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Local stations dial it up a notch in radio's fight to survive
Posted: Feb 15, 2008 in Music
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If you don't like what's happening, wait a bit and things will change.
The wry adage about weather in Indiana now seems to apply to radio in Indianapolis.
During two of the last three years, format changes rocked the nation's 40th largest radio market.
Corporate owners dumped FM stations WGLD, WENS and WTPI in 2005.
A more complicated upheaval followed in 2007:
Emmis Communications discarded Top 40 format "Radio Now" (WNOU) to make room at its 93.1 FM frequency for the news and talk of WIBC.
Sports station WFNI emerged at WIBC's former AM frequency -- 1070.
Radio One purchased the "Radio Now" concept and placed it at 100.9 FM. That meant WYJZ and smooth jazz programming were out.
Cumulus Media scrapped conservative talk station WWFT after less than a year on the air at 93.9 FM. A soft rock format labeled "Warm" now resides at the frequency.
Independent station WKLU-FM (101.9) shifted from classic rock to "oldies" defined as pop hits from the 1960s and '70s.
In bottom-line language, the adjustments were made in pursuit of profits.
Advertisers spent $92.5 million at Indianapolis radio stations in 2007, following $99 million spent in 2006, according to California-based accounting firm Miller, Kaplan, Arase and Co.
That's a 7 percent drop, and Emmis executive Tom Severino predicts another drop of 4 percent in 2008.
To appeal to advertisers who may believe radio is past its prime, companies create stations that aim to deliver audiences composed of the correct ages (and often the correct gender).
"Someone is always going to be out of bread and water, and trying to figure out how to get more bread and water," says Chuck Williams, Radio One's local vice president and general manager.
What's in it for listeners?
Executives say modern radio is more than what's heard in your car or at the office.
They tout entertainment and information available at radio station Web sites, as well as concerts they present.
Entercom Communications local vice president and market manager Phil Hoover says his company provided a full-circle experience with last year's "Whatever It Takes" promotional campaign featuring WZPL-FM (99.5) morning personality Dave Smiley.
Pledging to do various tasks in return for listener loyalty, Smiley traveled throughout the city and posted videos of his adventures on the station's Web site.
"Radio can no longer be just on the air," Hoover says. "We have to be on the air, we have to be online and we have to be (in the community)."
Format shuffling rarely happened in Indianapolis in the two decades before 2005.
But industry insiders say it's not unusual in a national context. They also say it's not a symptom of an industry in disarray.
Emmis CEO Jeff Smulyan, whose company owns 23 stations nationwide and four in its home base of Indianapolis, says listeners haven't gone anywhere.
"The most amazing thing about radio is that consumption has held remarkably well, and yet the perception of consumption has been down," Smulyan says. "You ask the average person, and they'll say, 'Radio is yesterday's news. It's a dinosaur.' "
Arbitron listener surveys reflect that 94.2 percent of Americans listened to radio in 2004, compared to 95.3 percent in 1998.
In Indianapolis, 91.7 percent of the population listened to radio between Sept. 20 and Dec. 12, 2007.
Smulyan says the radio industry needs to do a better job of stating its case of popularity to advertisers.
Conceding that MP3 players and subscription satellite radio have received a windfall of publicity as the latest things in listening, Smulyan recalls past challenges from compact discs, cassettes and 8-track tapes.
He mentions that even CB radios were once touted as a recreational listening device.
Smulyan says radio remains a valuable source for music -- even in the iPod age.
"There are 8 billion bands," he says. "Nobody has the time to go through all of them. I think our filtering mechanism is always going to make us relevant."
Indianapolis resident Rebecca Swope agrees.
"You click on something (at the iTunes online store) because you recognize it," Swope says. "If you're really trying to promote a new artist or a new song, I think the best way for that to still happen is when it's played on the radio."
At 28, Swope is part of a highly valued demographic among local radio programmers: women ages 25 to 54.
When listeners of a specific age and gender make up an audience, stations impress advertisers who want to market products and services for maximum sales results.
