LA Radio Waves

Radio: July 31, 2020 Special Guest:  Douglas C Brown     A controversy of sorts is being played out on Don Barrett’s LARadio.Com: What is the origin of the term “boss radio?”     If you grew up in 1960s Los Angeles, you know the term “Boss Radio” was used to describe the  programming on KHJ (930 AM). Boss Hitbounds, Boss Angeles, the Boss Jocks. The word was everywhere, which is somewhat ironic because the term “boss” itself was dated. The precursor to “cool” or “bitchin’,” “boss” was on the way out as far as teen slang went.     But KHJ was most definitely not the first station to use the term. KHJ consultant Bill Drake worked at KYA in San Francisco when they were known as “The Boss of the Bay.” And the term predated even him in the very early 1960s.       Letters on LARadio.Com confirm the early use. But does that mean then-KHJ General manager Ken DeVaney lied when he insists in Ron Jacob’s book, Inside Boss Radio, that he was the one who initiated the name?     Not necessarily. Being the Boss of the Bay and Boss Radio can actually be two different things, and I am not sure that much thought was put into either. The Boss of the Bay could very well have been using the term as it is used today … meaning leader. I honestly don’t know that, but it’s plausible. Boss Radio was meant to be “cool” or ”bitchin’” radio. Unfortunately, most of the architects of that era of radio are gone, so we may never know the answer. But it’s fun to look back.     Online Issues     One of the best ways to listen to radio today is through a good-sounding smart speaker. You can place them throughout your house and play stations individually, or have the same station throughout. And for the most part, once you figure out the station (i.e. “Hey Siri, play KNX-FM 93” works; “Hey Siri, play KNX-FM 93.com" does not) the system is solid. Sound quality is great — AM stations truly shine —  you can easily tune into stations, and you can control it with your voice.     The problem arises when stations don’t monitor their own stream. For example, if you happen to tune in to Rush Limbaugh on KEIB (1150 AM), the sound drops out. I thought it was a problem with there awful iHeartRadio system that provides audio for the station, and it may well be, but the reason has more to do with programming details.     You see, there are extra costs in some cases for commercials that air on internet streams (as used by smart speakers), so stations will often substitute alternative programming during some advertisements unless the advertiser specifically pays for the spot. In the case of KEIB, though, the speaker just goes silent for a time. Usually it will pick up when the show comes back on, but not always. Regardless, the listening experience is greatly diminished.     I think smart speakers and the future evolution of the idea may be the future of radio, especially AM radio. But it requires attention to detail that is sorely lacking, at least on KEIB. I have not noticed the issue on other stations, including the small independents I listen to from across the country.     K-Mozart Update     By now Saul Levine’s K-Mozart (105.1 HD4, kmozart.com) was supposed to have gone through a full re-launch, bringing back air personalities and features to better compete against KUSC (91.5 FM). Alas, the Covid pandemic continues to delay the plan.     But Levine loves classical music, so he’s helped the music on the station going regardless, and he’s initiated a “soft-re-launch” bringing back Susanna Guzman and Nick Tyler. As time goes on, Levine plans many more additions, as he plays “the world’s best classical music 24-7.”     “I am proud of the fact that I have programmed Classical for 62 years,” Levine told me. “Probably a world record. I have a vision for

Radio: July 24, 2020     One of the joys of the Summer — and it has been even more apparent during the COVID shutdowns and restrictions — is the ability to tune in to the recreation of the Mellow Sound as heard on KNX-FM (now KCBS-FM, 93.1) on the internet, via online streaming, a smart phone, or a smart speaker.     Full disclosure: There are actual two recreations with a slightly different feel, one at knxfm.com and another at knxfm93.com. Both are worthy, but in this instance I am referring to the latter.     Back in the 1970s, the original KNX-FM would occasionally produce showcase specials on some of the artists played. In July of 1978, the station was able to score a rare, sit-down interview with Carly Simon, one of the big stars of the day and one of the Mellow Sound’s core artists.     Says Douglas Brown, one of the volunteers who makes knxfm93.com tick, “Lucky for us today, the show’s writer and host Christopher Ames saved the tape! So we are going to play it exactly 42 years later!”     