Details for the plan to take Go Country (KKGO, 105.1 FM) back to the top of the national country ratings are beginning to trickle out. Some of them may have started by the time you read this.
Already added to the playlist are some “gold” hits from the likes of Taylor Swift, Garth Brooks, and Alan Jackson, with many more on the way. According to station owner Saul Levine, every hour will include a couple “power hits” from country’s past.
The morning show is being broken up, with Tim Hurley going solo in the mornings beginning weekdays at 6 a.m., followed by former partner Adam Bookbinder at 10. This means the end of the road for the celebrity country music stars who have guest-hosted the midday shift for the past few years … a move that is long overdue. While the idea had appeal in the short-term, the problem is that guest DJs are not truly invested in the station and most are not professional announcers, so the overall on-air presentation suffers.
Christine Martindale, one of LA’s best air personalities, takes over as before at 2 p.m. for a shift that is w-a-y too long: six hours. There is a plan to shorten that, I am told, hopefully sooner than later. Honestly, it may seem easy, but for a station to really “cook,” the air shifts should be shorter; three hours is probably ideal though four is more typical. You need energy to keep the audience engaged.
A focus on country’s past hits is in the planning stages, according to Levine: All gold, from 7 to 10 p.m. “programmed by me and a secret programing assistant,” he says. The new show is expected to debut by mid-July or so. Why the focus on gold, and have you figured out that “gold” is the new term for “oldies?” They add spice. I hope they don’t go overboard, but done right — think KHJ (and similar stations) during much of its top-40 history and you get the idea — you can still be the new music leader while bringing back memories that tie the audience to the station.
Tool of the trade
A new system that benefits radio broadcasters is also helping to bring more entertainment to the dashboards of drivers across not only the United States, but the world. It’s called the DTS Autostage, and it comes from the company that brought you digital HD Radio.
It at first seems sort of like those pesky ads that show up after you look at something online … suddenly you get ads for socks on your Instagram feed after looking at socks at an online store. But unlike the creepiness of that sort of tracking, this is actually really cool.
It’s a platform that was developed to improve the listening experience of traditional radio, whether it is analog or HD. Using a small portion of the data stream that runs to so-called “connected cars,” its main listener function works much like a guide that you might see on cable television — but it comes at no cost to the listener.
Say you tune in to Go Country 105, since we were on the subject. Instead of the bland tuning dial that would show up on a regular radio, you can see the album artwork, artist information, and station information on the screen. Additionally, you might see information on upcoming concerts as well as a full program guide for all the stations in the area you are driving, highlighting their programming as well.
Drive outside the coverage area? The radio can switch to an online stream automatically..
Basically, it puts traditional broadcast radio on par with or better than apps and satellite radio. As Xperi’s Joe D’Angelo (SVP of the company’s Broadcast Radio and Digital Audio division) told me, “Tthe platform is designed simply to enhance the experience of people tuned to traditional radio.”
Even video content can be presented, he says — not for driving, but something you can watch while parked waiting for the kids to get out of school, or while charging your electric vehicle.
But it’s not just listeners who benefit. According to D’Angelo, car makers can basically use the platform to make the experience of buyers personalized for the make and the same across all models, cutting development time and more importantly cutting costs. For radio stations, the research that comes from the popularity of music among listeners can help with programming decisions.
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Information is not tied to any one listener, so privacy should not be an issue, but composite audience data can help station owners understand the geographic location of listeners, program popularity, and what Xperi calls “retailer heat maps” — shopping locations in proximity to listeners. Data such as this can help station ad sales people target businesses to approach.
It’s not available in all cars, nor even through all companies. Currently Mercedes-Benz, Tesla, Hyundai, BMW/Mini, Kia, and Genesis have it among at least some models. It’s complementary to other functions, such that if the automaker decides to feature DTS Autostage, it can still offer Apple Carplay and Android Auto.Currently, more than 7.5 million cars worldwide include the system, over 450,000 just in Los Angeles.
Richard Wagoner is a San Pedro freelance columnist covering radio in Southern California. Email rwagoner@socalradiowaves.com