Mega Dies, Gives Way to Hot 92.3

Clear Channel's Rhythmic Oldies KCMG (Mega 92.3) in Los Angeles flipped to Rhythmic Hot AC as KHHT "Hot 92.3 Old School & Today's R&B" under PD Mike Marino at 5pm Thursday, August 9th. The station is currently running jockless and commercial free. They describe their format as "Rhythmic Hot AC" The first song the station played was Keith Sweat's "I'll Give All My Love To You."

"Finally, a radio designed for you by people like you. Hot 92.3 Old School and Today's R&B" says the radio bumper between songs. Their new website is at http://www.hot923.com/

According to their website, among their sister L.A. stations, KIIS-FM will be further expanded by adding the mass appeal Rhythmic Hot AC, KHHT (new calls) Hot 92.3.

Seventy percent of the Hot 92.3 music mix will be "Old School" music from the 70's and 80's. Thirty percent of the music mix will be Today's R&B from the 90's to now (not hip hop). This new combination of "Old School and Today's R&B" on the New Hot 92.3 will continue to be the Adult Audience growth that has already occurred at 92.3 in the first two full ratings books since Clear Channel began operating this frequency.

Hot 92.3 artists include Marvin Gaye, The Gap Band, Carlos Santana, Barry White, Earth Wind and Fire, Alicia Keys, Jill Scott, Whitney Houston, Toni Braxton, Brian McKnight, R. Kelly, Luther Vandross, Janet Jackson, George Clinton, KC and JoJo.

"This move on 92.3, completes and solidifies the LA Cluster", agreed Roy Laughlin and Charlie Rahilly, Clear Channel Communications Los Angeles, Co-Market Presidents. "According to our research, and the expertise of Clear Channel's most notable radio programmers, the Rhythmic Hot AC format, now heard on 92.3 FM, will be one of the hippest and most listenable radio stations for Southern California Adults 18-49."

Commenting on what is HOT 92.3, Clear Channel Communications Sr. VP/Programming Steve Smith said, "To give you a very specific visual of what this station will sound like: Just imagine a dozen roses, a bottle of Dom Perignon and Keith Sweat singing 'I'll Give All My Love To You'. That's HOT 92.3."

KHHT (Hot 92.3) PD Mike Marino says the station will broadcast commercial free and jockless until further notice. "We want the audience to hear as much of the music as possible," said Marino.

Hot 92.3 will retain and reintroduce the highly popular radio stars like Smokey Robinson, Theo, Art Laboe, Sean Andre, and George Lopez in different roles.

You can also sample the station at 1-818-559-2285.

Thoughts About the New Hot 92.3

Says one poster: "Hot 92.3 is designed to be an adult competitor to Power 106 and The Beat just like Star 98.7 is designed to be the same to KROQ."

Another person says that the "Hot" handle could be too hot for Clear Channel to keep if Emmis takes them to court over the "Hot" name. Emmis owns a Hot 97 in New York City. Steve Smith designed both Hot 92.3 and Hot 97.

What's the difference between Hot 92.3 and The Beat 100.3? Says one poster: "The difference is that The Beat plays hip-hop while Hot also plays old school R&B...but I'm sure this will attract a lot of the older Beat listeners and probably even from KJLH 102.3"

Neel says it sounds like a tweaked Mega 92.3: "There is considerable overlap in the songs that both stations play like Gap Band, Keith Sweat, etc... I doubt this will be rhythmic, (but I hope I'm wrong). It will probably be less disco more recent 80s and 90s....they're getting rid of burned out songs like Donna Summer."

Ryan says "AllAccess describes format as Rhythmic Hot AC ... Funny dont sound like it without the dance."

Another complains: "Any format, but dance. NOT a drop of dance on here (yet)...and this is HOT?!?!?!?! Guess it won't be like B-100. Thanks Cheap Channel. By the way, Last Dance by Donna Summer was the last song Mega played..."