Culumus station WFMS-FM (95.5) has ranked No. 1 among listeners ages 12 and older for more than eight consecutive years. Cumulus local vice president and market manager Chris Wheat says the overall title is more show than dough.
"The money demographics directly relate to your financial bottom line," he says.
In the fall 2007 Arbitron report, 61 percent of WFMS listeners were female and 51 percent of WFMS listeners were between the ages of 25 and 54.
With its new "Warm" station, Cumulus wants to attract more female listeners by playing songs from acts such as Journey, REO Speedwagon and Fleetwood Mac.
Other local stations already established in the field include Emmis property WYXB-FM (105.7) as well as Entercom Communications properties WZPL and WNTR-FM (107.9).
"The women truly make a lot of the (buying) decisions," Wheat says.
Men aren't neglected on local radio's new battleground, where three sports stations vie for listeners on the AM band: WFNI at 1070, WNDE at 1260 and WXLW at 950.
Industry consultant Robert Unmacht says three sports stations in one city isn't necessarily overkill.
In Nashville, Tenn., where Unmacht's iN3 Partners company is based, there are two FM sports stations and one AM sports station.
Unmacht estimates that 10 percent of U.S. radio stations change formats each year.
If a decrease in advertising dollars is causing radio to lose "growth industry" status, Unmacht says, profit margins still exist.
"It's now just a solid cash cow," says the former owner of radio stations in the Pacific Northwest.
Nevertheless, there's been no shortage of negative financial news.
Emmis stock traded as low as $2.02 per share in January. Its high mark during the past year was $10.86 per share.
Clear Channel Communications -- which owns local stations WFBQ-FM (94.7), WRZX-FM (103.3) and WNDE -- froze new hires at more than 1,000 stations beginning this month and halted spending for research and promotion, according to the San Antonio Business Journal.
CBS Radio, which owns no stations in Indianapolis, announced executive layoffs at most of its 140 properties earlier this month.
Unmacht says radio is delivering a cheaper product than it once did. "We do less local, we do less news, we're less involved in the community," he says. "We're doing it with smaller staffs."
Indianapolis boasts its share of high-profile on-air personalities, including Bob Kevoian, Tom Griswold, Chick McGee and Kristi Lee at WFBQ, Jim Denny and J.D. Cannon at WFMS, Greg Garrison at WIBC, DJ Wrekk 1 at WHHH-FM (96.3) and the Deuce at WRZX.
Blaine Thompson, editor of weekly online publication Indiana RadioWatch, says radio offers a human connection that gadgets can't match.
"An iPod can't go out and raise money when a tornado hits," Thompson says. "A CD player can't go out and throw a fundraiser for a kid who has leukemia but no insurance."
Consultant Unmacht says the future of radio will be bright if its leadership maintains focus.
"It's a simple recipe -- like making biscuits," Unmacht says. "It's entertainment, information and companionship. If you do those three things mixed together, you'll win, and it's an unbeatable force."
As the 40th largest radio market in the United States, Indianapolis and its suburbs consist of 1.35 million potential listeners.
For the fall 2007 ratings period monitored by Arbitron, 156,200 people age 12 and older listened to radio during an average 15-minute period. About 13,200 were tuned to the most popular station, WFMS-FM (95.5). Stations use Arbitron ratings to determine advertising rates.
Five corporations own 17 of the 20 highest-ranked stations in Indianapolis. The corporations are Clear Channel Communications, Cumulus Media, Emmis Communications, Entercom Communications and Radio One.
Here's a look at three of the corporations and moves they made in 2007:
Emmis Communications
Tom Severino -- vice president and general manager for Emmis stations WIBC-FM (93.1), WYXB-FM (105.7),WLHK-FM (97.1) and WFNI-AM (1070) -- maintains faith in radio.
But when he saw diminishing returns at radio's AM band, news and talk station WIBC migrated to FM.
"Over time, fewer and fewer people will use the technology," Severino says of AM, which has been around for a century and is prone to atmospheric and electrical interference.