It’s called An Evening with Carly Simon, an hour-long program of Simon’s words and music, presented with no commercials. It will air on knxfm93.com at 5 p.m. Monday, July 27. If you miss it on the actual 42-year anniversary date, you can hear it on the repeat: July 31 at 5 p.m.     It’s funny that this happened to come up when it did. I recently happened to be listening to a recording of Mark Elliot on KHJ (930 AM) from about the same year, and one of the promos was for the KHJ Special of the Month, which also spotlighted artists special to the audience. I will bring these back when I buy my station … but I digress.     If you were a fan of the Mellow Sound or of Simon, this is required listening. And if you find yourself feeling down with everything that is happening in the world, give the station a listen. It definitely lifts my mood.     Overload     I haven’t noticed it here yet, but according to the Fort Worth Star Telegram, ratings for news and talk stations in Dallas-Fort Worth are down 25 percent. The reason? “People are just overwhelmed,” according to podcaster Jody Dean.     News and talk stations are down, says the newspaper, while music stations are up.     (https://www.star-telegram.com/opinion/bud-kennedy/article244177012.html)     Mailbag     “I have a recommendation for you after discovering this station a few weeks ago while running in Palm Springs with my little Sony radio: Q102.3 Classic Rock (KRHQ/Palm Desert)     “Best radio station that I have heard since The Sound went to Christian Radio. It is awesome. Give it a try - you might discover a new favorite. — Tish Husak     In the interest of honesty, Tish sent me this letter over a year ago and I found it when clearing out my email boxes. But the station is indeed still on the air, and you can hear it at q102classicrock.com.     The playlist is typical classic rock but it’s a good mix: songs I heard while sampling include Caught Up in You (.38 Special), Rebel Rebel (David Bowie), Running on Empty (Jackson Brown), Locomotive Breath (Jethro Tull), Fool for the City (Foghat), Black Betty (Ram Jam), My Sharona (The Knack), and Breakdown (Tom Petty).     Like most good stations I have found over the past few years, the station is locally owned.     “Just wanted to email you to thank you for the Radio columns I the Register. As a guy who grew up in 60’s Los Angeles listening to KHJ and occasionally KRLA, it’s somewhat rival, it is always great to read about the history and personalities of the era as well as the other locations not only in Southern California (KLAC with Bill Balance and Jim Healy at 5:30) but also around the country. I went to school n the East Coast and really enjoyed WNEW out of NYC in t

Radio: July 17, 2020     One of the stations that benefited from changed listening habits brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic is KABC (790 AM), which in April earned its highest rating in years at 1.4, double that of January January and a full point above the 0.4 the station found itself in some months of last year. As of the latest rating released in June, the station is still 43 percent up from the January rating among listeners aged 6 and over.     One of the true bright spots of KABC’s broadcast day is the John Phillips Show, heard from 12 noon to 3 p.m. weekdays; one of the highlights of Phillips’ program is the daily 1 p.m. “doctor hour,” in which prominent medical doctors — usually Kelly Victory, but occasionally others including Nan Hayworth and Daliah Wachs —  talk with Phillips and answer listener questions on any topic. Of course the topic now is usually (read: always) COVID-related.     I was turned on to the segment by my friend, Bruce Thomson, who sent text message reminders to me almost daily asking essentially the same question: “Are you listening? Dr. Kelly Victory is on talking about COVID … you have to listen.”     So I did. And I found Bruce was right … the Doctor Hour has become required listening for me and obviously many others … Phillips’ show tends to be among the highest-rated show on KABC, and the Doctor Hour tends to be the highest-rated hour of the show.     Phillips has been on KABC for many years, in various time slots. He’s done afternoons, late mornings, mornings snd now early afternoons. “This is my favorite shift,” he admits, especially compared with the mornings. “I tend to be someone who goes to bed early and gets up early, but there is a difference between waking up early and going on the air versus waking up, having some coffee, swearing at the headlines, and then doing the show.”     The Orange County native formerly worked at CNN for about two years, until the news service wanted him to move to the East Coast. "I just didn’t want to move,” he said. Besides, radio is his true love. “I am doing what I have wanted to do since I learned to talk,” Phillips says of hosting his own talk radio show.     