Radio Waves Podcast #366

Special Guest:  KFI's Mo Kelly who discusses his new weekday show.

Radio: January 6, 2022

            Wasn’t that you who told me you always wanted to own your own radio-related internet domain, so that you could direct your friends and family to your chain of online radio stations that you program out of your spare bedroom?

            You’re in luck. Audacy, owner of stations nationwide including eight here in Los Angeles (seven if you count the failure of the KNX Newsradio simulcast (1070 AM, 97.1 FM) that earns roughly the same combined ratings as it did as a standalone AM signal, but I digress) is auctioning off the radio.com domain it once used for its online presence. The company dropped radio.com in favor of audacy.com when it changed its corporate name from Entercom to Audacy a couple years ago.

            Available through GoDaddy.Com, the auction ends March 28, 2023. Starting bid: $2.5 million. That’s right - $2.5 million. Minimum.

            On a serious note and just for reference, Audacy couldn’t really do anything major with either radio.com or audacy.com. It is a decent little domain name, though … I just can’t see anyone or any company finding it worth that much. Generally speaking, online radio doesn’t make a lot (read: none) of money, so paying off that $2.5 million may take a while.

            So if that’s too rich for your blood, I’ll sell you socalradiowaves.com for much less. Maybe half a million. Send me your offer …

            Also on a serious note: I’m kidding about selling socalradiowaves..

            The Radio.Com domain itself goes back to at least 1996. It was once owned by CNET networks — which paid $30,000 for both Radio.Com and TV.Com — and became part of CBS Radio when CBS bought CNET. In 2010, CBS launched Radio.Com as a clearinghouse of all CBS radio station streams. When Entercom bought CBS, the domain became its own. 

            AllAccess.Com, which broke the news of the auction, reports that similar domains such as Radio.Cloud, Radio.Co, and Radio.IM recently sold for anywhere from $2500 - just over $25,000. 

            American’s Samoa’s Best Music

            Ever wonder what the legendary KHJ (930 AM) might sound like, musically at least, if the station still played top-40? Wonder no more … South Seas Broadcasting has you covered.

            Using the call-letters KKHJ and broadcasting at 93.1 FM out of  Pago Pago in American Samoa, the station brands itself as 93/KHJ in a tribute to the original. The music is considered an adult top-40, which is probably what I would program on the station if I were running it here in Los Angeles. 

            According to the station website at southseasbroadcasting.com/93khj, “the idea for KHJ Radio came about in 1994 when Larry Fuss (now President of South Seas Broadcasting, Inc., the parent company of 93KHJ) was looking out the window of his radio station in Mississippi following a big ice storm. The streets were littered with fallen trees, broken branches and tons of ice, and the electricity had been out for over a week. Fuss thought to himself, ‘wouldn’t it be nice to have a radio station on a tropical island in the South Pacific?’ 

            “On somewhat of a whim, Fuss immediately began researching the possibility and ran across an available frequency for a new FM Radio Station in Pago Pago, American Samoa. The FCC application was filed on November 20, 1995, and finally granted on February 13, 1998.”

            Regular programming began in May of 2000 — almost exactly 35 years after the late April, 1965 “sneak preview” of  the “Boss Radio” top-40 launch that helped change radio forever. Like the original, the format was an instant hit.

            The station features a two-man morning team, a three-person news department, and runs public affairs programming benefiting the local community. And modern “93/KHJ” jingles … so cool. Hear it yourself on the various smartphone apps or online at the website.

            Ratings

            The December ratings (which due to the four-week cycles actually includes more of November than December) had KOST (103.5 FM) at the top, as usual, with their Christmas music format earning a whopping 12.1 share of the audience. You can expect that to be even higher when the “holiday” ratings period is released in January.

