Monday, April 02, 2012

Media Newsy Bits

Sophie flipped! Christy gets perm! Lefsetz Quits Being Mean!

Last week, I read that Sophie was changing formats and posted about it (thanks to sdradio.net and radioinsight.com for the scoop), but there was no word as to how soon it would happen. The very next morning, Radio Sophie sent a newsletter notifying their listeners to get ready for new Energy 103.7 which would launch at 5pm that afternoon. Now flipped (or expanded as they might sell it), the station, which is owned by CBS networks, is rumored to be modeled after their sister station, AMP 97.1, in Los Angeles, under the guidance of Kevin Weatherly, Senior Vice President, Programming, CBS RADIO. You can see their dreadful playlist here. The station press release also says a whole lot about a "360 degree audio and visual experience" using social media to complement the station and that Chàrésë Frügé, current program director, will remain, but with Kevin, I suspect she'll maybe have more of a media platform oversight role or will be let go at some point, as radio nationalization and delocalization seems to be the radio strategy du jour. I'm not trying to bust anyone's balls and I hope that the station retains staff, many of whom I consider friends, after their 10,000 songs commercial-free play through, but realistically, the station will probably move to voice-tracking as so many stations across the country (and plenty in this city, too) have already done.

In other station news, since Garrett Capone left his post as Program Director at 91X, there was a lot of speculation about who would step up and fill his shoes. Christy Taylor was acting as the interim PD and from the many loud rumors in town, there were plenty of submissions from all over the map, and in range of experience and qualifications. It was announced on Friday that Christy Taylor was officially named Program Director for the station, a promotion from her previous post as Music Director.



Lastly, I have mentioned Bob Lefsetz a few times in the past. He's a blogger/music critic with an influential, or at least well distributed newsletter that mostly rips apart everything, from the major labels for holding on to their old business model to the indie bands who don't have enough talent. If you're not involved in some aspect of the music industry, most of it wouldn't mean anything to you, but if you have an elementary understanding of Music 101, his posts were sometimes insightful, sometimes jaw-dropping in an I can't believe he said that publicly cringeworthy kinda way. and often Mean, as made famous by T. Swift's song. I considered it required reading for anyone working in any aspect of music even if you had to skim his numerous posts in a day when he was especially cranky.  Anyway, Lefsetz sent out a newsletter saying he's quitting. Granted, it came out on April Fool's Day and I don't actually believe it (frankly, I think Bob is too egomaniacal to actually keep his opinions to himself), but it did actually remind me of the few times I've been at the edge of pulling the plug on this site, and for the first time, I actually kinda felt for the guy. I guess we'll find out soon enough if he's for real.

Update: at 12:54 on Tuesday, April 3, Lefsetz resumed his newsletter with a piece about 10,000 hours and "timing is everything". 

No comments: