The 2022 Year in Review
Julie Chin, Brian Ping, Rob Archer, Karen Adams
The radio Audacy continues: Meanwhile, the corporate owner of KNX is doing a better job of publicizing their podcasts, although I reiterate most outside of the radio biz will spell the company’s name as “Odyssey.” They also have top performers with K-EARTH 101 (KRTH) and the WAVE (KTWV). Yet as of this writing, Audacy’s stock price is down to 21 cents per share. Not down 21 cents, that’s the actual stock price. I wasn’t a business major, but I’ve gotta wonder about sustainability.
The Los Angeles cluster escaped drastic cuts in August, though
KNX traffic veteran Denise Fondo and
production wiz Bill Nesbitt were
laid off, perhaps part of Audacy’s so-called “transformation journey.” By the
way, does anyone else notice KNX-AM (remember them?) is now offering brokered
programming on weekend mornings?
Trying to ROQ on: Though he now has a corporate title within Audacy, Kevin Weatherly’s primary task is to return alternative rocker KROQ back to the prominence it once celebrated. Even with a less-than-ideal signal (it’s one of the few stations not transmitting from Mount Wilson), the station was once the top-biller in the nation.
After some tumultuous changes, particularly in the post Kevin (Ryder) & Bean (Gene Baxter) era, the station has settled down with Kevin Klein and Ally Johnson doing mornings, plus some obvious tweaks with the playlist. Weatherly is one of the more successful PDs in L.A. radio history, sharing in some of the glory days of 106.7 FM. We again wish Kevin well, hoping he can get the station to ROQ again. It won’t be easy.
One note: ALT 92.3 (WNYL), once the New York alternative rocker and sister station to KROQ, is now simulcasting all-news WINS.
Do people
still have an (i)Heart?: What’s noteworthy about the local iHeart stations is
what’s not happening. There have been a few changes at their stations, Kayla Thomas arriving from New Jersey
for KIIS middays, for example, KFI continues to stay in the upper echelons of
the ratings as an AM-only operation (albeit to an older audience), and Ellen K’s KOST also dominates the FM
dial, even when it’s not Christmas (after a 13.2 rating last year, they “only”had a 12.1 holiday rating this year). What I hear from my friends who aren’t
glued to the dial (like me), they do recognize the iHeart brand (they’ll mention
the “iHeart Music Awards”). It’s been three years since iHeart emerged from
bankruptcy, though they still have significant debt (over $5 billion), for 2022
the company is, for the most part, relatively stable. I need to reread that
last sentence.
It’s (still)
time for Dodger baseball: The Rams won the Super Bowl, the Lakers continue to
try to turn it around, while others celebrate the LAFC MLS championship. Yet I
still argue what gets the most attention on sports talk radio is the rise and
fall of our local baseball team. Maybe because the season is 162 games plus the
playoffs, or perhaps because of their long local history, but I hear more
discussion (and arguments) over what the Dodgers should or shouldn’t do for
next season after a disappointing finish (of all teams, why the Padres??),
particularly on Dodger flagship station AM 570 L.A. Sports (KLAC) and 710 /
ESPN (KSPN). Someday (sooner than
later?) the Dodgers will have a huge victory parade after winning the World
Series, broadcast live. I can always hope.
Plus the
relevancy of the Dodgers was reflected by the passing of the GOAT, Vin Scully, with countless tributes to
the voice of the L.A. team for 67 (!) years on both traditional media and just
about every digital platform. Almost everyone over the age of 40 has a memory
to share about the unpretentious Mr. Scully, who habitually insisted he be
referred to as “Vin.” One personal note: I shared my 2011 interview and thestory behind the interview in previous postings. The cliché is you should never
meet your heroes. I’m glad I did.
There (was) a new Sheriff in town: There was much said about former L.A. County Sheriff Alex Villanueva, perhaps one of the most controversial officers to hold that title. He did make his case for a time on KFI, hosting a Sunday night program. Whatever your views about the former Sheriff, he’s another example of how KFI continues to provide timely live-and-local programming throughout the majority of their broadcast week, while the competition rely more and more (and sometimes almost exclusively) on syndicated fare. Their lean but lively news department is still a good source for the headlines most of the day, though with only one live person in their Pinnacle Building studios, he gave a 10 second recap of a late-night earthquake before quickly returning to George Noory.
Bay Area beckonings: Not all of the legacy stations have been successful like KFI. We discussed the tale of San Francisco’s iconic KGO abruptly dropping their heritage news / talk format for syndicated sports gambling info.
We were
grateful to Mark Thompson, the last
voice heard on KGO before the major switch for his perspective. Ronn
Owens and Jan Black, longtime KGO veterans, also provided some helpful
insights. To see a one-time giant like KGO sacrificed for syndicated sports
gambling program is sad, it’s tragic to see the fate of one of the most
powerful AM signals in the Bay Area. We noted KFI continues to excel, yet it’s
become the exception and not the rule. As noted earlier, even the top-rated
all-news WINS-New York is now simulcast on a strong FM signal, similar to
sister station KNX.
Music to my ears, sort of: The top stations in town are still largely music stations, the aforementioned K-EARTH and the WAVE are joined by KOST, MyFM (KBIG), KIIS, and KLOS, among many others. The playlists are carefully crafted, but more and more of the voices between the music are voicetracked. We’re told repeatedly younger audiences couldn’t care less about radio and prefer their own Pandora playlists. Still, I wonder if radio is hastening its demise by using pre-recorded generic talent even during drive time in the number two market. It makes me all the more grateful when I do hear a live-and-local talent between the songs. And for those who wonder why this blog hasn’t said much about the personalities on the music stations, please review my previous comment about voicetracking. It makes me appreciate even more the live voices who grace our local airwaves.
