Radio Waves Podcast #345

 Radio Waves: July 1, 2022

Can consumers help improve radio’s success?

Brian Winnekins knows radio. AM radio in particular, with special knowledge of analog AM stereo. He should … as owner of  “Reel Country” WRDN/Durand, Wisconsin, he bought a former has-been AM station that was often off the air or operating at reduced power, upgraded the transmitter site, added an AM stereo (C-QUAM) system and provided programming of interest to the local community.

Now he’s the owner of a successful (though admittedly small-town) AM radio station, and has become one of a small but growing number of small station owners acting as a united voice promoting AM, AM stereo, and highlighting the struggles felt by such owners such as the tremendous burden placed on music stations by the various music licensing companies.

Winnekins programs WRDN like the old days, with programming of help to local farmers in the area. Besides the requisite country music, listeners can tune in to information on agriculture trends, farm reports, local sports, and of course news. It is the only station providing programming specifically targeted to Durand.

I suppose in some ways, the purchase was an extension of his own interests – prior to buying WRDN, Winnekins was a farm reporter for another station in a neighboring town. Now as an owner, he doesn’t mind sticking his neck out in an attempt to attract attention to ideas that can help AM stations better compete.

Recently Winnekins attended a Wisconsin Broadcasters Association conference session on “The Connected Car – What Does it Mean for Radio?” and included a representative from Xperi, the company behind numerous audio and video technologies including HD Radio, Connected Car technologies, DTS and more.

“During his presentation, he talked about how Apple and Google are trying to use their operating systems not only for the ‘infotainment center’ but even the dashboard,” Winnekins told me. “He also mentioned how it gets harder and harder to keep radio as part of car entertainment systems as manufacturers focus on newer technologies. He said convinced one company to keep AM by showing them the number of AM affiliates for sports teams.

“I was able to talk with him after the session and I brought up the idea that we need to end the ‘analog vs digital AM’ war – such that radios should be able to receive both analog stereo and digital HD –  and have receivers just tune up the dial from 540 AM to 108 FM with no ‘band button.’”

Winnekins says that the representative from Xperi said he is open to both ideas. But … automotive companies will only put options in their products that they believe their customers want. That means for AM to truly have good receivers, customers need to demand it.

“The car companies will NEVER do anything unless people who are upset that their radios sound awful actually complain,” he explains.  And it needs to go straight to the manufacturers, not the dealers. And certainly not social media. “If people are just going to continue to complain on Facebook …  or the ‘radio experts’ (some of whom are owners!) continue to say that radio is dying, IT WILL DIE,” he says.  

“Frankly, this ‘woe is me’ crap or this ‘well the consumers don’t care about radio and want internet garbage’ is a self-fulfilling prophecy,” Winnekins says, adding that his own experience proves people will listen given the right programming and that consumers do indeed like the sound that better radios can provide.

“I’ve had farmers stop at the station with their old work trucks, and they are impressed with the way the station sounds on those radios … but then ask why their new $70,000 truck doesn’t sound as good,” he explained. “So here we have people who like the sound of  our signal on a good radio … shouldn’t we find a way to help them complain to the car companies about their new lousy radios rather than constantly lamenting that ‘radio is dead?’”

Want to hear it for yourself? Like WION/Ionia, Michigan (i1430.com), WRDN streams their signal as received over the Am airwaves by an actual AM stereo tuner, in this case a Carver TX11a. “Tune in” from the station web page at reelcountry1430.com.

New KROQ

The effect of Kevin Weatherly’s return to the programming position at KROQ (106.7 FM) is already having a positive effect. The station suddenly has a sound more in keeping with its history … a vibe, of sorts, that I have not heard in years. It’s as if everyone is suddenly proud to be there, rather than just “being there.” More oldies than I prefer, but at least some new music. So far I am liking it.

