Radio Waves Podcast #137

Radio July 22, 2016

 KIIS-FM has closed the gap, but is still out of the top spot it is used to dominating in the Los Angeles metro Nielsen ratings released last week. Not that owner iHeart Media is complaining ... co-owned sister station KOST held on to #1 as it has since December. Right behind was “My FM” KBIG which actually beat KIIS-FM in May. For the month of June, it was 5.3 for KOST, 5.1 for KIIS and 5.0 for KBIG.

 Not to be outdone, CBS claimed spots 4-6 just as iHeart claimed 1-3: CBS-owned The Wave KTWV was 4th at 4.7 followed by KRTH at 4.5 and Jack KCBS-FM at 3.9.

 Consolidation in ownership not a problem? Out of the top-14 stations, six are owned by iHeart, six are owned by CBS and two are owned by Univision. As a total market, iHeart has 26.1 percent of the listening audience, CBS has 22.6 and Univision has 9.9. That’s three companies controlling 58.6 percent of the radio listening in Los Angeles. I see that as a major problem. But I digress ...

 For the first time in recent memory, KFI was under a 3.0 share of the audience, albeit just barely, at 2.9. If this trend continues, KFI will find itself where it was back when it played soft rock music. The big winner for the AM band was KNX, with a 10th place finish and a tie with Real 92.3 KRRL at 3.1.

 Why is KFI dropping? Might be that it’s just going through an aging process, something that happened with former talk leader KABC as well ... which is what gave KFI an opening to pounce. The trick is figuring out a way to keep current listeners while attracting new ones, a difficult task indeed. Interestingly, though, the drop also coincides with a decision to remove the digital HD stream from the AM signal and while it probably is not related, I do find it interesting. The HD digital FM simulcast on a sideband of KOST just doesn’t work for me ... it cuts out way too often.

 Amp Radio KAMP has been on an upward swing since December and found itself in 9th place at 3.5, still below KIIS but perhaps the reason KIIS is no longer at the top. Amp started the year at a 2.7 share.

 The Sound KSWD was down from May’s ratings but KLOS was down as well making for a tie (along with Go Country KKGO and Spanish hits KLYY) at 17th place and a 2.3 share of the audience. The longterm trend is not looking good, though, as The Sound had a solid 3.0 share in January, back when KLOS had a 2.4. In the other hand, it may be nothing more than an example of the well-documented inaccuracies in the ratings system. Regardless, this could turn into a dog fight.

 A funny think happened in the alternative format competition. A little station with a sleeper morning show is making waves. Alt 98.7 KYSR has beaten perennial alternative leader KROQ for the 4th time this year. Many observers point to the buzz surrounding the Woody Show heard weekday mornings on Alt. Even competitors have given credit to the program. Overall, Alt was down for June to 3.0 from May’s 3.3, but KROQ was flat at 2.9.

For comparison, in January KROQ was ahead of Alt 3.0 - 2.6. Looks like another dog fight!

 Sports stations are beginning to make a statement .... finally (and I might add barely). Top-rated is KLAC at 28th place with a 1.3 share; not far behind is KSPN at 32nd with a 1.1. Still not as high as when each station played music, but at least above 1.0. KLAA is “below the line,” as they used to call it, at 0.4

 The top-rated public station is KPCC out os Pasadena City College, which came in at 24th place with a 1.7 share. Right behind was Santa Monica’s KCRW at 25th and 1.6, while KUSC was tied at 26th (with KBUE) at 1.5.

 Ratings are calculated using an algorithm involving the number of individual listeners tuning in and the time they spend listening. The station with the most listeners overall in June? My FM (KBIG), followed by KIIS-FM, KOST, KRTH and KCBS-FM

  The full story – each rating is an estimate of the percentage of listeners aged 6 and over tuned to a station between the hours of 6 a.m. and 12 midnight, as determined by Nielsen Ratings.

