jmancuso Posted November 13, 2004 Share Posted November 13, 2004 Do we EVEN have an english speaking stations LEFT in this city???yes, but they are dwindling... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
editor Posted November 13, 2004 Share Posted November 13, 2004 For what it's worth, here are the radio rankings for Houston-Galveston (market #7 now -- up from 10 last year)KBXX-FMKLTN-FMKMJQ-FMKODA-FMKRBE-FMKPTY-FMKPRC-AMKKBQ-FMKOVE-FMKTBZ-FMKILT-FMKTRH-AMKHJZ-FMKTHT-FMKHMX-FMKLOL-FMKTJM-FM/KJOJ-FMKKRW-FMKLDE-FMKHPT-FMKSEV-AMKILT-AMKQBU-FMKRWP-FMKBME-AMKOBT-FMKQQK-FM/KIOX-FMKQUE-AMKWWJ-AMKROI-FMKCOH-AMKEYH-AMKLAT-AMAs you can see, KLOL wasn't doing very well-- coming in 16th. But it was on an improving trend from Summer 2003 through Summer 2004. But I guess it didn't improve enough.Also, of the 33 stations here, nine are Spanish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmancuso Posted November 13, 2004 Share Posted November 13, 2004 well, KHMX (96.5) and KKRW (93.7) ranked about the same as KLOL in that list so it must be a matter of time before they disappear as well...as for walton & johnson, they were hardly worthy of the title "radio gawds". that will always belong to stevens & pruett. but ever since howard stern has been on a few months ago, that's all i have been listening to in the morning. i have missed listening to him ever since i left new york. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talbot Posted November 13, 2004 Share Posted November 13, 2004 Station officials said the 2000 census helped them make the decision.<{POST_SNAPBACK}>If they keep going by the census then out of the 33 stations only 9 will be english. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted November 14, 2004 Share Posted November 14, 2004 Ah, capitalism at work. Isn't Houston's population something like 40% Hispanic? It stands to reason that over time a similar percentage of radio and TV outlets would be targeted at that audience. The issue isn't always just ratings alone, as much as the demographics of the listeners. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricco67 Posted November 14, 2004 Share Posted November 14, 2004 jm1fd, People were saying the same thing about cable in the late 70's and early 80's. There is a good chance you're paying for cable as well. If you're paying for cable, why would you since there is free programing within the Houston area? Ricco Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H-Town Man Posted November 14, 2004 Share Posted November 14, 2004 IMO, KLOL died a long time ago, well, pretty much since the day both 101 and 93.7 came under the ownership of Clear Channel. AM/FM is dead, and it has everything to do with deregulating rules of ownership without deregulating the airwaves themselves. What this has produced are conglomerates like CC.CC owns both 93.7 and 101, which, for the most part, have a high crossover of listeners. Both have been wallowing at the bottom of the Arbitron ratings for the city. If they had separate owners, they would be tinkering with the format to try to bring up ratings. But since they have the same owner, they can flip one knowing that people will just spend more time listening to the other.It's a recipe for mediocrity.And to satellite radio, I have as much use for commercials as I do for hour long commutes. I pay a premium to live 15 minutes from my job. In the same vein, the collective 20 bucks I give to XM and DVR to zap commercials is well worth it.<{POST_SNAPBACK}>Speaking of crossover listeners... the most horrible move in Houston radio history came in the early 90's, when ClearChannel took over both KILT-FM and KIKK-FM. At the time they were ranked #1 and #2, respectively. ClearChannel thought, "Why have two country stations when we can expand our market?" So they fired every single DJ on KIKK, many of whom were local legends. Of course the station tanked, so they spent years trying to bring it back, with Young Country and Texas Revolution themes. It didn't work, and now the station is light jazz.I used to love KLOL in the late nineties, when they would mix the new stuff with Jimmy Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Bob Seger, Metallica, etc., but after around 2001 or so it seemed like every time I tuned in, it was nothing but new, discordant, hate-my-parents type stuff. So I stopped listening. 93.7 used to be really good, but then around '97 or '98 it changed from Classic Hits to Classic Rock. I'm not sure what they had in mind, but apparently it meant getting rid of about 90% of their music library (they previously had bragged of having "Houston's largest on-air music library," but stopped around this time). Pretty soon you were hearing the same songs over and over, so I got tired of them too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