Radio Waves Podcast #344

 MBC Radio Hall of Fame 2022 Candidates Announced

The Chicago-based Museum of Broadcast Communications recently announced the nominations class of 2022 for the Radio Hall of Fame Twenty-four people were chosen by the nominating committee, including four of our own: two individuals and one set of two.

They are: KOST (103.5 FM) morning star Ellen K, KFI (640 AM) afternoon drive duo John and Ken, and former KABC (790 AM) and KRLA (870 AM) host Larry Elder. Actually there’s one more from LA radio’s past: Walt “Baby” Love, formerly heard on KHJ (930 AM), KFI (640 AM), and KMPC (now KSPN, 710 AM). He was nominated for his syndicated Gospel Traxx program.

While 24 are being considered for induction, more than 2500 names were suggested by industry veterans and listeners; the 25 members of the nominating committee took those suggestions and their own thoughts to pare down the list. Now more than 600 Museum members will vote for up to six of their favorites through the end of the voting cycle on July 8th, with the top-six vote recipients being inducted.

Two more inductees — for a total of eight — will be selected by the nominating committee itself. The winners will be announced on July 25th and honored at the official 2022 Radio Hall of Fame induction ceremony on November 1st in Chicago.

The Museum of Broadcast Communications’ Radio Hall of Fame honors those who have contributed to the development of the radio medium throughout its history in the United States.

Previous inductees include such legendary broadcasters as Abbot and Costello, Fred Allen, Jack Benny, Dr. Demento, Tom Donahue, Bill Drake, Rick Dees, Paul Harvey, Bob Hope, Kevin and Bean, Casey Kasem, Art Laboe, Robert W. Morgan, “The Real” Don Steele, Charlie Tuna, Dick Whittinghill, and Wolfman Jack, among many others, meaning that the current candidates are among really good company.

Ellen K, who has a long history in San Diego and Los Angeles radio including being a sidekick and news reporter for Rick Dees and Ryan Seacrest on KIIS-FM (102.7) before getting her own show on KOST and proving that she has not only the ability to shine on her own, she also has the ability to be among the most popular personalities in town. Indeed, Ellen is one of the reasons KOST so often dominates the LA radio ratings. Her show is usually at the top of the ratings in numerous demographics including all listeners aged 6 and over, adults aged 25-54, and women aged 25-54.

Likewise, John Kobylt and Ken Chiampou are a major reason for the continued success of KFI even as the station has tried to become less political overall. John and Ken, of course, are as political as ever, injecting themselves into local and state issues, and acting as the voice for things you want to say but can’t when it comes to local politics and political correctness. Sometimes they are off-base, but almost always entertaining. 

Elder is no longer on the air, having left KRLA and other affiliates nationwide in April, but continues as a contributor to Fox News and still has his own podcast. He spent many years on KABC as The Sage from South Central and giving a unique perspective on local and national issues. More recently, he was a candidate to replace Gavin Newsom had the recall of Newsom been successful.

Love, also known as Reverend Walter Shaw, was a popular DJ on the most popular station in the United States at the time he was on the air at KHJ in the mid 1970s. He became an ordained minister in 1997; his Gospel Traxx is an extension of his work in spreading the Gospel, and has won awards including Best Syndicated Urban/R&B/Gospel Show of the Year from Billboard Magazine in 2002.

“Life is all about how it feels and this nomination feels really great!!!” Ellen told me last week. “Being included amongst so many well deserving candidates is humbling, and I’m reminded of the incredible people and moments that have led to this. Most of all, I’m grateful to be surrounded by the best!”

I imagine all of the nominees feel something very similar. This is truly a big deal, and a big congratulations goes to all the nominees. For a full list, go to https://www.radiohalloffame.com/2022-nominees. 

While you’re there, take note of the fact that the photo used for John and Ken is the one I used to keep on my own website years ago just to tease the team… It has to be over 30 years old, as demonstrated by the cool 80s sweaters they don.

