Radio Waves Podcast #334

Radio Waves: April 1, 2022

Cold Cases with Steve Gregory

Saturday, April 2 marks the start of the second season for KFI’s (640 AM) Unsolved series hosted by Steve Gregory. The program runs every Saturday from 8 to 10 p.m.

Unsolved tells the story of major crimes that went cold, ran out of leads, or just lacked evidence. They remain on the books of local and federal police agencies  — LA County Sheriffs, Los Angeles Police, Riverside Sheriffs, the FBI and more — waiting for that last bit of evidence or a new witness to finally be solved … and the exposure of someone like Gregory.

The show also covers crimes that Gregory calls “challenging,” giving behind-the-scenes looks at how they were solved and what techniques detectives used to gain information and insight.

It was actually an accidental show, or perhaps the better word would be unintentional. “I had done a segment on the Gary and Shannon Show (heard 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.),” explained Gregory, “and listeners responded very positively. (KFI Programmer) Robin Bertolucci liked it as well, and when I passed her in the hallway I joked about doing a weekly show. She stopped and thought about it… we talked over the next few weeks … and eventually, it happened.”

After figuring a way to work it into his already busy schedule, that is. He’s still a prime reporter for the KFI news team. This explains a bit about why there were only eleven episodes in season one – ten shows involving cases and one show with a recap of the ten recorded live in front of a studio audience and featuring detectives and investigators involved in the cases. Hopefully there will be more in season two. 

“There are more than 10,000 unsolved homicides in Southern California,” says Gregory … so he has a lot of material to work with. “At first some of the agencies were reluctant to talk openly about many of the cases; now they contact me regarding cases they want to expose more!”

If you can’t already tell, I love shows like this … think of Cable TV’s former Homicide Hunter and you can see my TV binge viewing habits. Gregory — seven-time recipient of the Edward R. Murrow Award for journalism as well as awards from the Associated Press and more —  is a fantastic host. His background in news includes investigative reporting; that, along with his interest in mysteries and police work makes him the perfect host for this show.

You can hear the entire first season at https://kfiam640.iheart.com/featured/unsolved-with-steve-gregory/.

Coming Home

Raph (Raphael) Opida, once heard on KIIS-FM (102.7) until he left Los Angeles in 2021 to serve in the New York Army National Guard, has come home to take on the assistant programmer/afternoon-drive personality positions at sister My FM (KBIG, 104.3 FM). He can be heard on the air from 3 to 7 p.m starting March 28.

Sounds Good

Is it my imagination, or is KIIS-FM sounding a bit better as of late? Musically more balanced, a bit less clutter in presentation. Ratings edging back up. Could top-40 radio be on an upward swing as of late?

Realignment

Just in time for April Fool’s Day, and due to mobile phone popularity and a shortage of available frequencies for mobile service, the FCC has decided to just shut down the AM band as of April 1st. The entire AM band will soon be used by mobile services, which need the extra bandwidth due to the popularity of hard-hitting internet news and information services such as TikTok and Instagram.

Nothing as drastic is expected for now on the FM band, though current stations will move to the old Armstrong band between 42 and 50 MHz on the FM dial and cease broadcasting in stereo. Asked for comment, the FCC could not be found. Weird.

Happy April fools Day! …

Radio Waves Podcast #333

Radio Waves: March 25, 2022

Changes Coming to KROQ?

Kaplan leaves the PD post

Are the winds of change circling around KROQ (106.7 FM) once more? Perhaps. Mike Kaplan has stepped down as programmer of the once-popular station, deciding to focus on his duties in New York where he will remain Audacy’s “Brand Manager” for their alternative Alt 92.3 and vice-president of national programming for all of Audacy’s alternative stations, including KROQ.

Prior to joining Audacy, Kaplan was programmer of our own Alt 98.7 (KYSR, 98.7 FM) which is owned by iHeart.

According to RAMP – Radio and Music Professionals (ramp247.com) – which broke the story, “Mike has come to the conclusion, personally and professionally, that this is best for him. He also believes KROQ deserves a Brand Manager solely dedicated to the brand and one that lives in Los Angeles 24/7.” This, apparently, made in a statement to RAMP by an Audacy spokesperson.

Reading between the lines is important here. KROQ was being programmed from out of town, as are many of Audacy’s stations, in this case New York. The very idea that the company that owns KROQ thought it could be programmed from New York shows that few in Audacy understand KROQ … or radio, for that matter. No wonder KROQ is faring so poorly as of late in the ratings.

That’s the Audacy way, of course, as determined by leader David Field. Run it on the cheap. Time and time again, Audacy proves you get what you pay for. But I digress.

