Radio Waves Podcast #363

 Radio: December 2, 2022

            Leo Laporte — The Tech Guy — heard locally on KFI (640 AM) Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., announced his retirement from radio effective in December. His last live show will air December 18th.

            Technically it wasn’t Laporte who announced the retirement … comedian Steve Martin called in to make the announcement for him, during the November 19th edition of the program. Laporte retires after nearly 50 years on the air, the last 19 of which were spent as The Tech Guy, giving advice and troubleshooting support to listeners on all things tech.

            Replacing Laporte will be Rich DeMuro, who will bring his podcast and KTLA-TV Morning News segment to the radio airwaves. Rich on Tech will replace The Tech Guy starting January 7th; Best of Tech Guy programs will air until then.

            Farm Radio

            At the recent convention of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting, someone — finally — spoke in support of AM radio. That someone was none other than commissioner Nathan Simington of the Federal Communications Commission, the organization that purports to help advance the broadcast industry, even though in my opinion they normally do the opposite.

            So many bad FCC initiatives have hurt radio: lifting station ownership limits, dropping news and public affairs requirements, allowing college “public” stations to be staffed by professionals, the AM stereo debacle, the HD Radio debacle, allowing low-powered translators on FM as a way to “save” AM, random enforcement of indecency rules … the list goes on and on.

            Sometimes it’s not just the direct rules they make. Not enforcing existing interference rules have had a tremendously negative effect on radio reception affecting both bands, but truly hurting AM. If any product negatively affects radio reception, it is illegal according to FCC rules and regulations. Yet dimmers, some energy efficient light bulbs, cable boxes, cheap “wall-wart” power supplies, and even computers can make AM reception not only difficult, but darn-near impossible. The FCC on these issues? Crickets.

            But finally, after years of silence, one Commissioner of the impotent Commission is at least trying. Speaking at the convention, Simington emphasized the importance of AM radio due to the popularity of the band among farmers, many of which are not necessarily near an FM station, the fact that AM radio operates as an essential part of the emergency alert system, and more. 

            He called on automakers to keep AM reception available on cars and trucks as more and more electric vehicles are developed. EVs by nature cause interference, and many automakers take the easy way out by simply deleting AM from the in-car radio. Problem is, that interference can affect reception to any radio nearby as well, which would appear to make them illegal if they do so, from my understanding of the law. But again, it has been years since the FCC actually did anything benefiting broadcasters.

            Regardless, it is refreshing that at least one Commissioner is doing (or saying) something. The trick is getting the rest of the Commission — and Congress — on board.

            More Christmas Music

            Fred Travalena was an impressionist and entertainer; starting in the 1970s he became known as “The Man of a Thousand Faces” with appearances across the country, including headlining in Las Vegas, Atlantic City, and Reno, appearances on talk shows including The Tonight Show, and starring in his own television specials such as “The Many Faces of Fred Travalena.”

            His wife, singer Lois Travalena, and Fred appeared together at Andrews Air Force Base in the early days of his singing career. It was at this show where he started doing his impressions — developed while in grade school — in public.

            He also made a Christmas album. Called The Manhattan Christmas Suite, it is an album of songs dedicated to memories of his New York childhood; he was born in the Bronx and grew up on Long Island. But you probably haven’t heard it … wife Lois says that getting her late-husband’s music on the radio has been extremely difficult.

            In this era of streaming music, perhaps it doesn’t matter. And for that matter, if it did pick up popularity streaming, perhaps stations would consider adding it to their playlist. If you’d like to hear it, search on Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube, Deezer, or even iHeart Music.

            Give it a listen and let me know your thoughts.

Radio Waves Podcast #362

 Radio: November 25, 2022

            One of thew absolute greats of radio — Wally Clark — passed away November 14th at the age of 84.

