Bob&Geo (under construction)

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Do you think I’m out of it to think this way? For chrissakes, if you can’t get the basics done on a music station, a station where the entire thrust is the experience of listening to music, whether it’s Lite Music, Country Music, Alternative or whatever it is, the experience is going to suck for the listener. When I listened to WLTW in New York the production of the station’s sound was so bad, so poorly done, it made it hard for me to get into what they were trying to do. The same with KKGO in LA. Both stations were so poorly put together, I have a hard time imagining a listener enjoying the “Experience” of those two “Brands”. Good production, the construction of the sound, less talent, less promotion, just music, liners, Id’s and of course the commercials is Radio 101. Can you imagine an unedited show being thrown up on Netflix?

Geo: Netflix is all about product Bob, they spend billions on it. The top executives pride themselves on making as few decisions as possible and just let their staff run it. They work on where Netflix is going and mostly on how they’re going to distribute it. Radio for whatever reason is not very product driven at the moment and is only focussed on the bottom line. However, as my old pal, Socrates always said, “It’s what’s above the bottom line that causes the bottom line.” You know, the old cause and effect thing.I bet that nobody who works at KKGO listens to the station Bob, if they did, they wouldn’t let it continue this way.

KKGO doesn’t have the excuse I’ve heard so often, “the PD is doing 2-3-4-5 stations so he or she doesn’t have the time”.KKGO’s PD is only responsible for “Go Country”. PD/Station Manager Mike Levine is the owner Saul Levine’s son. He’s been around since the station was K-Mozart playing classical music. I wonder if the production was as bad then?

Geo: I doubt if he is going to win PD of the year with how it sounds Bob, you’ve gotta wonder what the hell he’s working on? You’re right though, most programmers are basing what their station sounds like on their lack of time but he sure can’t. What a blown opportunity though, the only country station in America’s #1 radio market, it easily should have double their ratings. Tom Hoyt’s KFROG out of Riverside if in LA would blow them out of the water in a week. Somebody better call Saul.

We didn’t go up to wine country this weekend. So KGO can wait, I did look at their schedule for the weekend, Paid programs, syndication, and more paid shows.

Geo: That’s not going to be a fun listen, their evolution from the greatest radio station in America to what they are now is getting them awfully close to call letter change time.

When we were talking about news radio a couple of days ago and the Fred Heckman truism, “If there’s a column of smoke in the sky and they turn you on to find out what it is and you don’t have it, you’re finished.” After we talked, I was thinking about your pal Jarl Mohn’s connection with KPCC, the NPR news station here. Nobody covered the fires last year better than they did and their human interest follow up stories were incredible. I heard an interview with the Ventura County Fire Marshall, early on he drove to Santa Paula, where the Thomas Fire started, the wind picked up and the fire started moving to the coast, the Fire Marshall said, “I headed west, driving 70mph and I could barely keep ahead of the fire.” It was days later and the guy’s voice was still shaking. KNX had good coverage, but not close to KPCC’s. They probably don’t have the staff to cover it. The local Ventura stations stripped as they are, their hands were tied as well.

Geo: Bob you and I have always known that only four things cause ratings and news is one of them. KGO in San Francisco owned that hill so there was no way you could beat them, they had to beat themselves and they did, they abanded news. WTF!

 

 

 

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