LA Radio Waves

By LA Radio StudioArts

LA Radio Waves episodes

September 22, 2023 Radio Waves Podcast #382
Radio:
September 8, 2023
            Trends are funny. Funny in an
interesting way, and often caused by forces not necessarily obvious.

            Such an example is top-40 radio,
represented locally by KIIS (102.7 FM). The station that almost single-handedly
brought the format back from its death in the early 1980s while hitting record
high ratings for an FM station, is on hard times now. The July Nielsens had the
station tied for 8th place with a 3.7 share of the audience … a far cry from
the 10+ shares of the 1980s.

            But I am not here to bash KIIS. I
am merely using it as an example of some trends that have come together, and
perhaps help find a way out.

            First and foremost, the appeal of
oldies cannot be denied. Out of the top-10 stations, fully six are either fully
oldies-based or rely heavily on them in the music mix. KRTH (101.1 FM) KTWV
(94.7 FM), My FM (KBIG, 104.3), KOST (103.5 FM) Jack (KCBS-FM, 93.1) and KLOS
(95.5 FM) all predominantly play songs not released in the last year.

            KIIS is definitely not alone.
Top-40, or Contemporary Hit Radio as it is called today. has taken a hit
nationwide. As the format tends to attract younger listeners, the fact that
many younger listeners are getting their music from streaming services and apps
like TikTok, it seems to be the natural progression.

            Indeed, InsideMusicMedia’s Jerry
Del Colliano has extensively covered the migration to and influence of
streaming; a recent Billboard.com story spoke of TikTok’s appeal to young
listeners; top-40 stations across the country have added more “gold” to their
playlists; and the idea of playing music that is old but “new to you” has taken
hold as an easy way to attract listeners.

            But it doesn’t work to attract
younger listeners, thus top-40 as a format suffers.

            Yet the answer lies in the appeal
of the very things that are supposedly killing radio. TikTok is exposing kids
to music, new and old, from multiple genres. Streaming services use curators to
find music that listeners may like, based upon the songs they play — and those
they skip.

            Add in Sean Ross, who writes in
RadioInsight.com that most people fondly remember their own top-40 listening
days from “when top-40 played it all,” and you have the answer: play it all.

            Top-40 has always thrived when it
played it all, and has always stagnated when it limited itself. You saw it
happen with too much “bubblegum,” too much disco, too much country, too much of
“the Miami sound,” too much grunge, and too much Hip-Hop. All of those eras had
temporarily success, but ultimately led to ratings declines as listeners left
for other stations.

            Yet when “they played it all,” such
as the 1960s where you could hear The Beatles, The Bee Gees, Jefferson Airplane
and Cream all on the same station, it just worked. Same for when Prince, The
Rolling Stones, Fleetwood Mac, and Foreigner all shared space on the same
station. Today KRTH is leading the ratings doing nothing more than playing the
music that once played on KIIS … Naked Eyes, Wham, Soft Cell, Tears for Fears,
Madonna, Depeche Mode and Outfield.

            That variety of music makes things
interesting, and today’s teens especially are, according to research, more
willing to listen to different genres right now than any other generation.

            Inside Music Media’s Del Colliano
suggests that perhaps it is time to hire curators — locally, of course, so you
can better match the audience — to find new music and present it. “Young
audiences are more eclectic than baby boomers, Gen X or even older millennials
- they mix genres,” he explains. They are “spellbound” when they find it, open
to fresh musical styles, “and amazingly curious.”

            Radio is losing young people, he
says in part because, aside from the commercial overload, “radio no longer
breaks new music and acts.” Fix it by doing so, and become the influencers you
used to be, Del Colliano advises programmers, instead of letting social media
do it.

            Ross takes it a step further and
blames, in part, the record companies for not even trying to promote new
musical styles and acts to hit radio stations.

            I agree fully with all of the
above, which you already know if you’ve read this column very long. Your
responses to me tell me that you agree as well. And like the dark days of hit
top-40 radio before, all it takes is a KHJ, a Ten-Q, a KIIS-FM, or the like to
take up the cause and do it right.

            Top-40 is not dead, it’s just
dormant. And the time is ripe for a comeback. Hopefully sooner than later.

            Rumor Mill

            Is Saul Levine ready to test
all-digital AM on his K-Mozart (1260 AM)? I’ve been told “maybe.” I hope it
happens … I’d love to see how far an all-digital AM signal can carry both
during the day and night, and if it helps reduce the interference between stations.
If it happens, you’ll be the first to know.
            ///

Radio:
September 15, 2023

Over
the air television broadcasts are about to undergo another transition similar
to the original transition to digital transmissions over a decade ago. Digital
television broadcasts launched a few years prior, but in 2009 most analog
television broadcasts were shut down, and digital, using what is called the
ATSC 1.0 standard, was the default over-the-air standard.

More
recently a new technology called ATSC 3.0 has been developed, offering
more efficient signal use, better and easier reception, improved picture
quality, and even streaming and on-demand services. One additional benefit: the
system would allow for 50 — or more — full-fidelity radio stations to be sent
along in the space of just one channel. That is if the industry decides to
develop the concept.
According
to an article at TechRadar.com, the idea was developed by Fraunhofer, “the
company behind the original MP3 audio compression standard that ultimately led
to the development of the best MP3 players and paved the way for music and
internet radio streaming as well.

(full
article at https://www.techradar.com/news/if-atsc-30-broadcasts-pack-50-radio-stations-in-one-tv-channel-im-all-ears)

“Fraunhofer
is seeking to have its highly efficient xHE-AAC audio codec, which allows for
high-quality voice transmission at a mere seven kilobits per second and stereo
music at bit rates from 24 kilobits per second and up, ‘brought into the ATSC
for standardization.’ Doing so would let ATSC 3.0 broadcast TV stations deliver
a package of local and national radio services using just a small fraction of
their spectrum bandwidth.”

What
this means is that, if the standards committees agree, we could have an
additional way to send and receive radio broadcasts over the air, receivable in
cars and homes, … and if done right could be a true competitor to current AM
and FM stations dominated by a mere three owners.

I
suggest the proposal include limits to ownership, such that only a small
handful of stations could be owned and operated by any one company. This would
avoid the mess we have now with stale formats and commercial overloads that
push people away to other entertainment sources. I’d push for no more than two
stations in one market and only seven nationwide … basically the same limits
radio had back when it was a super-power listener and ad-wise.

YouTube’s
“Antenna Man” has a little video on the concept at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDUotDRS1hs
… check it out if you are interested.

Reception
Questions

We
live in San Juan Capistrano and enjoy listening to 91X. We have radios in
the master bath and garage.

“The
signal from 91X is highly variable. On some days the reception is great, on
others the station barely registers. Any insight into why that’s the case?
Thanks!” — Eric Carlson

FM
reception can be tricky for two reasons … under certain (usually bad weather)
conditions, the signal just doesn’t travel as far, and it always has trouble
with hills, since it travels in a straight line. Ironically, the other
condition is when it’s REALLY clear, and the signal gets interrupted by
neighboring stations on or near the frequency. HD signals make it worse because
they add to the sideband interference. In some cases, stations once heard just
disappear!

A
house FM/TV antenna, if you can connect one, will usually make a huge
difference. Just make sure it is designed for the FM band, which is between the
old analog television Channel 6 and 7.
Of
course the other solution is to use a smart speaker or smartphone app.

“For
the past week I have been grumbling over my poor AM reception as I have been
driving around the northern part of the San Fernando Valley in my 2006 GMC
truck with my factory installed 31-inch stick antenna projecting from my front
fender.

“It
is nearly impossible to hear clearly 710, 790, and 1020AM broadcasting. The
interference and screeching is horrendous. As a result, I thought of you and
writing you an email when your column appeared today. Thus, I look to you for a
solution. What do I do to receive reception? Do I need to replace my antenna?
If so, what do I replace it with? What is the solution? I would appreciate any
advice and recommendations.” — The Reverend Greg Frost, Granada Hills

AM
is a different animal reception-wise from FM. While FM is relatively
statice-free (reference: Steely Dan’s hit song “FM”), AM can pick up
interference from almost anything: cheap electrical transformers, ungrounded
electric supply wires, light dimmers, cable boxes, LED traffic lights and much
more. In fact, it is the response by radio manufacturers in reducing
interference that caused AM to get a reputation as a terrible-sounding
broadcast system.

AM
is actually capable of excellent fidelity. Many radios manufactured before the
1980s sounded good; many in the 1960s were excellent. The AM stereos of the
1980s and ‘90s often were superb. But too many are awful, and there is
definitely a price to be paid with so much extra interference around us today.

Add
to this the fact that too many station owners gave up their prime broadcast
towers or allowed building in and around the transmitter site, and you have
another problem - far weaker signals than ever before for many stations.

In
this specific case, in order to trace it out, it is important to know - did it
come on suddenly? Is the antenna tight? Is there ay corrosion on the mast
mount? Is the antenna grounded? Does the interference happen only when the
truck is running, or all the time?

Often
car radio interference can be traced to a bad ground wire, a loose battery
connection, or in one case of my own years ago, a car phone charger that made
AM reception almost impossible whenever it was plugged in.

I’d
look for corrosion and grounds first, then move on from there.

Radio: September 22, 2023
            The
August Nielsen ratings were released last week for Los Angeles, and while I
will not be covering the entire list — I leave that for quarterly reports so as
to not bore you too much — there was definitely a station worth mentioning: KFI
(640 AM)
            The
reason it’s worth mentioning has as much to do with the success the station has
enjoyed as it does the dire predictions many made when programmer Robin
Bertolucci adjusted the programming and moved a few hosts around in early
January.
            “They’re
doomed,” cried some. No one will listen to John and Ken — who moved from their
longtime afternoon drive slot to take on the 1 to 3 p.m. hours — that
early. Tim Conway will not attract an audience in afternoons like he had at
night. Etcetera, etcetera …
            And
‘Mo Kelly? Who’s he?
            I
even had people write in talking about the steep ratings drop KFI had due to
the changes. There was only one problem: it never really happened, in a
statistical sense. I looked it up … for most of the last few years, KFI ranged
from the mid-high 3s to the low-mid 4s with a few periods even higher. So this
year, ranging from 4.1 to 4.3 was normal.
            But
the ratings for August had KFI at a recent high: 4.8, good for third place over
all. Done with little promotion, no marketing (why is that, by the way?) … and
all those changes that “killed” it.
            Why
is KFI so successful? Isn’t conservative talk dead? Yes, it is … and it’s been
decades since KFI was considered “conservative talk” even when it wasn’t. There
have always been a balance of viewpoints on the station; as it moved away from
politically-centered topics to more general topics, it matched the mood of
listeners who wanted to be entertained more than they wanted to be angry.
            Thus,
the idea of shortening the shifts to keep shows fresh and fast-moving, keeping
all of the current hosts while allowing for afternoon exposure of the amazing
wit on the Conway Show, and the introduction, or perhaps re-introduction of
general talk in the evenings with the addition of ‘Mo Kelly every evening
at 7:00 … worked out perfectly.
            And
having a stellar news department helps as well.
            “I
am super-proud of the KFI team,” said programmer Bertolucci. “In addition to
being #3 overall — and the top-rated news or talk station — we are so happy to
be the most streamed station on the iHeart app.”
            She
said that on-demand and podcasts are doing great as well.
            “KFI
is THE live and local station for Southern California, and I think the key is
all the ways people can hear us. From streaming in your car to listening on
your smart speaker at home, we’ve got you covered.”
            I
asked her what she thought was the secret to the success of the station.
Consistency? Fun? Yes, she said, to both. “Our hope is that any time you tune
in, you are not only informed, but you are also entertained,” she said adding,
“Thank you to all our wonderful listeners for their support!”
            1110
AM Gets Religion
            KRDC
(1110 AM) was finally transferred to its new owner on September 8th. On that
day it became KWVE, the AM simulcast of Calvary Chapel’s KWVE-FM (107.9). The
format is Christian talk, which has been running on the FM signal for many
years.
            With
that strong FM signal, why did the church buy the one-time top-40 powerhouse?
Better coverage in the northern and western parts of the city, I am told, and
an extended signal reach up and down the coast. Obviously Calvary Chapel
believes in AM broadcasting …
            And
just to show that some things go full circle, 1110 AM, even though the station
is not longer using the KRLA call letters it once had, is competing once more
against KHJ (930 AM), which now airs Catholic talk programming.
            Resting
in Radio Peace
            Don
Barrett announced his cancer diagnosis in mid August; last week the news came
that he had passed.
            I
won’t write a new obituary here; the column honoring him that ran on August
25th will suffice. But I wanted to mention an interview — a rare one, since
Barrett even to the end rarely did interviews — done by my podcast partner Mike
Stark. It includes some wonderful memories of radio past and present, shows
Barrett’s philosophy of always looking to the positive, and even includes some
classic airchecks I had not heard before that Barrett critiques. It’s a great
listen and can be found at youtube.com/watch?v=SJ6BjY2cwYc.
            In
an ordinary instant, Don, you will be missed. God bless you.
            Richard
Wagoner is a San Pedro freelance columnist covering radio in Southern
California. Email [email protected]
            ///