His program overall is an interesting hybrid of topics. It’s a political talk show without being overtly political, and he is never combative. The word “polite” permeates the program that can truly cover any topic, though politics absolutely plays a role. Think Johnny Carson monologue. Or the attitude brought out by one of his idols, Lakers play-by-play announcer Chick Hearne.     Old-timers like me can make a comparison to the old TalkNet programs such as Bruce Williams, as outside of mocking Governor Newsom, Phillips is genuinely nice to everyone, listeners and guests alike.     “I will never be abusive,” he says, adding that all viewpoints are welcome on the program. “I have views, of course, but I am not trying to convince anyone of anything … I am not trying to sway elections, and I am not trying to change anyone’s mind or convince them to think like me. My show is a safe place for conversations for people of all views.     “And you won’t get beaten up for disagreeing.”     The genesis of the Doctor Hour actually began long before COVID. “Kelly was on the show even back when I was doing afternoons with Jillian (Barberie),” he explained. But the COVID scare brought new importance to the segment, and it expanded to a daily segment, led primarily by Victory.     “I met her through a friend, and find her to be an amazing person,” Phillips said. “She has numerous degrees from elite universities, she is a trauma doctor, she is the world’s greatest cook, greatest gardener, runs marathons … she’s one off the rare individuals who excel at everything,”     The pandemic brought in questions from listeners

Radio: July 10, 2020     There was some big news down in San Diego last week: The return of KGB to the AM band, with the former KFMB (760 AM) picking up the legendary calls.     The original KGB (now KLSD, 1360 AM) was among America’s Finest City’s first radio stations, first signing on in 1922.  It was the area’s “Boss Radio” station in the mid 1960s; in 1972 it was “recycled” to become a progressive rock station — and one of the few on the AM band — under the direction of former KHJ “Boss” programmer Ron Jacobs. In the later 1970s the station returned to top-40 as 13-K and for a time beat out KGB-FM (101.5) in the ratings. Formats that followed, including news, talk and the current sports format are uninspiring and low-rated, but like KHJ here, the calls have special meaning to this who grew up on AM radio.     KFMB was a full-service station from 1964 to 1974, playing middle of the road music along with news and information. In 1975 the station added sports and talk programming, and was fully news/talk/sports by 1994. It was KFMB’s sister FM - popularly known as B-100 — that set the area on fire as San Diego’s first top-40 FM in the mid 1970s.     So how do legendary music call letters end up on another station’s talk format frequency? The complicated world of radio consolidation and station sales. Last December, then-owner Tegna agreed to sell KFMB AM and FM to Local Media San Diego, but the sale did not include the call letters which are staying with KFMB-TV, which Tegna still owns.     Local Media turned around and sold KFMB (AM) to iHeart Media, which happens to already own KGB-FM; rather than placing the calls back on 1360 — which it also still owns — management decided to assign them to 760.     Normally, three-letter calls do not return to stations once lost — the FCC stopped assigning them decades ago. But they are allowed to be easily assigned when a co-owned station still uses them, as is the case with KGB-FM.     Personally, I’m kind of excited that iHeart actually recognizes the historical significance of the call letters, though I would rather see them tied to 1360. What would be even more exciting is if iHeart allowed the station to return to a music format playing either ‘60s and ‘70s oldies, or an “adult top-40” format that I think could attract listeners back to the AM band. I can already hear the 76-KGB jingle in my head…     They probably won’t do that, and will most likely stick with a lame, low-rated, cheap, forgettable talk format, but I continue to dream.     Settling Down     Ratings seem to be settling down a bit and becoming a bit more normal. KRTH (101.1 FM) was back in the top spot for both the second and third week of June, according to ratings service Nielsen. KFI (640 AM) was still doing well at the number 5 spot in the third week, and KNX (1070 AM) was right behind in 6th.     