WIBC made its FM debut in December. Severino says the station will be deemed a success if it attracts more listeners between the ages of 25 and 54.
The station has consistently ranked in the top five among local listeners 12 and older. At AM, 40 percent of WIBC's listeners were 65 and older, according to current Arbitron ratings.
Severino says WIBC's strengths are content that's difficult to duplicate, and on-air personalities such as Greg Garrison and Dave Wilson.
"The Rolling Stones are the Rolling Stones, whether they're on WFBQ, WKLU or WJJK," Severino says.
Severino wants 2008 to be a year flooded with WIBC content that's geared for the Internet and mobile devices.
A mobile traffic initiative will provide smart phones with access to Indiana Department of Transportation cameras, Severino says.
"It's not just about the station frequency or someone buying a 30-second ad at one of our frequencies," he says. "What can we do to create integrated platforms for listeners and advertisers?"
After local radio's tumultuous 2007, Severino predicts more format changes at other companies.
"In today's world, there's no company that's into long-term development of product," he says. "It's just not the nature of the beast anymore."
Radio One
Youth is served at Radio One, which picked up Top 40 format "Radio Now" after Emmis Communications dropped it in October.
Add WNOU-FM (100.9) to existing Radio One station WHHH-FM (96.3), and the company has a lock on listeners ages 12 to 24. WHHH ranked No. 1 and WNOU was No. 2 in that category during Arbitron's fall ratings period, reaching more than 180,000 listeners per week.
Radio One's local vice president and general manager Chuck Williams says WNOU's Top 40 format and WHHH's hip-hop and R&B format won't translate into fierce in-house competition.
"It's the same age group (of listeners), but different people," Williams says.
Radio One's television property, Indy's Music Channel (WNDI Channel 65), will be used to co-promote the stations and their Web sites, Williams says. "I need you to think 'FM' and 'dot-com' -- but not even think about the difference," he says.
In the latest Arbitron quarterly ratings, WHHH flirted with being No. 1 among listeners 12 and older. The station attracted 12,800 listeners during an average 15-minute period, placing second to WFMS and its 13,200 listeners.
WFMS posted its lowest ratings numbers in five quarters, but Williams downplayed the news as a "compression" of the marketplace.
"It's not like (WHHH) all of a sudden did something better or stronger," he says.
At the same time, Cumulus Media's installation of a "Warm" format at 93.9 FM means at least five local stations are targeting female listeners between the ages of 25 and 54 as their primary audience.
"The number of people who can step away and come back to their favorite station has increased," Williams says. "The number of places they can go has increased."
Cumulus Media
If the 93.9 FM frequency is ever to find stability in Indianapolis, Chris Wheat says he's the man to help make it happen.
Wheat is the new local vice president and market manager for Cumulus, and he held a similar title at Clear Channel when that company's WRZX-FM (103.3) made its ascent as a modern rock station in the 1990s.
"Warm" is the format Cumulus is presently trying at 93.9, which has been an unlucky number for country music (dumped in 2001), '80s nostalgia (dumped in 2004), Christian music (dumped in 2006) and conservative talk (dumped in 2007).
There's nothing revolutionary about Warm's focus on harmless hits by Journey, Styx and John Mayer.
But patience, Wheat says, will keep the station afloat.
"The Warm product will be given a fair opportunity to succeed," he says.
Patience may translate into taking lumps in the quarterly Arbitron ratings.
"If you try something and you're not getting any traction after six months, it's not necessarily because it's not good," Wheat says.
The station recently unveiled its first on-air personality. Afternoon DJ David Wood also serves as local operations manager for Cumulus.
Wheat says engaging on-air personalities do more than read announcements and song titles.
"I think the challenge is to figure out the way to keep the listening audience interested in what you're doing by playing the right music and what you say in between."
Here's what's playing on local radio dials:
FM stations
WICR (88.7) -- University of Indianapolis station devotes most of its schedule to jazz and classical music.
WSPM (89.1) -- Catholic station primarily broadcasts syndicated programs and is heard best on the city's Westside.
WJEL (89.3) -- North Central High School station plays a variety of contemporary pop music.
