Bill Virgin's Radio Beat June 26, 2008

Includes archive of Bill Virgin's columns fromJ une 2006 - March 2009

Bill Virgin's Radio Beat June 26, 2008

Postby radiofan » Wed Jun 25, 2008 9:19 pm

On Radio: KNDD-FM/107.7 announces new program director
Alternative format still the focus
By BILL VIRGIN
P-I REPORTER


No, the alternative format is not what you remember, or listened to, when KNDD-FM/107.7 hit the air in 1991 and Nirvana and Pearl Jam were first releasing music.

The End is also not the ratings powerhouse it was in those early, heady days.

But yes, it's still a viable format, music genre and lifestyle, says Dave Richards, who oversees Seattle's radio entry in the alternative arena.

"It's not as it was 15 years ago," says Richards, operations manager at Entercom Seattle, whose four FM stations in this market include KNDD. "It is a mature format."

"There are," he adds, "changes, challenges and opportunities for alternative."

Figuring out how to deal with all three and keep alternative relevant will be the task of a new program director for KNDD, whose appointment was announced this week. Mike Kaplan, currently operations manager for two of Entercom's stations in New Orleans, will join KNDD in July. Lazlo (who uses only one name on air), the current program director, will continue as host of the afternoon show "The Church of Lazlo."

"Mature" can be a deadly word for a format that relies heavily on listeners in younger demographics who, so the industry chatter goes, are increasingly tuning radio out.

That's hardly the start of the challenges. Alternative, like every other format on radio, is dealing with far more competition for its audience's time and attention than it faced when it launched. Listeners have far more channels for finding "alternative" artists and music.

Alternative was a vague concept to start with, but "there are a lot of styles now" to it, Richards says. The popularity of the genre's artists and music has had peaks and valleys (although it may be helped by the current success of such artists as Coldplay and Death Cab for Cutie, both currently on The End's playlist). Alternative artists can be found on other stations in the market, and there's competition for the same listeners from KEXP-FM/90.3.

To deal with those changes, alternative-format radio has tried to change. Once a music-intensive station, KNDD's program schedule now has a large component of talk-oriented programming, such as the syndicated Adam Carolla show in morning drive. "You have to be on a lot of different platforms to connect to the audience," Richards says. He likens the change to what has happened with MTV, which these days is a far cry from its origins of airing just music videos, "yet more people watch than ever before. The world changes. You can't do the same thing and expect the same results."

One other challenge to alternative stations is proving that the audience is still there. With so many younger listeners ditching traditional telephones in favor of cell phones, ratings services are having trouble reaching them to measure their listening habits, Richards says. Consequently, he adds, stations like KNDD are undermeasured (KNDD ranked 22nd in Arbitron's overall winter-quarter ratings; back in 2000 it was among the top five stations in the Seattle market).

Richards says he and Kaplan will put together a strategy for KNDD. "Will it continue to be alterative? Absolutely."

In other radio notes:


Lizz Sommars' guests on "Conversations" at 6 a.m. Sunday on KISW-FM/99.9, KKWF-FM/100.7 and KMTT-FM/103.7 and 7 a.m. Sunday on KNDD-FM/107.7 include Taras Grescoe, author of "Bottom Feeder," a book on seafood.

P-I reporter Bill Virgin can be reached at 206-448-8319 or billvirgin@seattlepi.com.

Bill Virgin's Radio Beat Thursdays in the Seattle P-I
Those who danced were thought to be quite insane by those who couldn't hear the music.
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