            But what caught my eye is the stellar performance of KFI (640 AM), which tied with KRTH (101.1 FM) for second place at 4.7. That’s right: an AM station tying for second place. It is truly amazing what happens when you program something people want to hear on the AM band: you get ratings. Just like so many stations did before they sent listeners to FM … such as KLAC (570 AM), XETRA (690 AM), KPRZ (now KEIB, 1150 AM), KEZY (now KGBN, 1190 AM) , KABC (790 AM) and even KHJ itself, most of which have never had ratings as high as they had when they played music (country, top-40, or even adult standards). KABC is a special case because they stopped trying to compete in talk in spite of inventing the format.

            KFI does have an advantage of being a signal blowtorch, covering most of Southern California during the day and much of Western America at night. But they compete by having a good programming, good promotion, and a local presence that is missing from so many stations, both AM and FM. One could learn a lot by studying these successes past and present, especially now that so many competing stations don’t really try.

Radio Waves: December 30, 2022

Poorman rings in the new year with his 3rd annual marathon

What would the new year be like without family, friends, food, fun, and The Poorman?

You don’t have to wonder, as Jim “Poorman” Trenton is once again ringing in the new year with a 30-hour marathon on-air party you can be a part of. Just tune into KOCI (101.5 FM) in or near Costa Mesa, or via kociradio.com, poorman.net, your favorite smartphone app, or your smart speaker.

There will even be a live video stream of the event at facebook.com/jim.p.trenton

It starts at 7 a.m. on New Year’s Eve and runs until 1 p.m. New Year’s Day; the idea is to showcase local community members as they take to the airwaves with Poorman as the official Master of Ceremonies.

Each segment features a different host, and can be a station sponsor, local business owner, listener, or even a surprise celebrity guest. Each hour spotlights a different charity, and Poorman will offer live public service announcements directing marathon listeners to the charity web site as a part of the festivities.

The first four hours will be his normal show … as I wrote last year, the word “normal” being a strange description for what is one of the most unusual shows on the radio. “We – either me or listeners – choose a theme, and then listeners call in to suggest songs that match the theme.” It could be any theme: food, cars, dance moves, drinks … after the theme is chosen, Poorman tries to play as many of the suggested related songs as possible. “It’s an all-instant request morning,” he explains.

For the marathon, at 11 a.m., Poorman turns the program over to his guests, who are allowed to do basically anything they want, as long as it is FCC-legal. Poorman stays on hand to handle any issues or technical problems that crop up. 

Of course this means he has to start sharp and ready to go if the guest hosts run a little too loose … I see lots of coffee being brewed at Poorman’s control center during those 30 hours. 

This is the third year for the event, and it truly is a lot of fun.

Predictions for 2023

With radio stations possibly being forced to pay new royalties to the artists of the music they play, there are many expecting more radio stations to shift toward talk. Not necessarily talk formats — though I would not be surprised to see a commercial FM talker within the year. I am looking to see fewer songs being played on some stations and the ability of those in front of the microphone to have a but more personality. Think Booker and Stryker on Alt 98.7 or Kevin and Sluggo on KLOS (95.5 FM).

This stems from the possibility that radio stations may have to pay these new royalties if a deal is struck between artists and the various organizations working on it. In the past, radio stations were able to avoid artist fees due to the argument that they expose listeners to new artists and new music, driving sales of records. Since radio became a thing if the past by playing mostly oldies and shunning most new music, they can’t hide behind that any more.

Will it actually happen? And will such an agreement actually mean more talking on the radio? I don’t think it will be a dramatic shift, but I do believe a subtle change will happen in the new year.

What else? I can see at least one of the major owner groups going bankrupt this year, especially if the economy declines at all; my bet would be on Audacy but honestly all three of the largest and most of the smallest are in trouble due to over leveraging their properties and the lack of content development on the part of most. Hopefully this will lead to a resurgence of independent owners, but I’ve been saying that for years … and remaining disappointed that it never seems to happen.

Expect a few talk programs to show up on KNX (1070 AM, 97.1 FM). Where? Overnights is the rumor. Probably cheap syndicated fare.

