PD Kevin Weatherly announced he's exiting KROQ along with KAMP (which he launched) and Jack-FM 93.1 (KCBS-FM). Speculation is he has a gig at Spotify lined up. The legendary title can certainly be applied to Kevin, who has had a remarkable run with KROQ since joining the world-famous station in 1992.
-
Get involved.
We want your input!
Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.
After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.
After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/
Thanks in advance and have fun!
RadioDiscussions Administrators
Kevin Weatherly Departing KROQ (Jack & AMP too)
- Thread starter david
- Start date
If so, he'll join former KSON PD John Marks. They've brought in a lot of former radio people at Spotify, but you wouldn't know listening to the product.
Yeah, KROQ was "world famous" for essentially breaking away from what we now call "Classic Rock" to ushering in New Wave in the late 70s and 80s. As one of the few stations in America (particuarly early on) that made the switch and the prevalence of European artists in genre, KROQ was a known station even to many who had never heard it for their ability to break acts all by themeslves. Today it is nothing more than another alternative rock station playing mostly what all the other alt stations do. I frankly wouldn't be able to tell it apart from its main in-town competitor, Alt 98.7 without looking at the dial.
To be fair, I have aged out of the demo and mostly listen to First Wave on (as Swedish Egil says) "Sewius XM", so it's not like I am listening that much anyway.
The change in KROQ is due to two outside factors: first, the overall decline in rock music and, second, the arrival of a rather direct competitor.
KAMP maintains a position as the second CHR, without the multi-million-dollar salaries. I'd bet it is enormously profitable.
The real issue is that up-and-coming radio executives are replacing long-time ones because they can be paid soooooo much less.
Plus some of them see radio as more than just towers and transmitters. For KROQ to rebound, it needs to re-establish its relationship to an audience. Preferably a sizeable audience that has an interest in the music and the culture. They have some heritage tools, but they've lost their way. They need a leader who is actually among the life-group if they want to re-establish that relationship.
The big issue with KROQ's format is that it has fragmented. If you do a music test, you find subsets that are polarized in different directions and have limited commonality. That makes broadcast one-to-many radio very challenging.
Also, the labels and the audience have both taken less interest in the format, whatever its variant is. The market in LA is now under 29% non-Hispanic white, and of that 29% a portion is composed of first generation immigrants from Iran, Central Europe and the like and who don't have an interest in that kind of rock... or any rock at all. So the core is considerably smaller than it was when KROQ began.
I don't think that age makes that much difference in recognizing and moving to new distribution options; much of the obstacle to that comes from corporate finance people who can't see the ROI there.
Entercom is doing a much better job in this area that most of the other radio groups. And yes the music has fragmented, but that's why it takes someone from within the life group to find the specific music and presentation that will appeal to enough of an audience, target that subset (whatever it is) and reach out to them in a way that can work in LA. A lot of the musicians they play LIVE in the area, so there is the potential for a community. It's not going to be a 5 share format, but I think they can add another point to their current numbers.
You're coming dangerously close to recommending new programming strategies that may be out of the corporate-radio box to get listeners excited about the format. I know you have a reputation to protect so I won't say anything to anyone, promise!
They don't care as long as they make more money. What I'm talking about is being done now in other genres.
This past ratings period alt 98.7 beat kroq by half a point. I guess hiring lisa away from kroq has paid off. The alternative format has always been my favorite genre. I really enjoy stryker and klein and the friday all request hour on kroq.
Kroq has more stability with there jocks it seems. On alt 98.7 not so much. The midday shift i cant tell you how many people i have heard over the years on alt 98.7 from 1m am till 3 pm. But alas no one cares about what you here between the tuneage i guess.
Kroq has more stability with there jocks it seems. On alt 98.7 not so much. The midday shift i cant tell you how many people i have heard over the years on alt 98.7 from 1m am till 3 pm. But alas no one cares about what you here between the tuneage i guess.
In both 18-49 and 25-54, 98.7 beats KROQ by a half-point at all. More important, in those key demos it puts KROQ behind by three rank positions ... an important item with buys. Even if a client buys 10 deep, they generally skip the lesser station if there are several stations in the same format as the cume duplication does not favor reach and frequency.
Last edited:
https://news.radio-online.com/cgi-bin/rol.exe/headline_id=n38318
Now Mike Kaplan has been named by entercom to be the Brand manager at the same time Weatherly is named to leave KROQ.
Now Mike Kaplan has been named by entercom to be the Brand manager at the same time Weatherly is named to leave KROQ.
Re;
I personally think KROQ sounds far better now than it did a few years ago. great production and energy with a fun and unique afternoon show that I always hear people talking about and breakout local artists they helped break like Billie and The Interupters. I always saw kroq as a brand more than just a station anyway.
I personally think KROQ sounds far better now than it did a few years ago. great production and energy with a fun and unique afternoon show that I always hear people talking about and breakout local artists they helped break like Billie and The Interupters. I always saw kroq as a brand more than just a station anyway.
Thats funny the former pd of alt 98.7 mike the show killer aka mike kaplan will now be workin for the competitor kroq. The woody show alt 98.7 mornin show can have fun with this. They always trashed mike the show killer in a funny way. They always said great guy but horrible at his job.
https://news.radio-online.com/articles/n38340/Report-Former-KROQ-PD-Kevin-Weatherly-Heads-to-Spotify
Kevin Weatherly moves from Entercom to Spotify.
Kevin Weatherly moves from Entercom to Spotify.
- Status