Radio Waves Podcast #377

 Radio: June 2, 2023

            Whether it was the threat of legislative action that would require it, or just a reaction to simple lobbying by government officials, listeners and buyers alike, Ford announced that it has reversed its decision to remove AM radio capabilities from some gas-powered vehicles in 2024 and through a software update will add the ability to receive AM in its 2023 electric vehicles.

            One of the arguments for maintaining the ability to receive AM signals has to do with safety - the Emergency Alert System often relies on AM stations to spread news and information in the case of an emergency — KFI (640 AM) is the key link locally, for example — and the long-distance reception that AM transmissions offer can get news to distant rural areas with ease.

            It is honestly a compelling argument; while cell-phone notifications can also be used in emergencies, the cellular network relies on cell towers and internet connections, which are not nearly as universal or robust as AM transmissions.

            The notice was made by Ford CEO Jim Farley via social media posts, writing in Twitter, “After speaking with policy leaders about the importance of AM broadcast radio as a part of the emergency alert system, we've decided to include it on all 2024 Ford & LincolnMotorCo vehicles. For any owners of Ford EVs without AM broadcast capability, we’ll offer a software update.”

            Notice the year: 2024. Nothing is stated on any year further ahead, so the battle may not necessarily be over. And obviously Ford’s decision doesn’t affect the operations of other companies with what I consider bad engineering departments — those that can’t figure out how to eliminate interference from their electric vehicles even though it doesn’t seem to be an issue with the likes of General Motors, Toyota, and now, of course Ford. Yes, BMW, Volvo, Volkswagen, Tesla, Rivian and Mazda — all of which have already or plan to remove AM from the dashboard —  I just outed your lack of basic engineering expertise. Convince me otherwise.

            So the legislative action continues and may indeed require AM reception in all vehicles in the future, similar to how television sets were required to offer UHF tuners starting in the 1960s.

            Yet I can’t shake the feeling that if more AM stations offered compelling programming and maintained their signals better, we wouldn’t be having this discussion at all. But you already know my position on that. Perhaps the renewed focus on AM will help start some programming momentum.

            Cheers and Jeers

            More on your radio loves and tune-outs:

            “My wife and I enjoy listening to the radio during the day. What we dislike is hearing the same five songs (on every channel) over and over every day and usually at the exact same times, when there is such a wealth of good oldies music available from the 50's, 60s, and 70s. Thank you for asking” — Tony Elia, Mission Viejo

            “My comment on news radio stations, particularly morning KNX (1070 AM, 97.1 FM), is that they read the news too fast and don't use proper nouns much. They usually say the proper noun of a city or person at the beginning of the story but from then on it's just: city or he or she. Sometimes I miss the proper name and don't know the location or who the story is referring to. Also, an introductory phrase between stories would help - sometimes I'm still trying to digest a story when they quickly read the next one without warning.

            “What I like: the three minutes of CBS news on the hour on KNX as well as the in-depth reporting, the Jerry Sharell show on KJAZZ (88.1 FM), and Rich on Tech on KFI (640 AM).” — Clive Soden

            “I love the Kevin and Sluggo Show on KLOS (95.5 FM) 3-7 PM. There are different daily segments like a funny or weird current news event, including audio, usually a human fail story. They have listeners call in with their responses to the daily topic; ie what is a tattoo you regret getting? There is a daily top ten list such as top-10 Easter candy sold. Then Kevin tries to guess at least five correctly and if he does, Sluggo gives him a dollar. It is very funny & entertaining for the afternoon commute.” — Cee Cee Curti

            “I love K-SURF (105.1 HD4) oldies. I hate the fact that when I listen to it on my car’s HD radio setting it is constantly cutting on and off all the time. Where I live, reception is always spotty. Would I tune in to a different station? Absolutely, if only they would play the 60s rock like K-SURF.  There are plenty of us old boomers still around who would love to hear the 60 music being played on the radio. 

            “Why cant one of the regular FM oldies stations play the stuff from the 60? At least with the regular FM stations I don’t have any reception issues and they all come in nice and clear. I have the KKGO app on my cell phone but really who wants to listen to music on their cell phone while driving.  It sounds so much better on the car radio than on your cell phone.” — Dan Schary 

            (The trick is to get your phone connected to your car stereo!)

            “I love KFI.  I listen to Gary and Shannon, John and Ken, and Tim Conway.  I was crushed when John and Ken changed their time from 1-4, because I liked to listen to them after work. Dislikes? The monotonous KARS-FOR-KIDS jingle. I will slam the OFF button the second I hear it start. How about they just SAY that you can donate your car to them. FACT: I NEVER will!

    

            “I also love The Patriot (KEIB, 1150 AM), especially the Joe Escalante show on Sundays, country and classic rock stations, and Sirius Satellite Radio.” — Bonnie Hoy

            Still more to come …

Radio: May 26, 2023

            You probably already heard that longtime UCLA Bruins men’s football, basketball, and baseball announcer Chris Roberts passed away May 12th at the age of 74 due to complications from Parkinson’s Disease. 

            This paper had one of the best looks back on his career that I’ve seen, focussing not only on his work with the Bruins but also his radio career beginnings start in Victorville, as well as his stops in San Bernardino where he worked with Jhani Kaye among others … I mention Kaye because the two would work together again from 1981 - 1992 at KFI (640 AM) and KOST (103.5 FM) when Kaye was the program director of the stations.

            During the KFI/KOST days, Roberts eventually became sports director, but it didn’t start that way, exactly. He was actually first working the overnight shift on KOST, and would prepare a sports report for the KFI morning show. You may remember the tagline: every sportscast ended with “Chris Roberts, Athletic Briefs.”

