Bad news for my radio presets. Channel 104.9 follows KSJO & KOME into oblivion.
(from the Merc's Brad Kava:)
Without much warning, even to its own staff, San Antonio's Clear Channel radio dropped its second rock format in a year, replacing it with romantic music in Spanish.
Channnel 104.9,which played alternative music and had been a good community citizen, promoting great concerts and events around San Jose, went Spanish New Year's Day.
The company, apparently buoyed by the fact that it quadrupled ratings when it switched rocker KSJO, from rock to traditional Mexican music, apparently hopes to do the same, although the alternative station was doing quite well, 11th among San Jose listeners over 12 with a respectable 3.0 share, about half as many listeners as the top station in the market, KGO, which has a 7 share.
As much as radio stations claim they like to serve listeners, it's always been just as much, if not more, about business.
The same night that KCNL switched, so did Entravision's KBRG-FM (100.3), which dropped its romantic Spanish format for a traditional one that had it competing with Clear Channel's KSJO, the market's third place station with a 4.4 share.
This was a way to buttress its hold on Spanish listeners, who now have two classic Mexican stations in San Jose and one Romantic station.
Who loses? Kids who were supported by Channel 104.9. The station had a strong identity with them, and it brought some big name local shows to the area, in clubs and in its Fourth of July weekend blowout, which brought names such as Bowling for Soup and Maroon 5.
The station had a big promotion scheduled later this month with the San Jose Stealth team, offereing 5,000 hats to fans at the home opener. Those will end up collector's items, along with KOME and KSJO paraphernalia.
But at least most kids can turn to San Francisco's KITS-FM (105.3), which has always been the area's flagship of alternative, but unfortunately doesn't always get the greatest reception in all parts of San Jose.
And it doesn't do the great local promotions that made Channel strong here.
The change had to be a Christmas present for LIVE 105, which had been cut badly by competition from Channel and started its year without Howard Stern. It's now the only alternative station and one of the few places you can hear rock music.
