Some changes are coming to Go Country, KKGO (105.1 FM).
While there was an uptick in the ratings last month, there are some who feel the station is underperforming. One of those is station owner Saul Levine himself, who put the station on the air back in the 1950s.
“Entertainment changed since COVID,” he told me. “Things got put on hold, offices were closed so people were not driving, people started working more from home. This all changed listening patterns. At the same time, we got a bit complacent; we let things slide … we lost that ‘kick-butt’ attitude … and I want to kick butt!”
They won’t be wholesale format changes, Levine explains. The moves will be closer to adjustments … a “fine-tune” as he calls it. A bit of “gold,” as he calls it, added to the playlist from such artists as Kenny Chesney, Reba McEntire George Strait, Alan Jackson and Trisha Yearwood, for example. These are performers who helped define country music in the 1990s.
And Taylor Swift. “We won’t be afraid to play Taylor Swift’s music from the 2000s either,” he says.
“We’ll still be primarily current, and we still will be playing the best new music. But we ignored gold for too long,” Levine says. Figure about four “golds” per hour.
Sounds very much like the way KHJ (930 AM) and numerous other stations played top-40 in the 1960s through the ‘80s … primarily new music with gold/oldies sprinkled in for spice. Considering that today’s country very much mimics yesterday’s Top 40 in sound and reach and it seems to me to be a smart move.
I’d add that special weekends highlighting a particular focus would also be a great addition … a ‘90s country weekend … a country women weekend … a Stagecoach weekend. Simple things to add fun to the broadcast week and give people a special reason to tune in.
And marketing. I’d get billboards, bus boards, T-shirts, bumperstickers … let people know exactly what I was doing with my station. I mentioned that to Levine, and he agreed. “I want this station to be the top-rated country station in the United States again,” he said, “and marketing is imperative.”
Levine is one of the relatively few independent owners in the entire country, and one of the very few locally. I like his spirit and drive, in addition to his station … Go Country is one of the stations that makes local radio a far better choice than satellite or any streams.
The station will be led by newly promoted Program Director Pat Welsh, assisted by consultant Kenny Jay.
What Would You Do?
The first emails have arrived regarding what could or should be done with KABC (790 AM) … hold on for some fun:
“If I had my way, I would turn KABC into a radio station that played music. I would program either music from the Big Band Era (1920-1950) or music from the Oldies but Goodies Era (1951-1963). I feel we really need to have these music formats somewhere on the radio.” —Russell Cinque, Jr., Glendale
“How about talk radio with actual two-way conversations between host and caller. Better than the current pontificating by the same people every day.” — George Baron
More next week …
The Wow Factor
A while back I wrote of a new format assembled by former KZLA (now KLLA, 93.9 FM) and KHJ programmer John Sebastian called “The Wow Factor.”
Designed to appeal to listeners over 50 years old, the format is heavy on ‘70s hits and album cuts. Think Beatles, Gordon Lightfoot, Harry Chapin, The Turtles, The Beach Boys and Led Zeppelin. Commercials are set to a maximum of three per break, no more than four times an hour. It’s been on the air at KOAI/Phoenix for a good minute now.
And it’s cleaning up. It is a strong 5th in the market ratings-wise, with listeners saying they like not only the music but the limited commercial breaks. In this case, it is essentially Sebastian playing a format not that much different than he has wanted to program all his life.
Will it attract younger listeners? No, but that is due to the music, and it is not the focus of the station. This is not so much a new format than it is a replay of what succeeded in the past. Take the same on-air elements and combine with new music that attracts younger listeners, and you could once again make a dent … and bring new listeners to radio.
Richard Wagoner is a San Pedro freelance columnist covering radio in Southern California. Email rwagoner@socalradiowaves.com
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