At least one major talk station will have some changes. Will it be KABC switching to sports betting? KFI making some adjustments? KEIB (1150 AM) dropping talk altogether? I’ve heard nothing in particular about any of the stations, but KABC and KEIB are still in obvious ratings trouble and KFI seems due in spite of quite excellent ratings — the last major change KFI made was years ago when they sent Dr. Laura to satellite and Rush Limbaugh to a different dial position. I don’t expect wholesale changes, but perhaps a few tweaks. 

Would it surprise me if KFI started simulcasting on FM? Actually yes, even though I know programmer Robin Bertolucci would love that chance. KFI does so well on AM (and KNX does so poorly on FM) that the move requires a low-rated FM to make the risk acceptable. Owner iHeart has no low-rated or unsuccessful FMs in town.

Other than that, I don’t see many changes. Regardless, you’ll read it here first. And if you hear anything, or just want to know something that I can help with, please drop me a line.

Happy new year!

Radio Waves Podcast #365

Radio Waves: December 23, 2022

Holiday Treats

More Christmas/holiday programming is on tap for you, if you’re willing to listen via apps or online … one of which has not been heard locally in years, if ever.

In the early 1980s, Drake-Chenault produced a show called Christmas At Our House.  It was very well received, since it was quite different from the usual repetition of 50 common Christmas songs.  The syndicated show hasn’t been aired anywhere for over 20 years, and I don’t recall it ever airing in Los Angeles.

The program was hosted by Sonny Melendrez, who I met while he was at Magic 106 (now KPWR, 105.9 FM) circa 1984. It features lots of holiday music, along with interesting vignettes about how Christmas is celebrated in various countries around the world. There are also celebrity interviews, holiday stories, and some very unique music.

It will air commercial-free on Christmas Eve, Saturday, December 24, from  2 p.m. to 10 p.m. and repeat on Christmas Day December 25, from 7 a.m. to 10pm

How do you listen? The stream URL is https://la2.indexcom.com/player/6. Just copy and paste the link into your web browser and a player will launch. If you have the technical know-how you can add it to your favorite phone app, but it will also play using the online player on your phone, so you can listen on the go or in your car.

The second program is a holiday tradition. Sounds of the Season will air as usual beginning at 6 p.m. on Christmas Eve and running through 12 midnight on Christmas Day. The 36-hour show includes some excellent jazz instrumental and vocal interpretations of holiday music favorites from Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennett, Marcus Roberts, Ramsey Lewis, Wynton Marsalis, Vince Guaraldi and many more.

LA Jazz DJ legend, Chuck Niles, provides a dramatic reading of ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas at noon, and 6 p.m. on Christmas Eve and midnight, 6 a.m., noon and 6  p.m. on Christmas Day.

“I have plenty of newer tracks this year, exclaims show producer David Grudt. “About 27 percent of the music comes from albums released in the last three years. Roughly 60 percent of the playlist this year is comprised of music in our 1,300 plus track library that are new songs, tracks that I haven’t used ever before or tracks that weren’t played in 2021.”

In the San Diego you can hear it over the air on KSDS (88.3 FM); in Longview, Texas you can tune to KFRO (1370 AM) — Longview’s oldest radio station owned by Scott Rice, former Chief Engineer of KSDS. But you’ll probably find it easier to “tune in” online at https://jazzknob.com or https://www.jazz88.org

Music Comparison

Sean Ross confirmed my own observations: KOST (103.5 FM) and Go Country (105.1 FM) do have a lot of overlap, but there are enough differences that might make your choice easier.

In a sample hour, Ross reported on RadioInsight.com that KOST played holiday music from The Eagles, Michael Bublé, Bing Cosby, Lindsey Stirling, Johnny Mathis, Dean Martin, Amy Grant, Meghan Trainor, Frank Sinatra & Cyndi Lauper, Daryl Hall & John Oates, Dolly Parton & Michael Bublé, and Steve Lawrence & Eydie Gorme.