            I first heard of Roberts’ death from a Facebook post by Kaye. “My best friend in broadcasting, Chris Roberts, Passed away this morning,” Kaye wrote. “He was my pal. I admired him for the way he rose to become one of the most respected voices of UCLA sports broadcasters.” I have never heard an unkind word about Roberts; this is a huge loss to both the radio industry and the sports world. 

            Likes and Dislikes

            It actually started as a response to a column by InsideMusicMedia.Com’s Jerry Del Colliano, who wrote of Top Listener Gripes on April 28th. I still haven’t written of his gripes because I wanted to hear of yours first. But I also wanted to know what you live about radio as well. Here’s what you think, positive and negative, in no particular order … Jerry can wait.

            “I listen to Mottek On Money from KABC.com as a podcast. I don’t know if this would fall under your question, but hey interject commercial ads mid-sentence during the podcast. I find this very annoying … I don’t know if this is a Mottek or Cumulus thing.  No other podcasts I listen to does this mid-sentence advertising. — Steve Lui

            “The morning DJs turn me off. It’s the same format almost everywhere you turn. I like some introductions but not the stupid banter now. But, I am not in their market group being 58 as of a short time ago.” — Erik Hassold

            (Program note: Happy birthday!)

            “I hate the annoying ‘this has been previously recorded’ preamble before an ad for a radio show, as if the general listener isn’t smart enough to realize it’s an ad. I’m sure it’s an FCC thing, but annoying nonetheless.” — Cody Lyons

            “The playlists are all the same songs OVER AND OVER AND OVER. There's no creativity or imagination. And it doesn't matter if the station is ‘alt’ or ‘oldies’ ... it's all the same stuff. It's actually dumb that 98.7 and 106.7 categorize themselves as alternative. Those stations don't know what that means anymore. What do I enjoy? Klein and Ally in the morning on KROQ; very talented and underrated show that deserves more listeners. I was a huge Kevin and Bean fan for years and this show is different, but equally as entertaining. “ — Marc Levine

            “BAD: Same songs over and over.  Ok, so your research says it's best to stick to the superstars - I get it.  But Journey, Elton John, Rolling Stones, Heart etc. have more than a half dozen hits in their catalog.  By just doubling the number of songs played by the popular artists the stations would increase their interest from me.

            “If you're a political-leaning talk show, fine.  If you're not, please don't say anything political.  I have even heard political issues discussed on local 88.5 fm - disguised as songwriting information from local artists.

            “GOOD: Variety.  Stations can stick to their format and still have more variety.  Like my point above, include more songs from the favored artists.  Include more artists, and that doesn't mean they have to gamble with ‘lesser’ names - there are enough established artists in each category to expand.  And what about including some live tracks of the hits?  I love when stations do that.

            “Disc jockeys. There's a place for music-only stations with no DJs, but a few more DJ-led stations would provide more personal connection to us listeners.  And it doesn't have to include long comedy segments or listener calls - just some connection.

            “Don't know how to title this - DJ emotions. This might seem hokey. These days it seems like most DJs and their interaction with listeners is either distant or factual. In my day — I’m your age — they seemed a lot more emotional - you know, like hey it's Friday - school's out - party time (cut directly to party anthem song) or "hump day" ...   Contrived?  Maybe … maybe not. But they and the music helped steer our emotions, usually for the better.  They talked to us and with us and took our thoughts away from everyday life. I don't think life's just a party, but I think radio - like sports, entertainment, the movies - are to help us temporarily escape from things like work and other responsibilities. — Darren

            To be continued …

  Radio: May 19, 2023

            If you were a listener to KMET (now KTWV, 94.7 FM) during the station’s earlier days and rise to dominance in the 1970s, you remember “The Burner” Mary Turner, one of the early female pioneers of progressive and album rock radio. On the KMET airwaves from June of 1972 until August of 1982, she in many ways represented exactly what KMET was to its listeners: intelligent, passionate … and human.

            Details are unusually lacking, but Turner passed away May 9th. The news was announced by Turner’s KMET colleague Ace Young, who posted the news and a tribute on social media.

            Speaking to LARadio.Com’s Don Barrett  years ago regarding her career and the early days of progressive rock radio, Turner reflected on the times."It was an exciting time back then, because you didn't operate under any rules. You could play anything you wanted, say anything you wanted and who cared? FM at that time was a joke, especially to Top 40 people. We were the hippies, and they were the stars.”

            Did the fact that she was a woman in an industry dominated, especially back then, by men? Turner told Barrett,”I think being a woman helped more than anything else. The time was right for it, and I happened to be in the right place at the right time.”

            Just a short time after her arrival at KMET, the station hired a female program director, Sam Bellamy, who also spoke with Barrett, saying “When I arrived at KMET in 1974, Mary was already there paving the way for women in radio. We became fast friends and partners in crime, based a lot on our shared sense of humor and intense desire to succeed.

            “I learned very quickly that Mary would set the bar high for aspiring air personalities and radio executives alike, especially in the highly competitive L.A. market. Before Oprah and others started preaching it, Mary was living the purpose-driven life. Back in the early 70's, Mary had set goals for herself and she kept building on, and and reaching for, those goals - always mindful of inspiring and teaching others along the way.”

            She produced short interview and music information segments for KMET that evolved into nationally syndicated special programs called Off the Record; these specials reached an estimated 25 million listeners and are highly respected to this day. She was among the first to ever interview a young Bruce Springsteen for her regular evening air shift.

            After leaving KMET, she continued with Off the Record, did a daily show for Armed Forces Radio, did a stint for a Canadian broadcast group, and even worked on “Music in the Air,” an entertainment service used on the now defunct TWA Airlines. She returned to the local airwaves on KLSX (now KNX-FM, 97.1) for a time in 1993.