            Clark is one of the crew that brought KIIS-FM (102.7 FM) to prominence starting in 1982 when he was named General Manager of the station, then-owned by Gannett. Teamed up with programmer Gerry DeFrancisco, a tremendously talented on-air staff including Rick Dees, who had recently moved over from KHJ (930 AM), “Big” Ron O’Brien, Bruce Vidal, Paul Freeman and more, a strong music playlist, and a can-do attitude that brought excitement back to radio.

            It almost didn’t happen. KIIS-FM was all-disco for time before Dees’ arrival, and when Dees first arrived at KIIS, it was a sleepy (honestly pretty awful) adult contemporary station that barely registered among listeners. Had management at K-WEST (now KPWR, 105.9 FM) given master programmer Chuck Martin more support, K-WEST would have dominated and KIIS may never have moved to top-40.

            But K-WEST didn’t support Martin; management apparently felt that top-40 was a dead format, and moved to adult contemporary as Magic 106. Meanwhile, Gannett sensed that they could make a mark and put into place a powerhouse staff, re-launched KIIS-FM as top-40, and not only saved the station, they saved top-40 radio itself.

            Clark was absolutely a major reason for the station’s success. Through his tenure, he supported his staff, protected them from corporate managers, figured ways to appease the bean counters when he blew the promotional budget, and allowed creativity to thrive.

            In an era marked by stations that thought being “good” was good enough, Clark and his team believed that they could do better. A goal was set to not only make KIIS-FM number one on the ratings locally, he wanted them number one nationally. Under his leadership, the station increased its ratings into and past 10 shares, and the station soon set a record for commercial advertising rates in much the same way KHJ had done more than ten years prior.

            He once told me that it was fairly easy to hold back corporate suits from causing problems. “When you’re the number one station in the nation, they tend to leave you alone, even when you’re way over budget,” he explained a few years ago.

            And they went over budget a lot. Again, much like KHJ, they were the king of contests … daily cash payoffs, cars, trips. They paid their talent handsomely, in recognition of the work they did. They got out into the community with “weekend warmups,” getting to know listeners directly and personally. They did charity work, had community events and concerts, and a top-notch news and public affairs staff. They hired the best engineers, and had the best jingle package. In essence, they were unstoppable.

            Until they weren’t. When Clark left in 1986, things started declining. Power 106 launched and started taking listeners with their “fresh new music mix” highlighting new dance tracks. KIIS-FM at the time over-reacted and starting losing its way. Was it a loss of leadership, or just the first direct competition KIIS had seen since it launched as top-40? Probably a bit of both.

            Clark left to start a consultancy and production company, and he consulted KIIS for many years after he left. He helped launch Rick Dees Weekly Top-30, which still airs nationally today. I met him years after he left KIIS, when he happened to be among a group who were part of a radio and records reunion; I happened to sit next to him during lunch and we hit it off right away. He was one of the good guys in radio, with a genuinely positive outlook on things and an uncanny ability to see and develop talent among those he worked with. I don’t think I would be exaggerating to state that without Clark, KIIS-FM probably wouldn’t exist today. And if they followed his examples, they’d be far better than they are today, even though they are still a great station.

            I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that Clark also saw the talent in Howard Stern; he directly hired Stern at WWWW/Detroit for one of Stern’s first radio jobs and later was instrumental in getting him hired at WWDC-FM/Washington, DC, the station that helped garner the attention of WNBC, where Stern would move later. 

            One of the nicest radio people I have met, Clark’s passing is a huge loss for radio.

            More Holiday Music

            KUSC announced that their Holiday Spirit Channel is back and now has a new name.  “A Classical California Christmas” is filled with your holiday favorites and a unique mix of carols, choirs and classical arrangements.  “It’s a festive choice to bring you comfort and joy throughout the holiday season,” the station said in a promotional email.

            You can stream on the station website or on their free smartphone apps… go to KUSC.org for more information.

Radio Waves Podcast #361

 Radio: November 18, 2022

            KOSTing into the holidays

            I was just thinking that it is about time for KOST (103.5 FM) to start playing holiday music when I noticed: they are already playing holiday music. It began this year last Friday, November 11th at 8 a.m.

