (KCBS-FM, 93.1) and KRTH
(101.1 FM), both now owned by Entercom.
If
those listeners do indeed abandon radio as expected, this may --
depending on how much they did listen -- negatively affect both Jack and
KRTH. Field may have “sold” his way into lower ratings by dumping the
one station he had with a rabidly dedicated audience. Not smart. He
should have either moved the format to 93.1 or just sold Jack outright.
No one cares about Jack.
More Christmas
KOST
(103.5 FM) has -- as expected -- started the Christmas carols,
launching its annual holiday music format about two weeks ago.
Also
as expected, SiriusXM fired up its holiday music as well. Contemporary
(Holly) on Channel 70 and traditional (Holiday Traditions) on Channel 4
are already up and running; soul, country, pops, latin and even Hanukkah
music will be available beginning late November and early December.
Head over to http://blog.siriusxm.com/siriusxm-holiday-channels-2017/ for all the details.
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