            More recently she was the chairwoman of the Betty Ford Center at Eisenhower Hospital in Rancho Mirage … the first chair to not be a member of the Ford family since the Center’s inception. Her expertise in this area came from her own life and determination to overcome her problems - in the early 1990s, she fought back a substance abuse problem, went on to become a UCLA-certified drug and alcohol counselor, and then earned a Ph.D. in clinical psychology.

            Turner is preceded in death by her husband Norm Pattiz, who she met through her radio shows. Pattiz, founder and former chairman of Westwood One radio networks, passed away just this past December.

            As if to prove the importance of Turner and her career, The Paley Center for Media in New York City includes in its collection recordings of her last show on KMET, dated August 6, 1982.  The collection also includes a portion of Jim Ladd’s program that followed immediately after, which on this night became a tribute show to Turner’s career.

            Hear Turner’s interview with Springsteen from July 4th of 1978 at bit.ly/TurnerSpringsteen. Find other airchecks by searching YouTube and others for Mary Turner KMET. 

            The passing of turner hit many hard … as Ace Young said in his Facebook post, it hit him “like a ton of bricks

            “Mary & I worked together for many years at KMET, Young wrote. “In fact, our friendship dates back to San Francisco. We both came to the Mighty Met in the Spring of 1972. Mary was the best. So much can be said of her career; her success; her life with husband, and recently passed, Norm Pattiz. I’ll, for the moment, leave that for others. 

            “I am grief stricken!” he concludes.

            Richard Wagoner is a San Pedro freelance columnist covering radio in Southern California. Email rwagoner@socalradiowaves.com.

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Radio Waves Podcast #376

 Guest:  Dave Beasing 

Radio Waves: May 12, 2023

Who do you love?

Last week I spoke of an article from Inside Music Media’s Jerry Del Colliano in which he made a list of easily-fixed programming elements that turn listeners off. In case you missed it and want to take part, I am asking for your “things” … what would cause you to tune to another station or even turn off the radio completely.

Before I follow up, though, I wanted to put together a list of things I like about radio. Scratch that – things I love. What keeps me going back to the radio every day? You can join in this as well.

Without further ado:

I love The Woody Show. Airing on Alt 98.7 FM weekday mornings from 4 a.m. to 10 a.m. (kind of … they definitely repeat segments), the program has been a huge hit for the station … and for good reason.

Starring Jeff “Woody” Fife, (Renae) Ravey, Sebastian “SeaBass” Davis, Greg Gory, Jason “Menace” McMurry, and Sammi Moreno, the show bills itself as “insensitivity training for a politically correct world.” I’d call it more of a gathering place to hang out with friends.

Yes, at times, they get a little raunchy. But usually it’s good clean fun. They make fun of bad behavior, call people on their stupidity, and in general bring listeners in on their party every morning.

I appreciate that, unlike some shows of the past, they are professional broadcasters as well, intelligent, quick-witted and extraordinary funny and entertaining. Ravey’s laugh is infectious. Bits and contests are well-designed, and include DUIQ, wherein listeners try to guess if a drunk partier can answer a simple trivia question, stories on stupid criminals, “redneck” news and occasional interviews. I include The Woody Show in the list of all-time best morning shows; the program has aired locally since April 21, 2014.

I love Booker and Stryker, also on Alt 98.7 FM.  Chris Booker and Ted Stryker got together just over a year ago — February, 2022 — but the flow of the show and the chemistry between the two makes it seem like they have been together forever. Like Woody mornings, they quickly become your friends and make the afternoon drive pass much faster … to the point where you don’t even want to get out of the car. Or leave work. Or whatever. As long as the show is on the air, I don’t care what I am doing; I even listen on my bike ride home from work.

The two wouldn’t hurt a fly; this is one program where all ages can listen. 

I love Go Country 105 FM. Country music purists will disagree, but I really like modern country music … it reminds me of top-40 music of the past – songs you can sing along with in which the artists (or the country version of The Wrecking Crew, if one exists) still play real instruments. DJs are good, the commercial load is not ridiculous, and the station is locally owned by a guy who loves dogs and helps facilitate pet adoptions. What more do you want in a music station?

I love KFI (640 AM). I don’t necessarily listen to every show, but they tend to be entertaining with a variety of topics. But what I really like is the news department – KFI news has always been top-notch, and the long history of good reporting continues today. Without question, KFI produces the best local newscast heard on the local commercial airwaves. Yes, better than KNX (1070 AM, 97.1 FM).

I love the stations that go the extra mile to produce content for niche audiences. For example, you do have to use streaming or an HD radio, but the fact that Saul Levine uses Go Country’s signal to digitally send out classical music, 50s, ‘60s and ‘70s oldies, and adult standards focussing on Frank Sinatra and his friends — commercial-free, no less — does not go unnoticed. He does it because he wants to serve an audience that others ignore, and knows that it will never bring in much in the form of revenue. Levine just loves the art of radio. Local ownership at its best.

And finally, I love that so many stations both locally and nationally stream their programming on apps I can use with my smart speakers phones. Being able to tune stations far and wide wherever I am is much appreciated by me and so many others. I’d mention the distant stations I like, but the focus of this column is local, so I won’t.

So now you have a choice … you can still let me know what bugs you, but besides that … what do you love? Let me know!

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Radio Waves: May 5, 2023

March Nielsens show some changes

What’s happening with KIIS-FM (102.7)? Since December, the hit music station has been on an upward trajectory in the Nielsen ratings; the March results released in late April have the station at second place overall with a 5.0 share of the audience … a full 2 points higher than it earned in December. If memory serves right, this is the highest finish KIIS has had in years … is pop music on the radio making a comeback?

