stl radio is a-changin' (again)

So if you haven't heard in the last month, there have been major things going on in St. Louis radio. First I'll start with the obvious. Assuming you live in the StL area and you regularly surf the dial (like me, although I usually leave it on talk radio), you have noticed that 2 stations are playing Christmas/holiday music. It has been that way since November 1. 100.3 (once known as The Beat) and KEZK 102.5 have been playing that stuff 24/7. It is unlistenable to some, especially this early in the holiday season. To me, I think the more appropriate time to start playing Christmas music is right after Thanksgiving. I did hear that 100.3 did three days of playing non-stop Halloween and scary music before switching to glide.

This leaves all the people (including myself) who are hungry for radio jobs questioning: so what's next for 100.3? Will it becoming a new kind of black-oriented station? Or a new format? How about another randomizer format? Whatever it is, I hope they are looking for some great airstaff. Time to start pumping out resumes again.

And speaking of airstaff, after 7 years of being at Emmis, JC Corcoran gets shown the door. He (along with KSHE mainstay) John Ulett did the K-hits morning show during the week. This was reportedly his 25th year in St.L radio. What a good way to celebrate, huh? A lot of people were wondering why this all happened, and apparently according to the Post-Dispatch, Corcoran was a victim of new technology. I'm not really sure what it is, but apparently in the last few years Arbitron ratings (the way they have been doing them and recording results) has changed. Now, people can do 'diaries' (similar to blogs?) and the ratings system keeps track at what their most listened-to shows are. A lot of syndicated morning shows made the list, and only a couple local did. JC Corcoran's was ranked very low. This left Emmis with no choice but to can him, despite of the great sponsors and awards the show has got.

Katy Kruze will no longer be heard on Emmis stations either. This comes quite as a shock as I remember working with her while an Emmis intern. She was an icon, and its safe to say she was the most dominant and active female person at Emmis. It seems like just a couple weeks ago when I heard her show 'Katy's 80s' on KSHE. Another guy, 'Carl the Intern' is no longer there either.

So, that's my update. I really wish they'd bring back the long defunct site: showmeradio.com