Airwaves: April 7, 2006
What's In a Name?
If you're KLAC, apparently nothing. The all-sports station, formerly heard
on XTRA 690, KXTA 1150, and a combination of the two, has been
called at various times X-TRA Sports, Fox Sports, and a few others. Now
it appears to have morphed into just AM 570 Sports. At least judging by
the new billboards around town.
The web site still mentions XTRA, even though those call letters belong to another
company now and are still affixed to 690. Good thing no one is listening ...
In Exile
Former Fabulous 570/690 programmer Brad Chambers checked in to
say that yes, indeed, he will be going "on air" via the internet soon.
A date has not been set yet, but Chambers insists that Lounge Lizards in Exile
will once again hear their favorite music ASAP. Keep up to date at www.martiniinthemorning.com.
Where Is ... Shana
One of the first women to work in Los Angeles music radio and (I believe) the
first woman to work at top-40 KHJ, Shana began her radio career at a college
radio station in Kalamazoo in 1971. Just three years later, at the tender age
of 21, she took on overnights in San Francisco at the Bay Area's (former) legendary KFRC.
It was at KFRC where programmer Michael Spears gave her the name "Shana," prior
to that she went by her given name of Margaret Reichl. She came to Southern California
straight from San Francisco to work at sister station KHJ in 1976, a time
of trouble for the AM giant, which couldn't seem to decide what it wanted to
be -- top-40 or album-oriented.
That experience led to more stable environments, however, including 1190 KEZY/Anaheim
in 1978, KROQ for a short time in 1980, KLOS from 1980 to 1986,
and KLSX from 1986 to 1995.
When KLSX dropped music for moron talk in 1995, she found her way to KPCC for
a few years, and then in 2001 landed at Arrow 93, until that station dropped
classic rock for whatever it plays now ... bad music with lame production.
So what's she up to now? Glad you asked. Through a weird, twisted chain of events
directed in part by laradio.com's Don Barrett, Shana is the new talent coordinator
for Bob Coburn's syndicated Rockline, a job she started just last
week.
Considering Shana's talents both in front of and behind the microphone, I bet
she will make Rockline, heard locally on KLOS Wednesdays from 8:30 to 10:00 PM,
and repeated Saturday's at 10:00 PM, even better.
Overpowering
Radio engineers and managers around the country are finding that
iPods and satellite radio not only take away listeners from traditional radio,
they may be pushing them away. Through interference.
Because so many people use mini-FM transmitters to hear their music throught
their car stereos, stations are occasionally finding themselves drowned out by
passing cars. And while that may seem wrong -- you have to have an "empty" frequency
to really hear the iPod or satellite radio itself without static, there are cases
where the users may not even know -- or care -- that their FM transmitters are
on, and perhaps broadcasting over a full power FM station. This can happen when
the transmitter is left on, but the music source is actually playing through
a direct-wire connection.
Personally I think the concern is overblown. I have yet to have problems with
interference ... at least outside of the industry's own digital radio system.
But I suppose if I were grasping at straws to keep listeners listening, I might
blame low-powered mini-transmitters. At least it takes away the focus from programming
content.
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Copyright © 2006 Richard Wagoner and The Copley Press.
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