The Crummey Evil Side Show …

Toward the earlier days of KFI’s (640 AM) talk format, the station tended to lean political, even more than it does today. And while it tended to be on the conservative side of things, there was a semblance of balance … morning host Rush Limbaugh countered with afternoon drive’ s Tom Leykis. And in the evening was a little of both combined with a lot of levity in the form of Joe Crummey. I liked the show.

Crummey was a bit of an anomaly on KFI … at first his show seems to lean liberal, then shifted toward the middle and middle-right. But it was always a fun listen, and I was disappointed when he left the station for KABC (790 AM) — it never seemed quite the same as far as the fun factor went — and eventually he left for other cities: Phoenix and New York in particular.

While at KFI, he had a certain bit in which he would debate himself – “regular” Joe vs “evil” Joe. Logical and moral Joe vs. illogical and immoral Joe. When he went to KABC, KFI became the “evil” station.

Apparently Crummey has evil in his blood. At least part of it.

As of late, Crummey is hosting a conservative podcast, called, of course, Evil Thoughts with Joe Crummey, in which he takes issues of the day and breaks them down using quotes and soundbites from the politicians and supporters involved.

It’s a short program – usually about 15 minutes or so – but quite entertaining especially if you agree with his analysis. If you lean liberal, it is still entertaining, but I would assume you’d disagree with many of his thoughts, but truth be told, he’s hard on Republicans as well as Democrats.

Recent topics have mirrored current events: inflation, shortages, the Supreme Court, abortion, energy and more. Soundbites come from from politicians, The View, and news programs, interspersed with commentary from Crummey. But it’s not just skin-deep … a recent show on baby formula went into the why of the shortage, not just spinning blame.

In fact, that’s the premise behind most of his shows – having some fun with the soundbites as you learn a little more about the issues in a way that other sources tend to avoid.

Find it at http://joecrummey.com.

Golden

KNX (1070 AM, 97.1 FM) and KFI (640 AM) took top honors for radio … as per usual … in the recent Golden Mike awards held in late May.

KNX won for Best Radio Newscast Over 15 Minutes, while KFI won for Best Radio Newscast Under 15 minutes

But wait, you ask, aren’t these the only real news stations in Southern California … wouldn’t they win anyway? Not exactly. The awards cover all of Southern California, so there are stations from San Diego to Santa Barbara that compete. 

That’s a lot of stations!

Each year the Radio and Television News Association (RTNA) presents the Golden Mike Awards to radio and television stations, programs, and people involved in the production of quality newscasts, reporting, and features. This year, in addition to the regular awards, the RTNA presented its 2022 Broadcast Legend Award to Jaime Jarrin, longtime Spanish play by play broadcaster for the Dodgers. Jarrin is the longest tenured active announcer in Major League Baseball, and is currently in his 64th (and final) season as the Spanish-language voice of the Dodgers.

Other radio awards locally included:

Best Traffic Report: KNX

Best Individual Writing: KOGO’s (600 AM) Remembering the Day

Best Long Form Program or Documentary: KFI’s The Death and Life of Kobe Bryant

Best Hard News Series Reporting: KPCC’s (89.3 FM) Unpermitted Housing

Best Feature News Series Reporting: KCRW’s (89.9 FM) Wasted

There are many more, and you can access the full list at rtnasocal.org.

Radio Waves Podcast #343

 Radio Waves: June 10, 2022

Something new at SiriusXM

SiriusXM has some new channels, or at least new to me, that I happened upon during a recent trip to Central California. 

Most intriguing is arguably The 10s Spot on Channel 10, described as pop hits from the 2010s. What I find interesting about it is that I can’t figure out where its going, and that may be by design. Justin Timberlake, Drake, Fall Out Boy, Lady Gaga and the likes, of course, with a few country songs thrown in for flavor. What’s up next? You’ll never know. I like that.

