RADIO In case you haven’t noticed, KEGL-97.1 (the Eagle) has gotten considerably funkier. Out with Tom Petty; in with
MC Hammer and Johnny Gill. Why?
“We’re a hit-type station,” says KEGL general manager ED WODKA, who acknowledges that folks have called to
inquire about the “perceived” format change. “We try to reflect what’s going on. There’s so little rock product, it’s
becoming more pop and dance.”
But KEGL’s rivals sing a different song, claiming that dangerously low Arbitron numbers in May prompted the station’s
boogie movement. “They started the last week of June,” chortles RANDY KABRICH, station manager at KHYI-94.9
(Y95), the Eagle’s biggest nemesis. Kabrich. who implemented a heavier mainstream dance mix when he arrived in
January, accuses the Eagle of discarding its rock-based, older audience just to cut into Y95’s 18-24 crowd.
KVIL programming director CHUCK RHODES agrees, citing his own monthly numbers as proof that KEGL altered
its output once Y95’s numbers shot up.
Stay tuned for the summer Arbitron ratings, due out this month: the spring numbers showed Y95 with its biggest lead in
more than a year. KEGL will be seeking a gap-closer, while Y95 will look for a reason to boast, “Can’t touch this.”
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