“Audacy Los Angeles has a once in a lifetime opening for a creative genius to lead the World Famous KROQ” reads the announcement for Kaplan’s replacement. “This person has a passion for music, entertainment and culture. They are immersed in the latest social media trends and marketing shifts. Most importantly, this person is a big thinker, highly detail oriented and a dynamic leader.”

Supposedly the duties include overseeing day to day music, which would be nice. With the reboot of 91X in San Diego causing such a buzz, will KROQ follow suit? More importantly, Will the new programmer, er, Brand Manager be allowed to truly control the sound of KROQ? 

That’s the critical question, and in my mind more important than anything else. Los Angeles is not New York. KROQ is not like anything else, or at least should not be. KROQ has a long history of setting trends, not following them, and the new PD must be given the ability to control it. Fully. If that happens, the future of KROQ is bright. Hopefully Field understands this now. 

That the resignation announcement made the point that KROQ deserves its own says a lot about Kaplan. Count me impressed. I look forward to seeing where KROQ ends up.

Cart Narcs

One of the great bits on Alt 98.7’s 5-10 a.m. morning Woody Show is Cart Narcs, in which people who don’t put their shopping carts back in the collection stall are publicly shamed in an attempt to get them to better behave.

It’s been a part of the Woody Show as long as I can remember; the audio of encounters of the Cart Narcs with the cart violators being quite entertaining. What I did not realize until I accidentally stumbled upon them while watching my latest online video vice – car repairs from Rainman Ray (https://www.youtube.com/c/RainmanRaysRepairs)  – was that Cart Narc videos are on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/c/CartNarcs). And as it turns out, Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/cartnarcs/?hl=en), TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@.cart_narcs?lang=en) and the Woody Show website (thewoodyshow.com) itself as well.

If you’ve never heard it, the Narcs will directly confront people who put their carts around parking lots, risking damage to other cars as well as taking up parking spaces. Normally, the encounters are fairly benign, but there are times when the violators get a bit, well, angry. On Woody’s show, the content is cleaned up… I never knew how dangerous some of the encounters can be until I watched the videos.

And if you haven’t heard the Woody Show on Alt … what are you waiting for?

App Radio

I listen a lot to radio via my iPhone apps, myTunerRadio and StreamS HiFi Radio, and my plan over the next few months is to highlight great stations you can hear over these apps and others.

But it occurred to me that I am just one person … combined with your knowledge and your experience, perhaps I can compile a list of great stations from all across the world that I can let everyone know about.

So send me your favorite online stations, whether they be online only or a stream of an existing AM or FM signal. Podcasts too, for a separate edition … if you like it, let me know what it is and preferably how to receive it.

Radio Waves Podcast #332

Radio: March 18, 2022

I recently bought a tuner off of an online marketplace - a Denon TU680NAB, arguably one of the best tuners of the modern age. It was developed by Denon in cooperation with the National Association of Broadcasters to showcase the best of what AM and FM radio offered back in 1993, the year it was released to the public, and included improved AM and FM reception and fidelity.

I wrote about it soon after it was released, though I returned the unit I had bought in favor of keeping the competing Carver TX11b. Both the Denon and the Carver featured AM stereo reception utilizing the Motorola C-Quam standard, one of four competing stereo broadcasting standards available for AM, and the most-widely adopted in the United States. 

I probably kept the Carver more from snobbery than anything else, though like the Denon it offered amazing reception on both bands, great sound, and great looks. I still own it today.

But the Denon was always something special, so when I saw a great deal online, I decided to grab it. The funny thing is that I almost didn’t … shipping was more than I had hoped, though in total it was still a very fair price. I actually tried to cancel the order but felt guilty when the seller said they had already sent it even though I had not paid them yet. So I bit the bullet, sent the money, and like my Dad used to do when he bought collectables …  didn’t tell my wife what I did.

I have yet to do a side-by-side comparison of the new model with the Carver, or even the JC Penny MCS tuner that also receives AM stereo. Of course no local AM stations even broadcast in stereo, so that can’t be compared. But listening to AM on the Denon so far is pure joy.

Even without stereo, and even though there is more interference on the band than there was in 1992, the sound is stunning. Special noise blanking circuitry minimizes much of the local interference from sources that “buzz,” like fluorescent lights and electric motors. The frequency response on AM is tremendous, extending past 9 kHz, according to tests run in 1993, far past the typical 3 kHz most AM tuners since the 1980s allow. And it shows. AM sounds great.

FM reception is similarly impressive. Even with just a standard wire antenna — I have yet to connect it to my house antenna — the stations it receives are clear and easy to tune, even when short-spaced and coming from as far away as San Diego … on a clear day, of course.

