In the same week, we learn Denver's KEZW is switching to 50s/60s Oldies. And WBAE in Portland ME has switched to Talk.
1430 KEZW had been locally programmed and doing the format for decades. I believe it was one of the early Music of Your Life stations. Entercom owns both 950 and 1430 in Denver. It is selling Cruisin' Oldies 950 KRWZ to a new owner who only wants the signal, not the format. The press release claims the best of the two stations, KRWZ and KEZW, will be combined on 1430. But just knowing how these things work out, I'm sure the new station will be pretty much what KRWZ is now. KEZW's website shows it has only two DJs, one from 6am-Noon, the other Noon-6pm. It runs 10,000 watts by day, 5000 watts by night.
And in Portland, it's a similar story. Saga owns three AM stations there, 560 Talk (the top syndicated hosts, Rush, Beck etc.), 970 Talk (secondary hosts, Imus, Laura Ingraham, Dave Ramsey) and 1490 The Bay, airing America's Best Music format, 24/7. Even though Portland has two FM Sports stations, Saga will put ESPN on 970 24/7, and move Imus, Ingraham, Ramsey, etc. to 1490.
I can't understand why, as the population ages, there's no room on any radio dial, FM or AM, for a soft music format aimed at 50+. I know, that's not what advertisers want. But surely most AM formats are 50+. OK, maybe sports skews a bit younger, although with two FM sports stations in Portland, how many young sports fans are going to be listening to ESPN's national feed on AM 970?
I bet the average age of the songs played on Cruisin' Oldies in Denver is older than what's played on KEZW. Cruisin' Oldies is 50s/60s Hits. But KEZW plays music from the 50s to today, as long as its soft. You're as likely to hear Rod Stewart, Sade, Norah Jones and Michael Buble as older artists on KEZW. So why do today's listeners, even older ones, prefer uptempo music to soft music?
1430 KEZW had been locally programmed and doing the format for decades. I believe it was one of the early Music of Your Life stations. Entercom owns both 950 and 1430 in Denver. It is selling Cruisin' Oldies 950 KRWZ to a new owner who only wants the signal, not the format. The press release claims the best of the two stations, KRWZ and KEZW, will be combined on 1430. But just knowing how these things work out, I'm sure the new station will be pretty much what KRWZ is now. KEZW's website shows it has only two DJs, one from 6am-Noon, the other Noon-6pm. It runs 10,000 watts by day, 5000 watts by night.
And in Portland, it's a similar story. Saga owns three AM stations there, 560 Talk (the top syndicated hosts, Rush, Beck etc.), 970 Talk (secondary hosts, Imus, Laura Ingraham, Dave Ramsey) and 1490 The Bay, airing America's Best Music format, 24/7. Even though Portland has two FM Sports stations, Saga will put ESPN on 970 24/7, and move Imus, Ingraham, Ramsey, etc. to 1490.
I can't understand why, as the population ages, there's no room on any radio dial, FM or AM, for a soft music format aimed at 50+. I know, that's not what advertisers want. But surely most AM formats are 50+. OK, maybe sports skews a bit younger, although with two FM sports stations in Portland, how many young sports fans are going to be listening to ESPN's national feed on AM 970?
I bet the average age of the songs played on Cruisin' Oldies in Denver is older than what's played on KEZW. Cruisin' Oldies is 50s/60s Hits. But KEZW plays music from the 50s to today, as long as its soft. You're as likely to hear Rod Stewart, Sade, Norah Jones and Michael Buble as older artists on KEZW. So why do today's listeners, even older ones, prefer uptempo music to soft music?
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