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| Current "Love 105" logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Lay off staff? That's a given. Radio is beginning to look like the local corporate-owned convenience store, where only a couple of employees at a time are needed to sell gas and groceries.
Change to news and talk? Cumulus is reportedly planning to switch some of its FM stations in major markets to that format. They did that at KGO-AM in San Francisco, replacing their highly-respected talk format with news, causing a rebellion among listeners. If Cumulus tried that in the Twin Cities, then they would actually have to hire talent, or at least outsource it to make the whole thing appear local.
Love 105 was the long-rumored target for any kind of format switch, including news. They have three weak FM signals in three different places (Cambridge at 105.1, Lakeville at 105.3, and Eden Prairie at 105.7) that were originally designed to serve those communities, instead of an entire metro area. And they have had just as many formats, including alternative rock and classic R&B, since the signals were combined in the '90s.
So it came as a surprise when Cumulus decided to turn Love 105 from "The Greatest Hits of All Time" into an adult contemporary format, with "Best Variety, Best Songs" as its tagline. In other words, they're replacing oldies with more modern stuff aimed at women 25-54. They're also catering to all the former WLTE listeners who have been flocking to 105 since Christmas, when the light rock station turned into country KMNB (102,9 FM) under the cover of holiday music.
This may not be the end of the changes at Cumulus. What's going to happen at KQRS when Tom Barnard (who has been taking on-air potshots at the company) decides his radio future? Will 93X still be around in its current form? And there's been an opening for an ABC News Radio affiliate (which Cumulus owns distribution rights to) since KSTP-AM became 1500 ESPN. So that all-news and talk thing might not be dead after all?
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