0 min
August 30, 2023 Radio Waves Podcast #381
Radio Waves: September 1, 2023
Antenna Mania
I recently had a chance to try out a really cool looking — at least in the opinion of some — antenna for my truck. The brand itself doesn’t matter much as these are all similar in design: flexible rubber with some sort of spiral wire inside to, as the description says, optimize reception for both AM and FM bands.
Most modern cars and trucks have special antennas that barely stick out of the body, and rely on signal amplifiers to get good reception. And most do quite well, including the one on my son’s Chevy Cruze … that radio gets better reception than almost any car radio I’ve ever used.
But my truck is a 1999 Silverado, with the old school antenna. The factory original sticking up 31 inches from the fender, it is optimized for FM frequencies but does quite well with AM too, including picking up the HD digital stream of KBRT (740 AM) from San Pedro. and occasionally getting the identification from KMZT (1260 AM) even though I can’t get the actual HD sound until I get closer. FM is similarly solid everywhere I drive.
But I couldn’t help wondering if the mini flex antenna — a “new generation” with a carbon-fiber base covering, built-in copper wire, and “optimized AM/FM reception by nearly 40%,” whatever that actually means — could live up to the hype and at least match or even beat my factory install.
Turns out, it couldn’t, and I realized that the 40% optimized reception means the reception is about 40% of what I used to receive with my original.
Most people may not have noticed the difference in FM performance, but I have an HD radio head unit, and it likes a good clear signal. FM stations generally did come in well with little interference similar to the original, though a few stations were just missing, such as KFBG (100.7 FM) and KGB (101.1 FM), which usually come in decently due to the signal shooting straight up the coast from San Diego to San Pedro … at least on a clear day.
But the HDs were hit and miss, with more reception problems than ever. Even Go Country (105.1 FM) had trouble locking in the HD stream, and that is usually one of the most reliable where I like.
AM on the other hand, was an entirely disappointing experience. Static everywhere, even over flamethrower 50,000 watt powerhouse KFI (640 AM). KMZT could not even be heard, and mid-signal stations such as KLAC (570 AM), KABC (790 AM), and KHJ (930 AM) were essentially unlistenable.
To prove it wasn’t just weather or atmospheric conditions on the test day, I put my factory antenna back on and all the reception problems cleared up. Immediately.
I bring this up not to bash the manufacturer of the antenna I evaluated. Instead I want to highlight the fact that antenna design, including length and other aspects, is exceedingly important to good reception. AM likes an antenna as long as possible, FM seems to work well with — on a car at least — that 31 inches preciously mentioned. Something to do with wavelength as I recall — engineers, feel free to confirm or correct me.
Newer cars usually use special small antennas are just that: antennas designed to work with the car’s construction and electronics to optimize reception.
Home radios and stereos can suffer from the same issues, and reception there can often be improved for AM by rotating the radio or moving it away from other electronics to cancel out interference. For FM, if you can connect it to a house antenna just like most televisions used to be, you’ll hear stations from greater distances than ever before.
Of course all of this is moot if you listen via apps. But that’s another column …
Sound Science
Another new toy I recently evaluated is a special little box that turns my normal iPhone’s Car Play wired system into wireless. Not an amazing must-have, mind you, but really a nice thing if you do have it. When I start up the truck, the phone connects automatically and starts playing whatever I was listening to last.
Yesterday I was driving my dog Snoopy back from a check-up at the vet’s office, and Alt 98.7 FM came on. I really wasn’t paying attention, but it turned out it was playing through CarPlay via the iHeart app. How does it compare with the over-the-air signal?
I checked. While it does sound good on the app, over the air is vastly superior on a direct comparison. More open, more dynamic … just better.
This is not an indictment of apps, by the way. Some stations, including both over-the air simulcasts and internet-only stations sound absolutely phenomenal on apps. And Alt does sound fine. But the difference in quality was noticeable, and probably related to reducing bandwidth on the internet stream to allow more connections as well as cut streaming costs. Just a guess … again, engineers can feel free to confirm or correct me.
Where the apps excel, though, are areas of weak reception. As long as the internet signal is good, apps can work where AM and FM cannot.
And while I am on the subject of Alt 98.7 … I mean this with love … The Foo Fighters and Maneskin both made more than one song each … just sayin’.
///
Radio: August 25, 2023
Don Barrett is one of the radio’s biggest supporters. Not only was he in radio — among other accomplishments, he launched KIQQ (now KKLQ, 100.3 FM) in the early 1970s — he is and has been a friend even to those radio personalities he never met.
His book, “Los Angeles Radio People,” set out to highlight every radio personality who was ever on the local airwaves between the years of 1957 to 1994 (First Edition) and 1957 to 1997 (Second Edition). As much as possible, many behind the microphone were also featured. There was supposed to be a Third Edition, but a tragic hard drive crash and the lack of suitable backup caused the update to be abandoned.
In order to publicize the book, Barrett created the Los Angeles Radio People website, at laradio.com. At first it was just information about the book, but it soon grew in to a news and information site that quickly became a must-read daily gathering of radio people and radio fans alike. In time the site eclipsed the book in importance, with daily updates of the industry including what people were up to, the state of the industry, and even a call for help for those down on their luck. Kind of the gathering place at the company cooler.
Barrett always made sure that both in his books and the site, he was always positive. Rare was the case when he wasn’t presenting only positive vibes. Even after he decided to retire from the daily updates, he still maintained contact with his thousands of radio friends, updating the “Where Are They Now” listings, and continuing to act as radio’s cheerleader with re-posts of past columns highlighting various achievements, awards, and more.
Last week, Barrett posted something more serious.
“I discovered the writings of Joan Didion late in life,” he wrote. “She coined the phrase, ‘ordinary instant.’ Perhaps the phrase leaped off the page because death comes in such a rushing finality. She wrote: ‘Life changes fast/Life changes in the instant/You sit down to dinner and life as you know it ends.’ Joan’s husband was robbed of 3,500 days. In an ordinary instant.
“For the past two months, I have been in constant pain. Doctors, hospitals and ERs. Yesterday I was in the San Luis Obispo ER for more tests. And there it was in an ordinary instant – advanced stages of liver cancer that had spread.
“The doctor was sorry to pass on the news and couldn’t hold back tears. Cherie and I looked at each other, burst into tears and almost simultaneously said, ‘I think this is my ordinary instant.’
“I have been blessed with two great loves in my life. I struggled with relationships for the first 70 years. In 2012 the most amazing woman entered my life. Cherie taught me about unconditional love. She is the greatest blessing ever. It is never too late to start over. My three children embraced her from the beginning.
“My second love has been radio. Thank you for supporting my love affair for over a quarter of a century. I will be shutting down LARadio in the coming days.”
I asked Don if it was OK to share the news, and he told me that he keeps no secrets … and immediately thanked me for all I’ve done … typical Don … looking toward the positive. His positivity over time helped me to become more positive in life, a better person overall, and certainly a better supporter of the radio community. I have truly appreciated our friendship.
Barrett supported others as well, writing in that same post, “Another blessing, after 42 years of being clean and sober, I have been so privileged to share my experience, strength and hope with younger men on the path to sobriety.
“If we're lucky we get 28,000 days. Cherish them and don't waste one of them. God bless!”
The site’s front page is still up as I write this, but no content is available except for a mention of the shut down: “In an ordinary instant - cancer has taken LARadio.com”
Don - may your remaining time on earth be without pain and as positive as you deserve. Be with your family. And remember, you will forever and always be radio’s historian.
Condensed Access
AllAccess.Com founder Joel Denver announced in July that mid August would be its shutdown; early August bright some good news, with the following post on line … “The outpouring from the radio and music communities, our clients and partners since our ALL ACCESS closure announcement set for August 15th has been unbelievable. Thank you, so much. Your feedback gave us pause to review what could still be possible despite the financial headwinds we have been facing.
“ALL ACCESS has heard you loud and clear, so beginning AUGUST 16th, a modified/abbreviated ALLACCESS.COM site will be available with some basic services still intact.”
The daily Net News updates have been discontinued, as have much of the original content. But various elements will live on even if just archival form. Of course I hold out hope that over the course of time, more original content will return. For now … it’s good news regardless.
Richard Wagoner is a San Pedro freelance columnist covering radio in Southern California. Email [email protected].
///
Radio Waves: September 1, 2023
Antenna Mania
I recently had a chance to try out a really cool looking — at least in the opinion of some — antenna for my truck. The brand itself doesn’t matter much as these are all similar in design: flexible rubber with some sort of spiral wire inside to, as the description says, optimize reception for both AM and FM bands.
Most modern cars and trucks have special antennas that barely stick out of the body, and rely on signal amplifiers to get good reception. And most do quite well, including the one on my son’s Chevy Cruze … that radio gets better reception than almost any car radio I’ve ever used.
But my truck is a 1999 Silverado, with the old school antenna. The factory original sticking up 31 inches from the fender, it is optimized for FM frequencies but does quite well with AM too, including picking up the HD digital stream of KBRT (740 AM) from San Pedro. and occasionally getting the identification from KMZT (1260 AM) even though I can’t get the actual HD sound until I get closer. FM is similarly solid everywhere I drive.
But I couldn’t help wondering if the mini flex antenna — a “new generation” with a carbon-fiber base covering, built-in copper wire, and “optimized AM/FM reception by nearly 40%,” whatever that actually means — could live up to the hype and at least match or even beat my factory install.
Turns out, it couldn’t, and I realized that the 40% optimized reception means the reception is about 40% of what I used to receive with my original.
Most people may not have noticed the difference in FM performance, but I have an HD radio head unit, and it likes a good clear signal. FM stations generally did come in well with little interference similar to the original, though a few stations were just missing, such as KFBG (100.7 FM) and KGB (101.1 FM), which usually come in decently due to the signal shooting straight up the coast from San Diego to San Pedro … at least on a clear day.
But the HDs were hit and miss, with more reception problems than ever. Even Go Country (105.1 FM) had trouble locking in the HD stream, and that is usually one of the most reliable where I like.
AM on the other hand, was an entirely disappointing experience. Static everywhere, even over flamethrower 50,000 watt powerhouse KFI (640 AM). KMZT could not even be heard, and mid-signal stations such as KLAC (570 AM), KABC (790 AM), and KHJ (930 AM) were essentially unlistenable.
To prove it wasn’t just weather or atmospheric conditions on the test day, I put my factory antenna back on and all the reception problems cleared up. Immediately.
I bring this up not to bash the manufacturer of the antenna I evaluated. Instead I want to highlight the fact that antenna design, including length and other aspects, is exceedingly important to good reception. AM likes an antenna as long as possible, FM seems to work well with — on a car at least — that 31 inches preciously mentioned. Something to do with wavelength as I recall — engineers, feel free to confirm or correct me.
Newer cars usually use special small antennas are just that: antennas designed to work with the car’s construction and electronics to optimize reception.
Home radios and stereos can suffer from the same issues, and reception there can often be improved for AM by rotating the radio or moving it away from other electronics to cancel out interference. For FM, if you can connect it to a house antenna just like most televisions used to be, you’ll hear stations from greater distances than ever before.
Of course all of this is moot if you listen via apps. But that’s another column …
Sound Science
Another new toy I recently evaluated is a special little box that turns my normal iPhone’s Car Play wired system into wireless. Not an amazing must-have, mind you, but really a nice thing if you do have it. When I start up the truck, the phone connects automatically and starts playing whatever I was listening to last.
Yesterday I was driving my dog Snoopy back from a check-up at the vet’s office, and Alt 98.7 FM came on. I really wasn’t paying attention, but it turned out it was playing through CarPlay via the iHeart app. How does it compare with the over-the-air signal?
I checked. While it does sound good on the app, over the air is vastly superior on a direct comparison. More open, more dynamic … just better.
This is not an indictment of apps, by the way. Some stations, including both over-the air simulcasts and internet-only stations sound absolutely phenomenal on apps. And Alt does sound fine. But the difference in quality was noticeable, and probably related to reducing bandwidth on the internet stream to allow more connections as well as cut streaming costs. Just a guess … again, engineers can feel free to confirm or correct me.
Where the apps excel, though, are areas of weak reception. As long as the internet signal is good, apps can work where AM and FM cannot.
And while I am on the subject of Alt 98.7 … I mean this with love … The Foo Fighters and Maneskin both made more than one song each … just sayin’.
///

13 min
August 08, 2023 Radio Waves Podcast #380
Radio:
August 11

            Hearing Taylor Swift 24/7 wasn’t
enough for you? You needed more?

            On the heals of Taylor 105.1 HD3,
in which one of the HD radio streams tied to Go Country 105 plays nothing but
Taylor Swift (you need a special HD radio to hear it; new cars often have them)
came word that KIIS-FM joined the trend.

            Scheduled for August 3-9 — so
depending on when you read this it may already be over — KIIS-FM became
“SWFT-FM,” playing at least four Swift songs an hour. Last weekend included
classic Taylor hits, Monday was Merch-Monday in which listeners could win
official Swift memorabilia, Tuesday was Taylor TWOsday — back to back Swift
songs — and much more.

            Even morning man Ryan Seacrest got
into the act giving way a pair of tickets for the final show on August 9th.

            Not to be outdone, Alt 98.7 was
doing an “anything but Swift” promotion. Different strokes.

            Stunting

            While 105.1 HD3 continues to play
all Swift through the end of the month, rumors are circulating on what will
happen when the stunt is done. I originally assumed that the format would
revert to the Adult Standards format that focussed on Frank Sinatra and
friends, but there is word on the street that something new night be coming.
And you know what happens when one assumes.

            HD radio signals are a tough sell,
as the reach is limited compared with regular FM signals, due to a far lower
number of HD radios in the hands of consumers as well as reception
problems — dropouts — when the signal isn’t pristine. That can often be
made up by the use of smartphone apps and smart speakers … unfortunately adding
more costs, such as music streaming license fees and costs associated with
computers. As most HD signals have few to no commercials or sponsorships, it is
most definitely a labor of love for owners who truly try to make a go of it.