KABC (790 AM) has held on to its COVID-19 boost, tied for 32nd but maintaining a share of the audience above 1.1, compared with the pre-COVID-days in which it was closer to 0.3 or so. One of the reasons for the station working itself out of the cellar is John Phillips, heard weekdays noon to 3 p.m…. I will be talking with him soon to get his perspective on news, talk, radio, and more.     Letterbag     “I read with interest your column on John & Ken, and it confirmed something I had long suspected:  In approx. 1989 or so I was in New Jersey on business, and while driving I heard on the car radio these two guys discussing some local issue. They were funny and in agreement with some of my own ideas.     “Then in about 1993, I was listening to KFI (back in Los Angeles) and heard J & K talking about those two guys convicted of murdering their parents, and they reminded me of the New Jersey guys, and

Radio: July 3, 2020     You know them as John and Ken, aka John Kobylt and Ken Chiampou, the hugely popular afternoon drive team that helped build KFI (640 AM) into the tale radio juggernaut that it is.     They arrived in los Angeles in 1992, and except for a small stint doing mornings at KABC (790 AM), they have held been KFI’s afternoon stars, maintaining dominance in their time slot for most of their almost three decades here.     They are the guys that can drive you nuts. John is actually much like me, often taking the absurd position either for fun or just being too lazy to research it out fully. Ken is usually the more subdued, slightly more thoughtful of the pair. But they are always entertaining, and they are one of the consistent bright spots in local programming, whether you agree with their oppositions or not.     You may know a little of their history: they arrived at KFI after a stint at Live 101.5 in Trenton, New Jersey, where they became locally famous for helping organize a protest against a huge tax hike made by then-Governor Jim Florio after he took office. 65,000 people attended the rally in front of the Trenton State House, with 100,000 turned away due to crowded conditions and lack of parking. It is said to be the largest rally ever held in New Jersey.     John and Ken kept the pressure on Florio and covered numerous other tax and political local issues; eventually Florio lost his reelection bid … and John and Ken’s ratings went through the roof, helping establish Live 101.5’s presence in the local radio scene.     The pair was hired to replace former police chief Darryl Gates on KFI in late 1992.     But there is another side of John and Ken, one which I just recently learned. Did you know that John and Ken once played music together on small stations in Atlantic City? I certainly didn’t. But I found proof, courtesy of Ellis B Feaster’s Radio Channel and Travel Corner. Feaster is, himself, a great radio guy, and he posted some recordings of Jiohn and Ken in their earliest days together.     The first, at tinyurl.com/radiowaves0703 is the first break on the first show for WOND, Solid Gold 14. John and Ken actually replaced Feaster in the mornings, with Feaster staying on in the afternoon. He says he holds no grudges …     Kobylt said that the duo were only on the station for a short time. “Even though we were on the station only eight months,” he said, “I could write a whole chapter on the WOND experience.” I plan to follow up on that soon.     The second posting by Feaster, at tinyurl.com/radiowaves0703b, is their next station, 104-MGM, WMGM also in Atlantic City. Here they play South Jersey’s hottest hits as “radio’s odd couple.”     As I said, I never realized that the duo had a history together playing music. But it makes sense … KFI has been considered a top-40 station that happens to play talk programming, and it is that excitement and attitude that helped push it past the former talk leader and original Los Angeles talk station, KABC.     Give those recordings a listen - I think you’ll find them interesting, and you’ll hear John and Ken’s style in use today even back then. Interestingly, another popular talk host — Rush Limbaugh, now heard 9 am - noon on KEIB (1150 AM) — started as a music jock as well. It seems top-40 prepares one well form talk radio.     While you’re there, look around and listen to Feaster’s other recordings - he has a lot of good material available.     Stereo Stories     I love reading your letters and emails. I try to include as many as I can in the column, and I do try to respond to all of them, even though sometimes it takes me too long Regardless, this is among my favorite memory letters of the week.     “Way back in the1950s, I lived i