Perhaps. But it was oldies that won the day, with KRTH (101.1 FM) taking the top spot overall, beating KIIS by almost a full point at 5.8. That’s an increase of just over a point since December, when it had a 4.7 share, and is the highest rating the station has had this year. Oddly, KRTH’s online stream, which led all streams before, was not present in the ratings list this month

The big — and truly surprising — drop came from KOST (103.5 FM), which found itself out of the first place position it has held for much of the past year … tied with KFI (640 AM) and KLVE (107.5 FM) at 5th at a 4.1 share. What makes this surprising is that KOST truly has led for most of the past year. 

Another surprising drop came from Go Country 105 (KKGO, 105.1 FM), coming in with a 1.8 share of the audience compared with 2.1 in February and 2.5 back in December. I doubt this is a long-term trend, though … perhaps the excitement of the Stagecoach festival held last week will help out. Or perhaps it’s one of those anomalies that happen when the ratings meters are distributed to new listeners.

KFI led the talk wars as per usual, it’s 5th place tie dominating the rest, including KRLA (870 AM)’s 0.7 and KEIB’s (1150 AM) 0.6. Where’s KABC? Nowhere to be found, but it doesn’t mean they have no listeners. I confirmed that the area’s talk format originator no longer subscribes to Nielsen and thus does not show in the ratings list. I also noticed that KSPN (710 AM) isn’t on the Nielsen list either, for the same reason. My hunch is that many stations will begin to consider such a move due primarily to monetary savings; I’ll have a story on that in an upcoming column.

More interesting items from the ratings list: Alt (98.7 FM) beat KROQ (106.7 FM), but the two remain fairly close: 2.4 vs. 2.1. KKJZ (88.1 FM) was the top-rated public station with a 2.3 share. Regional Mexican music station KFWB (980 AM) has been moving up, almost doubling its 0.9 December rating with a March finish of 1.6. And the stream for Mega 96.3 (KXOL -FM) came from nowhere to earn a 0.9 share in March. Added to the station’s regular signal 2.6 share, the station would total 3.5 … and would have placed 8th overall in the city!

Overall, two companies have almost half of all listeners tuned into their stations. iHeart has a combined 25.1 rating for its roster that includes KIIS-FM, KOST, Alt, and KFI, among others, while Audacy has a 19.0 total for its stations including KRTH, The Wave (KTWV 94.7 FM), KROQ, and KNX (1070 AM, 97.1 FM). 

The full story: Each rating is an estimate of the percentage of listeners aged six and over tuned to a station between the hours of 6 a.m. and 12 midnight.

1. KRTH (5.8) 2. KIIS-FM (5.0) 3. KBIG (4.5) 4. KTWV (4.4) 5. KFI, KLVE, KOST (4.1) 8. KBUE (4.0) 9. KRRL (3.4) 10. KNX (3.3)

11. KCBS-FM “Jack” (3.2) 12. KRCD (3.0) 13. KLOS, KXOL (2.6) 15. KLAX, KYSR “Alt” (2.4) 17. KKJZ (2.3) 18. KLYY, KPCC (2.2) 20. KROQ (2.1)

21. KUSC (2.0) 22. KDAY, KKGO, KLLI, KPWR “Power” (1.8) 26. KSCA (1.7) 27. KFWB, KJLH (1.6) 29. KCRW (1.3) 30. KLAC (1.0)

31. KXOL Stream (0.9) 32. KDLD, KFSH (0.8) 34. KCSN, KRLA (0.7) 36. KEIB (0.6) 37. KKLA (0.3) 38. KWKW (0.2) 39. KHJ, KNX Stream, KROQ HD2, KROQ Stream, KTNQ (0.1)

Listener Gripes

You already know my opinion of what makes for good radio. Inside Music Media’s Jerry Del Colliano recently put together a list of easily-fixed programming elements that turn listeners off. Before I report on his research, I’d like to hear from you. But I want to expand the list to not just what turns you off, but what turns you on. What is it you cannot stand about the radio you hear, and what is it you you truly enjoy?

Send your thoughts to me and I’ll start compiling our own list to be presented later. it will be interesting to see how your “bad” list compares with Del Colliano’s, and it will be fun to recognize the great things about local radio. 

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Radio Waves Podcast #375

 

All Day, Every Day: American Top 40

I’ve never been a fan of the iHeart Radio app you can download to your smartphone. I always thought it too cumbersome to use compared to alternatives, and I don’t like the way iHeart restricts its own stations to its own app rather than allowing them to be available on other apps as well. If iHeart really believed in the app, why do they not let it compete on an even playing field?

But I broke down and started using it recently. Keep in mind I still don’t actually like it, but there is a reason to use it … American Top 40.

Yes, the very same AT40 you can find on SiriusXM channels 7 — for the 1970s version — Saturdays at 3 a.m. and 9 a.m., Sundays at 6 a.m.; or our own semi-local KOLA (99.9 FM) which airs the ‘80s version Saturdays at 5 a.m. and Sundays at 7 p.m.

But what if you want to totally live in the past and listen to nothing but AT40, the countdown show hosted by former original KRLA (now KRDC, 1110 AM) personality Casey Kasem, launched on July 4th, 1970 on but a handful of stations, and eventually heard on stations around the globe as the most popular countdown show … ever? If that’s you, the iHeart Radio app — or iHeart.com on a computer — has you covered.

A special channel called Classic American Top 40 plays old AT40 countdowns continuously. The ‘70s followed by the ‘80s followed by the ‘70s, etc. 24 hours a day, seven days a week. As I write this they are just starting a replay from 1983 after the completion of a week from 1973.  Audio heaven, for those who grew up listening to the classic program … and a major reason to use the iHeart app.