            Being that it is not even Thanksgiving yet, it would be easy to make fun of the switch being so early again this year. But the results speak for themselves - as soon as the holiday music starts, the ratings jump upwards. Besides, when I do make fun of the early move, I get emails chastising me for knocking what many consider one of the highlights of season. So this year, I won’t.

            And of course timeline-wise, it could be considered late … stores like Costco are probably sold out of Christmas items already. Unfortunately for me, between that and the fact that the local Sears store is gone, I can’t do all my shopping on the late evening of December 23rd any more. But I digress.

            The station is also offering a chance to win four-packs of tickets to a private holiday party at Disneyland to be held December 7th. You can win tickets by listening, shopping at Smart and Final, following KOST on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and watching KTLA Channel 5… see the station website for more details: https://kost1035.iheart.com/

            KOST has been making this switch yearly since 1999, and it is always a ratings winner.

            More Holidays

            One holiday station just not enough for you? Good thing we have SiriusXM available, Between the satellite and streaming, the service offers 19 holiday choices, most of which started on November 1st.

            Choices on the bird include:

            • Holiday Traditions - Channel 71 - “traditional” holiday music

            • Holly - Channel 104 - Contemporary

            • Holiday Soul - Channel 49 - Soul, Rhythm and Blues, Motown

            • Country Christmas - Channel 55 - Country (obviously)

            • Acoustic Christmas - Channel 6 - acoustic holiday tunes

            • Jolly Christmas - Channel 14 - “upbeat feel-good holiday hits”

            • and a few more

            Streaming channels include classical carols, smooth jazz, kid-friendly tunes, Latin music, “rockin’” music, Jingle Jams (hip-hop), instrumentals, all Mannheim Steamroller, and more.

            You can get the full lineup of channels including the start and end dates at siriusxm.com.

            But There’s More…

            Nineteen holiday music channels not enough for you? Accuradio’s got you covered. The free streaming service has over 100 holiday music channels - 111 to be exact - which I believe breaks the record they set last year when they hit 100.

            Acoustic, Reggae, Brazilian, Celtic, Channel O (songs that being with the letter “O”), Christmas Oldies, Christmas Party, Country, Standards, Classica, Choral, Easy Listening, Latin, Holiday Spice, mixed channels, decades, wide playlists, Hungry for Christmas (songs that mention food), K-pop, Old-fashioned, and even one station dedicated to playing dozens and dozens of artists performing Mariah Carey’s “All I want for Christmas is You.”  Or a channel dedicated to nothing but “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.” Even jingles and music you’d hear on TV are available.

            I think you get the idea.

            If you’ve never tried AccuRadio, you owe it to yourself to check it out at AccuRadio.Com. The service features music for just about every taste, and even allows you to combine different formats into one. All formats are curated by a real person, and not just an algorithm … that and the personalization set it apart from most - if not all - other streaming services.

            Other Choices

            I know that Saul Levine’s Mount Wilson Broadcasting station group will be presenting holiday music as well; I’ve reached out to Levine and will have the information once it is available. If the past is any indication, expect Go Country 105 to start playing holiday tunes sometime just before or after December 1st, and I expect he’ll offer some online streams or HD Radio sub channels as well.

Radio Waves: November 11, 2022

Remembering Steven Clean

If you were around Los Angeles for the early days of “freeform” album rock radio — before it became “Album Oriented Rock” as an official format name — you probably remember Steven Segal, known on the air as the “Obscene” Steven Clean, as heard on legendary stations as KPPC (now KROQ, 106.7 FM), KMET (now KTWV, 94.7 FM), K-WEST (now KPWR, 105.9 FM), and KROQ during the era of the AM -FM simulcast.

He is the man who gave Dr. Demento — aka Barry Hansen — his name when they both worked at KPPC. Described by some as “brilliant” and a “genius” on the air, Clean passed away in his sleep on October 29th, at the age of 76.