Radio: June 26, 2020     Last week I wrote a little about streaming audio and how, with the use of smart speakers, smart phones, and plain old computer streaming, the possibility of internet radio essentially replacing traditional broadcast radio.     This week I want to travel to both the past and one of broadcast radio’s possible futures, spurred on by the ideas presented last week, my absolutely illogical love of AM radio, and a letter to the editor of industry newspaper Radio World that I read online at radioworld.com.     AM radio broadcasting is almost a century old in the United States - numerous stations in Los Angeles, including KHJ (930 AM), KFI (640 AM) and KNX (1070 AM) will celebrate 100 years of broadcasting in two years. That’s an impressive feat, especially considering the technology is essentially the same as it was in 1922.     As I mentioned last week, digital HD Radio, considered for a time as the savior of both AM — due to higher fidelity — and FM — due to potential higher fidelity and extra stations — just hasn’t made the impact many had hoped. For various reasons, many AM stations have turned off the HD signal, even while FMs continue to use it, and consumers don’t seem all that interested in either. But as I said last week, with smart speakers, what’s the point? And a related question comes up: is broadcast AM radio just a dead technology?     Christopher Boone thinks he has the answers. No, AM is not dead. But if you really want to improve it, bring back a technology that already “failed” … AM stereo. In a letter sub-headlined “Want revitalization? Mandate AM stereo in any FM stereo radio,” Boone makes the point that analog AM stereo is still an option for broadcasters, and that it would be an easy technology to re-implement.     “One-hundred stations in the United States still broadcast in C-QUAM AM stereo, and there are more returning. A station in the New Orleans market will be starting C-QUAM as I write. There is one in Texas and more thinking about it. Australia has announced four stations there will be begin C-QUAM stereo transmissions in the next month or two.”     AM stereo was a technology tried in the 1980s, but it didn’t pan put for two primary reasons: The FCC didn’t set a single standard until years after interest waned, confusing both manufacturers and consumers having to deal with four incompatible standards. And stereo means nothing if the audio still sounds muddy, as many AM stereo receivers did.     But AM stereo has the potential to sound absolutely amazing. I own a Carver tuner that was made with an AM tuner capable of reproducing AM audio quality all the way to 20 kHz … higher than most humans can hear, higher than the standard for FM stereo, and much greater than the 3 kHz that the typical AM radio can produce.     The problem is that there are no currently-available radios that can decode AM stereo, right? Wrong. HD Radio is similar enough to the AM stereo standard C-QUAM that a station can’t broadcast AM HD and traditional stereo at the same time … which also means that many HD radios in use can already decode it. “The HD Radios (that can decode analog stereo) only need some code written to decode it and open up the bandwidth for full analog fidelity,” Boone says, adding that modern receiver designs can reduce or eliminate static and other noise inherent to AM broadcasting, making for an impressive listening experience.     The solution for AM improvement, according to Boone: Mandate stereo on AM for any radio that receives stereo on FM, and include receiver standards that make the audio sound better. My additional suggestion: program something worth hearing.     Want to hear some samples of AM stereo? www.i1430.com sends their online live stream through a Carver AM stereo tuner, and a member of a Facebook group dedi

Radio: June 19, 2020     The timing of the email was perfect …     “I read your column each week and many thanks for the radio stations you have turned me on to, most recently KHUG (www.KHUG.rocks). I’ve been looking into replacing my home stereo with one that has HD digital reception. Do you have any recommendations?” — Rick Adams     I do have some recommendations, which I will get to in a minute. But I was already planning about talking about HD radios and tuners this week anyway … the planets much be aligning in some way.     What brought on my thinking is actually opposite of what Rick is thinking. I have had a stereo in my back yard for many years; the other day I was doing some work outside and thought I’d simplify a few thing … get rid of the broken cassette deck, for example. As I did it, I looked at my HD tuner, and wondered why I have it.     Don’t get me wrong … I am not against HD radio per se. I actually think it has the potential to be a good platform. Interference between stations aside, I think AM via HD sounds tremendously better than typical analog, and the extra channels on FM — when done right as with Saul Levine’s HD stations at 105.1 — add a great entertainment source.     