            Could the right format combined
with the right promotion make an HD stream at least break even, if not
profitable? That’s your question of the week: If you could program an HD
stream, such as 105.1 HD3, what would you put on it and why? For extra credit,
how might you promote the station to not only attract listeners, but
advertisers?

            In the meantime, I’ll keep an ear
to the ground to see if a new format will indeed be replacing All-Taylor.

            Not Quite

            “In a significant change for Los
Angeles radio listeners, KNX has stopped simulcasting its broadcasts on 1070
AM, a frequency it had occupied for over a century,” read the story posted at
newsbreak.com. “The shift comes about a year and a half after KNX moved
its main broadcast to 97.1 FM.” The story — no longer available on line — went
on to state that listeners were shocked when they tuned in to 1070 AM and
didn’t hear the normal news format.

            A reader of this very column sent
me the posting; at first I just assumed that management made a decision that
was, um, questionable. Most people I know still tune to KNX on the AM band due
to its significantly stronger signal, even if the fidelity on most radios is
not quite as good. “Stupid,” I responded.

            But then I tuned in to hear it for
myself. Same news as always, an exact simulcast as has been happening for the
past year. That’s odd…

            Soon KNX management responded
directly to the story: “Hi there, Alex Silverman here, Director of News &
Programming at KNX News,” said the social media post. “Just want to clarify: we
have not ended the simulcast. KNX News is still on both 97.1 FM and 1070 AM in
all hours except weekend mornings (Sat 6-11a and Sun 6-8a), when 1070 AM airs
some paid and specialty programming.

            “This has been the case for more
than a year, and there has been no change recently. During those hours the news
is available on 97.1 FM as well as the Audacy app and by asking your smart
speaker to 'play KNX News.’”

            So what happened? AI, or artificial
intelligence that can be used to wrote stories. According to sources close to
the subject, it was a story written primarily by artificial intelligence, and I
will go out on a limb and state that the AI system involved probably just
picked up a discussion by people related to the weekend morning paid
programming. In the beginning of the simulcast, I am sure there were listeners
surprised/shocked/etc. to hear something other than news in those time blocks.
But weekend mornings does not translate to all the time.

            Luckily for you, we don’t use AI
here. In fact, I try to avoid all intelligence, not just artificial. Just ask
my editor - he’ll agree completely.

            Future Series

            I am planning to start a feature in
stations that don’t exist any more. But not just the big boys, or even the
big-boys’ big formats. Stations like the original KDAY when it played top-40
and rock. Magic Oldies Radio K-WOW. KBLA. Stations you loved, but were not
necessarily the stations that made it big.
            I can use your help on this … if
you have ideas for stations — and the personalities involved — to cover, send
them my way.
Radio: August 4, 2023
If you tuned in lately to digital HD Radio station 105.1 HD3
to hear Frank Sinatra and friends, you might have been shocked to find … Taylor
Swift!
            In
a nod to the format stunts of the past, station owner Saul Levine has changed
the format of Unforgettable LA to Unforgettable Taylor Swift. I would have
called it K-SWIFT, but I digress. In addition to the digital stream that
requires a special HD tuner to receive, if you live in San Fernando, you can
listen on a regular FM radio via the local low-powered transmitter that
simulcasts the format.
            Originally
scheduled to begin July 29th — my wife Jean’s birthday, by the way — it started
two days early and is planned to run for 30 days.
            Says
Levine: “Due to the extreme interest in the coming tour of Taylor Swift, we are
playing “All Taylor All the Time.” He added that the KKGO HD signals (there are
four) have a potential reach of 12 million people, and that many new cars
include HD radios as standard or optional equipment, depending on the
manufacturer.
            Discovering
Radio
            Something
wrong with the software or a module in my wife’s car causes her radio to
“forget” four of the preset pages, which also leads to the radio tuning in the
last AM or FM station heard no matter what other setting you had. For example,
you might have been tuned into SiriusXM’s Coffeehouse when you were driving …
next time you start up, you’re back listening to the radio.
            I
don’t think it’s a feature pushed by broadcasters in order to get people
listening to traditional radio. But it is working … Jean has spent the last
month listening to Alt 98.7 and KRTH 101. “It’s too much trouble to switch
back,” she says, adding that she’s enjoyed the music.
            AM
for All
            Though
automaker Ford agreed to keep AM radio in its cars for at least one more model
year, there are others that already removed it from the dashboard and the
threat is there regardless. So work continues in the legislative arena.
            Last
week the US Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation passed the
“AM for Every Vehicle Act,” sending it to the full Senate for debate.
            According
to industry newspaper Radio World (radioworld.com), The act “would direct the
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to issue a rule requiring
automakers to maintain AM broadcast radio in their vehicles without a separate
or additional payment, fee or surcharge. It says AM should be clearly visible
on the vehicle’s dashboard; and until the new standard would take effect, cars
lacking AM radio receivers would have to be labeled as such for buyers.”
            Interestingly,
the act was opposed by Senate Democrat Gary Peters (Michigan), who stated that
the act is not only unnecessary, but that “Congress has never mandated radio
features in vehicles ever before.”
            Ah,
but while Congress may not have, the FCC required something similar in the
1960s when it mandated all televisions include UHF tuners (covering channels
14-83) in the days when most homes watched VHF (channels 2-13). So it’s not
exactly unprecedented. In fact, had the FCC mandated AM stereo or selected a
single stereo system for the band, we may not be in the position we are in
right now.
            Some
observers are concerned, however, that mandating AM without minimum quality
standards for reception may make things worse.

Radio Waves: July 28, 2023
Ken and Dave talk
radio!
If you have
not already subscribed to Ken Levine’s podcast — available on multiple sources
including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Audible, or even links at his blog page,
kenlevine.blogspot.com — you owe it to yourself to start listening. Right now.
Go ahead …
I’ll wait.
Levine is a
multi-talented man, having worked in radio (aka Beaver Cleaver on Ten-Q and
B-100 among others), written for television and movies, written books and
cartoons, and even written plays. His intelligence, humor, and humble attitude
shine through his writings, and his “Hollywood and Levine” podcast is superb.
Recently he
interviewed former programmer of The Sound, Dave Beasing —now a podcast creator
and developer himself, regarding all things radio: programming, music,
competition, commercials and more. I won’t give away the content, but suffice
to say that he talks about much of what is discussed right here … or when he
guests on my own podcast I co-cost with Mike Stark (Radio Waves, also available
on numerous platforms). Great minds think alike, apparently.
Beasing, or
for that matter Levine, Stark, and myself, is a huge fan of radio and the
potential it has still. Not that he would want to necessarily be directly
involved in day to day programming right now. But his insight and knowledge of
radio and podcasting is tremendous. Look for episodes 333 and 334.
Career-Spanning Interviews
Speaking of
Stark and myself – over the years we have done numerous career-spanning
interviews with people both in front of and behind the radio microphone who
made huge contributions to our favorite medium.
The series
actually goes back many years and includes some greats, including:
Los Angeles
and surrounding city air personalities: Ace Young (KMET), Jeff Gonzer (KMET),
Cynthia Fox (KMET), Dr. Demento (KMET), Elliot Mintz (KABC), Mo Kelly (KFI),
Geno Michellini,(KLOS) , Shotgun Tom Kelly (KRTH), Dave “Hullabalooer” Hull,
(KRLA), JJ Johnson (KDAY), Ken Levine (KTNQ, KABC), Poorman (KROQ), Thrasher
(KNAC), Phil Hulett (KFWB), the “Insane” Darrell Wayne (KROQ), Lee Marshall
(KHJ, KABC) and a tribute to newswoman  Liz
Fulton (KIIS-FM).
Program
Directors: Chuck Martin (KHJ) and Dave Beasing (The Sound).
Radio
executives: Jeff Smulyan and Rick Cummings (Emmis Communications)
Radio
historian: Don Barrett (LARadio.com)
Listen day
or night – 24/7 on TuneIn at:  https://tunein.com/radio/LA-Radio-Studio-s196975/
or tell your smart device to “Play LA Radio Studio”.
The shows
will run continuously — and randomly — through mid-August, and will be a
regular part of the stream’s programming after that.
We
definitely need to do some more of them as well!
Where’s Kaplan
Where is
Leon Kaplan, the longtime “Motorman” as heard weekends on KABC (790 AM) for,
well, seemingly forever?
Retired,
says KPFK (90.7 FM) “The Car Show” host Dave Kunz. Kunz posted on social media,
“Congratulations to my friend Leon ‘Motorman’ Kaplan, retiring after an
incredible 43 years on the air at ONE radio station.
No word on
if it was his decision or not, but with new management coming in, perhaps he
just decided to hang it up.
State of the Industry
The news
broke with an announcement on its own website July 14th: radio and music
industry news site AllAccess.Com will be shutting down.
“It is with
much sadness that we announce that in our 28th year of
operation, ALLACCESS.COM will cease publishing at the close of
business at 6p (PT), TUESDAY, AUGUST 15th, 2023 due to a marked decrease in
revenues that makes moving forward impossible. The site will remain online for
an undetermined amount of time.
“This was
not a decision that was reached lightly nor without earnest tries to find a
path forward. It comes on the heels of major changes in the music industry
announced in JANUARY of this year. These strong financial headwinds also extend
to our non-music partners as well. Both downturns have greatly affected how ALL
ACCESS operates. The dollars are just not there to support our operation and
staff any longer. “
The changes
in the music industry mentioned reflect changes in promotions … and the budgets
spent on said promotions, which are in decline. With the radio industry itself
already having done that years ago, I can see why publisher  and site founder Joel Denver is
pulling the plug.
But it is a
huge loss for both music and radio fans … All Access has been a source of
information and research since its founding in 1995. And a class act the entire
time. I will miss it a lot.
///
19 min
July 17, 2023 Radio Waves Podcast #379
Radio
July 21, 2023
            Billboard Magazine announced last
week that — with her song “Karma” making it to #1 on the Pop Airplay chart —
Taylor Swift has tied the record for the most number one songs by an artist in
the history of the chart.

            “Karma” is her 11th #1 hit, and
that record puts her in good company, tying with Maroon 5, Katy Perry, and
Rihanna who all also had 11 Number 1s. Right below them is Justin Bieber with
ten Number 1s. No other artists are in the double digits.

            Now, you may be asking how can that
be? What about The Beatles? The Bee Gees? Michael Jackson? Elvis? Well, it’s
not really a technicality, but it has to do with what the list actually
measures and how old the list goes back. In this case it is a measure not of
sales, but how many times the song has been played by major stations across the
country … and it only goes back as far as October, 1992.

            If you investigate the actual
number of times an artist hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100, the leader
in indeed The Beatles, with 20 Number 1 hits; Mariah Carey is second on that
list with 19. Where’s Elvis? Third, with 18.

            Small Town Radio

            Brian Winnekins is the owner of
WRDN/Durand Wisconsin, one of the handful of AM AM stations across the country
still utilizing the Motorola C-Quam stereo system, which means that most
current radios can’t decode the stereo signal, but many from the 1980s and ‘90s
still can. With the improvements and investments in equipment he (and those in
similar situations) have made, his stations sounds remarkable on any decent
radio — stereo or not.

            Durand is a small farming town,
with a population of only about 1900 residents in the 2020 Census. But unlike
some small town stations, Winnekins doesn’t take the easy way out by just
putting on syndicated programming or political talk. Instead he takes his
community service roll seriously, and presents extensive agricultural news and
information, local high school athletic games, local news, local events, and
local weather. Oh, and country music.

            Note the word local. Back to that
soon.

            Recently, Winnekins posted
information on Facebook regarding the station’s Summer programming special:
“Doing the community service thing from our first fair of season,” he wrote.
“Yes we do live video streams of livestock shows. Don't laugh, we have 17
sponsors.”

            Seventeen sponsors, in a town of
fewer than 2000 residents, not counting the cattle. On a station that is on the
band that some say is dead. How can that be?

            Back to the word “local.” It is so
key to connecting with your audience — and advertisers. That focus on the local
audience is what makes the difference. An active audience that can then be
reached by local advertisers who have no other easy way to reach their target
customers.

            But certainly you could not do that
in Southern California. Really? Why not? There used to be local stations … in
fact all the stations used to be local in some sense. But the move to become
“bigger” can hurt when you can’t compete against the big boys with, for
example, a limited signal. Or even just a limited budget. The solution? Program
local.

            The original setup of many stations
was designed to be locally-focussed. As some stations grew, they became
dominant, of course. But there was still room for stations serving a local
audience. KGIL (now KMZT, 1260 AM) was designed and originally programmed for
the San Fernando Valley. KEZY (now KGBN, 1190 AM) was for Anaheim. KFOX (now
KDAY, 93.1 FM) was for Redondo Beach. How about a station actually programming
to the local community, whatever that community may be? San Pedro … Wilmington
… Huntington Park … Hermosa Beach… Fountain Valley… You get the idea.

            If I was a local business owner, I
could probably never afford to buy advertising time on KIIS-FM (102.7), and it
would probably not be worth it even if I could. But if I could advertise on a
station targeting my local community, it might be the best marketing investment
I could make.

            So as we continue the talk of
helping improve radio, programmers must remember that local trumps all, even
for the larger stations. KHJ (930 AM) wasn’t the most influential station of
its time when it played top-40 because it syndicated its programming or used
out of town DJs… it was so because it was Los Angeles… there were stations
similar, but there was only on KHJ. Only one KMET (now KTWV, 94.7 FM).
Only one KROQ (106.7 FM).

