Is all this hand wringing about The Sound becoming history deserved?

Just wondering, not so much here, but on Facebook, posters are crying hysterically (OK maybe that's an exaggeration) about the impending demise of 100.3 FM The Sound. It's as if these people think their music world is over. I don't understand. With all DUE RESPECT to Dave Beasing and the crowd over at KSWD (they ARE great, I've sat at a lunch table with Andy Chanley and Mimi Chen and I've met the top executives at Bonneville when The Sound was in it's first year), can anyone explain to me what they think is so unique about a station that plays the typical classic rock fare, going slightly deeper and/or more "eclectic" than KLOS? I don't get it. I was not a regular listener at all after they segued from AAA into classic rock. Literally the few times I have sampled them to see what they were playing, half the time it would be a Led Zep track. Or a Toto song or Boston, or Mellencamp. So what's the big loss?

SuperRadioFan said:

I was not a regular listener at all after they segued from AAA into classic rock.

Click to expand...

Hey, John - we used correspond back in the day when The Sound first went on the air. I'm with you...I left the party early on as well. Occasionally I'd tune in, but it was just the usual stuff...nothing memorable. Now, when KSCA 101.9 went off the air in February 1997, that was a real loss - at least for those of us who listened regularly during their 2 1/2 year existence. By the time Channel 103.1 rolled around a couple of years later, I didn't expect it to last...nor was it quite the same as KSCA. Anyhow, I won't miss The Sound - haven't really cared since the middle of 2008!

Take care,
John Paul

It may not have broken ground musically, but the station and air staff was good about building a relationship with the audience.

People will miss that.

Good radio stations are the ones people give a damn about when they go away, even if they play music for the masses.

JPT said:

Hey, John - we used correspond back in the day when The Sound first went on the air. I'm with you...I left the party early on as well. Occasionally I'd tune in, but it was just the usual stuff...nothing memorable. Now, when KSCA 101.9 went off the air in February 1997, that was a real loss - at least for those of us who listened regularly during their 2 1/2 year existence. By the time Channel 103.1 rolled around a couple of years later, I didn't expect it to last...nor was it quite the same as KSCA. Anyhow, I won't miss The Sound - haven't really cared since the middle of 2008!

Take care,
John Paul

Click to expand...

Hey JP I remember you! Thanks for the reply. Are you listening to 88.5FM? THAT station absolutely kills it if you're a die hard junkie for Adult Alternative and they DO go deep!!

johndavis said:

It may not have broken ground musically, but the station and air staff was good about building a relationship with the audience.

People will miss that.

Good radio stations are the ones people give a damn about when they go away, even if they play music for the masses.

Click to expand...

I agree totally, the staff was first class and obviously they know the music and care about the music. It's just for me I need more a hell of a lot more variety past, present, and future music! If I get that, the AT is a plus if it sounds like they know the music they are playing

SuperRadioFan said:

Hey JP I remember you! Thanks for the reply. Are you listening to 88.5FM? THAT station absolutely kills it if you're a die hard junkie for Adult Alternative and they DO go deep!!

Click to expand...

Absolutely I listen to 88.5! Very much the old KSCA feel...lots of new artists and deep cuts of familiar ones.

Hope you're doing well!

DavidEduardo said:

To put things in perspective, the loss of the KSCA AAA format was not particularly notable as its audience, never large, had dwindled to the ground clutter level.

Many blamed the signal, and it was with some concern that the format was switched in February of ‘97... turned out the signal was not the issue... it was the format and the approach to AAA.

Click to expand...

Which is why I added the "at least for those of us who listened regularly during their 2 1/2 year existence" caveat. All I was saying is it was notable for us.

No surprise - Heavy metal vs “quality” rock

To both John's, I Agree with ya'

JPT said:

Hey, John - we used correspond back in the day when The Sound first went on the air. I'm with you...I left the party early on as well. Occasionally I'd tune in, but it was just the usual stuff...nothing memorable. Now, when KSCA 101.9 went off the air in February 1997, that was a real loss - at least for those of us who listened regularly during their 2 1/2 year existence. By the time Channel 103.1 rolled around a couple of years later, I didn't expect it to last...nor was it quite the same as KSCA. Anyhow, I won't miss The Sound - haven't really cared since the middle of 2008!

Take care,
John Paul

Click to expand...

As The Sound stopped playing Kings of Leon, and new music altogether in April 2009, I jumped ship. KCSN came on roughly a year later, and I never looked back. I only listen to Mimi on weekends, but "That's All Folks". Listening last night, I'm hearing the same Boston, the same Melloncamp, the same Paul McCartney. I tuned to 88.5 and heard 'Little Kids' new song...it was like coming home. I Mourned KSCA's loss that Feb. 5th 1997 - I visited the station studios three times the months prior (thanks Mimi and julio Flores ) and went to the troubadour the night after the sign off. KSCA was such a game changer, not so much with KSWD, but their airstaff are real sweethearts and Dave Beasing I hold with great respect - one Bear's op. JG

goriajk said:

I Mourned KSCA's loss that Feb. 5th 1997

Click to expand...

