The long slow death of commercial radio.
One of my favorite radio stations died on May 22, 2009 KWOD went off the air.
KWOD has been playing Alternative music for Sacramento since 1991. Those were the days before the term “Alternative” was actually coined by some supposed marketing genius somewhere. Then most people just called it Modern Rock and we played bands, like the Pixies, The Cure, Depeche Mode, The Smiths and The Clash.There have been many great years, like the explosion of the Grunge era and the creativity of the late 90’s. There have also been many passionate and talented people sitting behind the microphones at KWOD, turning you on to new artists and songs, playing your favorites of the years past and letting you know about what was going on with those bands and the people like you, who loved them.
That is why it is so difficult to tell you that, after 18 years, KWOD is coming to an end. The last few years have been very challenging for KWOD; as it has been for the world of Alternative music, and the radio stations that play it, in general. The severe downturn in the economy over the last year has affected many people and companies. I’m not telling you something that you don’t already know. But, perhaps you didn’t know that, while we are a radio station, we face the same circumstances as so many other organizations today… the challenge of running a business profitably. We have taken many steps over the last few years to improve things, but in the end they have not been enough. We’re proud of what KWOD has stood for over the years. And, we’ve had fun being part of it.
Some of you may want to blame this decision on some faceless corporation. While KWOD does have a parent company, it’s not how it came down. This was a local decision that was both difficult and personal. We had to finally admit that our best efforts, over a number of years, were not going to produce the results we needed.
So, on Friday, May 22nd at 9am…KWOD will be no more.
Your loyalty to the music, and to KWOD, is more appreciated than any of us can effectively express. So, we will leave it with a simple, genuine “Thank you”…
Curtiss Johnson
Program Director / KWOD
While what he says is true about the economy this year, the truth is most radio stations are having trouble making ends meet. There is a systemic flaw in the radio business model which is going to cause a slow strangulation of itself. I see radio dying out over the next 20 years, the generation born in the 1970's and early '80's being the last generation to get their music from the radio stations. People born after 1985 no longer look to radio to find music, using MTV and then the Internet in various forms.
Why would someone listen to a 1hour long broadcast that has 15-20 minutes of commercials, a mix of songs that they might not like, and someone talking over part of the song. When with an MP3 player they can mix their own music for the mood they are in right now, with no commercials, and no one talking over the music.
Most radio stations are going to start going backward in time, playing the oldies. There were 2 stations in the central valley that played Alternative music and both have shifted to an oldies format this year. KWOD is playing all nineties and 93.1 (which is now 92.1) is playing 70's and 80's music. Both will probably keep this format for 15-20 years. Then maybe switch to a talk format, but even a switch to talk radio is not going to save them. With 3G and 4G wireless and Internet streaming which people end up switching to hear news and music. This is great for cellular companies, not so great for everyone else. Some stations like 105.3 in the San Francisco Bay are trying new types of programming letting the users program music using programs like Jelli.net on Sunday nights. I don't if this can save 105.3 but at least they aren't throwing in the towel.
