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Making Things Clear (And A My925 Review)

Okay, now I understand where all those people upset at My925 are coming from. What you see above is a report on how my site is linked to by Google based on what keywords are typed in, with the biggest hits shown (while “other” documents all other keywords). Notice a trend?

Just for the record straight: I don’t work for Clear Channel or KGBY My925. I don’t control content, I didn’t fire the jocks. I am, however, entertained by the angry e-mails that have filled my inbox since the Christmas music ended on My925. If you’re going to send me e-mails, that’s alright, but you should probably add these guys to your CC: list. As someone who worked with a radio station in the past, I can say that listener e-mails are read and they can heavily influence the decisions made by those in charge at a station, so it never hurts to send along your thoughts.

My thoughts on My925 are mixed. The station launched this morning after playing a month of their traditional holiday music; now, they have a playlist made up entirely of adult hits from alternative to soft rock, 80s jams and some of today’s top tracks. So far, My925 has played some Y92 favorites like Dido, Five For Fighting and Matchbox Twenty while spinning new tracks like Everclear, Incubus and Foo Fighters (usually found on KWOD or The Zone). The live voices have been replaced by a near-human (but clearly robotic) female voice announcing the title and artist of a song after the track has played, followed by a taped male voice reminding the short-attention-spanned listener that they are listening to “My925: My Life, My Music.”

What it doesn’t sound like: This isn’t your at-work soft-rock Billboard-hits station anymore. People who seek a soft-rock approach will likely migrate over to CBS-owned Mix96 or tune in to Starlight or The Blend on satellite radio. Of course, there’s always internet radio too for people stuck at a computer at work.

What it does sound like: A playlist mixed with alternative tracks, whether it be soft alternative or rock alternative. Local similars include The Zone (which only plays music from the 1990s to today) and KWOD (except not as fresh). The station is completely jockless, mimicking Jack FM 93.7. Other similar stations include Lucy and Ethel over on XM Radio and AltNation on Sirius.

What makes it different: The station hopes to include the iPod and Music-On-Demand generation by asking listeners to visit the My925 website and request music. Rumor has it that in the future, My925 will launch a MySpace-like social network platform, allowing My925 listeners to connect with each other, vote on tracks, and contribute to the station. My925 will attempt to prove to listeners that the radio industry can keep up with the 21st Century technological world of online connectivity and listener taste changes.

The skinny: While I’m sad to see the format change of KGBY and the removal of Sacramento radio legends at the decision of Clear Channel, it’s exciting to see an experimental station move into Sacramento. The music definitely conforms to the tastes I’m seeking, and it incorporates values that I had hoped to see at alternative stations The Zone and KWOD. I’ll be very surprised if the station is successful with it’s currently jock-free environment, and I speculate that KGBY will seek a friendlier approach to listeners by hiring some talent within the next five years. The station’s format is great as it is, but it comes at a distaste to long-time Y92 listeners who will likely migrate to other at-work stations. However, it comes at a time when alternative listeners of The Zone and KWOD crave something different, which is likely to be the main reason why My925 will stick around. Is the radio industry ready to tackle social networking and listener interconnectivity? I guess My925 will be the determinator. On a scale of one to ten, the new station gets a seven, and with a few changes made here and there, they can easily be a nine.