Ryan Seacrest, by the way, hosts the current version of AT40 heard locally on KIIS-FM (102.7), starting at 6 a.m. Saturdays, 8 a.m. Sundays.

Billboard Controversy

Was the top song for at least one week of mid-July, 1978 not really the top song? Was there behind the scenes shenanigans? It wasn’t a problem with AT40 directly, but what AT40 used as the basis for the countdown list: Billboard Magazine. I read about this first on (I believe) the AT40 fan page of Facebook. 

The story goes that Gerry Rafferty’s Baker Street should have been the number one song on the Billboard charts in the second half of July, 1978, but that pressure to keep Andy Gibb’s Shadow Dancing at the top spot won out. Here’s what I found at https://djrobblog.com/archives/6222:

“Among the many tales of “Baker Street’s” undying legacy is the one involving a bit of chart shenanigans that may have robbed Rafferty of ascending to that coveted No. 1 spot.

“As reported in several publications since, legend has it that in one of its final weeks at No. 2 in July 1978, Billboard had actually calculated “Baker Street” to be No. 1.  At the time, Billboard’s charts were based on phoned-in radio station lists and record store reports, which staffers or computers would then compile, before the advent of more modern and accurate airplay and sales tracking technology in the early 1990s.

Apparently, Gibb threatened to back out of a show being sponsored by Billboard if his song didn’t remain number one, said show being the pet project of then-chart manager Bill Wardlow. “It was alleged that Wardlow had a change of heart about the No. 1 position after having dined with Andy Gibb’s management on the night the chart was compiled. The story goes that Wardlow casually mentioned over dinner that Gibb’s tune had been displaced by Rafferty’s – much to RSO Records’ displeasure.”

So Billboard issued a “correction,” apparently forcing American Top-40 to re-record the ending of the how, without the new number one song. Baker Street remained stalled at the number two slot on Billboard, though other sources did indeed put it at the top, such as including Cash Box which had it there on July 15, 1978.

It is said that Baker Street is one of the all-time most beloved number two hits; the incident proves the power that top-40 radio once held over American culture. And as former newsman Paul Harvey used to say, now you know … the restof the story.

No Static Here

This is an old story, but but comes from former KHJ (930 AM) Production Director (among other stations) Douglas Brown. When FM by Steely Dan was released in 1978, may top-40 stations were still on the AM band, including in Los Angeles area, KHJ, Ten Q (KTNQ, 1020 AM), KFI (640 AM), and KEZY (1190 AM). 

Many of the stations across the country didn’t want to play a song that hyped the FM band, so a few figured out that the “A’ in Steely Dan’s Aja matched the note well, and simply changed the song so that it played as “A-M, no static at all.” Which, of course, is somewhat absurd.

The more powerful and influential stations, such as KHJ, convinced the musical band’s record company at the time to produce a special version of the song, one in which the the radio band is not mentioned at all. The resulting song simply refrains “no static at all.”

A testament to the power that AM radio once held over American culture.

Letters for April 28 Radio

            Some email reaction from recent column topics …

            “WABC has come back from the radio graveyard twice:  first when Rick Sklar created the legendary MusicRadio77 and now. In ratings released today the station is #9 with a 3.7, the first AM rated in NYC.  They gotta be doing something right!” — Steve Moravec

            “To paraphrase a movie line: If you play it (great local content) they will listen.

            “Local : News. Weather. SPORTS (high school and college). Talk with and by local leaders and personalities. City and  county government. One station doing this and while still learning is doing it well is KYCA-AM in Prescott, AZ.

            “AM will not die in spite of Detroit.” — Dusty Baker

            “I agree w/ every word u wrote. Hate Google, and all this ‘new’ approach to radio … for auto manufacturers to go along with this travesty is unconscionable. Keep up the good work and clear writing on this subject. — Beverly Riggs, La Habra (who describes herself as “a devoted sincere Radio junkie for 40+ years” and says that “radio has always been my ‘preferred passenger’ since I first learned how to drive”

            “I wanted you to know how much I enjoy your articles about radio in the San Gabriel Valley Tribune … always informative, interesting and your passion for radio come thru loud & clear.

            “Yes, my wife & I are with you…keep AM radio in our autos!

            “I grew up in the ‘40s and ‘50s with radio; we listened to music and live shows in the evening on a Farnsworth that become mine at about 8 years old when we finally got a TV and Pop setup he own ‘stereo’ system in the living room. But I still used my home made crystal set with a surplus store military ear-phone.

            I remember driving Van Nuys Blvd between Bob’s Big-Boy and  A&W Root beer with my radio blazing away was a real treat. Work/home/yard/shop, the radio was always on – and still is much of the time, albeit much lower and slower music these days. In the car, my wife is addicted to AM talk-show radio.

            “Again, thank you for sharing your passion about a media that was most impactful during most of the 20th century — Drexel Smith

 

Radio Waves Podcast #374

 Radio: April 21, 2023

                InsideMusicMedia.Com’s Jerry Del Colliano posted a column on March 31 that — like many of his columns — could have been written by me. Great minds think alike, you know. Entitled The AM Station That Defies Failure, it tells the story of WABC/New York and the success it has had since being bought by a local owner from Cumulus.

                WABC is much like numerous AM stations across the country. Powerhouse top-40 format leaders in the 1960s and ‘70s, they lost their way when large corporate owners couldn’t figure out what to do with them. They dropped music, sometimes found temporary success with political talk, and then floundered once programmers focused more on their FMs.

                Weird how a neglected station would lose listeners.