But over the past few years, various smart phone apps and smart speakers have come on the scene, and many stations stream their programming there, making HD tuners duplicative and perhaps unnecessary. Of course if you have an HD tuner in your car or home it would be technically easier to use than having to make sure you’re connected to the internet and knowing how to run the app. Additionally, due to greed on the part of station owners who want to monetize their own apps, not all stations are available on any of the apps. I handle it by just not listening to those stations at home, but I digress.     But HD has a major problem … relatively few listeners still know about it, understand it, or know how to use it. Some don’t even know they have it. Add in that stations on the AM band are essentially abandoning it — even KNX (1070 AM) turned it off  (supposedly temporarily) due to a corporate decree in April. And HD on FM has no buffer on the extra (not main) channels, making the HD FM versions of KFI (at 103.5 HD2) or KNX (at 101.1 HD2) unlistenable in most areas.     So the apps have an advantage. They work as long as you have good internet. They can tune in more than the local stations, and they sound great. In some cases, such as with the myTuner Radio app or smart speakers, turning a station is as easy as pushing a preset button or saying “hey Siri, play KNX-FM 93.”     So I took out the HD tuner. I can still hear radio outside, but rarely use the tuner. Instead I use an app. Inside the house I usually use the smart speaker. That is one of six HD tuners I own and rarely use for HD — the two in the cars being an exception; I am still in the process of deciding whether to just sell them or put them in storage for the time when all digital AM becomes common … if ever.     And that creates a problem. If I, a total radio geek who loves radio and just tuning around to find interesting stations, is doubting the use of HD radio, what is the typical consumer doing? I imagine not even thinking about it. That doesn’t bode well for the future of HD.     Recommendations     All that being said, if you want to try HD radio, for the car just look for a radio that has it. The cost is the same as all but the cheapest radios, and you really don’t want the cheapest radios. It was built in to the Alpine and Kenwood aftermarket radios I put in two of our cars, and the cost was basically the same as I expected to pay for non-HD units. Many factory systems have it, but you do need to confirm, as they are usually an upgrade.     For the home, it is more difficul

Radio: June 12, 2020     One of my favorite public service shows when I was in high school and college was Ask the Professor, which ran locally on KHJ (930 AM) and KRTH (101.1 FM) . The idea is simple: listeners send in questions to try to stump a panel of professors from the University of Detroit, Mercy; you win an Ask the Professor coffee mug if you manage to stump them.     Currently hosted by Matthew J. Mio, Ph.D, an associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry, I was happy to find last year that it is still on the air — unfortunately on a limited number of stations. It is, however,  the longest-running radio show in the United States, on the air since the 1950s. And while the small station list — WHO/Des Moines, IA, WTBR-FM/ Pittsfield, MA, and KLAV/Las Vegas, NV — is unfortunate, there is a good side: through the magic of the internet you can still hear it on your computer, smart phone or smart speaker.     The link for the show is at https://sites.udmercy.edu/atp/     And while I am pleased the show is still being produced, imagine my surprise when I got a call from Professor Mio to be a guest in the show! It took a while to set up, but we recorded the shows about two weeks ago. The first episode is already posted as I write this — number 2040; the second episode with me as a guest on the panel is number 2041 and should be posted this weekend.     Now keep in mind I am eminently unqualified to be on the panel. I am not a professor, though I do hold a PHD … a Pedro High diploma from San Pedro High, class of 1981. But the panel has to include the most down-to-earth people I have ever met — via a Zoom meeting, since the COVID-19 lockdown prevents the ability to meet in person. They made me feel comfortable right away, and acted like I actually knew something, giving me credit for being “close.”     We were not stumped, as the questions themselves were not horrendously hard. Many were basically multiple choice. But what I found interesting is that the panel most definitely does not receive the questions ahead of time, with the obvious exception of Professor Mio; he needs them to act as the program moderator. Overall, though the show is as I remember from years ago … informative and fun. Give it a listen!     