In a tribute by his friend Paul Rappaport (https://bit.ly/3FF9exb), Rappaport writes that Clean “is a bit of an unsung hero. You see, Steven is one of the most important figures in the creation of FM Rock Radio.” 

Rappaport explained that Clean “was a true genius on the air, imparting important thoughtful cultural messages via spoken word intertwined with just the right music to help bring his points to life,” and adding that “beyond the music, disc jockeys imparted their own powerful messages. No one was more skillful in this regard than Steven. Like Bob Dylan, this expertise didn’t come from years of practice, it was a gift from above.

“Kids would literally cut out of school early to listen to Steven just to make sure they didn’t miss anything important. They exchanged cassettes of his radio shows which were like mini works of performance art,” Rappaport wrote.

That’s the connection with radio that I remember, a connection often lacking in today’s McRadio version of the industry.

Admittedly, you have to be of a certain age to have heard him on the air. He’s just slightly ahead of my time, as I was still listening to top-40 by the time he left town to return to WBCN-FM/Boston in 1977. But various airchecks offer proof that he absolutely embodied the idea of freeform FM rock radio. 

PastDaily.Com has a full unscoped hour (music and commercials) of Clean on KMET from 1975 at https://bit.ly/3sUiypr; the tribute referenced above has a scoped (edited) ’check  from his arrival at K-WEST in 1976  … and includes, by the way, a mention of Be-Bop Deluxe, giving a reminder of the huge variety of music you could once find on the radio. If you’d like to hear more, there are a few other air checks showing up on places like YouTube and MixCloud.com, which has eight recordings from his time on KMET that you can find by searching his name.

More Airchecks!

Speaking of MixCloud and YouTube, one of my favorite Mixcloud accounts, Retro Radio Joe, has a new YouTube page, and both are filled with absolutely delightful recordings. The big finds for me include three hours unscoped of Mark Elliot playing part of the countdown of The Big 93 hits for the year 1972 on KHJ (930 AM), and on YouTube he has a television commercial reminding viewers of the connection that legendary top-40 station KFRC/San Francisco had with the Bay Area Links are at https://bit.ly/3U3Mtal and https://youtu.be/pCs5e0y95TY.

SoCal Sound Web Update

The changes referenced here last week regarding the moving of SoCal Sound 88.5 FM specialty shows to new time slots should be at least slightly more palatable to fans very soon.

The station will be creating a new page on their website that will feature “SoCal Sound Specialty Show archives- on demand.”  All the shows that are airing late and that were moved, will be there for listening whenever its convenient …  with one exception: “The Dylan Hours” can’t be posted on demand due to copyright laws that prohibit the posting of content that includes the playing of three or more songs in a row by the same artist.

Readers Respond

Regarding new music on the radio, this email says exactly what I feel: “I just turned 59 and agree with you completely. The last 10 years and maybe longer than that, I find myself just listening to mainly college radio. particularly 88.3 KUCR and 88.7 Claremeont.  Best thing ever happened to me.

“I’ve gone to the last 3 Joshua Tree Music Fests. Think very miniature Coachella. It’s great. I still appreciate the classic rock.  But try to delve into the songs that are never played.” — Dan Reich

And in relation to KGO/San Francisco’s change: “I think you missed the boat when stating sports betting radio will fail. The success of this format is definitely NOT tied to the success of the two sports gambling initiatives on the California ballot. Most sports betting is done online either offshore or with local sport books.

“As you stated, the programming will be very inexpensive with the sports touts paying for 30-60 minute segments. The only true thing about sports betting … there is a sucker born every minute. This is the audience. I predict it will do very well.  I sincerely hope it does not come to KABC as they have great programming!” — James Powell

Radio Waves Podcast #360

Radio Waves: November 4, 2022

SoCal Sound Changes

Apparently SoCal Sound (88.5 FM) General Manager Patrick Osburn has received an email or two … or 100, maybe 1000 … due to the decision to drop many of the station’s weekend programs, move others to new time slots, and expand the regular format to more hours each week.