 1. KOST (5.3); 2. KIIS-FM (5.1); 3. KBIG (5.0); 4. KTWV (4.7); 5. KRTH (4.5); 6. KCBS-FM (3.9); 7. KLVE, KRCD (3.6); 9. KAMP (3.5); 10. KNX, KRRL (3.1)
 12. KYSR (3.0) 13. KFI, KROQ (2.9); 15. KPWR (2.8); 16. KSCA (2.4); 17. KKGO, KLOS, KLYY, KSWD (2.3)
 21. KLAX (2.1); 22. KXOS (2.0); 23. KXOL (1.9); 24. KPCC (1.7); 25. KCRW (1.6); 26. KBUE, KUSC (1.5); 28. KLAC (1.3); 29. KDAY, KJLH, KWIZ (1.2)
 32. KSPN (1.1); 33. KABC (0.8); 34. KRLA, KSSE (0.7); 36. KFSH, KKJZ (0.6); 38. KEIB, KLAA (0.4); 40. KTNQ (0.3); KKLA (0.2)
 ///

Radio Waves Podcast #136

Airwaves: July 15, 2016

 

One of the best books I have ever read on personal experiences in the radio world is J. J. Johnson’s “Aircheck: Life in music Radio.” Formerly available only as a Kindle download, the book is now available in paperback form from Planet 3 Publishing at bookstores and Amazon.Com for about $20.

 

Content is essentially the same, as you would expect since it is the same book, as the Kindle edition. It is an amazing travel through time written by one of radio’s great personalities. But it’s not a “radio” book; it is the life story of Johnson and reads very much like he’s sitting right next to you telling stories of his life. Not only what stations he worked at, but the personalities and stars that he met along the way.

 

As you might expect, Johnson is a great story-teller.

 

What separates the paperback from the Kindle edition are some minor tweaks. “I smoothed out the writing,” he explained. “And there’s a list of stations and markets I worked in order to make it easier for non-radio people to follow.” And photos!

 

Johnson started his radio career while still in high school back when many stations would put at least one teenager on the air in order to attract young listeners. He moved from Ohio to Texas to San Francisco and more, learning from the best of the best along the way. In Los Angeles he was on the legendary R&B (late Hip-Hop) 1580/KDAY (now KBLA) from 1974 until the station changed formats in 1991. Then it was on to others including the late-great KACE (now KRCD, 103.9 FM).

 

But it is not really a radio book in the traditional sense. Yes, radio obviously plays a large part. Instead, Johnson focusses on life, lessons learned, people he met, and what he took from it all. Lessons including what he learned and observed staying on the air at KJLH (102.3 FM) during the 1992 Los Angeles riots ... in studios that were right near the flashpoint.

 

If you haven’t read it yet, get it. As I said, it is one of the best radio books you’ll find.

 

CBS Spin-Off

 

As expected by many, CBS is spinning off its radio business into a separate publicly-traded company. The company filed plans with the Securities and Exchange Commission last week detailing the plan.

 

CBS owns 117 radio stations nationwide including KRTH (101.1 FM), KNX (1070 AM), KROQ (106.7 FM), KTWV (94.7 FM) and KCBS-FM (93.1) locally.

 

According to the plan, the company plans to first spin off the division, and then sell-off the common stock. What happens after that is unknown; while CBS is one of the stronger large radio group owners, large group owners have tended to drag radio down since consolidation began in force in the 1990s. The performance of radio in general during this era has been abysmal almost every way you look at it: stock price, ad revenue ... even listenership. At the same time, independent stations are moving up.

 

The best thing that could happen to radio as an industry would be the re-regulation in the form of limits on station ownership to no more than 20 stations nationwide.

Radio Waves Podcast #135

Airwaves: July 8, 2016

 

Former General manager of KIIS-FM (102.7) and KPRZ (now KEIB, 1150 AM) Wally Clark was honored with a Diamond Circle Award by the Pacific Pioneer Broadcasters on June 29.

 

The mild-mannered, highly-respected Clark oversaw the operations during the record-setting ratings era of the 1980s, when KIIS-FM attracted an audience share of over 10 in the Arbitron Ratings -- about double what they earn now -- and KIIS-FM was the top-40 trendsetter throughout the nation. So popular was KIIS that the station was able to charge a full $2000 per commercial for advertising time during prime hours while most other stations were charging about one-quarter of that amount.

 

Under Clark, KIIS-FM became the highest revenue-producing station in the entire world.

 

And it wasn’t just KIIS. Playing adult standards, KPRZ was earning ratings for the AM side of things into the high 2 and low 3 shares, something the station has not done since dropping the format ... ironically also under Clark. That change was rumored to be related to allowing Clark to break the salary cap then-station owner Gannett had in order to keep Rick Dees at the station.