editor Posted November 14, 2004 Share Posted November 14, 2004 93.7 used to be really good, but then around '97 or '98 it changed from Classic Hits to Classic Rock. I'm not sure what they had in mind, but apparently it meant getting rid of about 90% of their music library (they previously had bragged of having "Houston's largest on-air music library," but stopped around this time). Pretty soon you were hearing the same songs over and over, so I got tired of them too.It's because it's an ARROw station. There are certain genres of radio that are tightly controlled and all identical from coast to coast. You can tell them by their trademarked brand names: Mix, Smooth Jazz, ARROw, etc...93.7 ended up an ARROw, which stands for All Rock and Roll Oldies. It a format designed to be a catch-all for men too old to listen to the 80's, but too young to listen to oldies. The music on every ARROw station from coast to coast is exactly the same, just like the music on every Mix station, and every Smooth Jazz station.I used to know the guy who programmed the music for all the Mix stations coast-to-coast from his little office in Lexington, Kentucky. He took me to my first topless bar. It was in a place known as "the badlands" in the hills of West Virginia. A traumatic experience.I don't know if 93.7 has a local air staff or if it's run entirely by remote control. Smooth Jazz is remote control. Mix isn't -- I've been to their studios (a surprisingly good view). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidtownCoog Posted November 14, 2004 Share Posted November 14, 2004 Why would you since there is free programing within the Houston area?Becuase music is music, be it on FM or Satellite, but cable offers additional broadcasting that broadcast TV cannot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaTrain Posted November 15, 2004 Share Posted November 15, 2004 That is what I can't stand about local radio: if the FCC had not gotten too lenient with ownership of stations, then Clear Channel wouldn't have to be the conglamerate media giant it is today with 1200 stations. CC claims to give variety, but they are not. Playlists are cut short, and every single Top 40 pop station is a "KISS-FM" clone. In terms of Urban radio in Houston, I'm glad Clear Channel doesn't run 97.9 The Box or Majic 102.1 anymore since 2000 when CC passed Majic and Box to Radio One. Even Radio One messed up the two stations and their sister stations when it came to repetitive playlists, and internet sites (half don't have them anymore).CC owns both 93.7 and 101, which, for the most part, have a high crossover of listeners. Both have been wallowing at the bottom of the Arbitron ratings for the city. If they had separate owners, they would be tinkering with the format to try to bring up ratings. But since they have the same owner, they can flip one knowing that people will just spend more time listening to the other.Back when I lived in the SF Bay Area, the two major Hip Hop/R&B stations 106 KMEL and KYLD Wild 94.9 were owned by the same owner AM/FM Radio (actual name) since 1996. Two years later, Clear Channel bought AM/FM Radio, screwing up the two stations (well, one more than the other). KMEL and Wild had separate owners, but now that they have the same owner, it is not good demographics because both have rhythmic formats with different styles. Wild is leaned toward Rhythmic Top 40, and KMEL leans more toward Urban Contemporary. Even the adult urban station there sucked: 98.1 Kiss-FM used to be Urbanized, but recently got too rhythmic old school sounding in a cookie cutter way. The only other "original" adult urban (not owned by CC) there is ICBC-owned KBLX "The Quiet Storm" which plays R&B songs for at least 6-8 hours without repeating it; so it is a better station than Kiss.I'm ready for Clear Channel to die fo sho. CC sucks, and it is evil! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pineda Posted November 15, 2004 Share Posted November 15, 2004 An aside to ponder, newly-elected Texas Congressman Michael McCaul who represents an interesting slice of territory from northwest Harris County to Austin, in the newest re-districting move by Tom Delay and friends, is the son-in-law of the owner of Clear Channel. (Why do you think McCaul ran? His father-in-law was his chief financier of his campaign. Whose agenda do you think he'll represent?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeightsGuy Posted November 15, 2004 Share Posted November 15, 2004 As another aside, are there any other old fogies like myself out there who remember when rock ruled Houston? Back then my favorite was not KLOL, it was 97 rock with Moby, The Catfish and Colonel St. James. 