Una nueva
mañana: They had to fend off rumors their marriage was in trouble when Omar Velasco and Argelia Atilano left their top-rated morning show on Univision’s
K-LOVE (KLVE, the Spanish station not to be confused with…well, you probably
know) after nearly two decades. A little over a year later, “El Show de Omar y
Argelia” re-emerged in March on Spanish Broadcasting System’s Mega 96.3 (KXOL)
in March. Although I don’t speak Spanish (I want to learn, does anyone
recommend Babbel?), I’m nonetheless aware there’s a lot going on with Spanish
media. Though the team of Velasco and Atilano have their podcasts, writing
books, and other interests, it’s worth noting they decided to make a return to
old-fashioned terrestrial broadcasting.
WAVEing
goodbye and hello: Someone who hasn’t returned yet to the local dial is former
WAVE morning host Pat Prescott. She
was honored with a deservedly festive on-air farewell as she retired from 94.7
FM, though she still offers a daily program on WBGO / Newark Public Radio from
9 – 11 a.m. Pacific Time. After placing an ad to find Prescott’s successor,
Audacy hired Liz Hernandez, someone
who’s not a stranger to L.A. listeners. She was part of Kurt Alexander’s “Big Boy’s Neighborhood” on Power 106 (KPWR), then
known as “Luscious Liz.” Hernandez has been part of a lineup that continues to
keep the Urban AC station in the top 10 of the ratings, not bad for a station
that was rumored to be due for a major format change just a few years ago.
Short takes – the year end edition: When the “Independent 88.5 FM” (KCSN / KSBR) rebranded themselves as the “SoCal Sound,” I was wondering what they were going to do. I didn’t expect the demise of some of their weekend feature program. Glad Mimi Chen is still on the air, but I miss the Flower Child…Kurt “Big Boy” Alexander” still keeps his neighbors entertained, his consistency is admirable…
I enjoy flipping back-and-forth between KLAC’s Fred Roggin and Rodney Peete and 710 / ESPN’s Steve Mason and John Ireland…As for 710, their signal has definitely downgraded. Sometimes, the simulcast on 1110 simply sounds better. How’s about a FM-HD2?...Looking forward to the debut of KTLA-TV’s Rich DeMuro offering tech advice on KFI Saturdays as the successor to Leo Laporte, but I’ll definitely miss “THE Tech Guy” every weekend…They may not dominate the ratings like other NPR stations across the country, but KPCC and KCRW continue to be worthy of a daily listen…
I’m still getting used to KROQ veterans Chris Booker and Ted Stryker now on ALT 98.7 (KYSR)…My friends who listen to CCM largely prefer The Fish 95.9 (KFSH) to K-LOVE (the non-Spanish KKLQ). Of note, KKLA’s Dave James is still heard as “Big Wave Dave” on 95.9 FM weekends, James and his moniker have now been on The Fish for over twenty years…
I enjoy Gary Bryan and his K-EARTH colleagues, the 70s – 80s – 90s music is a lot of fun for a late Boomer such as yours truly. That being said, sometimes I’m actually surprised when I tune into the station and don’t hear a commercial. I think I actually counted twelve (count ‘em, twelve) spots in a row in a weekday stop set. I know, “get off my lawn” (sorry, but the drought killed my lawn)… We noted the centennial of iHeart’s Sacramento newstalker, KFBK, perhaps best known for launching Rush Limbaugh. His larger-than-life presence is still missed on The Patriot 1150 (KEIB)…
Earlier this year, Sean Valentine inked a deal to continue his morning show on 104.3 / MyFM (KBIG). Like his colleague Big Boy down the hallway of the iHeart Burbank studios, the talented Valentine continues his remarkable consistency…I know it’s streamed and available on an HD4 signal (know what that is?), but I miss LA Oldies on Saul Levine’s 1260 AM…Nonetheless, Levine’s other property, Go Country 105 (KKGO) still keeps a prominent profile, where it’s fun to listen to Christine Martindale…”The unapologetically progressive” KBLA hosted then Mayor-elect Karen Bass for a live program near their Leimert Park studios, their logo conspicuous on local TV coverage. What I don’t know is the station’s listenership – do they subscribe to the Nielsen rating service? Or to paraphrase their former afternoon host Alonzo Boden, “who’s listening now?”…
It wasn’t a flip so much as a tweak at Power 106 (KPWR), primarily
the addition of “throwbacks” to their playlist. But what got more national
publicity was the ever growing family of midday host Nick Cannon. He recently welcomed his 12th child. I was going to
make some allusion to the movie “Cheaper by the Dozen,” and how it likely doesn’t
apply here. But I was one-upped by a comment on social media, where someone
posted “Lakers, sign this man. He can’t miss.”
Heading into the New Year: Without going into gory detail, my day job got exponentially more time-consuming this past year, plus an ongoing battle with the flu (I’m still dealing with the cough) set me back a bit. But I did try to keep up with breaking news and will continue to do so. Also, a number of you have encouraged me with your kind words, so we’ll keep going as long as I can do so.
I leave you with
the immortal words of Gary Owens: “It
takes a lot of work to come up with puns and bad jokes.”
I'm still at ayodaradio@gmail.com. You can subscribe, comment, and contradict. Have a great 2023!
Comments
Post a Comment