Distance Listening     I received so many stories form you regarding distance listening on the radio that I wanted to share a few more emails and letters.     “Just found you in the Daily News in the last few months and have enjoyed your ‘Radio’ column.  Here is my story of hearing AM long distance.     “Graduated from high school in 1971 and took a month-long road trip in my 66 VW bug with a sleeping bag, Coleman stove and ice chest. In a campground in Colorado, I picked up KFI (640 AM) on my little car radio and heard Vin Scully and Jerry Doggett announcing the Dodger game.  Never forgot that - I was home though very far away.” — Tom Lusby     “In the late 1950s, I  was a teenager in a very small town (Riverton) in Wyoming. We did not have any local top 40 radio; in fact, we barely had radio at all. But when the sun went down, we could pick up  top 40 powerhouse KOMA from Oklahoma City, OK. It came in very loud and clear all night long, until the sun came up the next morning … it sounded as though they were broadcasting right from our town. I couldn’t wait for sunset so I could hear my favorite music.” — Joseph Tripp     “I grew up in central Iowa in mid-fifties and my dad was a St. Louis Cardinal fan. At night we would listen to the Cardinal games on KMOX in St. Louis. Harry Carey was the announcer and on a home run call he would say "it looks like it might be, it could be, it is a home run".  We also listened to the Chicago Cub games in the daytime on WGN from Chicago. Their announcer was Bob Wilson and h

There was some good news for the radio industry recently: According to one survey, radio listening during the pandemic-related lockdown has rebounded somewhat, and it was the only mass media to show an increase outside of video streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu. In some ways it makes sense. After an initial bout of watching television programs and cable news, I tired of the repetition (and let’s face it, depressing news abounds) of so many programs and news channels. So moving to other sources is logical. Considering that radio was among the hardest hit, it would follow that people would re-discover their favorite stations and escape from bad news. Music in particular has always been my great escape. Additionally, with cities and states opening up — and some people just ignoring the stay at home orders — in-car listening was bound to recover. According to an online survey of roughly 16,000 radio listeners in the United States and Canada taken by Jacobs Media and sponsored by the Radio Advertising Bureau, during the time period of May 14-16, fully 26 percent of those surveyed stated that they are listening more to their “home station” — the station that sent them the survey — while only 15 percent said they listen less. In April, only 18 percent said they listened more. In addition, in every measure, including in-car, at home, streaming, or regular listening outside the home, respondents said that they were listening more than they were in April. Highlighting how listening is changing with new technology, fully 14 percent said that they now listen on a smart speaker such as a HomePod, Alexa or Google system. The survey is not perfect. The fact that the respondents came from listeners who are already considered “loyal,” meaning those who are already in a station’s listener database, most likely registered via a station’s own website. That means the survey is not representative of the population in general. Even non-AP stats students know the survey thus is flawed. Indeed, ratings company Nielsen continues to show the total number of listeners to radio is down. But, and this is big, Nielsen only releases general reports monthly, and the last report was May 11. The next release won’t be until mid-June. Said one local programmer, though, in addition to already being an unrepresentative sample, there are two other issues that could affect the results: “listeners are not putting a stopwatch to their listening, and they may just be nice.” But it’s still a glimpse of good news in an industry desperately needing good news. KLOS changes KLOS (95.5 FM) appears to be headed in the same direction as KROQ (106.7 FM): total meltdown, as I see it.To absolutely no one’s surprise, Frosty Stilwell is gone, not just furloughed, as he wrote on his Facebook page. I predicted such when he left the show in March. This means the morning show is back to being just “Heidi and Frank.” News this week comes that afternoon personality Gary Moore, and weekenders Frazier Smith and Jim “JD” Daniels have been permanently let go as well. What’s going on? It appears that KLOS wants to break ties with the past, similar to what is happening with KROQ. Will this mean a new