Happy Trails For Us: My Reluctant Blog

I think I'm on a bit of a rant this morning since earlier in the week I found out that the morning radio show I listen to on the way to work has been cancelled. After 9+ years of this am commute, I have listened to a lot of different radio shows, flicking the dial from music to news to anything to avoid commercials. I have seen talk show hosts come and go, fired at whim or will, it's just the nature of the business. And one adapts, changes the dial, finds someone else - and frankly, I only have a 30 minute commute, so we're not talking about a whole morning. As a matter of fact, when I'm off in the summers, I don't even turn these people on - they're simply my work day, 7 am fix. But they are a fix.

This week the powers that be over on KLSX radio, 97.1 in LA, a CBS radio station, announced that they were completely changing the format over from talk radio to a more top-40-style format, in other words, good-bye interesting and crazy people, hello Rhianna. 97.1 will become AMP radio, whose domains were all registered anonymously on February 9. AMP radio is a youth-oriented format that's been used in other markets. I am not part of the youth market.

So in addition to losing my "talking-heads" in both am and pm drives, I now have to feel "old" because AMP radio and I are not going to be friends, I can pretty much tell you that. And in this economy I also feel more than a little anger for all the people that are losing their jobs this week, and by this I mean those who work behind the scenes in production on each and every show on that statio, out of work at 5 pm this afternoon. I know it's about ratings and business, but it's also about concept. This morning show has had consistently high ratings, so really, it's all about the concept. Like we need another top-40 music station, and that is just a rhetorical question, my friends.

This morning, Adam Carolla made a comment that there is a special connection between radio and viewers, something different than between tv and viewers. And this I also understand; people talk more freely on the radio airwaves, there is some anonymity without faces, it's just a different vibe. I have been following these people for years, even in my 30 minute bursts, through marriages (theirs), children (theirs); as a parting gift today, we found out one of the co-hosts is pregnant, another is getting married. Perhaps I will find them on another station, perhaps I will have to use my new car's satellite radio (tho I do believe Sirius is about to go bankrupt). And I am still a long-time listener, and not ever a first-time caller, I should also give a shout out to the afternoon show, who I will confess I have followed on more than one station in my commuting days, 8 years now on 97.1.

So farewell to 97.1 as we Angelenos knew it, best of luck to all of you: Adam, Teresa, Bald Bryan, Frosty, Heidi and Frank, Tom, Tim and whoever is on while I'm asleep. The airwaves here will be a lesser place come Monday morning.