It all happened the weekend of October 22nd-23rd, when a plan that Osburn says has been in the making for the past year came to pass. Sunday marked the end of weekend full-day blocks of specialty shows running the gamut from the Beatles to Peace and Love.

In the case of the Beatles, though, it was not the decision of station management to let Saturday Morning with the Beatles host Les Perry go. “That was his decision,” said Osburn. “We offered him Sunday mornings from 8 to 10 a.m., and he chose not to stay.” That Sunday time slot then went to Lisa Finnie’s The Dylan Hours instead. 

In fact, most of the shows were not outright cancelled. Explains Osburn: “Most every show was offered a different time slot, granted some midnight to 2 a.m.” And some hosts took the move in stride.  “Long time LA Times music columnist and biographer, Robert Hilburn, embraced his opportunity to move to ‘late night.’ He commented that late night radio is when FM was cool, and he immediately dug into his library and found 25-ish songs with the word ‘midnight’ in the title or lyrics.  He’s a smart guy, determined to make the most of it and have some fun … which is what it’s suppose to be!”

I asked Osburn why the change. “Consistency,” he explained. We were basically three stations:  One that played our regular AAA (Adult Album Alternative) format weekdays, another different station on Saturdays and still a third on Sundays. We felt that to better compete, we needed more consistency, more discipline. We’ll still run the classics and specialty stuff, but not during our ‘prime’ hours of Monday through Friday 6 a.m. to 7p.m. or  Saturday and Sunday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.”

The evolution is not limited to weekends. A close analysis of the regular format reveals that the SoCal Sound is opening its playlist to newer artists, not just those that were popular in the past and happen to have released new albums.

At the risk of getting the same emails Osborne has received — to which he says he personally replies, by the way — I am going to agree with the decision. Here is my logic:

• KROQ (106.7 FM) pretends to play new music, but is 2/3 gold

• Alt (98.7 FM) is also 2/3 gold with different songs selected

• Jack (93.1 FM) is almost all gold

• KRTH (101.1 FM) is all gold

• KLOS (95.5 FM) is all gold

• The old weekend shows on SoCal Sound, just canceled, tended to be gold, or perhaps more accurately “gold-ish.”

Basically, gold — oldies, classic rock, or whatever the current term being used — is everywhere. What can’t you find anywhere? New music. I am 59. I am tired of hearing the same music I heard in high school. I don’t want to know every song I hear. I DO like radio air checks from the ‘70s due to the excitement of the stations and formats, but that is often the only time I listen to oldies. 

My son happens to be in a progressive metal band. Going to his concerts and understanding his philosophy of musical evolution, I rediscovered new music. I had been listening to new country (Go Country 105, after the demise of KZLA (93.9 FM) and SiriusXM’s new country channel) along with Alt 98.7 and a few others already, but recently discovered a ton of new pop and alternative that I really enjoy. So I like the idea of giving new artists and new music more exposure.

As I have said for years: there’s a lot of good music being produced these days. It’s just hard to find. Osburn agrees.

“I am over 60, and people around my age and older are very much into both ‘music discovery’ (new releases) as well as the classics.” I’d personally say that applies to every age group, but I digress.

Osburn continued, “We are trying to attract our target audience by straddling the fine line of maximizing the primetime hours we play our core format, while honoring the artists and DJ’s that the station has featured for decades.”

Osburn says that 88-5 has over 1400 songs on their playlist, as opposed to normal commercial stations that run about 400 … or less.

“We work hard to curate well thought-out programming that fits together. In a perfect world, we would please everyone, he told me, “but you know that’s not possible.  Programming is an imperfect, messy science.

“We endeavor to be intelligent, disciplined programmers, while having no fear to play anything we think might be fun for the audience,” he concluded.

Hard to argue with that.

To check out the broadcast schedule and see what special programs are still available, go to TheSoCalSound.org/programs/

(And if you’re interested in hearing my son’s band, Death of the Author, go to facebook.com/dota.band.official or dotaband.bandcamp.com)

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