This tuner is theoretically obsolete. HD tuners and radios have theoretically replaced traditional analog tuners, especially in cars. In reality, all tuners are obsolete … so much listening is done online using smart speakers, smartphone apps, and online computer listening to either traditional AM and FM stations that stream their signals, or services such as Spotify and Apple Music that are online exclusives. 

But I can’t help but wonder - if the NAB could convince radio manufacturers to make tuners with specifications like those found in the Denon — whether or not they also feature HD — perhaps analog broadcasting could have a couple more decades to compete. Especially if AM stations that mostly dropped HD broadcasts turn on analog stereo again. Certainly seems to be worth a shot.

Back on the Air

KRDC (1110 AM) was off the air for about two weeks due to transmitter work apparently related to upgrades that will allow KSPN (710 AM) to share the transmitter site. Increased land values are causing AM station owners to rethink and repurpose their vast landholdings used for transmitter sites; KSPN is expected to begin sharing the 1110 transmitter site in the near future, though an exact date has not been officially announced.

New Voices on 88.5

Julie Slater will take over the 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. mid-day slot on Adult Alternative 88.5 (KCSN, 88.5 FM). She replaces Marc Kaczor, who will remain at the station and focus on his duties as program director. Slater started her shift on March 14.

New to the Saturday lineup on 88.5 is Lesley James, who will anchor the Saturday lineup from 12 noon to 4 p.m. starting March 19. James replaces no-one, as the station ran jockless during most of her new show hours; Don James will now start his show at 4 p.m. rather than 3:00.

Auction

By the time the print edition arrives, the auction will be over. But if you catch this online, you can try to bid on a piece of broadcast history when Casey Kasem’s estate goes on the auction block at 1 p.m. Pacific time March 17th.

Beverly Hills-based Julien’s Auctions (juliensauctions.com) will be handling the sale, which will include his Neumann microphone, his collection of vinyl records, a Fender guitar signed by the Beach Boys, and much more.

It is doubtful that Kasem’s children are too happy about the sale. But that’s just a hunch …

Radio Waves Podcast #331

 The Great 91 X-periment

The Great 91X Experiment, in which San Diego’s XETRA (91.1 FM) has become what the program director calls a format of one is quite intriguing. Many observers are trying to pigeonhole the format by calling it “classic alternative,” but that misses the point … and honestly proves that many supposed insiders really don’t understand the format.

91X, like KROQ (106.7 FM) here, didn’t start as “alternative.” That description is more recent, and reflected a tightening of the playlist that came long after the initial success. The stations began as a “rock” or rock and new wave, playing music that was really meant to be cutting edge, heard first here and later on other stations. Rick Carroll, who was the programmer that brought KROQ to its heights in the 1980s and was an early consultant when 91X adopted the format, actually considered it a form of top-40, but both stations were definitely close to mainstream.

To borrow the slogan from UCLA’s student station, the idea what they were playing “tomorrow’s sound today,” i.e. the songs that you’ll hear on other stations later. And it was true. KROQ and 91X were both early players of Prince, Pet Shop Boys, The Clash, English Beat, Duran Duran, The Cars, Sparks, The Police and Devo, all the while still playing mainstream artists such as the Rolling Stones and the Beach Boys.

Something happened along the way, and I don’t know why. The playlist got tighter and tighter. Eventually, rather than being the station where you’d hear music months before it was played on other stations, it was the music you’d hear only there.

So while the observers have a point - there is more “gold” in the 91X format now than before the switch, the reason has a very positive potential. The songs being added — primarily from the early 1980s, in place of more recent alternative hits — are being added in part because the audience loved them during an A-XYZ special the station ran, playing songs that had not been played win the air in years.

And there’s the rub. Many listeners are so young, they never heard the songs in the first place. Talking Heads. Adam Ant. Ramones. Red Hot Chili Peppers. And if listeners respond positively to songs they never heard before — new to them — that means there is the potential to add new songs without, as programmers always fear, scaring them off. New music is new music.

91X has the potential of becoming a radio station that actually attracts younger people back to radio. That would be a good thing. I’ll be watching this closely … stations around the country will be as well.

Slightly off topic but still related … the 91X website is well-designed and fun to visit, easy to navigate and informative. Check it out at 91x.com.

Boss Radio Request Line

“I recently read your tribute article to Sam Riddle.  I was hoping you might be able to help me with a riddle of my own. I am the owner of the KHJ Boss Radio's Surfin'Bird, a 1956 Thunderbird built by legendary customizer Bill Cushenbery, given away by the Boss Jocks in August of 1966.

“In combing through known radio broadcasts, etc I have been unable to find out who originally won the car. The promotion ended August 8th with the winner being announced on the Dick Curtis 18 to 34 Show. 

