Amazingly enough, considering the popularity the station had, but Entravision has blown up Indie Rock "Indie 103.1" simulcast KDLD/KDLE Santa Monica/Newport Beach, CA saying the switch to PPM has forced stations to play tunes "neither new nor cutting edge." Indie 103.1 is now online only and Entravision will likely launch a Spanish-language station from its current format pool of “Jose” or “El Gato.”
From the Indie 103.1 website:
“This is an important message for the Indie 103.1 Radio Audience –
Indie 103.1 will cease broadcasting over this frequency effective immediately. Because of changes in the radio industry and the way radio audiences are measured, stations in this market are being forced to play too much Britney, Puffy and alternative music that is neither new nor cutting edge. Due to these challenges, Indie 103.1 was recently faced with only one option — to play the corporate radio game.
We have decided not to play that game any longer. Rather than changing the sound, spirit, and soul of what has made Indie 103.1 great Indie 103.1 will bid farewell to the terrestrial airwaves and take an alternative course.
This could only be done on the Internet, a place where rules do not apply and where new music thrives; be it grunge, punk, or alternative – simply put, only the best music.
For those of you with a computer at home or at work, log on to www.indie1031.com and listen to the new Indie 103.1 – which is really the old Indie 103.1, not the version of Indie 103.1 we are removing from the broadcast airwaves.
We thank our listeners and advertisers for their support of the greatest radio station ever conceived, and look forward to continuing to deliver the famed Indie 103.1 music and spirit over the Internet to passionate music listeners around the world.”
RBR/TVBR observation: It’s a shame, but it is obvious—Radio is no longer the place to find new music. Even new music HD Radio formats are being shuttered (i.e. iChannel Music). The Internet has the crown. Radio will have to keep on playing the same songs we’ve heard over and over and over again—and keep driving younger demos away. By the time radio plays a song, most internet listeners have already heard it for months. Now, traditional radio station owners can keep playing new music formats like Indie Rock, but apparently the younger demos will be listening to them on iPhones and laptops. It’s the paradigm we just can’t seem to escape. Make the most of your website, because you are going to need it. If you haven’t yet, get your extra programming/new music streams on SqueezeNetwork, Reciva, RadioTime and other aggregated streaming platforms. These are the new radio tuners. Find a way to get local and national ad dollars with that stream. We’re sure that’s what Indie 103.1 is doing.