direction for the station? I see two ways it could go. 1) Continue playing the same music I heard in high school but with either no personalities or young DJs who work cheap, or 2) Actually actively program to attract new listeners, and in that case assemble an air staff that reflects the new direction you hope to go. There is a third option, and that is a totally new format. Right now, I don’t see that happening, but it is a possibility. Knowing the direction radio is going, my hunch is it will be option one above. Why? Because in today’s atmosphere, cheapness rules. The good side of that? Another station can come in and do something creative even easier. The best stations of the past always came from earlier failures … it can happen again. Spotted I just saw some KNXFM.93.com T-shirts …

Radio: KROQ has a problem, and here’s how to fix it KROQ (106.7 FM)  has been a big thing in Los Angeles for many years, longer than many fans even realize. The station actually had its genesis in 1972 as an AM station at 1500 AM, home of the former KBLA. The new KROQ played top-40 music and included personalities such as Charlie Tuna, Sam Riddle, Shadoe Stevens, and Jimmy Rabbitt, among others. As with KBLA, in spite of big-name talent, the station was never able to compete against the big boys in town, primarily KHJ (930 AM).  A limited signal didn’t help. In 1973, KPPC-FM was purchased and became KROQ-FM, simulcasting the AM programming. But money was tight, and soon the staff was not being paid. By mid-1974, some of the personalities had resigned, the others went on strike, and the stations went off the air for about two years. The KROQ most of us know picks ups from there. Back on the air in late 1975, the stations — under the direction of Stevens — were playing a format of rock music with an emphasis on some of the new music hitting the local scene … primarily punk and new wave. Top articles 1/5 In 1980, the stations stopped simulcasting; the AM went Spanish and eventually off the air. The FM, though, was building momentum. Rick Carroll arrived to program the station and tweaked the format … still focusing on new music, but with a top-40 approach. Essentially, Carroll saw the station not as “alternative,” but as the place to hear new music and new bands first — no matter the genre. Artists included The Ramones, The Police, The Cars, Duran Duran, Blondie, Sparks, The Runaways, Devo … and Prince, The Rolling Stones and the Beach Boys. I bring up this history in order to maintain perspective. A recent story in Variety (tinyurl.com/RadioWaves0529) makes the claim that recent changes at the station mean the end of KROQ “as we know it.” What recent changes? Several months after half of Kevin and Bean left for England at the end of 2019, the station got a new programmer, management fired Kevin Ryder and the rest of the morning show and started switching up the music. Ratings, for their part, tanked … to the point where the station now finds itself with fewer listeners than any time since the early 1980s. But therein lies the problem. The KROQ that we “know” is not the station that we think we know. It has been over a decade, maybe two, since KROQ was actually a place to find new music and discover new bands. Over the years the station has gotten as predictable and stale as the stations it once beat. The same thing that killed KMET (now KTWV, 94.7 FM) — complacency and an aversion to risk — was killing KROQ as well. The only reason it wasn’t noticed was the boost Kevin and Bean gave to the station’s ratings; it became painfully obvious this past month when KROQ earned a mere 1.4 share of the audience. KMET, by the way, had a 1.6 share when the decision was made to end its format. Over the years, KROQ essentially painted itself into a corner. Yes, it did play music that was different than some of the music played on other stations. But it was predictable. Songs were slow to be added. New bands were missed. The focus was on “alternative,” limiting the sound unlike the early days when the focus was being the first to play what would later be heard elsewhere. Instead of excitement coming over the airwaves, it was boredom. I have wondered for years why a station that still sold itself on being the place for new music was playing mostly “recurrents,” industry jargon for songs that have been around a while. I like Blink-182, for example, but I should not hear songs in regular rotation from an album now ten years old. So in my opinion, KROQ has to die so that KROQ can live. I don’t know if new programmer Mike Kaplan has the ability — or the authority — to do what needs to be done, but KROQ absolutely needs to bring back the focus on finding new music, breaking new bands, and opening up the playlist. It needs to become a true a