Radio July 21, 2023
Billboard Magazine announced last
week that — with her song “Karma” making it to #1 on the Pop Airplay chart —
Taylor Swift has tied the record for the most number one songs by an artist in
the history of the chart.
“Karma” is her 11th #1 hit, and
that record puts her in good company, tying with Maroon 5, Katy Perry, and
Rihanna who all also had 11 Number 1s. Right below them is Justin Bieber with
ten Number 1s. No other artists are in the double digits.
Now, you may be asking how can that
be? What about The Beatles? The Bee Gees? Michael Jackson? Elvis? Well, it’s
not really a technicality, but it has to do with what the list actually
measures and how old the list goes back. In this case it is a measure not of
sales, but how many times the song has been played by major stations across the
country … and it only goes back as far as October, 1992.
If you investigate the actual
number of times an artist hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100, the leader
in indeed The Beatles, with 20 Number 1 hits; Mariah Carey is second on that
list with 19. Where’s Elvis? Third, with 18.
Small Town Radio
Brian Winnekins is the owner of
WRDN/Durand Wisconsin, one of the handful of AM AM stations across the country
still utilizing the Motorola C-Quam stereo system, which means that most
current radios can’t decode the stereo signal, but many from the 1980s and ‘90s
still can. With the improvements and investments in equipment he (and those in
similar situations) have made, his stations sounds remarkable on any decent
radio — stereo or not.
Durand is a small farming town,
with a population of only about 1900 residents in the 2020 Census. But unlike
some small town stations, Winnekins doesn’t take the easy way out by just
putting on syndicated programming or political talk. Instead he takes his
community service roll seriously, and presents extensive agricultural news and
information, local high school athletic games, local news, local events, and
local weather. Oh, and country music.
Note the word local. Back to that
soon.
Recently, Winnekins posted
information on Facebook regarding the station’s Summer programming special:
“Doing the community service thing from our first fair of season,” he wrote.
“Yes we do live video streams of livestock shows. Don't laugh, we have 17
sponsors.”
Seventeen sponsors, in a town of
fewer than 2000 residents, not counting the cattle. On a station that is on the
band that some say is dead. How can that be?
Back to the word “local.” It is so
key to connecting with your audience — and advertisers. That focus on the local
audience is what makes the difference. An active audience that can then be
reached by local advertisers who have no other easy way to reach their target
customers.
But certainly you could not do that
in Southern California. Really? Why not? There used to be local stations … in
fact all the stations used to be local in some sense. But the move to become
“bigger” can hurt when you can’t compete against the big boys with, for
example, a limited signal. Or even just a limited budget. The solution? Program
local.
The original setup of many stations
was designed to be locally-focussed. As some stations grew, they became
dominant, of course. But there was still room for stations serving a local
audience. KGIL (now KMZT, 1260 AM) was designed and originally programmed for
the San Fernando Valley. KEZY (now KGBN, 1190 AM) was for Anaheim. KFOX (now
KDAY, 93.1 FM) was for Redondo Beach. How about a station actually programming
to the local community, whatever that community may be? San Pedro … Wilmington
… Huntington Park … Hermosa Beach… Fountain Valley… You get the idea.
If I was a local business owner, I
could probably never afford to buy advertising time on KIIS-FM (102.7), and it
would probably not be worth it even if I could. But if I could advertise on a
station targeting my local community, it might be the best marketing investment
I could make.
So as we continue the talk of
helping improve radio, programmers must remember that local trumps all, even
for the larger stations. KHJ (930 AM) wasn’t the most influential station of
its time when it played top-40 because it syndicated its programming or used
out of town DJs… it was so because it was Los Angeles… there were stations
similar, but there was only on KHJ. Only one KMET (now KTWV, 94.7 FM).
Only one KROQ (106.7 FM).
Be the best you can be, program
locally, and there is no stopping you.
Wheel of Reaction
Not everyone was happy with the news that KIIS morning man Ryan Seacrest was chosen as the replacement host for “Wheel of Fortune” when Pat Sajak retires. Posts on social media were not all positive, and letters from you were not necessarily supportive either
…
“Seacrest sucks! He's going to
drive that show off a cliff faster than Dick Clark in a van getting away from
Michael Moore in ‘Bowling for Columbine.’” says reader Eric Peterson.
