"I'm a little bit country. And I'm a little bit rock 'n roll.
I'm a little bit Vienna. With a little bit of Salzburg in my soul ..."
Posted on 2/27/2007, 1:14:04 AM by ZGuy
Southern California will lose its only commercial classical FM radio station Monday when K-Mozart switches formats to "Go Country 105," station officials announced today.
Saul Levine, president of Mt. Wilson FM Broadcasters and one of the few individuals in the nation to own a multimillion-dollar full-service FM radio station in a major market, will make the switch from classical to country on the station at 105.1.
The University of Southern California's KUSC is the only other classical FM station that covers Southern California, but that station is nonprofit.
There has not been a full-service Southern California radio station programming country music since FM station KZLA switched away from that format last year.
Levine scheduled a news conference for 11 a.m. Monday at the Museum of Television & Radio in Beverly Hills.
The current KMZT, referred to as K-Mozart, years ago had a jazz format as KKGO. Levine said the new country format station "will be reinvented as KKGO 'Go Country 105."'
"The previous 105.1 classical format (K-Mozart) will remain on the station in its second HD channel, and be simulcast on 1260 AM," according to the station.
High-definition radio, or HD, is a relatively new development in American radio that provides enhanced sound and additional channels for individual radio stations. However, HD radios are more expensive than other radios and so far they are owned by few listeners.
Levine's AM station at 1260, also called KKGO, covers much of the Los Angeles area and has been through a number of formats since he purchased the station that was years ago known as KGIL.
It was not immediately known if the FM 105.1 station will have its call letters officially changed back to KKGO or retain the current KMZT call letters.
I mentioned this on General Chat on Friday...
I-wish-I-didn't-have-to Ping
So I see. I posted on general chat once . . . and got 1 hit. Now I post to news and let the mods move it if they want.
Boy, so that's what happened. I like to listen to John and Ken, but my daughter likes to listen to classical. So, I listened to John and Ken a bit to see what they were talking about and hit the button for KMZT, and got country! Kept going back and forth for awhile, then I told my daughter that this happens sometimes.
Sigh. What will we listen on the way to ballet? John and Ken aren't always that appropriate.
That's the nature of radio, and why terrestrial radio sucks.
At least it isn't Banda music.
Dear ZGuy,
How awful!
Well, anyway, thanks for the ping.
Another sad Classical Music Ping List ping.
If you want on or off this list, let me know via FR e-mail.
Thanks,
sitetest
Yeah, I know it's weak...
But no. What we will get is no doubt a steady diet of Kenny Chesney, lame Garth Brooks ballads and other pretender "hat acts."
"I'm a little bit country. And I'm a little bit rock 'n roll.
I'm a little bit Vienna. With a little bit of Salzburg in my soul ..."
Can islamic radio, funded by saudi arabia, be far behind?
You can always try KUSC 91.5 :)
Thanks! That saves me searching the dial.
Any classical music station that had to brand itself as "K-Mozart" was probably not taking classical music seriously anyway.
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