                Anyway, for all intents and purposes, WABC was a failure in 2019 when Cumulus Media, owner of KABC (790 AM) here in Los Angeles, sold the station to a 74-year-old New York businessman named John Catsimatidis, Jr. — a guy with no radio experience other than being a radio fan.

                Catsimatidis then did what some think is impossible: brought a dead radio station back to life. How? He made it local. He served his local audience. He wasn’t afraid to embrace older listeners, and he started super-serving those willing to tune in.

                And tune in they did. The station has been above a 3.0 share for at least the last six months, and has had a 3.9 share the last two months. It is the top-rated AM station in New York. Under previous ownership, it had fallen to the mid to upper 1s. Could other stations learn from the recent success?

                Yes … more than that: the entire industry could learn from its success. The formula is so simple, it’s almost as if stations of the past could help with the lesson. In fact, that’s pretty much all Catsimatidis did … look at what made previous stations “tick,” and applied it to his new toy.

                WABC found an audience that was being underserved, then designed a format that would appeal to that audience, in this case an eclectic mix of talk, news, and music. Yes, music … on AM. Weird.

                Cousin Brucie, a legendary WABC disc jockey, plays oldies on weekends. The station runs its old iconic jingles. News coverage focusses on the local area. The talk hosts are mostly local, including former mayor Rudy Giuliani, former Rush Limbaugh producer Bo Snerdley, and a founding member of the Guardian Angels, Curtis Sliwa.

                Catsimatidis even has his own show, hosted by himself and local broadcaster Rita Cosby.

                While it is impressive that Catsimatidis took a failing station and made it successful, he is not alone. I’ve written about the success of stations such as WION/Ionia, Michigan and WRDN/Durand, Wisconsin. What all three and others like them have in common is local owners who care enough to program to their local audience and not rely on cheap syndicated programming.

                This approach benefits not only the stations and listeners, but local businesses that can advertise to reach an audience otherwise hard to find. That Catsimatidis does it in New York City, arguably one of the toughest markets in the United States, makes it even more impressive …. and in my opinion, frankly, embarrassing to owners like Audacy that has gone so far as to just shut down some of its AM stations.

                This lesson isn’t just for AM, though. FM stations definitely can use more local content , and in the cases in which the local audience is super-served, the results are impressive. Local content is the one thing that Spotify, Apple Music, or any other streaming service simply can’t match.

                Fight for the Dashboard

                On the heal of the news that engineers at Ford are as lazy or incompetent as those at BMW, Mazda, Polestar, Rivian, Tesla, Volkswagen and Volvo due to the decision to remove AM radio from their future automobile offerings — because unlike every other company they are unable to deal with interference — comes news that GM has decided to drop Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support from future EVs.

                While I hate that AM is being dropped, and I believe it to be a bad decision, at least you can — usually, at least — use apps to replace the tuner and in some ways have better reception and better sound.

                But dropping CarPlay? That’s a non-starter for me. My family, starting with my grandfather, my father and now me, has owned GM almost exclusively since 1926. If CarPlay is not offered, I will not buy one.

                I want the choice to use the mapping software I want to use. I want the ability to use the apps I want to use, for example StreamsHiFi Audio and MyTuner Radio for online radio streams.  I can connect my phone to any of my current car stereos and have all of my apps and preferences ready to go; without CarPlay I’d have to set all my preferences individually in every car.

                And I certainly don’t want my life controlled by Google, which GM plans to use as the basis for its dashboard infotainment system. I am not a Google fan by any means, and I certainly don’t want their intrusive anti-privacy ad-based system in my car.

                In my opinion, GM is making a tremendously bad decision in dropping CarPlay and Android Auto. In doing so, though, you can now understand what is in store for the future … the ability to charge for being part of and using the dash. It is anti-competitive and anti-consumer.

                I hope that the move is met with consumer resistance similar to my own - as I said, I will never buy a car without CarPlay ability. Even if I have to keep my current truck forever.

                ///

Radio Waves: April 14, 2023

KIQQ entertainment reporter Francesca Capucci passes

I was a huge fan of KIQQ (now KKLQ, 100.3 FM) during the station’s new-wave top-40 days of the early 1980s. It wasn’t necessarily the most polished station; indeed, the station could at times sound very low-budget. But it had a playlist that overlapped the best of KROQ (106.7 FM) and was often the first station in town to break new music and new bands with an emphasis on British acts along with homegrown artists.

Often KIQQ was so far ahead of its competition, primarily KIIS-FM (102.7), that it seemed like a song was at the top of the charts forever. The reality was that KIQQ would break the song and then it would later hit the charts and other stations. KIQQ was where I first heard Eddie Grant, The Style Council, Rick Springfield and more. I don’t think I ever heard the wonderful “She Means Nothing to Me” by Phil Everly and Cliff Richard on any other station, with the one exception of UCLA’s student station KLA … because I played it there.

Personalities included Bruce Chandler, Tony Saint James, GW McCoy, and a few others who stayed with the station until it gave up on the format and went light rock in mid-1985. One personality left early and went right to television, to become KABC-TV Channel 7’s entertainment reporter. That was Francesca Capucci, who started at KIQQ in the public affairs department, later moving up to report entertainment and celebrity gossip news, as well as features on and interviews with many of the bands and artists played on the station.

For a time, in addition to her other duties, she worked with Jay Coffee in morning drive, but her best-known work was her features. If you were a faithful listeners as I was, you may remember her extended sign-off: “I’m Francesca Capucci on K ……….I ………..Q ………………………………….Q.”

I never knew why they had — or allowed — her to do that; it was actually kind of cheesy. I was told later that it was designed to make her sound a bit sexy. True or not, she was definitely distinctive, and her features added a lot to the station’s on-air presence.