WFYI (90.1) -- National Public Radio affiliate also features local programs such as "The Blues House Party."
WIKL (90.5) -- Affiliate of the "K-Love" network broadcasts contemporary Christian music.
WBDG (90.9) -- On the air since 1966, the Ben Davis High School station plays a variety of contemporary pop music.
WIRE (91.1) -- Billed as "Radio Mom," this limited-range station based in Lebanon airs mainstream hits.
WEDM (91.1) -- Warren Central High School station plays a variety of contemporary pop music.
WHJE (91.3) -- On the air since 1963, Carmel High School station plays a variety of contemporary pop music.
WRFT (91.5) -- Franklin Central High School station plays a variety of contemporary pop music.
WEEM (91.7) -- Pendleton Heights High School station has attracted national media attention for its "Live Lounge" program.
WITT (91.9) -- Expected to debut in 2008, this public station in Zionsville will be staffed primarily by volunteers.
WTTS (92.3) -- Independent station packages acts such as Dave Matthews and Sheryl Crow under the heading of "World Class Rock."
WIBC (93.1) -- News and talk station owned by Emmis Communications leans right with Rush Limbaugh and leans lighthearted with local tandem of Dave Wilson and Joe Staysniak.
WWFT (93.9) -- "Warm" format of soft rock at this Cumulus Media station follows 93.9's previous eras of conservative talk, Christian music, '80s nostalgia and country.
WFBQ (94.7) -- As flagship station for morning champs Bob Kevoian and Tom Griswold, this Clear Channel Communications property rounds out its days with classic rock.
WFMS (95.5) -- For eight consecutive years, country music station in the Cumulus portfolio has attracted the most local listeners age 12 and older.
WFDM (95.9) -- Franklin-based talk station is the third local home for syndicated conservative personality Sean Hannity in as many years.
WHHH (96.3) -- Radio One's hip-hop and R&B powerhouse attracts more 18-to-34-year-old listeners than any other local station.
WLHK (97.1) -- Country music and Colts play-by-play are key attributes of this Emmis station.
WGNR (97.9) -- Anderson-based affiliate of the Moody Broadcasting Network follows Christian format.
WRDZ (98.3) -- Radio Disney affiliate provides heavy rotation to "Hannah Montana" and the Jonas Brothers.
WZPL (99.5) -- "Smiley Morning Show" anchors Entercom's long-running pop-rock station.
WNOU (100.9) -- After landing at Radio One, Top 40 station moved up the dial from 93.1.
WKLU (101.9) -- Independent station offers "new" spin on oldies. It's Steppenwolf and Stevie Wonder, not Buddy Holly and Bobby Darin.
WRZX (103.3) -- Clear Channel's modern rock workhorse has presented its "X-Fest" concert for 13 consecutive summers.
WJJK (104.5) -- Don't call him "Jack." Cumulus tweaked the "He plays anything" format last year and now sticks to classic rock.
WYXB (105.7) -- Soft-rock station delivers to Emmis an audience that's 72 percent female.
WTLC (106.7) -- Radio One station is celebrating 40 years of playing R&B hits.
WEDJ (107.1) -- Spanish-language station devotes its play list to regional Mexican music.
WNTR (107.9) -- Entercom station plays up-tempo pop hits from different eras.
AM stations
WSYW (810) -- Independent station plays a variety of popular Spanish- language music.
WXLW (950) -- Syndicated program hosted by ex-ESPN personality Dan Patrick anchors this sports station.
WFNI (1070) -- Emmis sports property has play-by-play rights to the Pacers, the Colts and races at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
WNDE (1260) -- Clear Channel sports property broadcasts Jim Rome's syndicated talk show at midday.
WTLC (1310) -- Amos Brown's talk show is sandwiched by a full day of gospel programming on this Radio One station.
WXNT (1430) -- Entercom station offers political talk with local host Abdul Hakim-Shabazz and syndicated personality Bill O'Reilly.
WBRI (1500) -- Affiliate of the Wilkins Communications Network broadcasts Christian programs.
