J.D. Freeman, the ever-vigilant and always informative Dallas-Fort Worth market manager for Clear Channel Radio, delivers some breaking news -- well, broken news, if you want to get technical about it. Because almost one year to the day since Clear Channel announced that KZPS-FM (92.5) was going commercial-free under the Lone Star 92.5 moniker, with a heavy focus on Texas-bred music, the man behind the format change is gone. As of yesterday, Lone Star program director Duane Doherty is no longer with the station or Clear Channel; Freeman, of course, cannot say why, as it's a personnel matter, and "I really don't comment on employees leaving," he tells Unfair Park.
Doherty's exodus comes less than three months after the station fired longtime local radio fixture Redbeard, who occupied the afternoon drive-time slot. Freeman says the station doesn't yet have a replacement for Doherty, and it's become clear in recent months that both he and Clear Channel are not happy with the direction of the station, which has been tinkering with its format in recent months as the audience has drifted away following the initial surge of interest.
"I want to see bigger ratings, I want to see a larger audience," Freeman says. "We're getting ready to do a major advertising campaign, and I feel the station needs to be a little more musically focused." Which means? "In coming weeks you will hear sounds on the radio station that are primarily classic rock with a Texas influence, I would say."
This morning, amongst homegrown familiars ZZ Top and Stevie Ray Vaughan, the Lone Star playlist also included Foreigner, Fleetwood Mac, and Kansas. --Robert Wilonsky
when this station first hit, it was a pretty refreshing change of pace. i liked the idea of being able to tune in and hear willie nelson, uncle tupelo, and bob dylan back to back.
unfortunately it didn't take long before i started hearing black crows and loverboy (loverboy?!?!!)... esentially over the last half year, the station has devolved into a sub par classic rock station that will ocassionally play a country song. it begs the question, "what's the point"?
when are we going to get a station in dallas that is willing to push the envelope a little more? the range fills this role where country music is concerned - but there is a community of music devotees in this city that are not being serviced, and i'm not really reffering to the indie elite here...
Posted at: April 16, 2008 11:19 AM