Meanwhile, Go Country’s sample hour included songs from Bing Crosby, Darlene Love, Taylor Swift, Elvis Presley, Faith Hill, Johnny Mathis, Kelly Clarkson, Nat “King’ Cole, Tim McGraw, Martina McBride, Dolly Parton, Frank Sinatra, Idina Menzel, Lady Antebellum (Lady A),  and Kenny Loggins.

I note that neither station had any songs from Fred Waring and the Pennsylvanians, among my favorite Christmas songs due most likely to my listening constantly to the reel to reel tape every season on my parent’s Akai M8 when I was growing up. But I digress.

What the Ross sample hours did show is that there is indeed a difference. KOST is marginally more contemporary in the pop arena; Go Country is marginally more traditional but includes a lot of more recent songs from country artists, including a superb version of Baby It’s Cold Outside from Lady A.

But again, no Fred Waring. Such a shame.

Radio pioneer Norm Pattiz passes

You may not necessarily know the name Norm Pattiz, but you probably have heard programs created or distributed by the company he founded. Indeed, Pattiz is considered by many as the father of modern radio syndication via his Westwood One company.

Pattiz passed away December 4th at the age of 79. 

A graduate of Hamilton High School in Los Angeles, he worked sales for KCOP-TV Channel 13 from 1970 to 1974. He launched Westwood One in 1976, which grew to be a dominant player in syndicated radio programming by the 1980s, featuring concerts and programming including “Off the Record,” the national edition of Dr. Demento’s show.

Eventually, the company acquired other syndicators including Mutual Broadcasting and the NBC Radio Network, and even lured Casey Kasem away from Watermark to host a new countdown show … then later got the rights to the American Top-40 program name under its umbrella.

In the late 1980s, Westwood One started buying its own stations, including the former KIQQ (now KKLQ, 100.3 FM) and launched Pirate Radio under the program direction of Scott Shannon. Those purchases started to undermine the finances of the company, which soon found itself having to deal with an industry in decline brought on, ironically, by large companies buying radio stations at inflated prices, leading to an over leveraged financial situation.

Infinity Broadcasting purchased Westwood One in 1994; Pattiz stayed on until 2010 when Cumulus Media took control. 

Pattiz didn’t retire, though, Instead he launched Launchpad in 2012, changing the name to PodcastOne in 2013, once again putting him at the forefront of technology. PodcastOne.Com is a clearinghouse of hundreds of professionally-produced podcasts covering all interests, with such shows as Cold Case Files, Reasonable Doubt, and one of the company’s first featured programs, The Adam Carolla Show. 

In addition to commercial radio projects, Pattiz was on the Board of Regents for the University of California; served under two Presidents on the Broadcasting Board of Governors, which oversees non-military U. S. Broadcasting services such as the Voice of America and Radio Free Europe; and helped fund many radio charity events.

Pattiz was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame in 2009 and was a recipient of the Giants of Broadcasting Award from the Liberty of American Broadcasting.  His big claim to fame: he was married to former KMET (now KTWV, 94.7 FM) air personality Mary Turner,  original host of Off the Record and who serves as Chairman of the Board of the Betty Ford Center in Rancho Mirage.

Fraudulent Advertising 101

Ever think some radio testimonials from some of your favorite personalities are, for lack of a better word, fake? Your instinct may be right.

The Federal Trade Commission is accusing iHeart radio stations and Google of airing 29,000 ads on stations across the country that purported to have air personalities speak of their use of Pixel 4 mobile phones, including scripted testimonials, even though the personalities never used — nor even had — the phones.

As stated on ftc.gov (https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2022/11/ftc-states-sue-google-iheartmedia-deceptive-ads-promoting-pixel-4-smartphone ) “in 2019, Google hired iHeartMedia and 11 other radio networks in ten major markets to have on-air personalities record and broadcast endorsements of the Pixel 4 phone. Google provided iHeartMedia with scripts that included lines about the Pixel 4 phone like, ‘It’s my favorite phone camera out there, especially in low light, thanks to Night Sight Mode,’ ‘I’ve been taking studio-like photos of everything,’ and ‘It’s also great at helping me get stuff done, thanks to the new voice activated Google Assistant that can handle multiple tasks at once.’ However, the on-air personalities were not provided with Pixel 4s before recording and airing the majority of the ads and therefore did not own or regularly use the phones.”