Pandora Now on Channel 3 borrow’s my programming idea of getting into the services that younger listeners use to find songs to play on my station. It is described as “top-trending hits to the most anticipated new releases” and features current core artists as Cardi B, Post Malone, Khalid, and Dua Lipa; the difference from this and my idea is that I’d be using it to find new artists and not just new songs

Mosaic on Channel 15 plays “a colorful and diverse pop music collage from the 90s and 2000s” including Mariah Carey, Matchbox Twenty, Sheryl Crow, John Mayor, Gwen Stefani, and Kelly Clarkson. Sounds like KOST (103.5 FM). 

Channels 104 and 105 feature special programming from country and pop performers, respectively, on a varying schedule. For example, as I write this, 105 is running music from Prince; by the time you read this it may have switched over to the next featured artist: The Notorious B.I.G. 104 is running special programs for Country Pride, in commemoration of Pride Month.

Caliente on Channel 151 is where Latin music and culture meet … Salsa, bachata, and raggaeton in a mix that includes Shakira, J Balvin, Maluma, Bad Bunny, Daddy Yankee and more.

And just in case you were worried that holiday music might not be available until November, SiriusXM online has you covered: Yes, Holiday Traditions continues all year on line. As I write this, they are playing The Christmas Song by Johnny Mathis … just the song for early June.

Catching up on all the mail …

“When I was in elementary school, I made a crystal set.  A good one. Had a 50 foot long copper wire in back yard, above the roof line. I remember being able to hear Del Rio Texas, WLS Chicago and KSL Salt Lake …  on a crystal set!!!  All clear channels.

“In 1971, I spent the summer in Anchorage Alaska. Just about dusk with car antenna up full (4 feet). With the engine off in my 1960 Dodge Dart, the 4 tube radio would pull in the Dodgers in Los Angeles… The signal would come in like waves: loud then soft … but amazing … maybe 2500 miles.

Here is my 1960 Zenith. No bike at age14, so travel was limited.  The night time radio took me to places all over America. Salt Lake, Chicago, Seattle, Texas, San Francisco.  The call letters were fascinating. My pal Phil taught me to send a DX card; a few stations politely sent me a Thank You card. Radio was everything, a time machine for me.” — Victor D’Agostino

I checked with Victor, who told me the radio still works … loud and clear, he says, a testament to the Zenith build quality. He tells me the faded sticker on the back reads “Made in America, by Americans for Americans”

“Do I enjoy radio?  Yes. Why? Because it offers a variety of informative and enjoyable programming that I can listen from almost anywhere and while doing something else.

“My path to radio began in the ‘60s while listening to KHJ music on my transistor radio. In the early 1970s, influenced by my Mom listening to Joe Pyne, Michael Jackson and others, I became a talk radio fan. Not only did I follow Michael Jackson, but whether from home or in my car, I’d listen to Dr. Toni Grant, Dr. David Viscott, and several cooking and money show hosts on KABC Talkradio plus LA Dodger baseball and LA Kings hockey games on whatever stations they occurred.

“Today, I continue to enjoy a variety of shows (talk, music & sport) notably The Dennis Praeger Show; NPR broadcasts; and the KFI 640 lineup with The Tim Conway Jr. show topping my list.”  — Jeanie Harvey

“I was a KHJ fan in the 1960s … loved the Friday sign offs by Real Don Steele. I actually was so intrigued by radio that I seriously considered a career in radio.

I took a couple of classes at Fullerton College.  Did an interesting interview, as a class assignment, to talk with the station engineer at KWIZ..

“That’s when I figured out that it is a long road to the big radio markets like Los Angeles, New York or Chicago where the big money was. Not everyone was like Charlie Tuna, making the big time in a fairly short time. You would start in a very small market and not making very much money. 

“So I went another direction.  I went on to California State University, Fullerton.  Business degree. I am retired now, but I still enjoy the music from the ‘60s and ‘70s. — Bob Brown, Yorba Linda, CA

Radio Waves Podcast #342

Radio Waves: June 3, 2022

Advice for the “new” programmer

Monday, June 6th is the big day – the day Kevin Weatherly returns to program KROQ (106.7 FM). Weatherkly had programmed the station for many years and oversaw some of its highest ratings ever.