WNTS (1590) -- Spanish-language station devotes its play list to regional Mexican music.
No mention of WBRI, AM 1500?
If you want my listenership, here is my list of demands.
1.) Stop playing the same 10 songs on the hour, every hour.
2.) Replace pompous "personalities" like Smiley, who flaps his jaws all day, with personable DJ's that have a deep knowledge of music and carefully craft setlists to be relevant to their listeners.
3.) Give control of the playlist back to the DJ!!! I'm tired of hearing what the execs think is good...based on how much money it's making them.
4.) Adjust commercials so they are NOT 30 decibels louder than the rest of the programming. Also, ban all car horns, screeching tires, and sirens from radio commercials so I don't lock up the brakes in the middle of an intersection for fear of getting in an accident.
5.) Less talk, more music.
6.) Come up with some kind of online feedback system where users can give the thumbs up/down on songs, thereby either increasing or decreasing the frequency of play. See Pandora.com or RadioParadise.com for a similar kind of system.
7.) Support local music! I'm not asking for it to be all local, all the time, but an hour long show once a week would be nice.
I have high hopes for WITT, and look forward to the possibility of sharing my own musical knowledge with Indy.
Gee--losing money and listeners?? No Jazz station, No Blues station, No Classical station?? 5 stations chasing middle-aged women with Soft Rock? And to compensate the men they're offering 3 sports-talk stations? I'm a man and I watch sports. I don't want to listen to a bunch of air-heads yak about sports on the radio. And, how come we're the 12th or 13th largest city in the country, but we're 40th in radio market population? I don't get it. These stations are killing themselves, and deserve exactly what they get. As the 1st poster mentioned, it's the same songs, over & over & over & over. Think of all the great music made since time began, and here in Indy we get crap!
this is such an awesome article because local FM radio is a dinosaur, much like that man pictured above, Chris Wheat. it's like working at a label and thinking everything is going to be alright. face facts folks, if you work at a local FM radio station you'll be looking for a job very soon. if you don't own satellite radio get with the times and if your reasoning for not upgrading is local traffic and weather well then consider me speechless.
I love the spin from the local radio execs. Yes, the number of people listening to radio may not have changed much, but they didn't mention the time spent listening data. Listeners who drop in for traffic and weather and then go back to their ipods and satellite radio have a huge impact. there are few people who spend hours listening to commercial radio anymore. Radio needs to reinvent itself, but all I'm seeing is the same old stale ideas. Emmis's Severino says the future is online. So, why won't he put any money into his interactive department? More lip service and BS from guys who just can't figure it out.
Its kinda tough to hear WXLW is they have a horrid signal.
You'll find very few (if any) stations playing the same 10 songs every hour. The ones that do repeat the same songs often do it because that's what their audience wants. That's why WHHH & WNOU have such a large share of young listeners. You'll find similar channels on satellite radio. Most people like to hear things they are familiar with. That's human nature. That's why when bands/artists play unfamiliar songs at concerts you see a lot of people headed to the concession stand. There's room for outlets that play mostly new music, just don't expect them to have large audiences. Satellite radio has channels that do this, but they don't depend on having a large listener base. The two satellite radio operations have been losing millions of dollars per year. Unless they find a way to cut their losses, expect a fair number of commercials and sponsorships on their channels soon.
I quit listening to radio a few years ago. Every now & then I tune in & find out that they are still playing the same old music so I go back to my iPod.
No mention of WBRI, AM 1500?
Sorry about missing WBRI. You should now see the station in this report.
i detest Indiana radio... i recently found Pandora.com its cool, because you can enter in an artist name and it uses some innovative software to find similarstyles etc. creating a custom station for you...
i detest Indiana radio... i recently found Pandora.com its cool, because you can enter in ...
I prefer Last.fm. It does the same thing and even makes recommendations to you based on your music database on itunes.
I like that last.fm uses a lot of the tracks we record in-studio! If you ever see one tagged "live in the MOKB/WEEM studio" that's us! Recorded (almost) in your back yard (Pendleton).
