KMVN-FM

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KMVN
Broadcast area	Los Angeles California
Branding	Movin' 93.9
Slogan	The Mix That Makes You Move
First air date	1970
Frequency	93.9 (MHz)
Format	KMVN: Rhythmic AC KMVN-HD2: Adult Alternative
ERP	18,500 watts
Class	B
Callsign meaning	K MoViN 93.9 (on air name)
Owner	Emmis Broadcasting
Website	movin939.com

KMVN redirects here. For the airport with that ICAO code in Mount Vernon, Kentucky, see Mount Vernon Airport.

KMVN-FM, Movin' 93.9, is a rhythmic/pop contemporary station serving Los Angeles and the surrounding area. The station is owned by Emmis Broadcasting, which also owns KPWR (Power 106). Most of the songs played on Movin' 93.9 consist of rhythmic pop and dance hits from the 1980s and 1990s to the present day, along with classic disco and freestyle tracks thrown in for balance.

With the unique combination of both KPWR and KMVN, the move gives Emmis and Los Angeles its first rhythmic duopoly, as well as the second duopoly in California with this arrangement, the other being Clear Channel Communications siblings KMEL and KYLD in San Francisco.

They are also the second station in the United States to adopt the "Movin'" concept, the first being KQMV/Seattle, Washington. KQMV is not owned by Emmis; however they did acquire the rights to use the moniker from consultant Alan Burns, who helped launched KQMV's format. Burns will also team up with fellow consultant Guy Zapoleon (whose partnership with Burns dates back to the launch of KHMX/Houston in 1991) on the new upstart.

KMVN plays a wide variety of danceable hit songs from the 1970s to the present day. Sample artists include Madonna, Janet Jackson, Mark Wahlberg (aka Marky Mark), Black Eyed Peas, and Gorillaz. There is little rap music, in deference to both the target audience and to sister station KPWR.

Contents 1 History 2 Format change 3 Current On-Air Line-Up 4 References 5 External links

[edit] History

In the late 1960s, KZLA 93.9FM was a simulcast of KPOL 1540AM and had an adult contemporary format. At the same time, KMPC 710AM, owned by Gene Autry was the country music station. However, in the late 1970s, it flipped to big bands and standards. By 1980 several stations picked up country music formats such as KLAC 570AM, owned by Metromedia, and KHJ 930AM owned by RKO. At that point KZLA AM and FM also went country.

The three country music outlets struggled, including KZLA. In 1983 KHJ dropped country and returned to an adult contemporary format. KLAC held its own. At this point KZLA began to grow in the ratings as Los Angeles' only FM country station. On its website, it claimed to be the United States' most-listened-to country radio station, even though they never managed to dent the top 15 in the Los Angeles Arbitron ratings during its 26-year run.

Metromedia sold KLAC in 1987 to Malrite, which had sold its AM station to an ethnic broadcaster. KLAC then moved to a classic country format. By 1990 though, KLAC went to an easy listening/standards format from Westwood One. KZLA now established itself as LA's only country music station.

In 1994 Shamrock acquired KZLA and KLAC in a group deal. In 1996 Chancellor would acquire the two stations. The following year, Chancellor and Evergreen merged. Evergreen already had KKBT (then on 92.3) and KOST 103.5. Chancellor would acquire Viacom's KYSR 98.7 and 100.3 KXEZ. This gave Chancellor 5 FM stations. Later that year Bonneville made a corporate deal to swap several stations. Under that deal, Chancellor would have 6 FM stations, including KOST, KBIG, KYSR, KKBT, and KXEZ 100.3(which would change formats and calls), plus two AM radio stations: KFI 640, and KLAC 570. Bonneville, in return, would acquire KZLA.

As a result, KLAC and KZLA were under different owners. KZLA over the years mixed in a few non-country pop songs in their format, and also plays more classic country than most country stations. Bonneville eventually exited Los Angeles and sold KZLA in 2000 to Emmis, the station's current owners. Under Emmis' ownership, most of the country songs they played during its tenure in the format were from 1987 to the present day, with some classic cuts mixed in.

In 2006, KZLA began to carry NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series races as the local affiliate of the Motor Racing Network. The first broadcast was the Lenox Industrial Tools 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway.

[edit] Format change

On August 17, 2006 at 10:20 a.m. Pacific time, KZLA's format was changed to rhythmic adult contemporary music. After the station played "Tonight I Wanna Cry" by Keith Urban to end the old format, KZLA played "Let's Get It Started" by the Black Eyed Peas to start the new one. The first DJ to be "let go" was the very popular Brian Douglas who did evenings for four years. Soon after that, the station's demise was well under way with others losing their positions as well.

Jimmy Steal, Emmis' vice president of programming, cited declining ratings of the country format as well as an opportunity to increase overall station and corporate revenue.[1]

For a time, KZLA continued online, but the stream was later dropped. The FM station changed its call letters to KMVN on September 1, 2006.

Emmis also signed legendary entertainment personality Rick Dees to host the morning drivetime show. Dees was host at another area station, KIIS-FM, from 1983 to 2004. Dees returned to the airwaves on September 25 and also picked up his "Rick Dees' Weekly Top 40" program on Sunday mornings, which started October 1. It should be noted that KMVN airs Weekly Top 40 with most of the non-Rhythmic hits (mostly Rock/Pop) edited from the show because of KMVN's format.

The ratings for the morning daypart increased by over 400% in the first 12 weeks Dees was on the air. However, the long term success of the station has yet to be proven. Often stations "spike" in the ratings when they first appear on the air. Furthermore, the station has failed to bring in more than half of the audience it did as a country music station according to Radio and Records.

Also taking advantage of KZLA's demise is XM Satellite Radio, which is the new sponsor of the former station's annual Country Bash. The event, its first ever for XM, was held October 14, 2006 at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater.

The displaced listeners took notice, prompting a campaign to bring the format back to the Los Angeles airwaves, as well as a response from the Country Music Association, which vowed to work with a broadcaster in the area to help fill the void, as evidenced in this article from R&R.

At the time, the change left the two largest media markets in the United States and three of the top four without a full-time country music station. The New York area hasn't had such a station since WYNY signed off in 2003 and as of today is still without a outlet for the format. In the San Francisco Bay Area, KZBR also changed format in 2006, only to return to it after Entercom took over the station in March 2007. The other top-4 market, Chicago, is served by WUSN.

On December 1, 2006, Mount Wilson Broadcasting changed two AM stations - KKGO in the San Fernando Valley and XESURF in the Tijuana, Mexico-San Diego border area - to a country format. The signals combine to cover the entire area. But in a surprise move, it was announced on February 23, 2007, that FM sister station KMZT would flip to Country and move their current Classical format to its HD2 subchannel and to the AM side, who in turn, swapped its KKGO calls to take the KMZT calls. The move, which happened on February 26, brought Los Angeles back to having a full-powered FM Country outlet after a six-month absence.

A similar situation occurred in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex of Texas where CBS-owned Smooth Jazz station KOAI (once branded as "The Oasis") has changed to KMVK "MOViN 107.5" on October 2, 2006, since then, much heartbreak and criticism was seen on The Oasis blog. The only jazz station in that area is KNTU-FM, but many listeners aren't able to get that station, because the broadcast reception was not as strong as former KOAI.

[edit] Current On-Air Line-Up

Weekdays

• 5a-10a Rick Dees in the Morning with Patti "Long Legs" Lopez and Mark Wong.
• 10a-3p Tera Bonilla
• 3p-7p Mario Fuentes

Weekends

• "Saturday Night Party Mix with Clarence Barnes"
• Sunday Morning 8am-Noon: "Rick Dees Weekly Top 40"

[edit] References

• "L.A. loses lone country music station. USA Today", August 20, 2006.

[edit] External links

• Query the FCC's FM station database for KMVN
• RICK.COM - Rick Dees' Official Website
• DJ Moves Comments on KZLA's Move from Country to Pop
• gets' Movin at Radio & Records
• Go Country 105 L.A.'s Country music station that is owned by Mount Wilson Broadcasting
• Petition to bring back KZLA's Country format