In case you don’t know the
reference, as explained on documentarychannel.tumblr.com, in the movie “the former
American Bandstand host is ambushed outside his production office and made to
look insensitive because he shuts a minivan door in the filmmaker’s face.”
I’m still reserving judgement. You
never know who will make a good host … I thought Snoop Dogg was going to be
awful on the relaunch of television game show “Joker’s Wild.” Instead he proved
to be quite good at it. Who knew?
Richard Wagoner is a San Pedro
freelance columnist covering radio in Southern California. Email rwagoner@socalradiowaves.com.
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RadioWaves: July 14, 2023
McIntyre’s Musings
“About 15-years ago, I did one air shift at KFI (640 AM) radio,
wrote (former) longtime KABC (790 AM) morning talker Doug McIntyre on a social
media post. “I so impressed management that, after only a decade and a half,
they have invited me back. I will be filling in for John & Ken on Thursday,
June 29th and Friday, June 30th from 1-4pm. Nobody is more surprised than me.”
He did fill in, and it most certainly did not go unnoticed by
you … I received numerous emails asking if, just perhaps, McIntyre might come
back permanently to radio via KFI. So I asked; his response will disappoint
somewhat. But there is some good news too.
“I’m just happy to have had the opportunity to fill-in for John
and Ken, McIntyre explained, adding, “I am not looking for work. They called and
asked if I’d do it and the timing was good, especially with my book coming out
July 18th, so I said yes.
“It was a ton of fun, but after 4-1/2 years off the air, I was
as nervous as I was the first time I ever hosted a show. I’d be happy to do
more fill-in work if they ask. I have a lot of old friends in the building.”
Any possibility of a permanent position? Not interested.
But the book? What’s up with that? I have not read it, have not
seen an advanced copy, nor do I have any real information as to its content.
But I do know it is being released (as stated) on July 18th. And it is his
first full-length novel, entitled “Frank’s Shadow.”
You can read the synopsis by searching out the title, but this
part of the description jumped out when I read it on various bookseller sites:
“Frank’s Shadow is a deeply (sometimes darkly) human story wrapped in the
trappings of a delightfully gritty love letter to New York City’s less
glamorous neighborhoods.” Sounds intriguing!
McIntyre will be out promoting the book in person Tuesday July
18th from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at
The Grove at Farmer’s Market in Los Angeles; July 22nd from noon to 1:30 p.m.
at Gatsby’s in Long Beach; and July 26th from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Pages: A Book
Store in Manhattan Beach. More signing events will be held in August as well …
you can see a calendar of events for the book and other aspects of his life at
dougmcintyre.com/upcoming-appearances.
More Oldies … on Hit Radio?
Well, I guess it figured to happen. Considering that even the
supposed new music stations like Alt 98.7 FM and KROQ (106.7 FM) are
essentially alternative oldies stations, perhaps it was just a matter of time
before top-40 stations became oldies stations as well.
I mean, why attract young people to radio when you can play the
same songs you played 20 years ago? Simple. Easy. Mindless. Lazy.
I am referring to a trend highlighted in a recent
RadioInsight.Com report by Lance Venta, who writes that “WKFS
Milford/Cincinnati Ohio has joined the growing number of CHR stations shifting
to a gold-heavy presentation.
“WKFS is still playing 3-4 currents per hour, but has removed
all of its re-currents and recent golds replacing them with golds mostly from
2000 to 2010,” he says.
To translate that into normal-speak, what they have done is
limited new releases — within the past year or so — to three or four songs per
hour, cut back on music over a year old (re-currents) along with those just
slightly older (recent golds). In their place are what we used to call oldies –
songs over ten years old. Note that the station is not going back too far,
though it is the modern equivalent of when stations like KHJ (930 AM) or K-WEST
(now KPWR, 105.9 FM) would drop back into the 1960s era when they played top-40
in the 1980s … or when KHJ played songs from the ‘50s in the 1960s and ‘70s.
The difference, though, is that stations like KHJ and K-WEST
maintained playing a LOT of new music, and the oldies added spice to the mix,
maybe twice an hour at most. And they were carefully selected to make you go
“wow – I haven’t heard that in years.” Usually the songs were part of a
flashback specially highlighted as “Yesterday,” “Number One then…” or the “time
machine.”
The modern version, by contrast, places the oldies at the
top-tier. Which would be OK if the stations sold themselves as the oldies
stations that they are, much like KRTH (101.1 FM) did in the late 1970s and
early 1980s.
