Killing The Country Radio Star

Los Angeles country music fans didn’t lose their houses, wives or trucks August 17th, but they did lose KZLA, the city’s last country radio station, when Emmis Communications pulled the plug on the format in an abrupt switch to the “rhythmic pop contemporary” of Movin’ 93.9.

And ironically, the format change occurred the same day as the first of three Tim McGraw and Faith Hill sold-out Staples Center performances. The arena has hosted a number of successful country concerts in the last few years, with artists including Toby Keith, Dixie Chicks, and Kenny Chesney selling out the venue.

The question remains whether the loss of radio will translate into a promotional roadblock. If NYC is any indication, the answer is no: Tim and Faith recently sold out Madison Square Garden, as did Dixie Chicks and Kenny Chesney, despite the city having zero country radio stations.

Emmis Communications announced August 17th that Movin’ 93.9 will represent a new format in the market, featuring artists such as Beyoncé, Gwen Stefani and the Black Eyed Peas. The company also announced Rick Dees will be hosting the station’s morning show.

“The combination of this music and Rick Dees make this the perfect answer to the needs of the marketplace,” Emmis VP of radio Val Maki said.

KZLA will continue to be available via Internet streaming and the station’s HD side channel.

It looks like L.A. radio is following the trend of other metropolitan markets. New York lost its last country station in 1996 and San Francisco lost a major country station in 2001.

The difference between those three markets is that L.A. consistently ranks as one of the top two for country album sales in the U.S.

Concert and record sales don’t always translate into dollars for radio broadcasters, however.

Merrill Lynch analyst Laraine Mancini told the Los Angeles Times the KZLA format change could increase station revenue by as much as 50 percent.

“Hispanic and urban stations hold their audiences better, probably because their listeners don’t switch to new technologies quite so quickly as white audiences,” she said.

Although it claimed to be one of the nation’s most-popular country radio stations, KLZA’s ratings declined in recent years to No. 20 in the Los Angeles market, according to Arbitron.

“Country is a tough format to do in a market that is an ethnic melting pot,” Rick Cummings, Emmis’ president of radio, told The New York Times. Cummings said stations catering to white listeners reach “less than 25 percent of the marketplace on a good day.”

Even so, Los Angeles country music fans shouldn’t fear being forgotten by the country music industry.

XM Satellite Radio announced August 22nd it would replace KZLA as sponsor for “Country Bash ‘06,” scheduled to feature Gretchen Wilson, Phil Vassar and SheDaisy October 14th at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Los Angeles. The event is being promoted by Live Nation, in coordination with the Academy of Country Music.

Sony BMG’s Joe Galante told the Times country labels would continue to promote in cities without country stations using other mediums such as the Internet and Country Music Television.

“I don’t think it’s a serious blow against the format,” he said. “We have survived it for as many times as it’s happened.”