Having Fun!

I really enjoy launching new radio stations--and that's exactly what I got to do this week in Alexandria, LA. RED 104.3 was born yesterday at around 3PM central time. Having launched a lot of radio stations I can tell you this one was a little different.

We not only needed to worry about the normal "old skool" stuff like music, jocks, clocks, production, and spots but it was imperative that our on-line launch would coincide with on-air. While the homepage is a temporary one, it includes links to our stream, our myspace, facebook, and twitter pages. Listeners can also email us. Wow, that is starting to sound archaic--emailing.

I also thought it was important to launch with jocks. After all, we are a radio station and not a jukebox, right? Yes, the research will always tell you to shut up and play the music. I've never seen a study that didn't. [I bet you could ask a talk audience that question and they too would want to hear music! Just kidding.] I say, so what! Go against the research. Fight the temptation to put on a non-stop music machine. Use the music format you choose to play as a catalyst to entertain people. Who owns the storyteller position in your market?

There's still fun, a lot of fun, to be had in this business if we would just allow ourselves the freedom to have that fun. I hope you had some fun this week too.

Thanks to Sean Ross at Edison Media Research, who writes the Infinite Dial blog, for the nice write up today:

First Listen: Red 104.3

Written Aug. 1, 2008

Got a chance to listen to an early stretch of Harve Alan's new project, Opus Media's KEZP Alexandria, La., which just flipped from Classic Rock to a very hit-driven Alternative as Red 104.3 -- a good name for a radio station even outside the state of Louisiana. Besides doing a good job of cherry-picking the poppiest of today's modern rock, Red also gets liner of the week awards for this end-of-the-stopset sweeper: "Going back to the music beats going back to jail!"

Here's Red 104.3 at 10:45 this morning:

Muse, "Starlight"
Ludo, "Love Me Dead"
Shinedown, "Save Me"
Beck, "Where It's At"
Beastie Boys, "Sabotage"
Carolina Liar, "I'm Not Over"
Nirvana, "Dumb"
Trapt, "Who's Going Home With You Tonight"
Three Days Grace, "Never Too Late"
311, "Come Original"
Foo Fighters, "Let It Die"
Linkin Park, "What I've Become"
Staind, "Right Here"