The Beasley Broadcasting Group is big busness, operating 45 stations nationwide and reaching 4.7 million listeners weekly according to their website. The operative term in that statement is BIG BUSINESS. That's why it came as no surprise to me last week when they moved their active rock station 95Rock down to their 93.1 frequency and began simulcasting WGAC News/Talk Radio at 95.1. This strikes me as a purely bottom line sort of decision as GAC appears to be the cash cow for Beasley in this market. Along with this move, word has come down that afternoon shock jock Jordan Zeh was relieved of his contract with other personnel "TBD" according to a press release by Beasley.
The transmitter for the 93.1 by all accounts has a weaker signal than 95Rock's previous home. I've seen numerous complaints on Facebook and other public forums that the signal was poor and static-drenched. Now I could be mistaken, but it would appear that the writing is on the wall for 95Rock. But lets face it, "Acitve Rock" is a bit of a niche format and all the press I've read lately on subject says that rock radio has been on the ropes for some time now. This can possibly be attributed at least in part to the broad variety of ways in which people are now able to obtain and listen to music. I flatly refuse to buy into claims that rock is dead(I'm stubborn that way).
In the face of all these changes being effected by Beasley, backlash is inevitible. And when you piss off rockers, expect it to be loaded with an extra bucketful of vitriol. Since the frequency switch was made last week, Facebook has been burning with up the anger of hundreds of rock music fans. Many stating that they've called the company headquarters to complain and others just sort of blindly spitting expletives. While I feel the pain of those just exploding with righteous indignation because they can't hear Nickelback over the free airwaves without static, I fear that their complaints will be allowed to die down without acknowledgement. It's naive to believe otherwise. Because folks, let's face it...the almighty dollar rules everything around us. I don't begrudge Beasley this move at all personally. They are running a business and the point of being in business is to turn a profit. That's not evil, that's the American way.
That said, I sincerely hope that 95Rock is not allowed to wither on the vine. While Lex and Terry and Godsmack are not my preferred flavor of aural stimulation, the station is clearly loved by a segment of our population. Also I think the station and their on-air personalities did alot of good for the area, from sponsoring some of bigger concerts in the area to canned food drive they did each year. And if we lose 95Rock, variety on the public airwaves will take a hit. Frankly, there is not much variety as it is now. So I say to Beasley...."Have a heart and don't let the rock and roll die."
To catch up on what else is happening in area music, listen to the podcast I co-host with John Stoney Cannon at confederationofloudness.com.
See y'all at the rock show...
Stak
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