After leaving KIQQ in 1984, she moved over to Channel 7, reporting on entertainment news for ten years. Other television work included acting on such shows as Columbo, 7th Heaven, The Practice, and Charmed, usually playing, of course, a reporter.

Last week, I got the bad news from KPFK (90.7 FM)  Car Show host (and column reader) David Kunz that Capucci had passed away; she died at the age of 64 due to cancer.

If her name sounds familiar, it may also be because it was used in the recent movie, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. There is no connection between her and the character in the movie; I am told that Quentin Tarantino just liked the name. 

Her friend Kim Fitzgerald Kelly wrote on Capucci’s Facebook page on March 30,  “It is with profound sadness that I share the passing of Francesca Cappucci. As those of you on this page know, Francesca was a force of nature, a source of true joy, a devoted mother to sons Ian and Will, and a great lover of music.

“Francesca’s name was itself a melody and it played throughout Los Angeles radio and TV stations for decades beginning in the early 80s. A celebration of life, love, and music is currently being planned and details will be announced. Until then, every time you hear a song by Foo Fighters or Crowded House, let it remind you of this beautiful icon.”

You can read tributes on that same page: facebook.com/francesca.cappucci

Commercial Breaks

For years, I have felt that it was a huge mistake for stations to run large blocks of commercial-free music. I am referring to the hour or two — sometimes longer — periods of nothing but music. The problem, of course, is that it shifts the commercials that have to be run to other hours and makes the commercial breaks longer during those hours, as well as making each advertisement of less value to the advertiser.

Seems like a lose-lose to me — the station earns less per advertisement because they are worth less as a longer block than they would otherwise be, the advertiser loses potential exposure due to listener tune-out, and listeners have to endure up to ten minutes of commercials when the breaks do come.

But I recently found out why they do this, from an expert on the industry. It seems the stations sell the advertisements based upon the entire shift a DJ is on. For example, perhaps 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. If the station can get a ton of listeners by playing no commercials the first two hours, it doesn’t care what happens during the rest of the show. The station can still sell the ad based upon the average rating over the entire four hours.

No wonder radio is suffering…

Nothing is Sacred

Ford announced it is removing AM radio reception not only from future EVs, it is also removing it from future gas-powered vehicles. On the heals of that news came General Motors announcement that it is removing Apple CarPlay and Android Auto on its future EVs.

The reason? GM wants subscription income from the dashboard.

I don’t know about you, but I love CarPlay. I won’t buy a car without it. Seems like a bad idea to me … what are your thoughts? More on this topic next week.

///

 

Damion Passes

                He may be retired, but it was Don Barrett of LARadio.Com who broke the news: Damion — last name: Bragdon, though he rarely used his last name on the air — formerly heard on KLOS (95.5 FM), KMET (now KTWV, 94.7 FM) and KLSX (now KNX-FM, 97.1) has passed away from complications related to cancer.

                Immediately prior to landing in Los Angeles to be part of the KLOS air staff in 1971, Damion was at WDAI/Chicago as the station evolved from its “free-form” progressive rock format to the more traditional album-oriented “Rock ’n Stereo” … in essence repeating exactly what he did in Chicago here in Los Angeles.

                Those changes were not coincidence … the two stations were both owned by ABC, and in 1971 ABC decided to have all of its owned and operated FM stations nationwide take on the same format, as well as take on new call letters to distinguish the FMs from the co-owned AMs.

                In the case of KLOS, Damion joined Jeff Gonzer, J.J. Jackson, Jim Ladd, and programmer Tom Yates to launch the new format here. By the late 1970s, he would work up to the position of station programmer himself, a position he would give up when he left to work at then-competitor KMET.

                In 1986, he found himself at brand-new classic rocker KLSX, where he stayed through 1994. After that he moved on to satellite-delivered formats with Unistar and Westwood One/Dial Global, between times doing a stint in Hawaii including programming an AM/FM combo. He finally retired in 2008 but kept busy producing a one-hour program called Rock and Roll Cowboy — modern country music mixed with classic rock — that aired on a few stations across the country.

                In an interview with Barrett back in 1994, Damion spoke of some of the highlights of his career, which included partnering with Ladd to produce early “InnerView” programs; interviewing Led Zeppelin, being part of the California Jam in 1973, and more.

                “The end was terrible,” his wife Joy Hall told Barrett in an email. He was put on life support against his directive, and as they took him off some of his medications, he suffered multiple strokes. He passed away March 26th at the age of 79.

                Friends and colleagues always spoke highly of Damion, describing him using such words as kind, sweet, friendly, and considerate. “He was truly one o’ the good guys — a sweet man with virtually no ego,” wrote Michael Benner in an email to Barrett, as but one example.

                All of that was something you heard over the airwaves as he did his shows, no matter what station he was on. His delivery was always - always - smooth: the perfect album-rock DJ, and someone who like many of his contemporaries loved the music he played.

                You can hear airchecks for yourself searching YouTube.com for Damion KLOS and KMET.

                February Ratings

                The February Nielsens showed a narrowing of the gap between 1st place KOST (103.5 FM) and 2nd place KRTH (101.1 FM), with only 0.1 separating the two: 5.5 to 5.4. The rest of the top-10 included KTWV (4.6), KBIG (4.5), KFI (4.1), KLVE (4.1), KIIS-FM (3.9), KRRL (3.9), KBUE (3.2) and KCBS-FM (3.1)

                That Real 92.3 tied with KIIS-FM would in the past be a wake-up call to KIIS-FM … but now that both stations are owned by the same company, in this case the beleaguered iHeart Media, it won’t be. Just shy of the top-10 tied with KRCD at 11th was KNX … still no better than it was as a standalone AM station. Now using both the 1070 AM and 97.1 FM frequencies, it earned a 2.9.

