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Saturday, February 24, 2007 |
OT: KMZT Trades In The Baton For The Banjo
Yeah, I know, I'm the only freak who has his car radio presets on four stations: KMZT, KUSC, and KFWB, and in baseball season, KSPN, but I found it extremely disheartening to discover that classical programming on KMZT is being traded in for country. I had a sneaking suspicion that something like this was in the works when the station's Westside offices (which you can see from the northbound 405 heading into Westwood) were being plastered over by their new callsign, KKGO-FM. Classical programming will continue on 1260 AM (now KMZT), and on 105.1 HD2, whatever that is. Saul Levine, the guy running KMZT, and before that, KFAC*, isn't happy about it:
*No, he didn't. That was an entirely different group.
"After 18 years of programming classical music, which I love, it's been an agonizing thing, something we haven't done on the spur of the moment," Levine said. "I really hope the classical music audience will be understanding. I sympathize with those who will be upset."I'm sure he's right. It's me and a bunch of grayhairs, I think...
Although the classical music audience might be well-heeled, the advertisers who buy airtime on stations are looking for younger listeners. Levine said much of the KMZT audience is in its 60s, whereas advertisers covet the 25-to-54 age group. He added that KMZT revenue had dropped 80% in the last year, losing accounts with BMW, Mercedes-Benz and AT&T.Man, that's harsh. I remember doing homework in college listening to the ads for Auto Stiegler in Encino, a BMW dealership, and thinking, yow, they're aiming for an audience that's a lot better-heeled than me. Fight on, KUSC...
*No, he didn't. That was an entirely different group.
Comments:
I'm 32 and love listening to both country and classical. I was very upset when we lost the country music station last year, so this was great news only because I know I can still hear classical at 91.5
# posted by 
: 2/24/2007 12:26:00 PM
: 2/24/2007 12:26:00 PM
Yeah... I understand how you feel. On the other hand, I used to listen to SOMA FM's Boot Liquor channel, which got me interested in country as a genre again. I was immensely disappointed when I heard what was being broadcast on KZLA ... it reminded me of everything I despised about country as practiced commercially. And then Roy went in some directions I was less-than-impressed with (more of a Dave Alvin guy myself).
But to me, this is all really an argument for micropower radio in metro markets. Why are we keeping the airwaves safe for a dozen different flavors of Clear Channel programming?
But to me, this is all really an argument for micropower radio in metro markets. Why are we keeping the airwaves safe for a dozen different flavors of Clear Channel programming?
i used to listen to kmzt rather frequently when i was in socal. i liked it better than kusc, mostly because i don't like opera and it had less of it. i like some country too, but most of the commercial country stations these days play crappy low-culture country and not classy old-school or bluegrass kinda stuff. this is a shame.
Of all the people who comment on this blog on a regular or semi-regular basis, I was maybe least surprised to hear from you, Vishal... KFAC used to have Fred Crane doing the opera show, and unless I miss my guess, he was active even after the station was put up on the block. I miss their stodgy old selves, but the BMW and Mercedes people were right: there's hardly any of us now whom the advertisers consider desirable who give a damn about this format. Some time ago (~2-3 years) I got an Arbitron diary and I goosed it just a little in favor of KMZT and KUSC.
Without revealing too many confidences, Brenda Barnes just now asked me for help with the station's Internet strategy. I hope that's in a technical direction and not in a marketing direction... what do I know about marketing? It would just break my heart to see this music vanish from the airwaves altogether.
Without revealing too many confidences, Brenda Barnes just now asked me for help with the station's Internet strategy. I hope that's in a technical direction and not in a marketing direction... what do I know about marketing? It would just break my heart to see this music vanish from the airwaves altogether.
No interest in country music (agreeing here with vishal), and our entire family listened to KMZT. Since the spouse and I are in their prime demographic, and our kids (13 and 10) also kept their personal radios tuned to KMZT, the station is losing out. Sadly, I think this is more a case of really not knowing who your audience truly is.
I will really miss waking up to Rich Caparella.
I will really miss waking up to Rich Caparella.
# posted by : 2/26/2007 07:39:00 AM
: 2/26/2007 07:39:00 AM
When I tuned in today on the FM Band on the preset 105.1 I was dumbfounded by hearing country on a
station I loved for its classical format. I wasn't sure if my radio was buggy or not. I got on the internet to see if something was amiss. What a disappointment!!!!
I cannot believe there are not
enough of us classical lovers in the LA region to support us.
station I loved for its classical format. I wasn't sure if my radio was buggy or not. I got on the internet to see if something was amiss. What a disappointment!!!!
I cannot believe there are not
enough of us classical lovers in the LA region to support us.