97 Rock also had the best bumper stickers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricco67 Posted November 15, 2004 Share Posted November 15, 2004 I may be showing my age... But Moby was the $#IT!Walter and Johnson were WIMPS compared to moby. Hell. Stevens and PRUETT were wimps compared to moby.He'd spank Howard Stern on a good day. He was one of the original shock jocks. Ricco Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suzerain Posted November 15, 2004 Share Posted November 15, 2004 Ah, capitalism at work. Isn't Houston's population something like 40% Hispanic? It stands to reason that over time a similar percentage of radio and TV outlets would be targeted at that audience. The issue isn't always just ratings alone, as much as the demographics of the listeners.<{POST_SNAPBACK}>Well, even if the population is about 40% hispanic, I will venture that the majority of those people do not speak spanish exclusively and a good number of those people only speak english. If you just look at the census figures then you are making a very poor business decision.In an aside, I've gone to a large number of rock shows and one of the largest demographics is hispanic. I would say the number of people who listen to hard rock or metal in Houston are hispanic. San Antonio has one of the best rock stations and they have a very large hispanic population the last time I heard. I think this a bad marketing deicision, poorly thoughtout, and partly driven by politics and perceived markets with not a lot of information to back it up.It surprises me that the people on this board and clear channel that the musical genres can be devided up by race. The majority of people, especially high school and younger crowds listen to a wide variety of music and cannot be divided by racial lines.BTW, I have signed the petition to bring the station back. Preferably, it would be without Walton and Johnson, but I guess I can only ask for one thing at a time! Suzerain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jm1fd Posted November 15, 2004 Share Posted November 15, 2004 jm1fd, People were saying the same thing about cable in the late 70's and early 80's.   There is a good chance you're paying for cable as well. If you're paying for cable, why would you since there is free programing within the Houston area? <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Actually, no, I'm not paying for cable. My building has free cable. Apparently the building is wired such that they can't turn on and off individual units....so as long as there's one subscriber, we all have free cable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmancuso Posted November 15, 2004 Share Posted November 15, 2004 I may be showing my age... But Moby was the $#IT!Walter and Johnson were WIMPS compared to moby. Hell. Stevens and PRUETT were wimps compared to moby.He'd spank Howard Stern on a good day. He was one of the original shock jocks. RiccoHouston, get your lazy asses out of bed! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2112 Posted November 15, 2004 Share Posted November 15, 2004 I miss Stevens and Pruett, the uncle-waldo adventures, and tacky-trivia. I will miss Outlaw Dave and uncle Nasty, and of course all the great rock and roll that I grew up with. I am truly sad that KLOL had to go. This reminds me of when 97-ROCK went off the air: another great radio station from the 80 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmancuso Posted November 15, 2004 Share Posted November 15, 2004 ^ i hear ya but the message sent with the format change from rock to tejano goes way beyond a simple change in genres but a sign that a demographic group is being pushed aside for another. i understand that there are a lot of latinos who like to rock - my late step-father for example (a mexican-american) was one example of some who loved classic rock and got me hooked on it way back when. bob seger, the doors, santana, the who, the doobies... - hell yeah! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2112 Posted November 16, 2004 Share Posted November 16, 2004 I really will miss KLOL. It was my friend during the mid to late eighties, and beyond, when I first moved to Houston. 93.7 just doesnt capture the same feeling. It was sorta like 97Rock in many ways. It is also hard to accept that, really, that era is dissipating to some extent. Guess I'm getting old! This sucks.....get your nasty asses to the house........have you ever THOUGHT about doing it with another woman?... