KLOL goes from classic rock to Latino format (Houston, TX)

Channel 11 news staff ^

[Orange1998]

KLOL, 101.1 FM announced Friday that station has changed formats. The station switched from a classic rock format to a Latino music format branded as Mega 101.

KLOL is now branded as Mega 101 FM. The station's web site was listed as under construction, but KLOL's former morning show hosts Walton and Johnson announced on their web site that they were informed Thursday night of the change.

The radio hosts stated on WaltonandJohnson.com that, "Thursday night Walton and Johnson were informed by lower-level management sources via a last-minute phone call that there would be no Walton and Johnson Show tomorrow. In it's place would be Hispanic music programs."

[DallasJ7]

I feel really nerdy for having laughed at this station's call letters.

But yeah, radio sucks now. While I'm in the car it's CDs, with some public radio (not NPR) thrown in.

[Who dat?]

Ha. I also recall that if you traveled between Houston and Livingston (Splendora to Goodrich mostly) with a 97 Rock sticker on your car – especially if you had long hair – you were pretty much guaranteed to get pulled over.

They had a problem with the hippies, evidently. Had to calm them down with batons and flashlights pretty regularly, the way I remember it.

[Michael Goldsberry]

ROCK 101!? Astounding!

[Orange1998]

PING

[leakinInTheBlueSea]

of course it pays, otherwise clearchannel would not be doing it in San Jose...

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2004/11/07/BAGVH9NIAI1.DTL&type=printable

[Ryan Spock]

92.3 KSJO here in San Jose went to Spanish Radio on 10/30/04 after 36 years of Classic Rock...

The last song they played as an English-speaking station was Wall of Voodoo's song "Mexican Radio".

[Squantos]

No how Mohow's incrementalism continues.....

[Sans-Culotte]

I seldom listen to radio, either, unless its talk radio. The main music I listen to is classical, and our one Houston commercial classical channel KRTS converted to latino a couple of months ago (there is a remaining classical public radio station, but it has NPR and I do not have a strong enough stomach for that).

I think part of the problem could be the state of pop/rock music today (it sucks). There probably is more loyal listener-ship amongst the hispanics/illegals, and thus a chance to sell more products via advertising. I expect many more discriminating listeners have migrated to XM or Sirius Satellite radio (something I am considering). Most of the time, I am playing CDs and jamming to Handel, Bach and Telemann as I drive around Houston.

[BellStar]

Well my son discovered 700 KSEV it will be some consolation

[weegee]

Houston's "old folks radio" 102.9FM KQUE was on the air for decades. It became Latino and I don't know what it is now.

The air talent was moved to their AM spectrum (1070AM?) and then through consolidation the parent corp found themselves with 3 "old folks radio" stations on AM. Now they are down to one (790AM KBME) and IT is changing format to sports radio in December.

Karts (not sure which letters spelled ARTS) 92.1FM was a commercial classical station. It was sold this year to become light grunge (early 90s light rock) but this may be a temporary format as I hear the parent corp. runs hip hop stations (2 in the city already).

I think that the objective here is to get "rich" people (read white people) to pay for radio every month. There wasn't much on the dial in Houston I listened to (outside of talk radio) and there is getting to be less.

1430AM KCOH is a 5 decade old locally owned black community radio station. I like some of the programming (talk in the morning, sometimes the music on Friday Night/Saturday afternoon, and early early morning/late late night, with some of the gospel on Sunday).

Forget about anything else though. KPFT does not serve the community; it serves the communists with a little music progamming added for charitible donations. KTRU is standard eclectic college radio; if you hear something good during the day, 9 times out of 10 you won't like the next song.

[BellStar]

here is the list of radio stations.
http://www.kemah.net/radio.html

[Orange1998]

No kidding. I was in the SUV :) thinking someone at the car wash must have change my station. Fumbling through the dial looking miffed.

[weegee]

If this keeps up the only thing we will soon be hearing will sound like this:

"The white zone is for loading and unloading only..." (Frank Zappa, Joe's Garage)

[MediaMole]

Clearchannel is doing this nationwide. They are turning one of their stations into a Spanish-language station in 50 markets, IIRC.

[weegee]

Have you tried Vietnamese radio yet? So far I only find it on the AM spectrum.

[WoodlandsTXFreeper]

I am STUNNED!! Long Live Outlaw Dave, Locke, Wendy Miller, Walton & Johnson, et al. This is a HUGE loss for Houston rock fans!! Un-buh-lievable.

[Tumbleweed_Connection]

In fact, in southern California all government jobs require "bilingual" speakers.

Spanish is the next most spoken language behind English and it's growing rapidly. We have only begun to experience 24/7 worldwide business over the internet. The translations sites cannot provide idiomatic descriptions, they are generic to the language. In otherwords, if one desires to to deal with the massive Hispanic population one must talk the talk.

The market supports any business. If it cannot sustain these "new" stations they won't last. I wonder what happened to the others.

[weegee]

Couldn't they at least compromise and offer something like a Spanish ROCK station? Heavy rotation of Santana, Los Lonely Boys, et al but also rock en espanol old and new?

How much polka rip off can we stand???

[Eaker]

Gotta switch to Pig-Rancher radio Ping!!

[weegee]

Public Radio is going to more political talk and worldbeat music and less classical music. What classical is broadcast there is syndicated.