 

He was named Gannett’s top-10 manager, was recognized by Billboard Magazine as a Trendsetter of the Year, co-created Rick Dees’ Weekly Top-40, and created the Satellite Comedy Network, which among other things supplies material for morning shows throughout the country.

 

Less Everything, More Ads

 

I’ve been liking the sound of Heidi and Frank on KLOS (95.5 FM); it seems the addition of Lisa May last year and the addition of music to the morning show have made a decidedly positive change to the program. Overall the show is more entertaining and fun than in the recent past.

 

The only problem? It is dogged by commercials. In a recent morning, I sat through eight minutes of commercials at the 9 0‘clock hour. Eight minutes! And it was at the start of the hour, traditionally when most stations generally try to avoid commercials.

 

Imagine being the 6th, 7th or 8th advertiser during that block ... how much is your ad worth? How many listeners tuned away about that time? KLOS needs to learn from the past -- limit the total number of commercials so you can charge more for each (each commercial has far more value to advertisers) and stop with the long commercial sets ... that’s been “yesterday” since ... forever.

 

Rhodes-Sandler Connection

 

Former KTLK (now KEIB) talk host Randi Rhodes will team up with programmer-turned-host Nicole Sandler (remember her form Channel 103.1?) to co-host four hours of talk available on their respective web pages.

 

Running live 11-1 p.m. locally on NicoleSandler.Com and live 1-3 p.m. at RandiRhodes.Com, the free shows will also be available as podcasts on both sites. 

 

Perfect 10

 

Go Country 105 now ranks as the #1 most weighted Country station in America.

 

What this means is that, due to the continued success and influence Go Country has seen over the past years, every time the station plays a song, the “spin” is counted for ten points on the Mediabase Country Charts, which tracks radio station airplay. 

 

Think of it like surveys in which each person surveyed represents a much larger portion of the general population. Go Country’s “perfect 10” for Mediabase makes it the #1 station in the panel.

Radio Waves Podcast #134

Airwaves: July 1, 2016

 

The announcement last week that KSPN (710 AM) and The Sound (100.3 FM) would serve as dual carriers of the Rams when they return to Los Angeles next season brought in a few responses, most agreeing with my position that the deal isn’t necessarily good for either station.

 

But I plan not to dwell on the issue; if I am wrong I’ll admit it and if I am right the situation will be fixed soon enough. But one reader brought something new to the table: it turns out that this is not necessarily the first time the NFL has been heard on FM. And in some ways the move is almost cosmic, if I can use an old hippy cliche.

 

“When the Rams came to LA from Cleveland, 710 KMPC became the radio home - which continued until December 1994,” writes David Grudt of Long Beach.

  

“Here's the historical radio factoid - the original KMPC-FM was at 100.3 in the late 1940s. Before Gene Autry bought KMPC in the '50s, the FM license was turned back to the FCC (It eventually became KMLA, then KFOX before becoming KIQQ, KSWD, etc).  Back in the '40s the FM broadcast day only ran a few hours. I have found an example from the Long Beach Press  Telegram. 

 

“On Sunday, October 30,1949 the KMPC-FM broadcast day was 3 PM to 9 PM. I am reasonably sure that the station was simulcasting KMPC-AM.  The Rams game that day started at 2:15 PM - so, I believe the game was picked up by the FM at 3 PM.  Likely there were many home games that ended up on the FM during about a 3 year period.  

 

“So things have come full circle with KSPN 710 and KSWD 100.3 simulcasting the games this Fall. I happen to believe it will help both stations attract an audience.”

 

Grudt’s scan is interesting from a historical perspective in addition to the KMPC-100.3 FM connection. Looking through the page I saw that television Channel 9 was then KFI-TV rather than the well-known KHJ-TV; Channel 13 was KLAC-TV rather than KCOP; there was a KFI-FM at 105.9 FM -- today’s Power 106; and the paper lists KNX-FM also at 105.9, which is a typo unless there was some strange time-share agreement. To my knowledge, KNX-FM was always at 93.1 FM until it became KODJ, KCBS-FM (as it is now with the Jack name), etc.

 

Weekend Programming

 

Speaking, at least slight, of The Sound, the station has a special weekend on tap starting July 1st at noon... four song sets from classic rock’s greatest artists. “It’s the 4s of July,” says programmer Dave Beasing.

