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Denberg left KGSR December 5 after 19 years with the station and is taking a year off from working. Shortly after Denberg's departure, Emmis-owned KGSR moved from the 107.1 frequency to 93.3, which covers more population and broadcasts from a more powerful tower northwest of Austin. However, with the move, some Austinites have complained that they don't receive the signal as well as they used to.
In addition, KGSR has faced criticism in recent weeks that the station's focus has drifted away from their former "Sounds Like Austin" tagline, even spawning several Facebook groups in protest. The station's VP and Market Manager, Scott Gillmore, told me via email today, "I have been with KGSR since we started in 1990 and I’m sorry that you’re disappointed by the station right now. You are correct that the station has changed some musically. We needed to change with the tastes of this great town, because, while the station used to be a regular top five performer in the ratings, it has slowly drifted out of even the top ten (Adults 25-54)."Gillmore also told me that despite the shift in the playlist, the station continues to champion local and Texas artists and plays a wide variety of music. He also emphasized that KGSR's Austin ties go beyond what they play on the air.
"From the Broadcasts CD series benefitting SIMS to the FAN Drive benefitting Family Eldercare, live broadcasts from the Four Seasons during SXSW and much more, we will endeavor to do more for the community than any other Austin radio station," he said.
In an interesting twist, KGSR's original format was based on KBCO in Boulder, Abuzzahab's former station. However, KBCO's sale to Clear Channel in the mid-1990s resulted in their playlist being controlled less and less by the on-air talent, and more by a corporate playlist.
1 comments:
I'd been a fan of KGSR for years, lived in Houston from '01-'08, sometimes listening online. Since I moved back in '08, KGRR has changed frequencies and program directors, attempting to broaden appeal with more popular adult contemporary and even some oldies. While I don't have a problem with Sting or Talking Heads or Paul Simon's "Me and Julio down by de schoolyard", that's not "Radio Austin". Now there's way too much of that bland, corporate playlist, and not nearly enough of the flavor that made KGSR unique. I find myself switching more and more to KUT or my iPod. Hearing Alanis Morrisette on KGSR today might be the nail in the coffin for me.
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