Airwaves: December 9, 2011
Less Talk in The City
It was just a short time ago -- mid September -- that Citadel Broadcasting
merged with Cumulus Media, making Cumulus the second-largest radio station
owner in America with a bit under 800 stations total, just behind Clear Channel
Communications and their roughly 850 properties. Since that time we’ve
seen hat we’ve gotten used to in the age of consolidation -- the firing
of longtime station personnel and another reason to listen to satellite radio
or iPods.
Up in San Francisco, Cumulus had a bloodletting at KGO. Gone are numerous
personalities and most of the format; instead of a news/talk approach, the
focus will be on news alone, with KGO going more directly against all-news
KCBS.
What makes this interesting are two things. First, KGO was far from being a
failure. The most recent Arbitrons show that the station has stayed fairly
consistent in the ratings, recently at 7th place with a 4.2 share of the audience.
In June they were 4.2 as well, so any ideas of a sudden drop forcing a change
are flat out wrong. More likely, it was the mantra of modern radio: cut costs,
as the owners feel we are too stupid to notice that our favorite personalities
are gone.
Second is the LA tie in. Oh, yes, Cumulus owns KABC (790 AM) in Los
Angeles as well. KABC, a once proud station that was run into the ground by
bad management dating back more than two decades, since George Green retired
as General Manager. Yes, Citadel accelerated the pace of decline, but make
no mistake, KABC has been on a decline for years.
There were some firings at KABC and sister KLOS (95.5 FM) just recently,
but nothing on the scale of KGO ... due in part to the numerous syndicated
programs that are already free or dirt cheap. However, I do believe that KABC’s
time may have come and gone as a talk station. I would not be surprised if
the former top-rated talker abandons the format much as KGO did and goes right
after KNX (1070 AM). And I wouldn’t be surprised if it happens by the
end of the year.
Not what I would chose, mind you, as I would rather have music and I would
miss Larry Elder. But in some sense, there is a void in Los Angeles
for all news in the way that KFWB (980 AM) once covered it ... give
them 22 minutes, they’ll give you the world. Remember, KFWB actually beat
KNX in the ratings for a time toward the end of their all-news run.
Flying High
Former KLOS personality Jim Ladd, who lost his position at the classic
rock outlet in October, is moving to the bird.
Starting in January, Ladd will be found on SiriusXM’s Deep Tracks Channel
27, hosting a nightly program “playing everything I want,” he said
in a press release. It will also be live, allowing him to take listener calls
as he spins tunes on what may very well be the last freeform radio show on
a commercial outlet. the starting date and show time have not been released
yet.
I’d like to see it go further. Take KMET (now KTWV, 94.7 FM) national.
See if former KMET programmer Sam Bellamy would come in to program or
consult, hire Jeff Gonzer, Shana, Pat Kelly, Frazier
Smith, David Perry, Dr. Demento ... and do what The Sound (100.3
FM) should have done with one of its HD channels: just recreate KMET. Not as
an oldies/classic rock station necessarily, but with the freeform spirit and
respect for listeners that KMET used to have. Put it on Channel 94 (point 7)
... I bet it would be one of the more popular channels on satellite radio.
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Copyright © 2011 Richard Wagoner and Los Angeles Newspaper Group.
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