Funny how I still think of KSCA on that date every year...all these years later. Still have their last hour on cassette somewhere.

goriajk said:

As The Sound stopped playing Kings of Leon, and new music altogether in April 2009, I jumped ship. KCSN came on roughly a year later, and I never looked back. I only listen to Mimi on weekends, but "That's All Folks". Listening last night, I'm hearing the same Boston, the same Melloncamp, the same Paul McCartney. I tuned to 88.5 and heard 'Little Kids' new song...it was like coming home. I Mourned KSCA's loss that Feb. 5th 1997 - I visited the station studios three times the months prior (thanks Mimi and julio Flores ) and went to the troubadour the night after the sign off. KSCA was such a game changer, not so much with KSWD, but their airstaff are real sweethearts and Dave Beasing I hold with great respect - one Bear's op. JG

Click to expand...

Yes, they slowly removed most of the AAA titles in 2009 and transitioned to classic rock without changing staff, imaging, or anything other than the playlist, (they must have learned that trick of changing formats on the fly without any other changes from KTWV, which has done the same thing on several occasions) but it seems that it was several months that they kept playing a couple of Kings of Leon tracks. I guess they were the best testing of the AAA music, but after awhile even they were banished.

I agree with the others, the Sound was not a particularly interesting station, playing the same 1000 classic rock tracks that omits most of the heavy metal catalog, but the staff were very respectful of the music and its local heritage, which I and I think a lot of others appreciated. Remember, lots of us have moved on to other things, but we were raised first and foremost on what we used to call rock 'n' roll, and the music deserves the respect the Sound gave it.

And frankly, it is still true that most of the classic rock artists were or still are better than most contemporary AAA artists. What the AAA artists offer is something new and fresh (which is good, and I like a lot), and classic rock will do nothing but age in the meantime, but track for track, artist for artist, classic rock music generally still stays on top.

johndavis said:

It may not have broken ground musically, but the station and air staff was good about building a relationship with the audience.

People will miss that.

Good radio stations are the ones people give a damn about when they go away, even if they play music for the masses.

Click to expand...

Beautiful post and a point often forgotten by radio geeks like me. Engagement is king.

edit

SuperRadioFan said:

Just wondering, not so much here, but on Facebook, posters are crying hysterically (OK maybe that's an exaggeration) about the impending demise of 100.3 FM The Sound.

Click to expand...

And this move may backfire. A christian rock format taking over 10 years of classic rock, in the middle of the dial at 100.3? Nah. Yes, I've seen that FB page, it's very rough, but I don't blame them one bit. Ratings at that frequency will plummet. I have nothing against the format, but taking over something well-known and apparently well-loved (according to those FB posts over at The Sound page) I think is wrong and ill timed. Popular formats should reside in the 93-107 ranges, the rest belong in the 88-92 and that should include religious programming. The exception being KWVE, etched in stone since the early 80's. I don't think this will last long. That recent Last A to Z at The Sound was immensely popular and people knew it's days were unfortunately numbered, sort of like a slow and painful death.

oldies76 said:

Ratings at that frequency will plummet.

Click to expand...

I doubt that EMF will subscribe to the ratings book. The station may be in the commercial band, but it will be run as a non-commercial station, so ratings wont matter. They're doing it for access into the market, and for fundraising. That's all that matters to them.

TheBigA said:

They're doing it for access into the market, and for fundraising. That's all that matters to them.

Click to expand...

With no regard to the former listeners and listenership?? I mean, ten years and it's suddenly gone. They won't last. The Sound going off the air is the exact same thing that happened to KRTH in 1989 after the Beasley sale. That's my opinion.

oldies76 said:

With no regard to the former listeners and listenership?? I mean, ten years and it's suddenly gone. They won't last. The Sound going off the air is the exact same thing that happened to KRTH in 1989 after the Beasley sale. That's my opinion.

Click to expand...

I'm an outsider (don't live in LA any more), but if the new owners have the money to buy 100.3, and can afford to operate it and make a profit with a much smaller audience, that's obviously their right to do so. And if The Sound is such a sound (sorry) format, some other clever programmer may pick up the format, and even the brand, at another frequency.

I wasn't around for the demise of KMET back in the day, and the change to The Wave, but I imagine that caused a lot of sturm and drang.

LKellerIII said:

I'm an outsider (don't live in LA any more), but if the new owners have the money to buy 100.3, and can afford to operate it and make a profit with a much smaller audience, that's obviously their right to do so. And if The Sound is such a sound (sorry) format, some other clever programmer may pick up the format, and even the brand, at another frequency.

I wasn't around for the demise of KMET back in the day, and the change to The Wave, but I imagine that caused a lot of sturm and drang.

Click to expand...

It's business, I get it. But why wreck something that already works? If anything, those new owners could have chosen a different frequency too and left The Sound intact. Without social media in 1987, I could imagine what the demise of KMET would have been like. Being on the air for 19 amazing years, I can imagine.