Can't state it any more correctly than StellarSwarm in their comments. Such a large city, and such pitiful radio stations. Suggestion...tune into WCSX (via internet, if necessary) to get an example of a fairly good station/format. Good music, etc.
Clear Channel sucked the life out of X 103 when the "budget ax" swung and cut myself & Nikki a year and half ago out of jobs and most recently Gunner at the end of last year. GO IPOD!
I was disappointed the article focused show much on the business aspect of radio but was placed in the entertainment section. Of course I realize Indianapolis radio is all about money & ratings. I recall Mr Lindquist's predecessor, Marc Allan would often write articles about how bad Q95 & Indianapolis radio was, you know completely void of anything but predictable, overplayed "classic" rock.
Obviously, a lot of people in central IN prefer bland, predictable music as Q95 continues to get good ratings. Let's not even begin to discuss the pablum played on WFMS. Hank Williams is rolling in his grave! It's really sad we can't have a station that is remotely close to WXRT 93.1 FM in Chicago. WTTS 92.3 in our fair city is the closest thing to listenable commercial radio and it leaves a lot to be desired, unless you love Dave Matthews, Sheryl Crow & Mellencamp in heavy rotation.
Why did not the article spend more time on the up-coming non-profit community radio station to be launched later this yr? After all, the article was in the Entertainment section, not the business section.
If you mean sucking the life out of X 103 by getting rid of chatty children and unfunny attempts at humor then "budget ax" as many people as you need. It has taken 10 years of listening to X 103 and finally hear music without morons getting in the way of the tunes.
WQME 98.7 FM is also not on the list. They play Contemporary Christian music. Great station and coverage is very good - plus good mix of music new and old.
If you mean sucking the life out of X 103 by getting rid of chatty ...
Yeah, but you would have no problem bugging these "morons" for May Day Pit Stop Party Passes and jamming the phone lines when it came to the free stuff that we used to give away. I am glad it took 10 years for you to like them. Enjoy those dinosaur tracks from Nirvanna, Pear Jam, Rage, etc etc. Nothing like living in the past. I am sure you set your watch for Mandatory Metalica too.... GO IPOD!
Gee--losing money and listeners?? No Jazz station, No Blues station, No Classical station?? 5 stations ...
No jazz, blues or classical? The article correctly cites WICR 88.7 FM as devoting nearly its entire broadcast schedule to jazz and classical music -98 hours of classical music weekly supplied by us, the Fine Arts Society, and 70 hours a week of WICR-produced jazz programming. WFYI 90.1 FM is also cited for their locally produced "The Blues House Party"
$10 a month to have Sirius is worth not having to listen to Indy radio. Keep your commercials and no-talent DJs. I'll listen to what I want when I want.
The only Indy radio station worth listening to is WIBC. All the FM popular music channels suck. The DJs think they are so funny yet they are so retarded. It's the same on Sirius though. It's like just shut the hell up and play music. Your Britney and Paris jokes weren't funny the first 500 times.
All Indy radio sucks. That retard Smiley should be put back into kindergarten, maybe his on-air antics will get a laugh there.
Go do a search for the stream for KEXP, and listen to how radio should be.
If you want my listenership, here is my list of demands. 1.) Stop playing the ...
Stellar.... what you want sounds a lot like WTTS 93.1. Didn't get a mention. It's my favorite.
Stellar.... what you want sounds a lot like WTTS 93.1. Didn't get a mention. It's ...
That's 92.3 for WTTS ... but I can understand your listing of WXRT's frequency (93.1) when referring to 'TTS.
For Chuck, who was disappointed that the story had such a heavy emphasis on business, that's pretty much the point: Radio executives cater to advertisers, not listeners.
Having said that, if you're a fan of country music or mainstream rap in Indianapolis, you probably love terrestrial radio here.
Your stations educate and entertain you. Look at the list of country acts coming to Indianapolis this summer: Kenny Chesney, Keith Urban, Carrie Underwood, Rascal Flatts, Tim McGraw, Brad Paisley, Toby Keith, Taylor Swift, Sugarland, Brooks & Dunn ...