 

What a Guy

 

One of my all-time favorite DJs -- I’ve mentioned this before -- is Bobby “What a Guy” Ocean, heard locally on KHJ (930 AM), K-WEST (now Power 106) in San Diego on KGB and KCBQ, and in San Francisco on the legendary KFRC.

 

Airchexx.Com has a new exhibit in their collection ... Ocean on KCBQ from May of 1971. Hear it at http://wp.me/p5TQC-br.

Radio Waves Podcast #133

It’s official. Both KSPN (710 AM) and The Sound (100.3 FM) will be the local affiliates carrying every one of the Rams games as the team mark its return to Los Angeles. And I cannot imagine a worse deal for either station.

The basics:

• The agreement with the stations is for five years, and covers pre-season, regular-season and post-season games. 

• Each game day will feature a full eight hours of programming, simulcast on KSPN and The Sound. This includes three-hour pre- and two-hour post-game programs along with play-by-play.

• KSPN will have a one-hour game preview show every Thursday night at 7 during the regular season, a one-hour weekly Coach’s shoe with head coach Jeff Fisher Monday nights at 7, weekly segments with Fisher and various Rams players and daily Rams Reports.

• The Sound will create its own programming including regular segments on the Mark in the Morning show. Host Mark Thompson, by the way, broadcasts his part of the show from his home in Charlotte, North Carolina.

For his part, Sound general manager Peter Burton thinks its a good idea. “We are excited to be welcoming the Los Angeles Rams to their official new FM home at 100.3 The Sound,” he said in a press release distributed by KSPN. “Along with our terrific partners at ESPN, we look forward to delivering excellent game-day coverage to Rams fans throughout Southern California.”

Cue cheers. “Yea.”

Here’s the problem: those cheers are most likely coming from KLOS (95.5 FM) and Jack-FM (93.1 ) which in my opinion stand to gain a lot of new listeners due to the deal. Frankly, I cannot see how this deal benefits either The Sound or KSPN. 

Consider that the last time play-by-play boosted ratings for a station -- any station -- was probably the last time the Rams played in Los Angeles. Certainly not during the time I have written this column (since 1987). Also consider that when sports teams are carried by local music stations, the overall effect has been negative. That’s why it is so rarely done in Los Angeles. The reason is easy to understand: in the days when radio play-by-play was a ratings boost, it was because games were not carried (or were blacked out) on television. With cable television so common now, it’s easy to see teams on television ... and who wants to listen on radio when you can watch on television?

KSPN seems to be the big loser here, at least directly. If the games are simulcast, the two or three fans not watching on television will most certainly tune to FM instead of AM. So the contract would seem to have absolutely no benefit for for the Rams’ AM flagship. The Sound, though, loses indirectly, as Sound music fans tune in, hear that it’s a game, and then tune over to KLOS, Jack or numerous other stations. Sure some Rams fans will tune to The Sound and a portion may even stay the next day as new listeners, but I honestly cannot see the net benefit overall.

Burton Responds

I asked Sound manager Burton to comment; his position is obviously opposed to mine, and his argument is compelling. 

“We still are very much about the music especially when comparing our commercial loads to those of other stations (leaving much more room for music),” Burton explained. “We have evaluated how stations have done with the NFL around the country as it relates to ratings growth and the outcome is quite outstanding. As you know the NFL is different than the MLB, NBA and NHL. There is only one game a week and its popularity has grown dramatically since 1994 when the Rams were last here. NFL games are major pop culture events that on average bring a 25% bump to total week audiences of FM stations who carry the franchise in their given markets. 

“While we love music and it will always make up the majority of what we do, NFL programming is unmatched,” he continued. “It’s amazing how popular the sport has been in LA over the last 20 years even without a franchise. This year’s draft day party was a madhouse, Hard Knox on HBO is exclusively covering the Rams and ticket sales are through the roof. We like our chances.”

What about my point that you can already see the games on television, so radio isn’t important? “When you consider that 2.7 million people are on the roads on Sundays there is plenty of room for the NFL on the radio,” Burton said. “It’s why iHeart, CBS and Cumulus went after this business as hard as we did. Plenty of people watch football on TV but radio is huge especially in a market like LA with a returning team.”

