WNOU-FM Indianapolis, "RadioNow 93.1," owner jingled listeners bells Monday.
Break out the N'Sync holiday album; it's time for "93 [painful] days of Christmas Music." With that stunting format switch, RadioNow become radio then.
When Jan. 7 arrives, the station, which played hip-hop and pop will switch to all-news, according to an IndyStar.com article.
Put aside the insanely obnoxious concept of playing Christmas music before Halloween and there's a larger issue to examine here.
Our generation is killing terrestrial radio.
"It really came down to a business decision, not a content decision," said Tom Severino, vice president and Indianapolis market manager for Emmis Communications, in the IndyStar.com article.
Credit is due to Emmis for acknowledging its business motive. The company can say this will better serve the market and listeners, but that eventually adds up to higher profits. They're not really trying to hide that, either.
WIBC rated above WNOU in spring 2007, in the fourth and fifth spots, respectively, of Indianapolis' market, according to Arbitron.com. The news station took third during winter 2007, while RadioNow was ninth.
In case you're wondering, country station WFMS-FM led the market in both survey periods, the Arbitron site said.
WIBC is a respected news organization in Indianapolis, and it's difficult for radio stations to maintain such a high news status in this cable and Internet news-saturated atmosphere. WIBC has, which says something about the integrity of the operation.
But overall, radio news, as National Public Radio demonstrates, still has a market.
Emmis nixed a contemporary hit radio station for (eventually) news and talk. Emmis owns WNOU (93.1) and WIBC-AM (the station taking the 93.1 signal in January.) Clearly it's not the same audience RadioNow targeted.
The primary listening audience of radio news doesn't care to hear about "super-soaked hos." The people who do - us - are soaked in a world of media options for music. There are MP3 players. There are streaming music options. There are hard drives in cars. There's XM. There's Sirius.
There's their proposed merger.
There's AM, but no one really cares. The 20-, 30- and some 40-year-olds of today have cruised the FM dial more than the AM spectrum. Older listeners lived in an era pre-FM, thus their fondness of AM.
But as the older generation begins to fade, so does AM radio. It's hard enough to get listeners to change stations, let alone modulation. Emmis' move is a result of this reality.
Advertisers lots of options in seeking out this millennial generation. We consume and interact in multiple ways each minute, let alone each hour. Tracking our habits is difficult, so trying to market through our habits is a daunting challenge. It's no wonder advertisers were weary of backing the station.
The FM Sony Walkman of childhood has morphed into the MP3 player of young adulthood and adolescence. We want our music our way - screw off, radio!
Writing as a (former) RadioNow listener, the witty, edgy and sarcastic personas of its staff will be missed. That's an element of radio not easily replaced by personal mobile products.
Though on-air talents were canned, Emmis officials say WNOU's music will play online and as an HD radio signal, the article said.
Good thing we all have those HD radio receivers in hand.
Write to Dave atheydave@bewilderedsociety.com
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