            Be the best you can be, program
locally, and there is no stopping you.

            Wheel of Reaction

            Not everyone was happy with the
news that KIIS morning man Ryan Seacrest was chosen as the replacement host for
“Wheel of Fortune” when Pat Sajak retires. Posts on social media were not all
positive, and letters from you were not necessarily supportive either
…
            “Seacrest sucks! He's going to
drive that show off a cliff faster than Dick Clark in a van getting away from
Michael Moore in ‘Bowling for Columbine.’” says reader Eric Peterson.

            In case you don’t know the
reference, as explained on documentarychannel.tumblr.com, in the movie “the former
American Bandstand host is ambushed outside his production office and made to
look insensitive because he shuts a minivan door in the filmmaker’s face.”

            I’m still reserving judgement. You
never know who will make a good host … I thought Snoop Dogg was going to be
awful on the relaunch of television game show “Joker’s Wild.” Instead he proved
to be quite good at it. Who knew?

            Richard Wagoner is a San Pedro
freelance columnist covering radio in Southern California. Email [email protected].
            ///
RadioWaves: July 14, 2023
McIntyre’s Musings
“About 15-years ago, I did one air shift at KFI (640 AM) radio,
wrote (former) longtime KABC (790 AM) morning talker Doug McIntyre on a social
media post. “I so impressed management that, after only a decade and a half,
they have invited me back. I will be filling in for John & Ken on Thursday,
June 29th and Friday, June 30th from 1-4pm. Nobody is more surprised than me.”
He did fill in, and it most certainly did not go unnoticed by
you … I received numerous emails asking if, just perhaps, McIntyre might come
back permanently to radio via KFI. So I asked; his response will disappoint
somewhat. But there is some good news too.
“I’m just happy to have had the opportunity to fill-in for John
and Ken, McIntyre explained, adding, “I am not looking for work. They called and
asked if I’d do it and the timing was good, especially with my book coming out
July 18th, so I said yes.
“It was a ton of fun, but after 4-1/2 years off the air, I was
as nervous as I was the first time I ever hosted a show. I’d be happy to do
more fill-in work if they ask. I have a lot of old friends in the building.”
Any possibility of a permanent position? Not interested.
But the book? What’s up with that? I have not read it, have not
seen an advanced copy, nor do I have any real information as to its content.
But I do know it is being released (as stated) on July 18th. And it is his
first full-length novel, entitled “Frank’s Shadow.”
You can read the synopsis by searching out the title, but this
part of the description jumped out when I read it on various bookseller sites:
“Frank’s Shadow is a deeply (sometimes darkly) human story wrapped in the
trappings of a delightfully gritty love letter to New York City’s less
glamorous neighborhoods.” Sounds intriguing!
McIntyre will be out promoting the book in person Tuesday July
18th from 7 to 8:30 p.m.  at
The Grove at Farmer’s Market in Los Angeles; July 22nd from noon to 1:30 p.m.
at Gatsby’s in Long Beach; and July 26th from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Pages: A Book
Store in Manhattan Beach. More signing events will be held in August as well …
you can see a calendar of events for the book and other aspects of his life at
dougmcintyre.com/upcoming-appearances.
More Oldies … on Hit Radio?
Well, I guess it figured to happen. Considering that even the
supposed new music stations like Alt 98.7 FM and KROQ (106.7 FM) are
essentially alternative oldies stations, perhaps it was just a matter of time
before top-40 stations became oldies stations as well.
I mean, why attract young people to radio when you can play the
same songs you played 20 years ago? Simple. Easy. Mindless. Lazy.
I am referring to a trend highlighted in a recent
RadioInsight.Com report by Lance Venta, who writes that “WKFS
Milford/Cincinnati Ohio has joined the growing number of CHR stations shifting
to a gold-heavy presentation.
“WKFS is still playing 3-4 currents per hour, but has removed
all of its re-currents and recent golds replacing them with golds mostly from
2000 to 2010,” he says.
To translate that into normal-speak, what they have done is
limited new releases — within the past year or so — to three or four songs per
hour, cut back on music over a year old (re-currents) along with those just
slightly older (recent golds). In their place are what we used to call oldies –
songs over ten years old. Note that the station is not going back too far,
though it is the modern equivalent of when stations like KHJ (930 AM) or K-WEST
(now KPWR, 105.9 FM) would drop back into the 1960s era when they played top-40
in the 1980s … or when KHJ played songs from the ‘50s in the 1960s and ‘70s.
The difference, though, is that stations like KHJ and K-WEST
maintained playing a LOT of new music, and the oldies added spice to the mix,
maybe twice an hour at most. And they were carefully selected to make you go
“wow – I haven’t heard that in years.” Usually the songs were part of a
flashback specially highlighted as “Yesterday,” “Number One then…” or the “time
machine.”
The modern version, by contrast, places the oldies at the
top-tier. Which would be OK if the stations sold themselves as the oldies
stations that they are, much like KRTH (101.1 FM) did in the late 1970s and
early 1980s.
Perhaps it will work, and radio can continue to shun younger
listeners, forcing them to other entertainment sources. But I find the entire
movement kind of sad when formats that are supposed to play new music … don’t.
If this continues, the only people who will listen to radio will be older than
me.
Sure it could bring in some listeners from other stations. But
it won’t bring in new listeners to radio, and it is basically the easy way to
temporarily make a buck. Like other make-a-buck schemes of the past — satellite
formats, “Jack” formats, cloned stations in every market, little promotion,
nationwide contests, one DJ for multiple stations — it will do nothing to make
radio competitive long term against the industry’s numerous competitors, from
streaming services to TikTok.
Sometimes it really does seem that the radio industry wants to
fail.
Richard Wagoner is a San Pedro freelance columnist covering
radio in Southern California. Email [email protected].