This all happened in 2019-2020; one of the reasons the phones were not available for the endorsements: they were not even available for sale at the time.

A proposed settlement puts iHeart under “probation” for ten years, Google for three. Attorneys General from six states including California joined in the action. 

Let’s see what the corporate radio apologists say about this … Didn’t RKO lose their licenses over something not nearly as serious?

Radio Waves Podcast #364

Radio Waves: December 9, 2022

Country Christmas

In keeping with my desire to discuss holiday music in every column every week of the year I bring you more holiday music news:  as expected, Go Country 105 has temporarily become Your Christmas Destination once more.

A rundown of the music played just prior to my writing this includes music from The Ronettes, Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme, Andy Williams, and Elvis Presley, so its definitely not a country-oriented Christmas format. That being said, it did also include Blake Shelton, Thomas Rhett, Jake Owen, and Lady A … so there is a nice mix there. Generally speaking, while I hate to “lose” the country format, I tend to like the variety of holiday music that Go Country plays this time of year.

I used quotes around the word “lose” because the country music is not totally gone; it is still available on the digital radio HD stream (105.1 HD3), as well as online, through various apps, and via smart speakers. The HD stream temporarily replaces the “unforgettable” Sinatra and standards format normally found there.

And don’t worry … I have more holiday music information in the wait  …

Feeding Kids

The 12th Annual KFI (640 AM) Pastathon has raised over $450,000 and almost 10,000 pounds of pasta and sauce through press time, though the numbers are most certainly higher once the final tallies are in. 

The PastaThon benefits Caterina’s Club, a charity named after Chef Bruno Serato’s mother. In 2005, the charity began serving hot meals to children living in low-income motels; since that time the project has expanded to 100 locations in 30 cities across Southern California, serving more than 25,000 meals per week. Since inception, that makes for over eight million meals served

In addition, help is given to get families into stable homes and job training in the hospitality industry is provided, all in an attempt to break the cycle of poverty, directly benefiting  260 families and 600 teens who have graduated from the Hospitality Academy.

This year, KFI partnered with Smart and Final, Wendy’s, and Barilla — yes the pasta company, of course — to help with the 2022 drive. Water heater manufacturer Bradford White donated $5000 as well.

Since KFI got involved in 2010, listeners and partners of the station have raised over $4.6 million and 700,000 pounds of pasta and sauce. That’s a lotta pasta!

Streaming Along

The vast majority of radio listening is still over the regular airwaves, of course. But streaming has picked ups over the past few years, according to Edison Research. The company recently reported that about 12 percent of listeners to AM and FM radio listen via online streams, which includes web browsers, apps, and smart speakers.

Modern apps and smart speakers especially make it extremely easy to hear your favorite station, and there are some who feel that streaming radio is the real future of radio … putting stations on an even playing field with good reception and fidelity non matter your location.

That, of course, will take wifi universal internet access to become a reality for all.

Car Radio

Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey is hopping on the “Saving AM” train. He recently sent a letter to 20 automakers asking them too make sure they continue to provide AM radio reception in their vehicles

As reported by AllAccess.Com, in the letter Markey wrote, “Despite innovations such as the smartphone and social media, AM/FM broadcast radio remains the most dependable, cost-free, and accessible communication mechanism for public officials to communicate with the public during times of emergency. As a result, any phase-out of broadcast AM radio could pose a significant communication problem during emergencies. Although the auto industry’s investments in electric vehicles are critical to addressing the climate crisis and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, automakers need not sacrifice the benefits of radio in the process.”

The Senator asked for replies from the companies by December 22nd to the questions of whether they have decided to drop AM and why, what are the future plans for AM reception in their vehicles, and if they currently offer digital (HD) radio.

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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