So there you have it. I may indeed be totally underestimating the fan base of the Rams; if I am wrong I will be the first to admit it. I don’t think I am, but Burton and station programmer Dave Beasing have a solid track record running The Sound ... Do you have any thoughts on the matter? I’d love to hear them.

Reunion

Ron Shapiro, Paul Freeman, Jeffrey Leonard, Mike Wagner Shotgun Tom Kelly, Mike Sakellarides,  Shadoe Stevens, Don Elliott, Wally Clark, Bryan Simmons and many more were part of the radio reunion held at Fuddruckers in Burbank last Saturday. All of them legends in radio either in front of the microphone or behind.

The event was organized by Leonard to bring radio friends together; the group tends to take over the entire back room of the Fuddruckers when they happen once or twice a year. Many of them are of course now retired or in different careers.

Classical Carmel

Saul Levine -- owner of Go Country (105.1 FM) and KMZT (1260 AM, 105.1 HD2) is selling one station and donating another in the Central Coast area of California to the same group that runs KUSC (91.5 FM), preserving classical music in Momterey, Carmel and Big Sur.

Levine isn’t totally leaving the area, so the move gives listeners a choice, once he transfer is approved by the FCC, of a commercial and a public classical music format.

Asked what made Levine decide to donate a station to the same group against which he has fiercely competed in Los Angeles, he responded “I must have mellowed.” But his main purpose is to insure that classical music stays in as many areas as possible ... even though Go Country gets all the press (and ratings), it is classical music that is his real passion.

Radio Waves Podcast #132

http://socalradiowaves.com/

 

Radio: June 17, 2016

 

Claiming that radio stations are getting a “free ride,” Democrat Representative from New York Jerry Nadler has proposed legislation that would force stations to pay fees for performance rights to record companies which would then compensate artists for the songs they play.

 

His argument: webcasters like Pandora pay such royalties; making broadcast radio do the same is only fair. Besides, he says, “the shortlist of countries that don’t (pay royalties) includes Iran, North Korea and the United States ... it is a disgrace that needs to be remedied and it is well past time that we align ourselves with the rest of the free world,” he wrote in a letter in support of his legislation.

 

Interestingly, the reason radio has traditionally been exempt from such performance royalty payments centers centers on the exposure given to new music on the radio, which in turn introduces new music to the public and thus helps increase sales of records.

 

Indeed, the National Association of Broadcasters told record industry magazine Billboard “Local radio airplay has launched and sustained the careers of countless artists, while scores of artists have sued record labels for non-payment of royalties. It’s disappointing that Rep. Nadler wants to punish the number one promotional vehicle for the music industry -- free and local radio.”

 

Which would be right ... if this was 1965. Or even 1986. Radio in general stopped playing new music long ago, and ironically it is the internet and Pandoras of the world that expose many of the new songs. With rare exceptions, primarily stations playing country music, radio hasn’t launched a career or helped sell records in 20 years. So I find it somewhat ironic that it is webcasters paying the royalties when radio does not. Such an oddity. 

 

Regardless, the fee structure would be tiered ... smaller stations would pay as little as $500 per year; public and community stations only $100; religious broadcasters: nothing.

 

The State of Radio

 

Talk podcaster Tom Leykis (www.blowmeuptom.com) sent out a link last weekend referencing a story in philly.com regarding radio listening habits in the United States, focussing on Millennials.

 

“In its latest ‘Share of Ear’ study, Edison Research discovered that one-third of today's millennials don't even own an old-school radio,” staff writer Jonathan Takiff explains. “And across the board, 21 percent of the U.S. population now gets by without one. That's up from 4 percent in 2008.”

 

Unlike when Boomers were young and radio was the go-to entertainment medium, today’s young men and women tune in online stations, on-demand streaming services, or even satellite radio.

 

I personally love radio and the potential it has is unlimited. Thus, I find it hard to believe that radio is doomed. But turing things around with today’s ownership model in which the dollar is king will be exceedingly difficult. In fact, it probably won’t happen until today’s major group owners -- Cumulus Media, iHeartRadio and CBS -- are forced to sell the vast majority of stations and align to a forced limit of stations (my recommendation: no more than 20 nationwide). Those companies and their massive size created cookie-cutter stations and are THE reason listeners can basically do without radio.

 

The solution?