Radio Waves: July 7, 2023
Seacrest Takes the Wheel
Radio has a long history of sending many of its top
personalities to host television game shows. Among the most famous include Wink
Martindale, Jim Lange, Bob Eubanks, Gene Rayburn, and Pat Sajak, among many
more.
To that list, add KIIS (102.7 FM) morning man Ryan Seacrest, who
will replace Sajak on “Wheel of Fortune” at the end of the 2024 season. When
Sajak leaves, he will end more than four decades with the show, after taking
over for original host Chuck Woolery who left the show in a salary dispute in December,
1981.
Seacrest got his start in Los Angeles radio in 2004 at Star 98.7
FM (now known as Alt 98.7, KYSR). But he was only 16 when started in the
profession by winning an internship at his hometown radio station WSTR/Atlanta
where he learned all aspects of radio … including filling in for ill or
vacationing air personalities and eventually getting a regular weekend shift …
while still in high school.
His show on Star was during afternoon drive, and he was
definitely a “star” (pardon the pun) on the station paired with Lisa Fox. He
left for San Francisco’s K-101 in 2003, returning to Los Angeles less than a
year later to replace Rick Dees in February, 2004, a position he still holds
and has held all the while taking on numerous other radio and television gigs
including hosting syndicated radio program “American Top 40” and television
shows such as “American Idol,” “Live with Kelly and Ryan,” and the legendary
“New Year’s Rockin’ Eve,” which he inherited from another radio personality,
Dick Clark.
Many have compared Seacrest with Clark, primarily due to his
boyish looks and on-air  charm.
He has always been able to engage his audiences, and Seacrest has often said
that he idolized Clark growing up.
Interestingly and somewhat humorously, there was some pushback
on the internet boards over the announcement of the Wheel replacement. One
comment on twitter asked “how many jobs do you need?” with another pleading him
to reconsider, writing “We don’t want you! Go away lol! You’re just going to
ruin this amazing show.”
“Wheel” producers obviously feel differently, and are paying
Seacrest a reported $28 million per season, $13 million more than Sajak
reportedly earned from the show. Sajak, by the way, will stay on as a
consultant for three years. For historical reference, Woolery was let go when
he was asking $500,000 per season.
Salary issues aside, I do think Seacrest will be a good host.
His radio duties including hosting KIIS mornings will continue at least through
2025, the end of his current contract. My hunch is that he will remain at KIIS
far longer. Radio stations often benefit from television exposure of their
personalities, and you can’t get much more exposure than Seacrest.
Cardinal Rule
A wise programmer and consultant once told me that a general
interest morning show should shun discussion or presentation of political
viewpoints in order to avoid ticking off half of your potential audience.
Which is why I was so surprised when I tuned in to KROQ’s (106.7
FM)  morning Klein and Ally
show last Friday. During a segment that was presented as news, co-host Ally
Johnson launched into a short rant condemning a recent Supreme Court decision
and lamenting how bad the country has become.
Remember, this was supposedly news, though the segment also
devolved to include conjecture as to how couples can “hook up” behind the rows
of port-a-potties at festival concerts. KROQ does not run editorials.
Personally, I don’t care what her opinion is, on any subject.
She can think whatever she wants. But if I was the program director of KROQ,
trying to build an audience for a dying station against competition that has
been killing the morning show in the ratings for years? I’d be livid.
If I were in management for the ownership, Audacy, which just
instituted a reverse 1-for-30 stock split in order to try to shore up finances
… I’d be questioning my choice of program director. There’s just too much at
stake.
23 min
June 27, 2023 Radio Waves Podcast #378
Radio Waves: June 30, 2023
Remembering John Felz
John Felz began his radio career in 1971, working in the mail
room of KMPC (now KSPN, 710 AM). In the small-world department, one of his
colleagues in the mail room was future KMET (now KTWV, 94.7 FM) newscaster and
personality Pat “Paraquat” Kelley, whose father Bob Kelley was the play-by-play
announcer for the Los Angeles Rams.
After a time, Felz was moved to the newsroom as an assistant,
supporting the newsroom staff by sorting and compiling stories that came across
the teletype machines from the various news services of the time, including the
Associated Press and United Press International. His duties also included
writing sports and weather reports for the news anchors and station
personalities such as Dick Whittinghill, Ira Cook, Johnny Grant, Gary Owens,
Geoff Edwards, Johnny Magnus, Wink Martindale and Robert W. Morgan.
Eventually he expanded into more programming elements both
within the station and as part of the Golden West Broadcasters Radio Network —
Golden West owned KMPC and the station was its flagship — which carried games
for the California Angels, the Rams, and UCLA football and basketball. Felz was
in charge of producing in-studio and in-stadium broadcasts for the network
affiliates.
He moved on — and up — to hold positions in management, including
Operations Director, Assistant Programmer, and producer for the morning show.
He left KMPC in 1995 and worked at a few stations, notably KRTH
(101.1 FM), KIEV (now KRLA, 870 AM), and the Music of Your Life Radio
Network.
Felz passed away on June 11th at the age of 78; no details on
the cause of his death were released but friends say he had been having a
series of health complications that most likely played a role. Friends and
family will gather for a remembrance of his life on July 1st in Sherman Oaks.
Bebop Deluxe
No, not the band. After a year of preparations, KKJZ (88.1 FM)
has launched a full-time bebop jazz sub-station, which can be heard online
(look for the special button at jazzandblues.org) or on a digital HD radio
tuner on 88.1 HD2.
While I am certainly not an expert, I do know that bebop is a
style of jazz music that is generally fast-tempo, uses many chord changes and
even key changes … and a lot of improvisation. This came about due to a younger
generation of jazz musicians pushing the creative boundaries of the genre in
the early to mid 1940s. Unlike much of the music of the time, bebop was not
intended as being danceable; instead it was to be heard. Charlie Parker, Sonny
Rollins and Miles Davis are among the influential bebop artists and composers.
Station consultant Saul Levine says that the music is being
compiled by the KKJZ staff, directed by Jose Rizo. “We are fulfilling a need
for jazz lovers, and we thank the California State University, Long Beach —
owner of the station — for its support of our efforts.”
“We are doing this in honor if Chuck Miles and the great bebop
music of the past.” he said.
Hayes Out
The rumors proved to be true … I had heard rumors from
absolutely reliable sources that KABC (790 AM) programmer and market manager
Drew Hayes had parted ways with the station and owner Cumulus Media, but I
could not get confirmation from any of the players involved.
Turns out the rumors were true. AllAccess.Com confirmed that
Hayes left the station in earlier June after many years with the station … this
being his second stint.
Hayes has extensive experience in the format and in radio,
having worked at WLS/Chicago, ESPN Radio, and KABC itself the last ten years in
addition to his first time at the helm back in the late 1990s.
Where this takes the station is unknown. It has been years since
KABC has been any type of force in the market, and conditions have gotten worse
as owner Cumulus continues to shed costs .. and stations. I cannot even
remember the last time I saw an ad for KABC … the last one I can remember
featured Ken (Minyard) and Bob (Arthur) … meaning it was decades ago.
With all the choices for stations and non-radio entertainment, a
marketing plan is imperative. KABC has had none, and the results speak for
themselves.
And rumors continue to swirl regarding Cumulus simply selling
the station, so perhaps Hayes dodged a proverbial bullet.
Radio Waves: June 23, 2023Where’s My Oldies?
I received more than a few emails regarding the loss of the LA
Oldies (aka K-SURF) stream. While the station can still be heard over the
airwaves if you have an HD radio and are able to clearly tune
in 105.1 HD4, many listeners used the internet or smartphone apps to listen,
and that’s what had been turned off due to the costs involved. The financial
burden for streaming rights has been an issue for many stations, especially in
smaller markets and niche formats.
Station owner Saul Levine knew that people liked the station and
listened through the stream, but he didn’t realize just how many. And it caught
him somewhat off guard when he started receiving calls and emails from around
the world asking what happened.
“I was amazed at the response and the size of the audience,” he
told me in early June. “We are reviewing the potential to bring it back,
especially if we can cover the costs to stream it.”
Then, last week, the good news: “K-SURF is making its way back
on the air,” Levine told me. “The outpouring of excitement for the format
surprised me. K-SURF is truly America’s Oldies station.”
It is taking time to get things going, but it will be back, he
says, with an even better experience on the apps. That’s music to many ears.
Legend Sold
The original KRLA (now KRDC, 1110 AM) has been sold.
Unfortunately not to anyone who will play top-40 or oldies as I would have
done. Perhaps bring back some of the magic that once propelled the station to
the top of the ratings in the 1960s or even as HitRadio 11 in the 1970s.
Disney sold its last remaining radio property to Calvary Chapel
of Costa Mesa for $5 million. Calvary also owns KWVE/San Clemente (107.9 FM) …
Southern California’s other Wave (K-Wave), not to be confused
with KTWV (94.7 FM – The Wave).
Not that I expect anyone to confuse K-Wave with The Wave, but it
is interesting that both stations serve much of the same area.
I am a little surprised that Calvary bought KRDC as they already
own a very powerful FM station, while KRDC’s signal is hampered with an odd
transmitting pattern that seems to send much of the signal over the ocean.
Perhaps they have plans to put some money into refurbishing the transmitter
site.
Nominating Class of ’23
The Museum of Broadcast Communications — part of the Museum of
Broadcast Communications in Chicago — received over 2500 suggestions for new
inductees into the Radio Hall of Fame. In the end they whittled the list down
to 24 candidates.
Among the nominees is our own John and Ken (currently heard 1-4
p.m. on KFI 640 AM), former local talk host Larry Elder, and Shadoe Stevens
(KRLA, KMET, KROQ). You may also remember Stevens as Fred Rated, the
“spokesman” for the now defunct Federated Group, and the voice of also defunct
University Stereo among his popular voiceover work.
The full list, in alphabetical order by first name — for
whatever reason — as presented on the website
radiohalloffame.com/2023-nominees:
Bert Weiss, Bob Rivers, Charles Laquidara, Dyana Williams, Gerry
House, Jaime Jarrin, John & Ken, John DeBella, Johnny Magic, Kevin Matthews,
Kid Leo (Lawrence Travagliante), Larry Elder, Laurie DeYoung, Lee Harris, Rev.
Louise Williams Bishop, Mark Simone, Mary McCoy, Matt Siegel, Mojo in the
Morning, Monica May, Nina Totenberg, Pat St. John, Shadoe Stevens, and Shelley
“The Playboy” Stewart.
Voting among 800 specially selected industry insiders will run
through the end of the month; this year’s inductees will be announced on July
24th.
Playback
Just a few comments from recent columns …
“I read your column this morning and I sure agree with you
regarding KABC. The station could be so much, but it has just become plain
awful lately. The presentation is just terrible.
“I would hate to see one of the last stations to leave talk
radio. I disagree with you in that it should be converted to music. Don’t
we have enough music stations already?” — Mike Skibba
Not on AM … and that is a concern for me. Some owners are
turning in licenses because the land they sit on is worth more than the station
itself. Not enough listeners (and those that do listen are old like me or
older, so advertisers don’t want them) because there is too much political
talk, sports, etc. … there needs ti be something that attracts younger
listeners before the band disappears completely, perhaps as soon as one more
generation.
“I used to listen to KABC all day but not anymore. It is
all politics and especially LA politics and I live in the OC. I would LOVE to
find an oldies station (50’s 60’s 70’s) and see John Phillips on TV or on
another stronger station. He is the only one I listen to now. — Lin Akins
///
Radio Waves: June 16, 2023Goodbye, Jeff Baugh
These are getting difficult to write: we lost another good one
last week.
Jeff Baugh, who reported on traffic conditions and major news
stories from the air for almost 40 years, passed away June 6th due to lung
cancer. He was 81.
Baugh was with only three stations his entire Los Angeles radio
career: KFWB (980 AM) starting in 1986, followed by KNX (1070 AM … the FM
simulcast did not exist at the time) in 2008, and KFI from 2017 until his
death. His approach to traffic reporting was listener-driven – he didn’t
believe it was enough to report on an incident, he understood the importance of
making the reports relevant and useful by explaining, whenever possible, how to
get around the problem.
LARadio.Com’s Don Barrett was a friend of Baugh’s; he says that
Baugh’s smile was contagious … one “that you would never forget – a smile that would
light up the dreariest of skies.”
Born in Brooklyn on November 15, 1942, Baugh was a Marine who
served two tours in Vietnam. After the war he eventually found himself in Los
Angeles where he became a DJ at Carlos and Charlie’s on the Sunset Strip until
he landed at KFWB. As an airborne reporter, he was the recipient of numerous
awards including multiple Golden Mikes, the award of awards for local news
reporting.
Back Live
Live 105 (KITS/San Francisco) was the Bay Area’s alternative
music source for over 30 years before first switching its name to “Alt 105.3”
in 2017 and then changing its name and format to the soul-less adult hits
Jack-FM clone called “Dave FM” just under two years ago.
Well, that didn’t work, so Live 105 is back. The switch happened
on June 2nd and included a fairly creative pre-recorded promo announcing the
change, including a short portion of the classic Cheech and Chong routine
stating that “Dave’s not here!”
The change back has caused quite a buzz throughout the area,
including coverage from local newspapers and television stations, as well as
posts all over social media and studies from industry observers. Headlines such
as “Listeners rejoice as Live 105 returns to the airwaves” are common.
Currently the station is running jockless; DJs are expected on
the air in the coming weeks. As I tuned in on the internet stream, though, one
thing stuck out … in its current form — like our own KROQ (106.7 FM) — it is
basically an oldies station. I listened for an hour earlier in the day before
writing this and heard only a few songs released in the pasts three years.
Perhaps it is by design; Live 105 and KROQ are both owned by the
same company — Audacy — so perhaps copying KROQ is policy. Or it could be that
the play list was still filled by many of the former Dave-FM songs … as so many
semi-alternative songs can also be found on Jack-FM right here … also owned by
Audacy.
My hope, though, is that new songs will become more prevalent
and help make the format a success, which may help spread the idea to here.
Overall, I’d say this is a tremendously positive move. Now we
just need to get the big 610 KFRC back on the air … Live trivia: Alt 98.7’s
“The Woody Show” originated at Live 105 and was heard there until it was
removed from the air for reasons that still are not totally clear. Their loss
is our gain, of course.
Changes at KABC
Host Leo Terrell and programmer Drew Hayes are both out at KABC
(790 AM). It appears that Hayes was let go and that Terrell left on his own
terms in response. Left unsaid is what will happen with the rest of the
station. For now, no one is talking.
But something does need to be done. It has been decades since
KABC was truly relevant; too many syndicated programs and a woeful lack of
promotion left the station so low in the ratings that many industry watchers
were wondering when, not if, a change would come.
Personally, if I owned the station, I’d switch it to music.
Perhaps a full service format backed by the oldies — or mellow rock — that you
no longer hear on the radio.
But if management wants to keep it talk, start with the
strengths, primarily mid-day son John Phillips. Phillips has a way of making
politics and local issues entertaining and informative without preaching to the
choir, and is definitely, by far, the best show on the station.
Once the hosts are chosen, it is imperative to clean up the
on-air presentation. Too many programs sound like a bad college or high-school
station, with volume levels uneven, unclear sound, music played too loud over
the host making it difficult to hear, and an overall sound that screams
low-budget. Additionally, promotional announcements sound too much like they
are talking at listeners not to listeners.
Strange that the station that launched full-time talk in Los
Angeles does it so badly today.
It could work, though. Once mostly live and local hosts are in
place — you can keep a few of the syndicated podcast shows  — then it’s time to clean up the sound
by dumping all pre-recorded promos and make them all read by the hosts
themselves. I don’t need to hear the deep-voice guy say “Dan – Bon – Gino”
exactly the same way multiple times each day, every day.
Just a thought, anyway. Let me ask you this – what would you do
with KABC?
///
Radio Waves: June 9, 2023No Surf?
For a station with little exposure, LA Oldies — also known as
K-SURF —  has quite a
following. At one time available on the AM band at 1260 kHZ, it moved off the
band to make way for K-Mozart, relegating it to the HD4 digital radio stream
tied to KKGO (105.1 FM) but still available world-wide on the internet, smart
phone apps and smart speakers.
No longer. Station owner Saul Levine confirmed that the station
stoped streaming as of May 22nd, a victim of increased streaming and licensing
costs.
It’s not necessarily gone forever, and is still available on the
HD stream if you own an HD Radio-capable receiver. Many cars
have them as standard or available equipment, and aftermarket radios often
include HD standard as well.
Keep in mind, Levine is a radio guy at heart and indicated that
if he could figure out a way to at least cover the costs — via a new marketing
plan, for example — it could very well return. In that vein, if you or someone
you know wants to become an LA Oldies sponsor, you might consider contacting
him. Just sayin’ …
But that doesn’t help now … where can former LA Oldies listeners
find the music they like? Luckily, there are some alternatives that might not
be exactly like the old K-Surf, but are quite good in their own approach. Some
initial suggestions:
• Big 8 Radio, a tribute to CKLW, which still broadcasts from Windsor/Ontario
but basically serves The Motor City Detroit. The broadcast station runs talk
now, but was a Boss Radio station in the 1960s, and that is the focus of this
tribute. You can tune in on various apps (I recommend StreamS HiFi Audio and
MyTunerRadio) or at the website big8radio.com. It’s the Detroit version of Boss
Radio, and noncommercial as well.
The station plays primarily hits of the 1960s but dips into the
‘50s and ‘70s as well. As I write this, they are presenting a Million Dollar
Weekend, which fans of RKO top-40 and Boss Radio stations (KHJ, KGB, KFRC,
CKLW, and more) will remember well.
• The Eagle, playing non-stop ‘70s music. I wouldn’t call it a
station tribute; more like an era-tribute, but remarkably well-produced. The
Eagle, like Big 8 Radio, has stunning sound quality (especially using StreamS)
and has a format that runs the full decade of 1970-1979 (or is it 1971-1980?)
give or take a year or so. Find it on the apps as well as TheEagle.FM
• Top 40 Hit Clock, which plays clusters of songs by year, and
covers the 1950s through the ‘70s. It’s a tough find and doesn’t always show on
the app searches; the best way to hear it is to use the online stream link,
which is https://la2.indexcom.com/player/6.
Fidelity of this is also remarkably good, and can be
configured on the apps … I just can’t remember how. It definitely took some
experimentation.
You can also find a ton of streaming internet-only as well as
broadcast stations using the apps; just search by genre and decade. The good
news for LA Oldies fans? Levine told me that he was “amazed at the national
response and national audience.” He has been receiving emails from fans around
the country. As we speak, he is reviewing ways to make it work.
Feedback Loop
“The main thing I don’t like about local radio is there are just
too many commercials. Once when I was in my car, all the radio stations I had
on my presets had commercials … at the same time! The other issue I have is the
repetition of the music that is being played, especially on the classic hits
and classic rock stations I listen to.
“The main thing I really enjoy about local radio is the DJs I
listen to. It is so good to actually hear a live voice talking to you. I like
DJs that announce the songs, tell you the time, and the weather. I also enjoy
hearing people winning contests on the radio and the voice of the DJs showing
how happy they are for the listener who won. You just don’t get that same
feeling when you listen to a radio station that is automated, with no one
there. The best part is you are truly never really alone, it is like having a
dear friend over to your place to visit with you.  — Russ, Glendale
“I usually find your takes spot on, but as a former Woody
listener, I am now back on KROQ (106.7 FM) with Kline and Ally. Show is so much
more So Cal, and actually find myself laughing a lot more without all the old
sounding ‘radio bits.’
“I get an authentic early Stern vibe but with modern humor from
Kline. Ally has grown on me a lot. I hear a lot of people talking about that
‘morning show on KROQ’ and talking about what they heard. I always think good
radio (and TV) does that. Make people think and tell others. I think they are
doing it better than most right now.” — Troy Grasso
You definitely hit the nail … word of mouth and a positive
“vibe” are definitely the ways to go. Definitely.

16 min
June 01, 2023 Radio Waves Podcast #377
Radio:
June 2, 2023
            Whether it was the threat of
legislative action that would require it, or just a reaction to simple lobbying
by government officials, listeners and buyers alike, Ford announced that it has
reversed its decision to remove AM radio capabilities from some gas-powered
vehicles in 2024 and through a software update will add the ability to receive
AM in its 2023 electric vehicles.