# posted by : 2/26/2007 01:29:00 PM
: 2/26/2007 01:29:00 PM
When I was in jr high and high school the only station my folks would let me listen to while doing homework was KFAC and the Gas Co Evening Concert. I continued to listen for the next 50 years. We were very disappointed when KFAC went off. Then we heard about KKGO which became KMZT and have listened regularly even though the quality of advertising usually didn't fit with the music. Well, at least the government has not banned classical music! And we still have KUSC and cd's. Maybe we'll have to get an HD radio!
Dave C
Dave C
# posted by : 2/26/2007 02:07:00 PM
: 2/26/2007 02:07:00 PM
This change is very jarring for me -- kind of like Daylight Savings Time, only permanent. Has anyone tried to listen to 1260? The sound quality is much poorer, and at night, the signal goes completely to hell, with a lot of interference from Mexican stations. I can't believe that KMZT will even keep the audience they had -- it seems to be in a position of dying a slow death.
I grew up in Kansas City, which also had a wonderful classical station, KXTR (96.5FM), from which I got my introduction to classical music and formed a life-long love of it. It was at the same spot on the dial for decades. Then, on a recent visit to KC, it was no longer there. I found out that it had been moved to 1660 AM, and has the same limitations as KMZT has now -- inferior sound, night time interference. What gives? Is this a national trend?
I find it hard to believe in a city the size of LA and surrounding communities that there are so few classical music lovers that we cannot support a commercial classical station. KC I can understand, maybe, although the city is far more cosmopolitan than people give it credit for. I think it is a sad artifact of our times that this happened.
KZLA just recently switched from the C&W format because they didn't have enough listeners -- I heard that they had a half million at any given time and wanted an audience of a million at any given time. If one station folds up because the format isn't attracting listeners, why would another station adopt that same format?
There is so much in this whole matter I just don't get -- or rather, don't want to get. It's terribly disappointing all the way around. I generally am not a fan of publicly funded radio or TV, but I think I'll have fork over a few dollars in pledge drive money for KUSC, just to make sure they stay on the FM dial. But I never thought KUSC was as good as KMZT -- after all, they had no Rich Caparella with his witty remarks. I also liked KMZT's broadcast of live concerts from NY and Detroit, as well as from OC Performing Arts and the interviews with Carl St. Clair. I already miss this station tremendously.
All changed, changed utterly ...
Paul
I grew up in Kansas City, which also had a wonderful classical station, KXTR (96.5FM), from which I got my introduction to classical music and formed a life-long love of it. It was at the same spot on the dial for decades. Then, on a recent visit to KC, it was no longer there. I found out that it had been moved to 1660 AM, and has the same limitations as KMZT has now -- inferior sound, night time interference. What gives? Is this a national trend?
I find it hard to believe in a city the size of LA and surrounding communities that there are so few classical music lovers that we cannot support a commercial classical station. KC I can understand, maybe, although the city is far more cosmopolitan than people give it credit for. I think it is a sad artifact of our times that this happened.
KZLA just recently switched from the C&W format because they didn't have enough listeners -- I heard that they had a half million at any given time and wanted an audience of a million at any given time. If one station folds up because the format isn't attracting listeners, why would another station adopt that same format?
There is so much in this whole matter I just don't get -- or rather, don't want to get. It's terribly disappointing all the way around. I generally am not a fan of publicly funded radio or TV, but I think I'll have fork over a few dollars in pledge drive money for KUSC, just to make sure they stay on the FM dial. But I never thought KUSC was as good as KMZT -- after all, they had no Rich Caparella with his witty remarks. I also liked KMZT's broadcast of live concerts from NY and Detroit, as well as from OC Performing Arts and the interviews with Carl St. Clair. I already miss this station tremendously.
All changed, changed utterly ...
Paul
# posted by : 3/11/2007 10:59:00 AM
: 3/11/2007 10:59:00 AM
Anon - Rich Caparella has returned to the fold at KUSC (he was an alumnus when KKGO jazz changed formats to KMZT classical). Totally agree, obviously, about the AM signal. Haven't tried HD radio yet.
I can not understand the whole change, first KMZT goes from FM 105.1 to 1260 AM radio,then KKGO takes over the FM spot with country music.
Are the people that like to listen to Calsical music not important?,and therefore get music with interference and horrible sound.
We hear that the reason was that KMZT lost a lot of their advertisers therefore it is OK to transmitt on the AM, and this way they will gain the advertisers they lost? realy I am baffled, the Culture of one of the largest Metroplis in the US will suffer for this
Are the people that like to listen to Calsical music not important?,and therefore get music with interference and horrible sound.
We hear that the reason was that KMZT lost a lot of their advertisers therefore it is OK to transmitt on the AM, and this way they will gain the advertisers they lost? realy I am baffled, the Culture of one of the largest Metroplis in the US will suffer for this
# posted by : 3/15/2007 05:53:00 PM
: 3/15/2007 05:53:00 PMNewer› ‹Older
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