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N8TIV Posted November 16, 2004 Author Share Posted November 16, 2004 well, you probably knew this was coming....Sign the Petition Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2112 Posted November 16, 2004 Share Posted November 16, 2004 Well we will do anything to please our new illegals, that means even getting rid of stuff that english speaking BORN REAL AMERICANS listen too. Just to please them. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Dear Citykid, Again, your uncomfortableness with the reality is showing. I understand it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westender Posted November 16, 2004 Share Posted November 16, 2004 Becuase music is music, be it on FM or Satellite, but cable offers additional broadcasting that broadcast TV cannot.<{POST_SNAPBACK}>have you even looked into what satellite radio has to offer? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidtownCoog Posted November 16, 2004 Share Posted November 16, 2004 Quote: have you even looked into what satellite radio has to offer?No, never have, and never will.I have 500 + CD, 100 + LPs and 2,000 + mp3 and still counting.I'll just continue to grow my own collection and take it on the road with me. It's not like I really listen to anything other than KPFT, KTRU, KUHT and KTRH.And I have cable radio at home, and it's not worth a flip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
editor Posted November 16, 2004 Share Posted November 16, 2004 Quote: have you even looked into what satellite radio has to offer?No, never have, and never will.I have 500 + CD, 100 + LPs and 2,000 + mp3 and still counting.I'll just continue to grow my own collection and take it on the road with me. It's not like I really listen to anything other than KPFT, KTRU, KUHT and KTRH.And I have cable radio at home, and it's not worth a flip.You sound exactly like the type of person who would enjoy satellite radio.Imagine radio stations with deep deep playlists. Thousands more albums than one person could ever own. Entire 24-hour channels built around the type of programming KPFT, KTRU, and KUHT provide for a couple of hours a week.Two, three, or four public radio channels from the U.S. and around the world.More news in 10 minutes than KTRH gives you all day.Cable radio isn't the same thing. It's not radio. It's a jukebox. These are radio stations with DJs, information, and high production values. Anyone can stick an iPod into a cable head-end and call it "radio," but it really isn't. It's just a jukebox.Try it before you diss it. You might be surprised what's on there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westender Posted November 17, 2004 Share Posted November 17, 2004 And I have cable radio at home, and it's not worth a flip.<{POST_SNAPBACK}>so if it's not worth the flip, why do you keep it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ssullivan Posted November 17, 2004 Share Posted November 17, 2004 so if it's not worth the flip, why do you keep it?Probably because it's automatically included with all of Time Warner's digital cable packages. I actually like some of the digital cable music stations, for when I just want background music with no ads or other interuptions.Do any of the satellite radio services carry international stations? I've gotten hooked on London's Virgin Radio, which I get over the Internet through iTunes. Not only do they play a lot of great American music but some great songs by European artists you'll never hear on the radio here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
editor Posted November 17, 2004 Share Posted November 17, 2004 Probably because it's automatically included with all of Time Warner's digital cable packages. I actually like some of the digital cable music stations, for when I just want background music with no ads or other interuptions.Do any of the satellite radio services carry international stations? I've gotten hooked on London's Virgin Radio, which I get over the Internet through iTunes. Not only do they play a lot of great American music but some great songs by European artists you'll never hear on the radio here.Yes, and no.There are some government restrictions on what kind of terrestrial stations can be carried on satellite radio.However, Sirius (and I believe XM) carry BBC World Service.Sirius also carries World Radio Network, which carries a different global broadcaster each half-hour in English. Stations like Radio Slovakia, Radio Polonia, China Radio International, Vatican Radio, Radio Prague, Radio Korea, Radio Australia, Voice of Russia, Radio Vlaanderen, etc... Some play music. Most play news. All are very interesting.To see the full list, click here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbigtex56 Posted November 19, 2004 Share Posted November 19, 2004 Did anyone see Howard Stern on David Letterman tonight?I almost didn't watch, as I'm not a fan of Mr. Stern's sense of humor. I'm glad I did, because some of the points he made about the current and future state of traditional radio were well thought out - and alarming. Between corporate takeovers and increasingly heavy-handed FCC regulation, there seems to be no relief in sight for land-based radio.If you're tired of Clear Channel and their ilk, satellite looks like the future of radio and (I hope) music. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