                Cutting the B.S.

                Bo Snerdley was conservative talker Rush Limbaugh’s longtime producer; he helped line up guests, screened calls, and most importantly helped put together the day’s news for Limbaugh to expound upon.

                Since Limbaugh’s death, Snerdley stayed busy producing shows for the replacement hosts, produced the Limbaugh Letter, started a podcast, and launched his own program on WABC/New York entitled Bo Snerdley’s Rush Hour.

                He also produces a twice-daily conservative-leaning news headline email called Bo Snerdley’s Daily BS - Bo Cuts Through It. If you’re interested, subscribe at http://eepurl.com/hKLLg9

                Snerdley’s on-air name was inspired by Bo Jackson; his given name is James Golden. He spent 30 years working with Limbaugh, right until the very end.

                ///

Radio Waves Podcast - Special Edition - Ken Levine

SPECIAL Podcast:  We are re-publishing our career spanning interview with the multi-talented Ken Levine - who is featured in Richard's column this week.

The Pacific Pioneer Broadcasters/Hollywood Media Professionals played host to a special “Coffee With …” interview as Master of Ceremonies and interviewer Chuck Street spent two hours talking with Ken Levine.

You may not know the name Ken Levine when it comes to radio, though he did use his real name on KFI (640 AM) in the 1980s. But he was a young, up-and-coming top-40 radio star known as Beaver Cleaver on Ten Q (KTNQ, 1020 AM) here in Los Angeles and on the great B-100 (KFMB-FM — now KFBG, 100.7 FM) in San Diego, among other stations.

Why Beaver Cleaver, the name of the character on the old “Leave It to Beaver” TV series? It was catchy and helped him stand out much more than the name he used previously, Ken Stevens.

Outside of radio, Levine is a highly-respected writer, producer, and director in the television and film industries, an accomplished playwright, and even a play-by-play announcer for Major League Baseball. His numerous credits include television programs “M*A*S*H,” “Cheers,” “Frasier,” “Wings,” “The Simpsons,” “Almost Perfect,” “Everybody Loves Raymond” and more; he has co-written feature films, and more recently has written and produced short plays acted live over Zoom.

His baseball work includes stints with the Baltimore Orioles, the Seattle Mariners, and the San Diego Padres, and he spent a few years as co-host of Dodger Talk, the call-in program that followed every Dodger Game on the radio.

And just to show that he can do just about anything, he is also an accomplished cartoonist, with his work appearing in the prestigious New Yorker magazine. In his spare time(?), he writes a blog and produces a thoroughly entertaining podcast … go to kenlevine.blogspot.com and hollywoodandlevine.libsyn.com/

Honestly, I have no idea how he manages to find time for all of his interests, let alone all the differing careers all the while being a loyal husband and family man. But the two-hour coffee interview just wasn’t enough … as many in the audience could attest, it was among the fastest two hours on record.

Levine tends to downplay his accomplishments in radio, stating that his voice is “too squeaky” compared to his many heroes and contemporaries. I disagree, but regardless, he more than made up for any perceived personal deficiency with a quick wit, biting sarcasm, creative double entendres, and much more.

This all came out anew during his interview, with such radio-related stories as:

• Trying to get fired at KMEN/San Bernardino (now KKDD, 1290 AM).

Management wanted him back in the overnight shift; he asked to be fired instead. They refused, so he stopped by the record store to buy a special album to play.

“Radio stations were getting hip and playing album cuts more and more, so this idea was perfect.” The album he purchased to play in its entirety? “Fiddler on the Roof,” he said. “In Yiddish … I was fired before ‘Anatevka’ finished playing.”

• Convincing the General Manager of WLS/Chicago — at the time one of the most popular radio stations in the country — to put him on the air during the overnight shift leading into Thanksgiving Day.

Who was the GM? His father. “My Dad,” Levine explains, “left a memo stating that ‘My son will be doing the all-night show.’ No word on who I was or my experience on the air.”

The guy on the air immediately before Levine’s shift had no idea who he was, so Levine pretended to be entirely clueless. “Wow, what are all these buttons,” he remembers asking the other DJ. By the time his shift was up, the other DJ was convinced this was going to be bad and was scared to leave the station in the hands of an amateur. “He was just freaking out,” Levine says.

Finally, when the time came, the DJ watched as Levine leaned into the microphone, played the top-of-the-hour jingle, and opened his show with “This is Ken Levine; I’ve been on the air in Los Angeles, New York, San Diego, Bakersfield, San Bernardino … but never at the same time! This is W-L-S!”

When Levine shut off the microphone, he remembers, “The DJ says, ‘You’ve done this before!’ I said, ‘Yes, of course; my father’s not going to put someone on the air at a 50,000-watt clear channel station in Chicago who’s never done it before!’”

• The time that a program director at K-100 (now KKLQ, 100.3 FM) worried they might get sued over his on-air name.

Levine told the program director not to worry: “If we get sued, we’ll get a ton of free publicity, and the worst that will happen is they’ll make me change my name.”

The program director called the station co-owner for direction, and Levine describes the response this way: “What’s the problem?” Levine says was the response. “The worst that would happen is that we’d get some free publicity and they’d make him change his name.”

You can hear recordings of some of Levine’s on-air work by searching YouTube.Com using the keywords Beaver Cleaver, Ken Levine, Ten-Q and B-100. Mike Stark and I did a full career-spanning interview with Levine, which can be found at http://la-radiowaves.blogspot.com/2020/08/radio-waves-extra-ken-levine.html

Richard Wagoner is a San Pedro freelance columnist. Email rwagoner@socalradiowaves.com