Re: [IRCA] KLOV FM network
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Re: [IRCA] KLOV FM network



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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