“I am unable to find any radio spots that mentioned the winner, which is odd, as most contest winners were mentioned on air.  I was hoping you might have have some insight as to how to contact Gary Mack or Johnny Williams. There are many great stories surrounding this great promotion, and unfortunately all the people that know are leaving us. 

“Here is a links to information I have compiled to date around this great moment in radio history.  And help or ideas are greatly appreciated.” — Kevin Bennett

The links Kevin provided are: https://kustomrama.com/wiki/The_KHJ_Surfin%27_Bird\ and http://thesurfinbird.weebly.com/history.html … if you or someone you know has the answer, please let me know!

Radio Waves Podcast #330

 Guest:  Dave Beasing, Sound That Brands

Radio: March 4, 2022

If I wanted to, I could write about radio ratings every week. They are released by Nielsen  (officially) every month — years ago it was just quarterly — and there are so many demographic breakdowns that I could start doing nothing but in-depth analysis on exactly who, what and where people listen to their favorite station broken down by ethnicity, age, sex, and more.

That, of course, would be a bit dull after a while, so I tend to stay with quarterly reports and the largest demographic - people aged six and older - unless something interesting comes up. Something interesting came up.

But it’s not really in the way anyone might have thought. I refer to the ratings of KNX (1070 AM, 97.1 FM). I have not seen the breakdown by demographic yet, but it is interesting what Nielsen has done when it comes to how it places the station on the list. Rather than comparing its ratings as an AM station running the all-news format over the past six months, the ratings company is using the FM signal. 

This raises an obvious question of why, due to the fact that the FM simulcast was added to the AM signal, not the other lazy around. So a fair comparison would be the new combined AM-FM ratings against what KNX earned as a standalone AM. 

Related was the big surprise to me: as a combo, the signals are no better than was KNX as an AM signal alone. So creating the simulcast, thus far, has done nothing ratings-wise.

For the month of January, KNX AM/FM earned a 3.1 share of the ratings. In the Holiday ratings - the last four weeks of the fiscal ratings year, also as a combo - the station had a 2.8, lower most likely due to the KOST (103.5 FM) holiday music juggernaut. But compared with Holiday, ’21, KNX as a standalone AM earned a 3.2, in June ’21 it had a 2.8, and in September had a 3.0. Basically, the ratings have held stead at a very respectable level throughout the year, as they have for many decades.

But you wouldn’t know that by looking at the latest list. Nielsen shows KNX (now called KNX-FM)  with a full point increase due to the simulcast, moving from a 1.8 share to the aforementioned Holiday season 2.8 and then January’s 3.1. I don’t know - and don’t think - it is anything truly sinister, but what it doesn’t show is the total loss of at least a 1.5 share, the average 97.1 FM earned when it played top-40 as KNOU ands earlier as KAMP.

In other words, while it is far too early to tell, KNX has not attracted any new listeners, at least as measured by total audience, since adding the FM simulcast, and has in fact lost a substantial share of what they earned as separate stations.

As I said: interesting.

And I know I’m alone here - I don’t expect this to change much. I predict that over time, there will be a few listeners who switch to the FM signal. But my hunch is that most will stay with the AM, and the FM will attract few new listeners in the long run. The FM signal just doesn’t add much appeal over the flamethrower AM — especially for a spoken word format heard over hundreds of miles including many the FM doesn’t even reach — not to mention the available smartphone apps.

New X

San Diego’s version of KROQ (106.7 FM) — XETRA (91.1 FM), officially licensed to Baha California, Mexico  — has been playing some form of new-wave or alternative since 1983. They were the first to do so full-time in San Diego.

But like KROQ here, the station just isn’t the trendsetting station it once was, beaten usually, though close, by competitor KBZT (Alt 94.9 FM) and as far down the list as alternative stations tend to be recently. Alternative is a tough format to be in right now.

So the station is revamping itself into itself … embracing classic alternative rock as well as highlighting new music. Still called 91X, the station has expanded its depth so much that some are calling the format “Classic Alternative.” Programmer Garrett Michaels insists that new music will stay, however.

One thing I noticed in looking at the San Diego ratings: Active Rock station KIOZ (105.3 FM) beats them all: 91X, KBZT, and our own KROQ and At 98.7. Active Rock has fewer limitations on what can be played within the format , and can lean alternative, metal, or anything else as audience tastes evolve. KROQ itself was once closer to Active than Alternative. My favorite streaming station, Rock 108 from Waterloo, Iowa, is Active Rock.

For comparison, in San Diego’s ratings, KIOZ is 4th place with a 4.9 share, KBZT is 16th at 2.2, and 91X is 18th with a 1.9. Without knowing what the new 91X will do, the question to me remains: why isn’t Active Rock being done in Los Angeles, against Alt 98.7’s 2.4 and KROQ’s 1.4?