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

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

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

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

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

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

            Cheers and Jeers

            More on your radio loves and
tune-outs:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

            Still more to come …
Radio: May 26, 2023
            You
probably already heard that longtime UCLA Bruins men’s football, basketball,
and baseball announcer Chris Roberts passed away May 12th at the age of 74 due
to complications from Parkinson’s Disease.
            This
paper had one of the best looks back on his career that I’ve seen, focussing
not only on his work with the Bruins but also his radio career beginnings start
in Victorville, as well as his stops in San Bernardino where he worked with
Jhani Kaye among others … I mention Kaye because the two would work together
again from 1981 - 1992 at KFI (640 AM) and KOST (103.5 FM) when Kaye was the
program director of the stations.
            During
the KFI/KOST days, Roberts eventually became sports director, but it didn’t
start that way, exactly. He was actually first working the overnight shift on
KOST, and would prepare a sports report for the KFI morning show. You may
remember the tagline: every sportscast ended with “Chris Roberts, Athletic
Briefs.”
            I
first heard of Roberts’ death from a Facebook post by Kaye. “My best friend in
broadcasting, Chris Roberts, Passed away this morning,” Kaye wrote. “He was my
pal. I admired him for the way he rose to become one of the most respected
voices of UCLA sports broadcasters.” I have never heard an unkind word about
Roberts; this is a huge loss to both the radio industry and the sports
world.
            Likes
and Dislikes
            It
actually started as a response to a column by InsideMusicMedia.Com’s Jerry Del
Colliano, who wrote of Top Listener Gripes on April 28th. I still haven’t
written of his gripes because I wanted to hear of yours first. But I also
wanted to know what you live about radio as well. Here’s what you think,
positive and negative, in no particular order … Jerry can wait.
            “I
listen to Mottek On Money from KABC.com as a podcast. I don’t know if this
would fall under your question, but hey interject commercial ads mid-sentence
during the podcast. I find this very annoying … I don’t know if this is a
Mottek or Cumulus thing. No other podcasts I listen to does this
mid-sentence advertising. — Steve Lui
            “The
morning DJs turn me off. It’s the same format almost everywhere you
turn. I like some introductions but not the stupid banter now. But, I
am not in their market group being 58 as of a short time ago.” — Erik Hassold
            (Program
note: Happy birthday!)
            “I
hate the annoying ‘this has been previously recorded’ preamble before an ad for
a radio show, as if the general listener isn’t smart enough to realize it’s an
ad. I’m sure it’s an FCC thing, but annoying nonetheless.” — Cody Lyons
            “The
playlists are all the same songs OVER AND OVER AND OVER. There's no creativity
or imagination. And it doesn't matter if the station is ‘alt’ or ‘oldies’ ...
it's all the same stuff. It's actually dumb that 98.7 and 106.7 categorize
themselves as alternative. Those stations don't know what that means anymore.
What do I enjoy? Klein and Ally in the morning on KROQ; very talented and
underrated show that deserves more listeners. I was a huge Kevin and Bean fan
for years and this show is different, but equally as entertaining. “ —
Marc Levine
            “BAD:
Same songs over and over. Ok, so your research says it's best to stick to
the superstars - I get it. But Journey, Elton John, Rolling Stones, Heart
etc. have more than a half dozen hits in their catalog. By just doubling
the number of songs played by the popular artists the stations would increase
their interest from me.
            “If
you're a political-leaning talk show, fine. If you're not, please don't
say anything political. I have even heard political issues discussed on
local 88.5 fm - disguised as songwriting information from local artists.
            “GOOD:
Variety. Stations can stick to their format and still have more
variety. Like my point above, include more songs from the favored
artists. Include more artists, and that doesn't mean they have to gamble
with ‘lesser’ names - there are enough established artists in each category to
expand. And what about including some live tracks of the hits? I
love when stations do that.
            “Disc
jockeys. There's a place for music-only stations with no DJs, but a few
more DJ-led stations would provide more personal connection to us
listeners. And it doesn't have to include long comedy segments or
listener calls - just some connection.
            “Don't
know how to title this - DJ emotions. This might seem hokey. These
days it seems like most DJs and their interaction with listeners is either
distant or factual. In my day — I’m your age — they seemed a lot more
emotional - you know, like hey it's Friday - school's out - party time (cut
directly to party anthem song) or "hump day" ...
Contrived? Maybe … maybe not. But they and the music helped steer
our emotions, usually for the better. They talked to us and with us and
took our thoughts away from everyday life. I don't think life's just a party,
but I think radio - like sports, entertainment, the movies - are to help us
temporarily escape from things like work and other responsibilities. — Darren
            To
be continued …
  Radio: May 19, 2023
            If
you were a listener to KMET (now KTWV, 94.7 FM) during the station’s earlier
days and rise to dominance in the 1970s, you remember “The Burner” Mary Turner,
one of the early female pioneers of progressive and album rock radio. On the
KMET airwaves from June of 1972 until August of 1982, she in many ways
represented exactly what KMET was to its listeners: intelligent, passionate …
and human.
            Details
are unusually lacking, but Turner passed away May 9th. The news was announced
by Turner’s KMET colleague Ace Young, who posted the news and a tribute on
social media.
            Speaking
to LARadio.Com’s Don Barrett years ago
regarding her career and the early days of progressive rock radio, Turner
reflected on the times."It was an exciting time back then, because you
didn't operate under any rules. You could play anything you wanted, say
anything you wanted and who cared? FM at that time was a joke, especially to
Top 40 people. We were the hippies, and they were the stars.”
            Did
the fact that she was a woman in an industry dominated, especially back then,
by men? Turner told Barrett,”I think being a woman helped more than anything
else. The time was right for it, and I happened to be in the right place at the
right time.”
            Just
a short time after her arrival at KMET, the station hired a female program
director, Sam Bellamy, who also spoke with Barrett, saying “When I
arrived at KMET in 1974, Mary was already there paving the way for
women in radio. We became fast friends and partners in crime, based a lot
on our shared sense of humor and intense desire to succeed.
            “I
learned very quickly that Mary would set the bar high for aspiring air
personalities and radio executives alike, especially in the highly competitive
L.A. market. Before Oprah and others started preaching it, Mary was living
the purpose-driven life. Back in the early 70's, Mary had set goals for
herself and she kept building on, and and reaching for, those goals -
always mindful of inspiring and teaching others along the way.”
            She
produced short interview and music information segments for KMET that evolved
into nationally syndicated special programs called Off the Record; these
specials reached an estimated 25 million listeners and are highly respected to
this day. She was among the first to ever interview a young Bruce Springsteen
for her regular evening air shift.
            After
leaving KMET, she continued with Off the Record, did a daily show for Armed
Forces Radio, did a stint for a Canadian broadcast group, and even worked on
“Music in the Air,” an entertainment service used on the now defunct TWA
Airlines. She returned to the local airwaves on KLSX (now KNX-FM, 97.1) for a
time in 1993.
            More
recently she was the chairwoman of the Betty Ford Center at Eisenhower Hospital
in Rancho Mirage … the first chair to not be a member of the Ford family since
the Center’s inception. Her expertise in this area came from her own life and
determination to overcome her problems - in the early 1990s, she fought back a
substance abuse problem, went on to become a UCLA-certified drug and alcohol
counselor, and then earned a Ph.D. in clinical psychology.
            Turner
is preceded in death by her husband Norm Pattiz, who she met through her radio
shows. Pattiz, founder and former chairman of Westwood One radio networks,
passed away just this past December.
            As
if to prove the importance of Turner and her career, The Paley Center for Media
in New York City includes in its collection recordings of her last show on
KMET, dated August 6, 1982. The collection also includes a portion of Jim
Ladd’s program that followed immediately after, which on this night became a
tribute show to Turner’s career.
            Hear
Turner’s interview with Springsteen from July 4th of 1978 at bit.ly/TurnerSpringsteen. Find other
airchecks by searching YouTube and others for Mary Turner KMET.
            The
passing of turner hit many hard … as Ace Young said in his Facebook post, it
hit him “like a ton of bricks
            “Mary
& I worked together for many years at KMET, Young wrote. “In fact, our
friendship dates back to San Francisco. We both came to the Mighty Met in the
Spring of 1972. Mary was the best. So much can be said of her career; her
success; her life with husband, and recently passed, Norm Pattiz. I’ll, for the
moment, leave that for others.
            “I
am grief stricken!” he concludes.
            Richard
Wagoner is a San Pedro freelance columnist covering radio in Southern
California. Email
[email protected].
            ///



12 min
May 10, 2023 Radio Waves Podcast #376
Guest: Dave Beasing
Radio Waves: May 12, 2023
Who do you love?
Last week I spoke of an article from Inside Music Media’s Jerry
Del Colliano in which he made a list of easily-fixed programming elements that
turn listeners off. In case you missed it and want to take part, I am asking
for your “things” … what would cause you to tune to another station or even
turn off the radio completely.
Before I follow up, though, I wanted to put together a list of
things I like about radio. Scratch that – things I love. What keeps
me going back to the radio every day? You can join in this as well.
Without further ado:
I love The Woody Show. Airing on Alt 98.7 FM
weekday mornings from 4 a.m. to 10 a.m. (kind of … they definitely repeat
segments), the program has been a huge hit for the station … and for good
reason.
Starring Jeff “Woody” Fife, (Renae) Ravey, Sebastian “SeaBass”
Davis, Greg Gory, Jason “Menace” McMurry, and Sammi Moreno, the show bills
itself as “insensitivity training for a politically correct world.” I’d call it
more of a gathering place to hang out with friends.
Yes, at times, they get a little raunchy. But
usually it’s good clean fun. They make fun of bad behavior, call people on
their stupidity, and in general bring listeners in on their party every
morning.
I appreciate that, unlike some shows of the past, they are professional
broadcasters as well, intelligent, quick-witted and extraordinary funny and
entertaining. Ravey’s laugh is infectious. Bits and contests are well-designed,
and include DUIQ, wherein listeners try to guess if a drunk partier can answer
a simple trivia question, stories on stupid criminals, “redneck” news and
occasional interviews. I include The Woody Show in the list of all-time best
morning shows; the program has aired locally since April 21, 2014.
I love Booker and Stryker, also on Alt 98.7 FM. Chris Booker and Ted Stryker got
together just over a year ago — February, 2022 — but the flow of the show and
the chemistry between the two makes it seem like they have been together
forever. Like Woody mornings, they quickly become your friends and make the
afternoon drive pass much faster … to the point where you don’t even want to
get out of the car. Or leave work. Or whatever. As long as the show is on the
air, I don’t care what I am doing; I even listen on my bike ride home from
work.
The two wouldn’t hurt a fly; this is one program where all ages
can listen.
I love Go Country 105 FM. Country music purists
will disagree, but I really like modern country music … it reminds me of top-40
music of the past – songs you can sing along with in which the artists (or the
country version of The Wrecking Crew, if one exists) still play real
instruments. DJs are good, the commercial load is not ridiculous, and the
station is locally owned by a guy who loves dogs and helps facilitate pet
adoptions. What more do you want in a music station?
I love KFI (640 AM). I don’t necessarily listen
to every show, but they tend to be entertaining with a variety of topics. But
what I really like is the news department – KFI news has always been top-notch,
and the long history of good reporting continues today. Without question, KFI
produces the best local newscast heard on the local commercial airwaves. Yes,
better than KNX (1070 AM, 97.1 FM).
I love the stations that go the extra mile to
produce content for niche audiences. For example, you do have to use streaming
or an HD radio, but the fact that Saul Levine uses Go Country’s signal to
digitally send out classical music, 50s, ‘60s and ‘70s oldies, and adult
standards focussing on Frank Sinatra and his friends — commercial-free, no less
— does not go unnoticed. He does it because he wants to serve an audience that
others ignore, and knows that it will never bring in much in the form of
revenue. Levine just loves the art of radio. Local ownership at its best.
And finally, I love that so many stations both
locally and nationally stream their programming on apps I can use with my smart
speakers phones. Being able to tune stations far and wide wherever I am is much
appreciated by me and so many others. I’d mention the distant stations I like,
but the focus of this column is local, so I won’t.
So now you have a choice … you can still let me know what bugs
you, but besides that … what do you love? Let me know!
///
Radio Waves: May 5, 2023
March Nielsens show some changes
What’s happening with KIIS-FM
(102.7)? Since December, the hit music station has been on an upward trajectory
in the Nielsen ratings; the March results released in late April have the
station at second place overall with a 5.0 share of the audience … a full 2
points higher than it earned in December. If memory serves right, this is the
highest finish KIIS has had in years … is pop music on the radio making a
comeback?
Perhaps. But it was oldies that
won the day, with KRTH (101.1 FM) taking the top spot overall, beating KIIS by
almost a full point at 5.8. That’s an increase of just over a point since
December, when it had a 4.7 share, and is the highest rating the station has
had this year. Oddly, KRTH’s online stream, which led all streams before, was
not present in the ratings list this month
The big — and truly surprising —
drop came from KOST (103.5 FM), which found itself out of the first place
position it has held for much of the past year … tied with KFI (640 AM) and
KLVE (107.5 FM) at 5th at a 4.1 share. What makes this surprising is that KOST
truly has led for most of the past year.
Another surprising drop came from
Go Country 105 (KKGO, 105.1 FM), coming in with a 1.8 share of the audience
compared with 2.1 in February and 2.5 back in December. I doubt this is a
long-term trend, though … perhaps the excitement of the Stagecoach festival
held last week will help out. Or perhaps it’s one of those anomalies that
happen when the ratings meters are distributed to new listeners.
KFI led the talk wars as per
usual, it’s 5th place tie dominating the rest, including KRLA (870 AM)’s 0.7
and KEIB’s (1150 AM) 0.6. Where’s KABC? Nowhere to be found, but it doesn’t
mean they have no listeners. I confirmed that the area’s talk format originator
no longer subscribes to Nielsen and thus does not show in the ratings list. I
also noticed that KSPN (710 AM) isn’t on the Nielsen list either, for the same
reason. My hunch is that many stations will begin to consider such a move due
primarily to monetary savings; I’ll have a story on that in an upcoming column.
More interesting items from the
ratings list: Alt (98.7 FM) beat KROQ (106.7 FM), but the two remain fairly
close: 2.4 vs. 2.1. KKJZ (88.1 FM) was the top-rated public station with a 2.3
share. Regional Mexican music station KFWB (980 AM) has been moving up, almost
doubling its 0.9 December rating with a March finish of 1.6. And the stream for
Mega 96.3 (KXOL -FM) came from nowhere to earn a 0.9 share in March. Added to
the station’s regular signal 2.6 share, the station would total 3.5 … and would
have placed 8th overall in the city!
Overall, two companies have
almost half of all listeners tuned into their stations. iHeart has a combined
25.1 rating for its roster that includes KIIS-FM, KOST, Alt, and KFI, among
others, while Audacy has a 19.0 total for its stations including KRTH, The Wave
(KTWV 94.7 FM), KROQ, and KNX (1070 AM, 97.1 FM).
The full story: Each rating is an
estimate of the percentage of listeners aged six and over tuned to a station
between the hours of 6 a.m. and 12 midnight.
1. KRTH (5.8) 2. KIIS-FM (5.0) 3.
KBIG (4.5) 4. KTWV (4.4) 5. KFI, KLVE, KOST (4.1) 8. KBUE (4.0) 9. KRRL (3.4)
10. KNX (3.3)
11. KCBS-FM “Jack” (3.2) 12. KRCD
(3.0) 13. KLOS, KXOL (2.6) 15. KLAX, KYSR “Alt” (2.4) 17. KKJZ (2.3) 18. KLYY,
KPCC (2.2) 20. KROQ (2.1)
21. KUSC (2.0) 22. KDAY, KKGO,
KLLI, KPWR “Power” (1.8) 26. KSCA (1.7) 27. KFWB, KJLH (1.6) 29. KCRW (1.3) 30.
KLAC (1.0)
31. KXOL Stream (0.9) 32. KDLD,
KFSH (0.8) 34. KCSN, KRLA (0.7) 36. KEIB (0.6) 37. KKLA (0.3) 38. KWKW (0.2)
39. KHJ, KNX Stream, KROQ HD2, KROQ Stream, KTNQ (0.1)
Listener Gripes
You already know my opinion of
what makes for good radio. Inside Music Media’s Jerry Del Colliano recently put
together a list of easily-fixed programming elements that turn listeners off.
Before I report on his research, I’d like to hear from you. But I want to
expand the list to not just what turns you off, but what turns you on. What is
it you cannot stand about the radio you hear, and what is it you you truly
enjoy?
Send your thoughts to me and I’ll
start compiling our own list to be presented later. it will be interesting to
see how your “bad” list compares with Del Colliano’s, and it will be fun to
recognize the great things about local radio.
///
31 min
April 26, 2023 Radio Waves Podcast #375