 

Give listeners what they want to hear. Make radio compelling. Play new music. Break new artists. Bring personality and entertainment back to radio. Limit the number of commercials so listeners don’t tune out. Actually compete against your competition instead of accepting mediocre ratings. Super-serve your local audience rather than programming as if your station was an iPod or worse, a nationwide affiliate network. Do what the alternatives cannot do: become a mass-appeal locally-based medium that unites listeners with creative content for which radio was once known.

 

It’s really not that hard. Programmers such as Ron Jacobs, John Rook and more showed everyone how to do it, and recordings are still available to hear exactly how it was done. Let’s turn the tide and, as the Nike slogan says, just do it.

 

Radio can be great again. Tomorrow, if good programmers were allowed free reign to do their jobs and personalities were allowed to do show their true talents. Or radio executives can just keep their heads in the sand and watch their stations wither and die.

Radio Waves Podcast #131

http://socalradiowaves.com/

 

Airwaves: June 10, 2016

 

School is out for most kids in the area ... that means it’s Summer. And that means it’s time for KCRW’s (89.9 FM) series of free family-oriented concerts called, appropriately enough, Summer Nights.

 

This week to kick off the series for 2016, Saturday, June 11, features two locations. At the Anaheim Packing District, 440 S. Anaheim Boulevard in Anaheim, you can hang out with DJs Jeremy Sole and Karene Daniel as you enjoy an evening of music, food, and fun for the whole family. This is KCRW’s first Summer Nights event behind the Orange Curtain, and it should be a great one.

 

Located in the heart of Anaheim, the area features refurbished historic structures along with the Packing House, which is home to more than 20 artisan eateries and is located right next to Farmers Park where the actual musical entertainment will take place from 5:30 to 10:00 p.m.

 

The second location is well-known to Summer Nights fans: 

One Colorado, 41 Hugus Alley in Pasadena. Here is where you can hear Los Angeles duo The Palms -- described as bridging the gap between Laurel Canyon folk and West Coast beats in order to give you the modern day LA sound (whatever that means) -- along with DJ Gary Calamar who opens and closes the night.

 

Like the OC area, One Colorado is a historic area, featuring 17 buildings that are home to a mix of retailers, designers, local merchants, restaurants, and even a cinema. This one runs 7:30 to 9:30 p.m.

 

If you want to plan ahead, June 18 will feature DJs Raul Campos and Anthony Valadez in Chinatown’s Central and West Plazas, while July 7th will be a tri-location night on the Santa Monica Pier, the Hammer Museum and the Sanra Barbara Museum of Contemporary Art.

 

For more information on any of the events, head over to KCRW.Com.

 

Popular Neighborhood

 

It’s been over a year since Big Boy -- aka Kurt Alexander -- packed up and moved down the dial from Power 106 (105.9 FM) to Real 92.3 FM. So how is he faring?

 

When he left Power, the station was in 12 place for all listeners aged 6 and over in the morning, but he was 2nd among listeners 18 to 24 and number 1 in men 18-34. As of the April ratings -- the most recent I have -- Power sans Big Boy was 19th, 11th and 12th in those same demographics.

 

Over at Real, he’s 12th, 7th and 9th. So not as big as at Power, but still big. Or perhaps Big. But ... when he first moved to Real in March, the ratings for those same demos were 16th, 3rd and 1st. Which means the competition between the stations is far higher than anyone predicted. Long term, this should be an interesting one to watch.

 

Short Takes

 

This one sounds fun: KCRW is hosting it’s first ever scavenger hunt next weekend, June 18th and 19th. Get a squad together and explore the city (I assume in and around Santa Monica) with clues provided by the iPhone and Android app Eventzee. The team with the most points wins a $5000 gift certificate to Tender Greens; the entry fee is $5 per team. See KCRW.Com. Again.

 

Christian James Hand is the guy who dissects songs and gives insight to the artistry of music. Formerly a guest on the Mark in the Morning show he’s now a co-host on Andy in the Afternoon. So what was he doing on the air last Sunday Night? Does he ever take a day off?

 

And what about the fact that Sound programmer Dave Beasing told me that I could never be on the Sound because I never worked at KMET (now KTWV, 94.7 FM)? Hand never did either. I wonder if Beasing just said that because he was busy ... maybe I should send him my aircheck again.