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Re: [IRCA] KLOV FM network
- Subject: Re: [IRCA] KLOV FM network
- From: Scott Fybush <scott@xxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 26 Jun 2011 16:58:15 -0400
Rick Dau wrote:
The same way that non-comm public radio stations do, Bill -- pledge drives. In
K-Love's case, it's 3 a year --- one in the spring (10 days), one in the fall
(10 days), and one usually on New Year's Eve Day. And in recent years, it's
been like clockwork -- about a week after the end of each pledge drive (which
almost always falls far short of goal, under 40% or so), K-Love's president will
emerge from his burrow with an announcement that they've had to make what they
refer to as "drastic decisions" regarding their budget.
Content has something to do with it. IMHO, if I'm going to listen to Christian
radio, I'd much rather listen to something local that actually has variety to
its playlist (i.e., one that will, from time to time, dig out the obscure, the
long-forgotten, and play those, like a good station of any format would) instead
of something syndicated that rarely plays anything more than 5 years old and
sounds too much like a bad Top 40 station.
And yet...
Whatever "pledge drive math" K-Love is using to declare itself short of
its goal, the fact is that they do exceptionally well by non-commercial
radio standards. In the public radio universe where I live, we'd kill to
be able to get listeners to donate at the $100/month level that K-Love
"suggests" to its audience. (We're thrilled to get them to sign up at
$100 a year!)
What's more, K-Love gets to draw that listener support from hundreds and
hundreds of transmitters all over the country, all of which enjoy
FCC-provided "main studio waivers" that allow K-Love's parent, EMF
Broadcasting, to avoid the expense of maintaining local staffs and
studios at each location. If those main studio waivers weren't so
readily granted, K-Love's economic model might not work at all...and
EMF's CEO wouldn't be taking home $400k+ a year in salary.
I'm no fan of the format, but I do recognize it as being exceptionally
well-executed, tight, commercial-style radio. Like a commercial top-40
station, their goal is to put together the largest possible
audience...and you don't get there with "obscure and long-forgotten."
There are other places on the dial for that. K-Love is doing what works
for them, and it's clearly paying the bills, at least looking at what
they're spending on buying stations and paying their executives.
s
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