Columns appear in print in the U Entertainment Section of the Pasadena Star-News, San Gabriel Valley Tribune, Whittier Daily News

Sunday, August 06, 2006

Radio Column July 28, 2006

Listening In

July 28, 2006

By Sandy Wells


King of ‘Old School’ Art Laboe moves to weeknights on Hot 92 Jamz


LA’s King of Old School, Art Laboe is now headlining the evening lineup on KHHT-FM 92.2 “Hot 92 Jamz.”

“Art is the quintessential personality for this station,” said Hot 92 Program Director Mike Marino about the new “Art Laboe Connection” airing weeknights from 7 p.m. to midnight. “He has a very rare connection with the audience, reaches across all demos and ethnicities and his wide appeal is documented in the ratings success he consistently achieves in the weekend show he’s had on Hot for the past five years.”

Laboe is also very popular among LA’s Latino community with a familial on-air style that makes him a hit with people of all ages. It is no accident that much of contemporary hip hop incorporates samples of classic R&B hits dating from the 70s and before. Laboe has been compiling and selling collections of “Oldies but Goodies” since he popularized the phrase on his radio show back in the late 1950s.

“This is the first daily radio show I’ve done in 19 years, so I am pretty excited about it,” said Laboe.

Sean Andre now moves into a split shift. His popular evening show “The Quiet Storm” is shifted to mid-night to 3 a.m. In addition, Andre’s “At Work Requests and Dedications” now airs weekdays from noon to 3 p.m.

“By moving Sean to the noon to 3 p.m. slot, we position ourselves for some tremendous growth in the daypart,” said Marino. “Until now we’ve kept the focus on Hot’s unique music mix in mid-days by running jockless.”

Interactive is the new buzzword in FM music programming as stations seek to create closer bonds with their listeners and develop more loyal, long term listeners. For KHHT as well as for the newly reformatted KKBT-FM 100.3 “The Beat,” the answer has been to place more personality presence between the songs with listener phone calls.


KFI is nation’s most listened to AM station

The Spring Arbitron ratings just out show that not only was talk station KFI-AM 640 tied for No. 1 in Los Angeles with Spanish Adult Contemporary KLVE-FM 107.5 “K-Love” – not just among news and talk stations – but among all stations. KFI also continues to be the most listened to AM station, talk or otherwise – in the nation, beating out New York’s WABC-AM for the honor.

It’s quite an achievement, especially considering the station has been operating below its authorized 50,000-watts of power since its tower was destroyed when an airplane crashed into 19 months ago. Plus, no AM station has reached the top in LA since talk station KABC-AM 790 dominated the market in the 1980s.

Elsewhere in the ratings of people 12+, top 40 hits KIIS-FM 102.7 tied with Mexican Regional KSCA-FM 101.9 for No. 3. Smooth jazz KTWV-FM 94.7 (“The Wave”) gained a full ratings point to move from No. 11 in the winter to No. 5. Alternative rocker KROQ-FM 106.7 edged up from No. 8 to No. 6, followed by soft rock KOST-FM 103.5 at No. 7, Mexican Regional KLAX-FM 97.9 at No. 8 and Spanish oldies (“Recuerdo”) KRCD-FM 103.9/KRCV-FM 98.3 at No. 9. No. 10 was split three-ways among hip hop KPWR-FM 105.9 (“Power 106”), 80s/90s rock KCBS-FM 93.1 (“Jack FM”) and Mexican Regional KBUE-FM 105.5/KBUA-FM 94.3 (“La Que Buena”).

KSCA-FM morning talent Píolin (below)


KSCA-FM’s Píolin por la Mañana dominated the morning drive again, followed by Bill Handel’s show on KFI.

In the “listen at work” mid-day period, The Wave jumped nearly two points to the No. 1 spot.

Afternoon drive was dominated by KFI talk show hosts John and Ken who bounded a point and a half from No. 9 to No. 1.

KIIS-FM owned the nights with a massive 6.2 share – down from 6.9 in the spring, but still way ahead of its nearest competitor, K-Love.



Paris says ‘Mais Oui!’ to American music radio


I spent my recent vacation in London and Paris with the family. Although I gave up driving and reading any email for ten days, I couldn’t help tuning around on a little radio I bought near London’s Piccadilly Square. Half-way around the globe, I heard some LA radio flavors on European airwaves.

In England, I caught KABC-AM 790 host Al Rantel’s voice on a Talk Sport promo for Mike Mendoza’s show. (Rantel and Mendoza keep up the U.S.-U.K “special relationship” with a cross-Atlantic (and continental) simulcast Friday evenings, sharing views and callers from the two nations “separated by a common language.”)

British talk host Mike Mendoza
KABC anglophile Al Rantel


The French may not think much of President George Bush, but they appear to have an enormous appetite for all things American when it comes to pop music radio.

In Paris, I heard AM radio DJ, Georges Lang, whose program “Beach Party” comes on station RTL every night at 11. He serves up American top 40 hits from the 60s, 70s and 80s. I heard him play an old KBIG-FM station ID: “It’s 12 o’clock in the west”! Lang reveres Southern California top 40 radio stations and DJ legends Rick Dees, The Real Don Steele, Robert W. Morgan and Mr. Rock and Roll.

American music – including lots of club music and hip hop – is everywhere up and down the Parisian radio dial. The pop music DJs almost all sound like Ryan Seacrest speaking French. Paris also boasts its own full-time Radio Latina at 99.0 FM!

No comments: