It’s been about two and half years since The Dave and Mahoney Show hosted by Dave Farra, Jason Mahoney and Audrey Drake moved from their longtime home base at Alternative KXTE/Las Vegas to originate from Classic Rock KLSX/Phoenix. In Monday’s Classic Rock column, I spoke with them about how the audiences on the two stations differs. For part two of our discussion, we delve into how the difference in audience impacts their content choices and syndication efforts.
Impact on Content
Molding the show to fit their new station required a very deliberate approach according to the team. That was because they understood that they were becoming part of a well-established brand. “We’re coming to a radio station that has four decades of heritage,” says Farra. “We have a tremendous amount of respect for the legacy of KSLX. We knew what they built before we joined the team. So, we were very intentional about what we decided to put on the air.”
They quickly discovered that some things do translate regardless of demographics and that helped them find their footing. “We’ve discovered that people who find humor in bodily functions and body parts cross all ages, races, creeds and colors,” says Mahoney. “Those things are pretty universally funny.”
Another unexpected bonus of the move is the older part of the audience’s willingness to participate. They’ve done so in a way that younger audiences no longer do. “There is an unexpected wealth of content that comes from the upper end of the audience. They aren’t afraid to use the phone,” says Mahoney. “They grew up calling in to radio stations. It’s still very much a part of their routine and relationship with the radio.” That differs quite a bit from younger audiences who they find rely on text and social media to communicate.
That still didn’t mean that everything was going to work in a Classic Rock world. They started with a review of all of their established benchmarks and features. Some pieces didn’t fit the new station and a few needed to be cut anyway. Farra says 40% were probably left behind. Of them, a few have trickled back in but not many.
There were also benchmarks that unexpectedly improved with the move to the new station. One example is a contest called Cover Your Ears. Listeners try to identify covers of popular songs that the team finds on the internet.
“Looking back, when we were doing that with Alternative songs it seems so niche,” says Drake. “Now we can use songs that are more mainstream making it much easier for the audience to play along.”
They also found that having an authentic connection to the music is important with a Classic Rock audience. That lead to several new content pieces including a contest called Rock and Roll Ruh Roh. The show recounts a rockstar’s various trials and tribulations like drugs issues, arrests and personal problems. Listeners must then guess who it is.
“That has been a lot of fun because it revisits all of the crazy things that have happened in Rock and Roll,” says Farra.
Impact on Syndication
The show was already syndicated by Compass Media before the move to KSLX but Farra says the change has enhanced their ability to attract affiliates. “People are entrusting us on established brands with big listenership because of the trust that Hubbard Radio has showed by putting us on a station like KSLX.”
The impact, Mahoney says, isn’t just the number of stations interested but the caliber of the stations adding the show. More Classic Rock stations are picking up the program. Those outlets tend to be on stronger signals as opposed to many opportunities where syndicated shows are put on the weakest station in a cluster.
From a content perspective, the pieces that go to affiliates are carefully selected. It starts with a clear understanding of the show’s brand and voice. “We try to view all of our content through that lens. Everything that goes out to the network, whether or not it airs here in Phoenix, is put through that filter,” says Farra. The content also must make sense for all their affiliates, Classic Rock, Mainstream Rock, and Alternative. “If it will sound even a little bit awkward on any of the three, we don’t use it,” adds Mahoney.
According to Drake, the shift to content with wider appeal—paired with the addition of stronger affiliates—has been a pleasant surprise. That combination has made the network an important source of extra content for the Phoenix show, forming a productive loop. The best listener feedback they receive across their network can be packaged and used as new material to revisit a strong topic in Phoenix.
Wrapping up our discussion, the team praised Hubbard Radio’s patience and direction. Brand/Content Director David Moore, VP/Market Manager Trip Reeb and EVP Programming and Audience Development Greg Strassell were all mentioned.
“With confidence and a long runway from management to get this off the ground, we’ve got to a really good place where we have found the audience, regardless of their age, that our content resonates with,” says Farra. “That’s thanks to a lot of patience from the corner offices and good coaching along the way.”
Mike Stern is a Classic Rock columnist and Features writer for Barrett Media. He has been with Jacobs Media consulting stations in the Classic Rock, Rock, Alternative and AAA world for more than a decade. Prior to that he programmed stations in Chicago, Detroit, Denver Las Vegas and other markets. He also worked as News/Talk Editor for Radio and Records, wrote about Top 40 Radio for Billboard Magazine and had his own radio talent coaching business called Talent Mechanic.