editor Posted November 19, 2004 Share Posted November 19, 2004 It was always hard to take Howard seriously. It's become even harder since he's become a shill for Sirius. He doesn't do anything without plugging his show on their service. He couldn't even talk to the head of the FCC on a radio talk show without urging everyone to pick up a Sirius radio. It's ironic that Howard is now the spokesperson for free speech, considering the number of other DJs and comedians he's tried to silence for allegedly stealing his material. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted November 19, 2004 Share Posted November 19, 2004 From the Chronicle:Nov. 18, 2004, 9:32PMKLOL just wasn't music to ears of radio marketersBy LOREN STEFFYCopyright 2004 Houston ChronicleI'm not a good demographic. That's not an easy thing to admit. No one likes to be unloved, even if it's only by marketers.Clear Channel Communications' decision to pull the plug on KLOL-FM, though, drives home the point that I am an outcast, both musically and commercially.My biggest hint came several years ago when a station in Dallas changed its format to music that I swore was pulled from my own CD collection. It was an eclectic mix with unique programming such as a weekly show featuring Texas artists. It lasted exactly a year. "Not commercially viable" was the official cause of death.I'd like to think that KLOL died because it replaced music in the mornings with moronic prattle, but the truth is more harsh: all of us who grew up listening to KLOL and stations like it simply aren't the marketing draw we once were. We've lost the sweet spot.What's a middle-aged white guy who doesn't want to hear Fleetwood Mac 13 times a day to do?Fewer media owners mean fewer media choices. If you own eight stations, as Clear Channel does, in a broadcast area the size of Houston, you can create vertical markets, nice little demographic compartments tailor made for advertisers.No matter what your business, Clear Channel has a cookie-cutter market segment for your target customer base: Latino hip-hop, "new mix" pop, Fleetwood Mac-inundated "classic rock," news/talk and gooey "easy listening" to name a few.There's lots of real estate on the dial, with little format overlap. What's the point in dominating a market if you have to compete with yourself?In the name of cost efficiency, the prefab formatting can be replicated in city and after city. Media consolidation becomes media coagulation, the Wal-Marting of the airwaves. Call it McRadio.Music enthusiasts bemoan the consolidation because it dries up outlets for new artists and local talent.Because radio is carried on public airwaves, broadcasters can't simply open a new station. And because there's a limited number of frequencies on those airwaves, allowing one company to buy up eight stations in a market means there's fewer frequencies for the rest of us.Wal-Mart on the radioFor years, consumer advocates and advertisers have worried that concentrated ownership gives a few large companies a disproportionate control of the advertising market. That can enable them to jack up rates, which can hurt small and minority-owned businesses. Just as Wal-Mart squeezes out small business in markets it enters, media megaliths can squash independent and minority ownership as well.In testimony before the Federal Communications Commissions last year, the National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters said the number of minority owners of broadcast facilities has fallen 14 percent since the industry was deregulated less than a decade ago.A lack of ownership diversity leads to a lack of programming diversity.Sure, Clear Channel yanked KLOL for a Latino dance format, but there's a difference between pandering and diversity. The Latino market has become a competitive battleground because of its size and the inability of corporate America to exploit it. Clear Channel wants its piece of the pie. Houston already has 16 Spanish language stations, but none was putting money in Clear Channel's coffers.Clear Channel winds up the villain in this tale simply because it is playing by the rules Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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