Nashville cares a lot about Indianapolis, because the city's most popular radio station (WFMS) does things like present the Country Music Expo each spring, when listeners get to mix and mingle with artists, plus the daily Free Stage at the state fair.
If country's not your favorite style of music, what is?
Does Indianapolis have a station that plays that music?
If it does, does that station dote on you the way WFMS dotes on its listeners?
If you answered "no" to question 2 or question 3, my guess is that local radio has given up on you and that you've probably given up on local radio.
I remember a station back when I was a younger cat, I think it was 107.1 or .3 I can't recall where exactly it was on the dial, wow what a station, they had a great dj, I would call the dude on my way home from work and come up with off the wall requests and dude would always play em. I agree with StellarSwarm, put control of the music back in the hands of the DJ. Let someone who has a love of music instead of a love of profits decide whats jammin. That is the state of our popular music and television (and pretty much everything else) maxing of the profits at the sake of the long term health of the product. I've always felt that if the product is awesome, people will pay for it. Plus doesn't like one or two companies own all the radio/tv stations nationwide? How can that be good? The only surfire way to save radio is to hire me as your next dj. You can contact me thru indy.com if interested.
KEXP is a great station! It is all things an adult-alternative (Triple-A) could or should be. WXPN in Philly, KCRW in Santa Monica, WXRT in Chicago, and WOXY.com are other great examples of stations that play new, aesthetically pleasing, mostly rock music without resorting to overplayed cliches. When these stations play a "classic," it's not Mellencamp or Aerosmith (artists I can enjoy in moderation), but rather the Replacements, early R.E.M., Concrete Blonde, or the Pixies.
I modeled 91.7 WEEM (Pendleton) after these great stations, including their in-studio programs such as KCRW's "Morning Becomes Eclectic" and WXPN's "World Cafe."
Being independently owned, TTS has the freedom and potential to replicate these stations' greatness for the Central Indiana audience. Unfortunately, they waste too much of their playlist on stale classic hits and bland adult top-40--formats that are already served by stations higher in the ratings. That leaves low-powered stations like ours to take up the slack and forces those out of range towards internet and satellite radio.
All this anger toward local, corporate radio--you'd think somebody would have figured out how to make a buck off it by now. Where is the next commercial radio pioneer? Who has the guts to take a chance and try something genuinely unique and compelling? If revenues keep falling 6-7% each quarter, somebody might finally try something.
David.... I knew TTS is 92.3.. but my 93.1 reference is sort of ironic. I must admit I have listened to WIBC (93.1) since their switch to FM than I have in more than a decade.
Indy is a huge commuter town with no mass transit. Because of the amount of time we spend in our cars, radio will always be a a popular medium here.
David, Just curious.... what would it cost to launch or buy a fledgling radio station here?
Great post! This is the station primer I'd been looking for since I moved here in September!! I live near radio antennas on the north side that are super strong and over power other channels. Can't get all the stations when I start my commute so I didn't know half of them existed.
That's 92.3 for WTTS ... but I can understand your listing of WXRT's frequency (93.1) ...
Dave, I really appreciate that last point. You're right, in this dog-eat-dog media business these days, if local media isn't touching a consumer's life with relevency and specific targeting to their interests..They've probably lost them as a consumer/listener.
Do people under 50 really listen to the radio still? Do you drink a phosphate and putter around in your Model T while you do so?
I just moved here from West Michigan and yes people listen to the radio! So far I love it here but I haven't been able to find a radio station and its driving me crazy!! W. Mich. has Radio Station 'X 9-6-1' and it is absolutely fantastic! (It also has a couple of other really good stations.) I am a busy working mom and I use my Ipod for running - I need the radio to find out the latest and greatest music while I am chauffeuring my kids everywhere - I don't have time to download & research music constantly. You would think the media business executives here would recognize this. Indy needs to be playing what the other larger metro cities are playing - Grand Rapids wouldn't be playing good music if it wasn't making money and it is very, very conservative!