From another poster: "They said they did research, and they did not find that dance/party station was missing from the dial??? Unless they consider KIIS to be a party station... yeah right... With that new PD aboard, KIIS sounds more like this HOT crap! There is considerably less dance in rotation at KIIS and no dance adds. A rhythmic hot ac should include artists like madonna, covergirls,daft punk and other artists. B-100 was another rhythmic hot ac, and was much "HOTTER" in presentation and music. If it aint targeted towards African Americans, "URBAN" it shouldn't be this way. KJLH and KKBT got the edge because they are African american targeted stations with more than just music."

Cody reviews the history of 92.3 when it was on its predecessor frequency on 100.3:

Let's Review

Thinking of all the stations that didn't make it on the 100.3 FM frequency:

K-100 (1977-81)
KIQQ-FM (1981-85)
K-Lite 100.3 (1985-89)
Pirate Radio (many format adjustments) (1989-92?)
KXEZ (bombed) (1992?-96)
B-100 (unfocused) (1996-97)
Mega (started failing right before the move to 92.3 FM) (1997-2001)
Now the 100.3 FM legacy goes on, but now on 92.3. Also, will the Beat be the next fatality
on 100.3 FM?

My Thoughts on 92.3

Unfortunately for the short-sighted co-market presidents in the Los Angeles market, they didn't do enough research on the Los Angeles market, despite touting on the radio that "they", whoever they is, spent ten years researching the market, only to come up empty with a predictable format full of old songs people don't want to hear everyday and sleepy R&B songs heard on KIIS and, in San Diego, Channel 933.

This format may appeal to the female audience at best, but "Cheap" Channel Los Angeles, or U.C.C.R.-L.A., the Iron Curtain name for the company there, has completely ignored two other kinds of radio audiences while serving up yet another female-aimed format that competes with their own Star 98.7, KOST 103.5, and KBIG 104.3 with similar female 25-54 age demographic aims. Sure 92.3 plays Hot Rhythmic AC, 98.7 plays Hot Modern AC, 103.5 plays AC, and 104.3 plays Hot AC, but why so many AC's? Is this the Evil Empire's idea of diversity? A Hot AC, a Warm AC, a Cool AC, and a Cold AC?

"Cheap Channel" has blown it big time with this foolish choice of a format mix that does nothing but cannibalize what's left of the audience that listens to the radio in the culturally-challenged city of the Southern California Outland. Did they really need another female-aimed AC station? No. Did they really research the Los Angeles market? No. Will it bring in listeners that don't listen to L.A. radio? No.

As for what Clear Channel Los Angeles should have done, since they own "Groove Radio", and it was among the most popular formats on the now-Spanish 103.1 it ever had, why couldn't they have put "Groove" on 92.3? It would have certainly brought in more than just the female demos from their other stations. That could have certainly filled a long-void format need that really could have solidified the Los Angeles cluster. But no. U.C.C.R.-L.A. has their heads in their grounds as usual.

Another long-rumored format for 92.3 was seen in Don Barret's laradio.com column when he announced that "KCMG, known as "Mega 92.3," might be history... It has long been rumored that Clear Channel wanted to go up against KROQ. Since CC is in the concert business, they purchased SFX for $4.4 billion last year, having an option with built-in promotion with an Alternative company-owned station would make sense.

A better idea would have been to make 92.3 a Total Rock and Roll station, without the rap. The station would play thirty percent classic rock of 60's-80's and the rest today's rock of the 90's and today. The mix would be aimed at the adult rock and roll listener and would have included the alternative rock that appeals to the older listener. That would have given KLOS 95.5 a run for its money.

Unfortunately for U.C.C.R.-L.A., the exodus of listeners from radio to MP3 players and CDs will continue for some time with their bonehead decision to format yet another flavor of Adult Contemporary music, a format that's also heard on just about every place on the FM dial today. This is what Los Angeles needs? Duh!