Perhaps it will work, and radio can continue to shun younger
listeners, forcing them to other entertainment sources. But I find the entire
movement kind of sad when formats that are supposed to play new music … don’t.
If this continues, the only people who will listen to radio will be older than
me.
Sure it could bring in some listeners from other stations. But
it won’t bring in new listeners to radio, and it is basically the easy way to
temporarily make a buck. Like other make-a-buck schemes of the past — satellite
formats, “Jack” formats, cloned stations in every market, little promotion,
nationwide contests, one DJ for multiple stations — it will do nothing to make
radio competitive long term against the industry’s numerous competitors, from
streaming services to TikTok.
Sometimes it really does seem that the radio industry wants to
fail.
Richard Wagoner is a San Pedro freelance columnist covering
radio in Southern California. Email rwagoner@socalradiowaves.com.
Radio Waves: July 7, 2023
Seacrest Takes the Wheel
Radio has a long history of sending many of its top
personalities to host television game shows. Among the most famous include Wink
Martindale, Jim Lange, Bob Eubanks, Gene Rayburn, and Pat Sajak, among many
more.
To that list, add KIIS (102.7 FM) morning man Ryan Seacrest, who
will replace Sajak on “Wheel of Fortune” at the end of the 2024 season. When
Sajak leaves, he will end more than four decades with the show, after taking
over for original host Chuck Woolery who left the show in a salary dispute in December,
1981.
Seacrest got his start in Los Angeles radio in 2004 at Star 98.7
FM (now known as Alt 98.7, KYSR). But he was only 16 when started in the
profession by winning an internship at his hometown radio station WSTR/Atlanta
where he learned all aspects of radio … including filling in for ill or
vacationing air personalities and eventually getting a regular weekend shift …
while still in high school.
His show on Star was during afternoon drive, and he was
definitely a “star” (pardon the pun) on the station paired with Lisa Fox. He
left for San Francisco’s K-101 in 2003, returning to Los Angeles less than a
year later to replace Rick Dees in February, 2004, a position he still holds
and has held all the while taking on numerous other radio and television gigs
including hosting syndicated radio program “American Top 40” and television
shows such as “American Idol,” “Live with Kelly and Ryan,” and the legendary
“New Year’s Rockin’ Eve,” which he inherited from another radio personality,
Dick Clark.
Many have compared Seacrest with Clark, primarily due to his
boyish looks and on-air charm.
He has always been able to engage his audiences, and Seacrest has often said
that he idolized Clark growing up.
Interestingly and somewhat humorously, there was some pushback
on the internet boards over the announcement of the Wheel replacement. One
comment on twitter asked “how many jobs do you need?” with another pleading him
to reconsider, writing “We don’t want you! Go away lol! You’re just going to
ruin this amazing show.”
“Wheel” producers obviously feel differently, and are paying
Seacrest a reported $28 million per season, $13 million more than Sajak
reportedly earned from the show. Sajak, by the way, will stay on as a
consultant for three years. For historical reference, Woolery was let go when
he was asking $500,000 per season.
Salary issues aside, I do think Seacrest will be a good host.
His radio duties including hosting KIIS mornings will continue at least through
2025, the end of his current contract. My hunch is that he will remain at KIIS
far longer. Radio stations often benefit from television exposure of their
personalities, and you can’t get much more exposure than Seacrest.
Cardinal Rule
A wise programmer and consultant once told me that a general
interest morning show should shun discussion or presentation of political
viewpoints in order to avoid ticking off half of your potential audience.
Which is why I was so surprised when I tuned in to KROQ’s (106.7
FM) morning Klein and Ally
show last Friday. During a segment that was presented as news, co-host Ally
Johnson launched into a short rant condemning a recent Supreme Court decision
and lamenting how bad the country has become.
Remember, this was supposedly news, though the segment also
devolved to include conjecture as to how couples can “hook up” behind the rows
of port-a-potties at festival concerts. KROQ does not run editorials.
Personally, I don’t care what her opinion is, on any subject.
She can think whatever she wants. But if I was the program director of KROQ,
trying to build an audience for a dying station against competition that has
been killing the morning show in the ratings for years? I’d be livid.
If I were in management for the ownership, Audacy, which just
instituted a reverse 1-for-30 stock split in order to try to shore up finances
… I’d be questioning my choice of program director. There’s just too much at
stake.