All Day, Every Day: American Top 40
I’ve never been a fan of the iHeart Radio app you can download to your
smartphone. I always thought it too cumbersome to use compared to alternatives,
and I don’t like the way iHeart restricts its own stations to its own app
rather than allowing them to be available on other apps as well. If iHeart
really believed in the app, why do they not let it compete on an even playing
field?
But I broke down and started using it recently. Keep in mind I still don’t
actually like it, but there is a reason to use it … American Top 40.
Yes, the very same AT40 you can find on SiriusXM channels 7 — for the 1970s
version — Saturdays at 3 a.m. and 9 a.m., Sundays at 6 a.m.; or our own
semi-local KOLA (99.9 FM) which airs the ‘80s version Saturdays at 5 a.m. and
Sundays at 7 p.m.
But what if you want to totally live in the past and listen to nothing
but AT40, the countdown show hosted by former original KRLA (now KRDC,
1110 AM) personality Casey Kasem, launched on July 4th, 1970 on but a handful
of stations, and eventually heard on stations around the globe as the most
popular countdown show … ever? If that’s you, the iHeart Radio app — or
iHeart.com on a computer — has you covered.
A special channel called Classic American Top 40 plays old AT40 countdowns
continuously. The ‘70s followed by the ‘80s followed by the ‘70s, etc. 24 hours
a day, seven days a week. As I write this they are just starting a replay from
1983 after the completion of a week from 1973.  Audio heaven, for those who grew up
listening to the classic program … and a major reason to use the iHeart app.
Ryan Seacrest, by the way, hosts the current version of AT40 heard locally
on KIIS-FM (102.7), starting at 6 a.m. Saturdays, 8 a.m. Sundays.
Billboard Controversy
Was the top song for at least one week of mid-July, 1978 not really the top
song? Was there behind the scenes shenanigans? It wasn’t a problem with AT40
directly, but what AT40 used as the basis for the countdown list: Billboard
Magazine. I read about this first on (I believe) the AT40 fan page of Facebook.
The story goes that Gerry Rafferty’s Baker Street should
have been the number one song on the Billboard charts in the second half of
July, 1978, but that pressure to keep Andy Gibb’s Shadow Dancing at
the top spot won out. Here’s what I found at https://djrobblog.com/archives/6222:
“Among the many tales of “Baker Street’s” undying legacy is the one
involving a bit of chart shenanigans that may have robbed Rafferty of ascending
to that coveted No. 1 spot.
“As reported in several publications since, legend has it that in one of its
final weeks at No. 2 in July 1978, Billboard had actually calculated “Baker
Street” to be No. 1.  At the
time, Billboard’s charts were based on phoned-in radio station lists and record
store reports, which staffers or computers would then compile, before the
advent of more modern and accurate airplay and sales tracking technology in the
early 1990s.
Apparently, Gibb threatened to back out of a show being sponsored by
Billboard if his song didn’t remain number one, said show being the pet project
of then-chart manager Bill Wardlow. “It was alleged that Wardlow had a change
of heart about the No. 1 position after having dined with Andy Gibb’s
management on the night the chart was compiled. The story goes that Wardlow
casually mentioned over dinner that Gibb’s tune had been displaced by
Rafferty’s – much to RSO Records’ displeasure.”
So Billboard issued a “correction,” apparently forcing American Top-40 to
re-record the ending of the how, without the new number one song. Baker
Street remained stalled at the number two slot on Billboard, though
other sources did indeed put it at the top, such as including Cash Box which
had it there on July 15, 1978.
It is said that Baker Street is one of the all-time most
beloved number two hits; the incident proves the power that top-40 radio once
held over American culture. And as former newsman Paul Harvey used to say, now
you know … the restof the story.
No Static Here
This is an old story, but but comes from former KHJ (930 AM) Production
Director (among other stations) Douglas Brown. When FM by Steely Dan was
released in 1978, may top-40 stations were still on the AM band, including in
Los Angeles area, KHJ, Ten Q (KTNQ, 1020 AM), KFI (640 AM), and KEZY (1190
AM).
Many of the stations across the country didn’t want to play a song that
hyped the FM band, so a few figured out that the “A’ in Steely Dan’s Aja
matched the note well, and simply changed the song so that it played as “A-M,
no static at all.” Which, of course, is somewhat absurd.
The more powerful and influential stations, such as KHJ, convinced the
musical band’s record company at the time to produce a special version of the
song, one in which the the radio band is not mentioned at all. The resulting
song simply refrains “no static at all.”
A testament to the power that AM radio once held over American culture.
Letters for April 28 Radio
            Some
email reaction from recent column topics …
            “WABC
has come back from the radio graveyard twice: first when Rick Sklar
created the legendary MusicRadio77 and now. In ratings released today the
station is #9 with a 3.7, the first AM rated in NYC. They gotta be doing
something right!” — Steve Moravec
            “To
paraphrase a movie line: If you play it (great local content) they will listen.
            “Local
: News. Weather. SPORTS (high school and college). Talk with and by local
leaders and personalities. City and county government. One station doing
this and while still learning is doing it well is KYCA-AM in Prescott, AZ.
            “AM
will not die in spite of Detroit.” — Dusty Baker
            “I
agree w/ every word u wrote. Hate Google, and all this ‘new’ approach to radio
… for auto manufacturers to go along with this travesty is unconscionable. Keep
up the good work and clear writing on this subject. — Beverly Riggs, La Habra
(who describes herself as “a devoted sincere Radio junkie for 40+ years” and
says that “radio has always been my ‘preferred passenger’ since I first learned
how to drive”
            “I
wanted you to know how much I enjoy your articles about radio in the San
Gabriel Valley Tribune … always informative, interesting and your passion for
radio come thru loud & clear.
            “Yes,
my wife & I are with you…keep AM radio in our autos!
            “I
grew up in the ‘40s and ‘50s with radio; we listened to music and live shows in
the evening on a Farnsworth that become mine at about 8 years old when we
finally got a TV and Pop setup he own ‘stereo’ system in the living room. But I
still used my home made crystal set with a surplus store military ear-phone.
            I
remember driving Van Nuys Blvd between Bob’s Big-Boy and A&W Root
beer with my radio blazing away was a real treat. Work/home/yard/shop, the
radio was always on – and still is much of the time, albeit much lower and
slower music these days. In the car, my wife is addicted to AM talk-show radio.
            “Again,
thank you for sharing your passion about a media that was most impactful during
most of the 20th century — Drexel Smith

12 min
April 18, 2023 Radio Waves Podcast #374
Radio: April 21, 2023
                InsideMusicMedia.Com’s
Jerry Del Colliano posted a column on March 31 that — like many of his columns
— could have been written by me. Great minds think alike, you know. Entitled
The AM Station That Defies Failure, it tells the story of WABC/New York and the
success it has had since being bought by a local owner from Cumulus.
                WABC is
much like numerous AM stations across the country. Powerhouse top-40 format
leaders in the 1960s and ‘70s, they lost their way when large corporate owners
couldn’t figure out what to do with them. They dropped music, sometimes found
temporary success with political talk, and then floundered once programmers
focused more on their FMs.
                Weird
how a neglected station would lose listeners.
                Anyway,
for all intents and purposes, WABC was a failure in 2019 when Cumulus Media,
owner of KABC (790 AM) here in Los Angeles, sold the station to a 74-year-old
New York businessman named John Catsimatidis, Jr. — a guy with no radio
experience other than being a radio fan.
                Catsimatidis
then did what some think is impossible: brought a dead radio station back to
life. How? He made it local. He served his local audience. He wasn’t afraid to
embrace older listeners, and he started super-serving those willing to tune in.
                And
tune in they did. The station has been above a 3.0 share for at least the last
six months, and has had a 3.9 share the last two months. It is the top-rated AM
station in New York. Under previous ownership, it had fallen to the mid to
upper 1s. Could other stations learn from the recent success?
                Yes …
more than that: the entire industry could learn from its success. The formula
is so simple, it’s almost as if stations of the past could help with the
lesson. In fact, that’s pretty much all Catsimatidis did … look at what made
previous stations “tick,” and applied it to his new toy.
                WABC
found an audience that was being underserved, then designed a format that would
appeal to that audience, in this case an eclectic mix of talk, news, and music.
Yes, music … on AM. Weird.
                Cousin
Brucie, a legendary WABC disc jockey, plays oldies on weekends. The station
runs its old iconic jingles. News coverage focusses on the local area. The talk
hosts are mostly local, including former mayor Rudy Giuliani, former Rush
Limbaugh producer Bo Snerdley, and a founding member of the Guardian Angels,
Curtis Sliwa.
                Catsimatidis
even has his own show, hosted by himself and local broadcaster Rita Cosby.
                While
it is impressive that Catsimatidis took a failing station and made it
successful, he is not alone. I’ve written about the success of stations such as
WION/Ionia, Michigan and WRDN/Durand, Wisconsin. What all three and others like
them have in common is local owners who care enough to program to their local
audience and not rely on cheap syndicated programming.
                This
approach benefits not only the stations and listeners, but local businesses
that can advertise to reach an audience otherwise hard to find. That
Catsimatidis does it in New York City, arguably one of the toughest markets in
the United States, makes it even more impressive …. and in my opinion, frankly,
embarrassing to owners like Audacy that has gone so far as to just shut down
some of its AM stations.
                This
lesson isn’t just for AM, though. FM stations definitely can use more local
content , and in the cases in which the local audience is super-served, the
results are impressive. Local content is the one thing that Spotify, Apple
Music, or any other streaming service simply can’t match.
                Fight
for the Dashboard
                On the
heal of the news that engineers at Ford are as lazy or incompetent as those at
BMW, Mazda, Polestar, Rivian, Tesla, Volkswagen and Volvo due to the decision
to remove AM radio from their future automobile offerings — because unlike
every other company they are unable to deal with interference — comes news that
GM has decided to drop Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support from future EVs.
                While I
hate that AM is being dropped, and I believe it to be a bad decision, at least
you can — usually, at least — use apps to replace the tuner and in some ways
have better reception and better sound.
                But
dropping CarPlay? That’s a non-starter for me. My family, starting with my
grandfather, my father and now me, has owned GM almost exclusively since 1926.
If CarPlay is not offered, I will not buy one.
                I want
the choice to use the mapping software I want to use. I want the ability to use
the apps I want to use, for example StreamsHiFi Audio and MyTuner Radio for
online radio streams. I can connect my
phone to any of my current car stereos and have all of my apps and preferences
ready to go; without CarPlay I’d have to set all my preferences individually in
every car.
                And I
certainly don’t want my life controlled by Google, which GM plans to use as the
basis for its dashboard infotainment system. I am not a Google fan by any means,
and I certainly don’t want their intrusive anti-privacy ad-based system in my
car.
                In my
opinion, GM is making a tremendously bad decision in dropping CarPlay and
Android Auto. In doing so, though, you can now understand what is in store for
the future … the ability to charge for being part of and using the dash. It is
anti-competitive and anti-consumer.
                I hope
that the move is met with consumer resistance similar to my own - as I said, I
will never buy a car without CarPlay ability. Even if I have to keep my current
truck forever.
                ///
Radio Waves: April 14, 2023
KIQQ entertainment reporter Francesca Capucci passes
I was a huge fan of KIQQ (now KKLQ, 100.3 FM) during the
station’s new-wave top-40 days of the early 1980s. It wasn’t necessarily the
most polished station; indeed, the station could at times sound very
low-budget. But it had a playlist that overlapped the best of KROQ (106.7 FM)
and was often the first station in town to break new music and new bands with
an emphasis on British acts along with homegrown artists.
Often KIQQ was so far ahead of its competition, primarily
KIIS-FM (102.7), that it seemed like a song was at the top of the charts
forever. The reality was that KIQQ would break the song and then it would later
hit the charts and other stations. KIQQ was where I first heard Eddie Grant,
The Style Council, Rick Springfield and more. I don’t think I ever heard the
wonderful “She Means Nothing to Me” by Phil Everly and Cliff Richard on any
other station, with the one exception of UCLA’s student station KLA … because I
played it there.
Personalities included Bruce Chandler, Tony Saint James, GW
McCoy, and a few others who stayed with the station until it gave up on the
format and went light rock in mid-1985. One personality left early and went
right to television, to become KABC-TV Channel 7’s entertainment reporter. That
was Francesca Capucci, who started at KIQQ in the public affairs department,
later moving up to report entertainment and celebrity gossip news, as well as
features on and interviews with many of the bands and artists played on the
station.
For a time, in addition to her other duties, she worked with
Jay Coffee in morning drive, but her best-known work was her features. If you
were a faithful listeners as I was, you may remember her extended sign-off:
“I’m Francesca Capucci on K ……….I ………..Q ………………………………….Q.”
I never knew why they had — or allowed — her to do that; it
was actually kind of cheesy. I was told later that it was designed to make her
sound a bit sexy. True or not, she was definitely distinctive, and her features
added a lot to the station’s on-air presence.
After leaving KIQQ in 1984, she moved over to Channel 7,
reporting on entertainment news for ten years. Other television work included
acting on such shows as Columbo, 7th Heaven, The Practice, and Charmed, usually
playing, of course, a reporter.
Last week, I got the bad news from KPFK (90.7 FM) Car Show host (and column reader) David Kunz
that Capucci had passed away; she died at the age of 64 due to cancer.
If her name sounds familiar, it may also be because it was
used in the recent movie, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. There is no connection
between her and the character in the movie; I am told that Quentin Tarantino
just liked the name.
Her friend Kim Fitzgerald Kelly wrote on Capucci’s Facebook
page on March 30, “It is with profound
sadness that I share the passing of Francesca Cappucci. As those of you on this
page know, Francesca was a force of nature, a source of true joy, a devoted
mother to sons Ian and Will, and a great lover of music.
“Francesca’s name was itself a melody and it played
throughout Los Angeles radio and TV stations for decades beginning in the early
80s. A celebration of life, love, and music is currently being planned and
details will be announced. Until then, every time you hear a song by Foo
Fighters or Crowded House, let it remind you of this beautiful icon.”
You can read tributes on that same page:
facebook.com/francesca.cappucci
Commercial Breaks
For years, I have felt that it was a huge mistake for
stations to run large blocks of commercial-free music. I am referring to the
hour or two — sometimes longer — periods of nothing but music. The problem, of
course, is that it shifts the commercials that have to be run to other hours
and makes the commercial breaks longer during those hours, as well as making
each advertisement of less value to the advertiser.
Seems like a lose-lose to me — the station earns less per
advertisement because they are worth less as a longer block than they would
otherwise be, the advertiser loses potential exposure due to listener tune-out,
and listeners have to endure up to ten minutes of commercials when the breaks
do come.
But I recently found out why they do this, from an expert on
the industry. It seems the stations sell the advertisements based upon the
entire shift a DJ is on. For example, perhaps 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. If the station
can get a ton of listeners by playing no commercials the first two hours, it
doesn’t care what happens during the rest of the show. The station can still
sell the ad based upon the average rating over the entire four hours.
No wonder radio is suffering…
Nothing is Sacred
Ford announced it is removing AM radio reception not only
from future EVs, it is also removing it from future gas-powered vehicles. On
the heals of that news came General Motors announcement that it is removing
Apple CarPlay and Android Auto on its future EVs.
The reason? GM wants subscription income from the dashboard.
I don’t know about you, but I love CarPlay. I won’t buy a
car without it. Seems like a bad idea to me … what are your thoughts? More on
this topic next week.
///