But he also oversaw the beginning of the decline. As previously mentioned, it was not necessarily his fault, but he was there. And the foundation for success that began crumbling years before he left the first time has never been repaired. Owner Audacy still believes cost-cutting is far more important than developing talent; indeed they have a well-deserved reputation as being cheap. Not in a good way, just cheap.

Add to that the fact that there is a need to protect sister station Jack (KCBS-FM, 93.1) — limiting the “gold” that KROQ can play, and you reduce Weatherly’s power even more.

He’s got his work cut out for him. But that’s not the focus of this column. Indeed, I want KROQ to excel. To return to glory. To do this, it helps to understand what put KROQ on the map in the first place.

Rick Carroll had programmed a few stations before be arrived at KROQ, most notably KKDJ (now KIIS-FM, 102.7) and KEZY (now KGBN, 1190 AM). When he arrived at KROQ in 1978, his idea was for more of an irreverent top-40 station — or perhaps a top-40/AOR hybrid — than an album-rock station. His basic plan was to go against the likes of his former stations by playing music long before they became hits, but indeed they would become hits. Listening to Carroll’s KROQ was like being part of a musical time machine, where Prince or Michael Jackson  or any number of new bands would be heard on KROQ … followed months later on all the rest.

A description on Wikipedia says it best: “Carroll’s approach was to play music from the emerging new wave, punk and related genres while retaining a Top 40 presentation style and Top 40 rotations. Noted for his ability to pick breakout hits, Carroll guided songs to prominence via the “Hot Clock,” a pie chart prescribing the music to be played during each portion of a disc jockey’s air shift. His system also included a “Jock’s Choice” at the end of each hour of programming, during which a DJ could play any song of his or her own choosing. The Jock’s Choice became a vehicle for new artists such as Depeche Mode and Juluka to break into KROQ-FM’s regular rotation.” (Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Carroll)

It worked far better than anyone expected, and became the prototype of new-wave music stations everywhere. Carrroll himself consulted or helped launch numerous KROQ clones in such cities as San Diego, Sacramento, San Francisco, Seattle, and Pittsburgh. Here in Los Angeles it was KROQ more than direct competitor KLOS (95.5 FM) that put the final knife in KMET (now KTWV, 94.7 FM), as KMET had been the place to find new music … but KROQ got the jump on them and stole the new music thunder.

There are many who believe that you can’t play new music on the radio any more. That it will push away listeners. My take is that notplaying new music on the radio is why the average listener is aging older and older. Radio offers nothing to young people, who shun radio for Facebook, Apple Music, Pandora, Sound Cloud and more. Certainly KROQ’s current ratings prove they have nothing to lose. I believe Weatherly needs to recommit KROQ to the original intent: get local jocks who love music, let them be part of choosing that new music, give them the freedom to have some fun on the air while keeping it fast paced and entertaining, and most of all, expose new music.

It doesn’t mean playing new music for new music’s sake. But as the online streaming services and SiriusXM’s The Pulse Hits One prove, there is a lot of great new music around, and much of it never makes it to traditional radio airwaves.

Get into the areas where high school and college-aged kids and young adults hear music and find out what they like. Make it your purpose in life to break the next big act. Get them in concert for listeners. Become the must-be place on the dial for new music. Don’t limit yourself to one style – think top-40 … included everything. Young music fans are far more open to new styles than are m out adults, and adults already have their own stations.

Keep the commercials down in number and make the ads relevant and entertaining to listeners … yes, advertisements don’t have to be a tune-out. You know you have to run ads, unlike the streamers, so make them good. Most of all, treat listeners with respect. Earn their trust; earn their loyalty. You’ll have them locked in to 106.7 forever.

You may notice these are the same ideas I have for my future AM station … I’ll loan them for now to Weatherly, at least until I buy or am given my own station.

That’s my plan … what’s yours? What would you do with KROQ? It seems to me the slate is clean … am I off-base? Let me know your thoughts.