When radio stations started eliminating overnight personalities, the excuse given was that it didn’t matter all that much. There are fewer listeners and the ratings don’t really cover the time between midnight and 6 a.m.
Basically, they were saying no one would notice or care. That’s false, of course, but it gave the station owners a way to cut costs while not blatantly stating the opinion that personalities (and on-air presentation) are obsolete.
Now they can’t hide what’s happening. Last month, Meruelo Media eliminated the midday jocks at its four Los Angeles stations, letting go of PJ Butta at KDAY (93.5 FM), Bryhana Monegain at Power 106 FM, Carolina “Caro” Marquez at KLLI (93.9 FM), and Marci Wiser at KLOS (95.5 FM).
The midday position generally runs from about 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The cuts are a reflection of the downward spiral in which the radio industry finds itself, which isn’t helped as companies use personalities in multiple markets throwing the “radio is local” adage out the window. It’s kind of like the 1980s when satellite-delivered formats were becoming all the rage among some stations; to paraphrase what former Herald-Examiner (and later Daily News) radio reporter Ray Richmond said at the time, the move has many advantages: it’s cheap, it costs less, and it’s less expensive.
“And did I mention it’s cheap?” he used to write.
Good for the stations doing it? Nope. Just another nail.
In my opinion, what should be done is simple: get rid of most upper management, get on-air content up to par, empower the local programmer to do what is necessary to compete, and hire a ton of advertising salespeople to help spread the word of your station to local businesses that need a way to find new customers.
Red and Blue
Michael Stark is a former Republican turned Democrat. His college friend Keith Curry is a former Democrat turned Republican. Together they created a new podcast originally (and as planned just temporarily) called “Solutions 2023,” now known as “Red vs. Blue.”
Described as “politics without stress, drama and incivility,” the show attempts to find at least common ground on issues that currently divide the country. Stark, with whom I previously did a podcast covering this column, explains that it harkens back to the earlier days of talk radio, when both sides of an issue were allowed to be discussed.
“I don’t want to be antagonistic,” Stark says. “Too many shows don’t allow different voices to be heard. This may come off as tame compared with some shows, but we truly want to discuss things in a way that allows all viewpoints … and hopefully come up with some real solutions.”
You can find the Red vs. Blue (shouldn’t it be Red and Blue???) Podcast on Apple Podcasts and others; just search “Red vs. Blue podcast.”
New HD Radio
It may seem that HD Radio is struggling (because … it is) but in looking at some radios recently I happened to run across a new model from Sangean.
Sangean is a company that makes some superb radios, from portables to home tuners … regular analog, HD, and even internet radios are available. The newest model is the HDR-19 which receives HD digital streams sent out with a station’s regular analog signal and acts as a Bluetooth speaker as well so you can stream music from your phone.
It’s one of the larger table radios they make. It includes a clock with two gentle-wake alarms, a nicer-than-most HD radio display, and a beautiful natural cherry wood cabinet with rounded corners. It is also among the most expensive radios that Sangean makes, coming in at $300.
I have not heard it, nor have I even seen it in person, but in pictures it has a truly premium (for today) look to the cabinet and front panel. The grill is even real cloth. The display is simple, yet a nice departure from most old HD radio display designs.
Sangean offers more HD radio models than any other company, with the HDR-14 and HDR-16 portables, HDR-15 clock radio, HDR-18 table radio, and HDT-20 component tuner. They were also among the first to offer component tuners in the days of the HDT-1 and HDT-1X, both of which offered superb reception of both analog and digital broadcasts. I am told that the new models are even better.
Interestingly, the new release comes at a time when the importance of radios is somewhat diminished. The advent of smart speakers that can play stations from across the world — I often listen to KHJ out of American Samoa — has made traditional radios less popular.
But the simplicity of a regular radio cannot be overstated. And unlike the internet, radio waves will continue to work even in the event of an emergency that could knock out the cell towers. Every home should have at least one portable radio with fresh batteries.
Richard Wagoner is a San Pedro freelance columnist covering radio in Southern California. Email [email protected]
Richard Wagoner
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