Damion Passes
                He may
be retired, but it was Don Barrett of LARadio.Com who broke the news: Damion —
last name: Bragdon, though he rarely used his last name on the air — formerly
heard on KLOS (95.5 FM), KMET (now KTWV, 94.7 FM) and KLSX (now KNX-FM, 97.1)
has passed away from complications related to cancer.
                Immediately
prior to landing in Los Angeles to be part of the KLOS air staff in 1971,
Damion was at WDAI/Chicago as the station evolved from its “free-form” progressive
rock format to the more traditional album-oriented “Rock ’n Stereo” … in
essence repeating exactly what he did in Chicago here in Los Angeles.
                Those
changes were not coincidence … the two stations were both owned by ABC, and in
1971 ABC decided to have all of its owned and operated FM stations nationwide
take on the same format, as well as take on new call letters to distinguish the
FMs from the co-owned AMs.
                In the
case of KLOS, Damion joined Jeff Gonzer, J.J. Jackson, Jim Ladd, and programmer
Tom Yates to launch the new format here. By the late 1970s, he would work up to
the position of station programmer himself, a position he would give up when he
left to work at then-competitor KMET.
                In
1986, he found himself at brand-new classic rocker KLSX, where he stayed
through 1994. After that he moved on to satellite-delivered formats with
Unistar and Westwood One/Dial Global, between times doing a stint in Hawaii
including programming an AM/FM combo. He finally retired in 2008 but kept busy
producing a one-hour program called Rock and Roll Cowboy — modern country music
mixed with classic rock — that aired on a few stations across the country.
                In an
interview with Barrett back in 1994, Damion spoke of some of the highlights of
his career, which included partnering with Ladd to produce early “InnerView”
programs; interviewing Led Zeppelin, being part of the California Jam in 1973,
and more.
                “The
end was terrible,” his wife Joy Hall told Barrett in an email. He was put on
life support against his directive, and as they took him off some of his
medications, he suffered multiple strokes. He passed away March 26th at the age
of 79.
                Friends
and colleagues always spoke highly of Damion, describing him using such words
as kind, sweet, friendly, and considerate. “He was truly one o’ the good guys —
a sweet man with virtually no ego,” wrote Michael Benner in an email to
Barrett, as but one example.
                All of
that was something you heard over the airwaves as he did his shows, no matter
what station he was on. His delivery was always - always - smooth: the perfect
album-rock DJ, and someone who like many of his contemporaries loved the music
he played.
                You can
hear airchecks for yourself searching YouTube.com for Damion KLOS and KMET.
                February
Ratings
                The February
Nielsens showed a narrowing of the gap between 1st place KOST (103.5 FM) and
2nd place KRTH (101.1 FM), with only 0.1 separating the two: 5.5 to 5.4. The
rest of the top-10 included KTWV (4.6), KBIG (4.5), KFI (4.1), KLVE (4.1),
KIIS-FM (3.9), KRRL (3.9), KBUE (3.2) and KCBS-FM (3.1)
                That
Real 92.3 tied with KIIS-FM would in the past be a wake-up call to KIIS-FM …
but now that both stations are owned by the same company, in this case the
beleaguered iHeart Media, it won’t be. Just shy of the top-10 tied with KRCD at
11th was KNX … still no better than it was as a standalone AM station. Now
using both the 1070 AM and 97.1 FM frequencies, it earned a 2.9.
                Cutting
the B.S.
                Bo
Snerdley was conservative talker Rush Limbaugh’s longtime producer; he helped
line up guests, screened calls, and most importantly helped put together the
day’s news for Limbaugh to expound upon.
                Since
Limbaugh’s death, Snerdley stayed busy producing shows for the replacement
hosts, produced the Limbaugh Letter, started a podcast, and launched his own
program on WABC/New York entitled Bo Snerdley’s Rush Hour.
                He also
produces a twice-daily conservative-leaning news headline email called Bo
Snerdley’s Daily BS - Bo Cuts Through It. If you’re interested, subscribe at
http://eepurl.com/hKLLg9
                Snerdley’s
on-air name was inspired by Bo Jackson; his given name is James Golden. He
spent 30 years working with Limbaugh, right until the very end.
                ///
15 min
March 28, 2023 Radio Waves Podcast - Special Edition - Ken Levine
SPECIAL Podcast: We are re-publishing our career spanning interview with the multi-talented Ken Levine - who is featured in Richard's column this week.
The Pacific Pioneer Broadcasters/Hollywood Media Professionals played host to a special “Coffee With …” interview as Master of Ceremonies and interviewer Chuck Street spent two hours talking with Ken Levine.
You may not know the name Ken Levine when it comes to radio, though he did use his real name on KFI (640 AM) in the 1980s. But he was a young, up-and-coming top-40 radio star known as Beaver Cleaver on Ten Q (KTNQ, 1020 AM) here in Los Angeles and on the great B-100 (KFMB-FM — now KFBG, 100.7 FM) in San Diego, among other stations.
Why Beaver Cleaver, the name of the character on the old “Leave It to Beaver” TV series? It was catchy and helped him stand out much more than the name he used previously, Ken Stevens.
Outside of radio, Levine is a highly-respected writer, producer, and director in the television and film industries, an accomplished playwright, and even a play-by-play announcer for Major League Baseball. His numerous credits include television programs “M*A*S*H,” “Cheers,” “Frasier,” “Wings,” “The Simpsons,” “Almost Perfect,” “Everybody Loves Raymond” and more; he has co-written feature films, and more recently has written and produced short plays acted live over Zoom.
His baseball work includes stints with the Baltimore Orioles, the Seattle Mariners, and the San Diego Padres, and he spent a few years as co-host of Dodger Talk, the call-in program that followed every Dodger Game on the radio.
And just to show that he can do just about anything, he is also an accomplished cartoonist, with his work appearing in the prestigious New Yorker magazine. In his spare time(?), he writes a blog and produces a thoroughly entertaining podcast … go to kenlevine.blogspot.com and hollywoodandlevine.libsyn.com/
Honestly, I have no idea how he manages to find time for all of his interests, let alone all the differing careers all the while being a loyal husband and family man. But the two-hour coffee interview just wasn’t enough … as many in the audience could attest, it was among the fastest two hours on record.
Levine tends to downplay his accomplishments in radio, stating that his voice is “too squeaky” compared to his many heroes and contemporaries. I disagree, but regardless, he more than made up for any perceived personal deficiency with a quick wit, biting sarcasm, creative double entendres, and much more.
This all came out anew during his interview, with such radio-related stories as:
• Trying to get fired at KMEN/San Bernardino (now KKDD, 1290 AM).
Management wanted him back in the overnight shift; he asked to be fired instead. They refused, so he stopped by the record store to buy a special album to play.
“Radio stations were getting hip and playing album cuts more and more, so this idea was perfect.” The album he purchased to play in its entirety? “Fiddler on the Roof,” he said. “In Yiddish … I was fired before ‘Anatevka’ finished playing.”
• Convincing the General Manager of WLS/Chicago — at the time one of the most popular radio stations in the country — to put him on the air during the overnight shift leading into Thanksgiving Day.
Who was the GM? His father. “My Dad,” Levine explains, “left a memo stating that ‘My son will be doing the all-night show.’ No word on who I was or my experience on the air.”
The guy on the air immediately before Levine’s shift had no idea who he was, so Levine pretended to be entirely clueless. “Wow, what are all these buttons,” he remembers asking the other DJ. By the time his shift was up, the other DJ was convinced this was going to be bad and was scared to leave the station in the hands of an amateur. “He was just freaking out,” Levine says.
Finally, when the time came, the DJ watched as Levine leaned into the microphone, played the top-of-the-hour jingle, and opened his show with “This is Ken Levine; I’ve been on the air in Los Angeles, New York, San Diego, Bakersfield, San Bernardino … but never at the same time! This is W-L-S!”
When Levine shut off the microphone, he remembers, “The DJ says, ‘You’ve done this before!’ I said, ‘Yes, of course; my father’s not going to put someone on the air at a 50,000-watt clear channel station in Chicago who’s never done it before!’”
• The time that a program director at K-100 (now KKLQ, 100.3 FM) worried they might get sued over his on-air name.
Levine told the program director not to worry: “If we get sued, we’ll get a ton of free publicity, and the worst that will happen is they’ll make me change my name.”
The program director called the station co-owner for direction, and Levine describes the response this way: “What’s the problem?” Levine says was the response. “The worst that would happen is that we’d get some free publicity and they’d make him change his name.”
You can hear recordings of some of Levine’s on-air work by searching YouTube.Com using the keywords Beaver Cleaver, Ken Levine, Ten-Q and B-100. Mike Stark and I did a full career-spanning interview with Levine, which can be found at http://la-radiowaves.blogspot.com/2020/08/radio-waves-extra-ken-levine.html
Richard Wagoner is a San Pedro freelance columnist. Email [email protected]
2 hr 9 min

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A weekly radio podcast covering radio news, business, history and innovation - hosted LA radio veteran Mike Stark and LA radio columnist Richard Wagoner.

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