Devotees of the late KDJM 92.5-FM (“Jammin”‘) can sign all the petitions they want, but it won’t bring the classic R&B station back from the dead.
“There’s absolutely no chance of that,” says Don Howe, senior vice president for parent CBS Radio of Denver, which flipped the station to country outlet KWLE (“Willie”) last month.
It’s all about the bottom line. Despite cries of racism and “supporting the community,” a concerted phone campaign and online petition drive (petitionspot.com/petitions/BringBack
DenversJammin925FM), Howe is steadfast, backed by a stack of letters and e-mails from happy listeners who appreciate the mix of new and old country music on “Willie.”
Organizers of the bring-it-back campaign aren’t talking, but almost 3,000 names were on the petition as of Friday.
His decision to make the switch to country came down to numbers, Howe says, and
KDJM’s were too small. “The last Arbitron (ratings) had ‘Jammin” ranked 20th among Denver stations. I can understand their passion (but) the jury was in.”
Steve Keeney, who previously ran KDJM and its two sister stations, says it’s also about growth.
He’s close to bringing two new stations into the Denver market and has yet to decide on their formats. But, he says, an R&B format is “far-fetched” because of “limited growth opportunities. ‘Open in the public interest’ doesn’t mean losing money.”
Councilwoman Elbra Wedgeworth met with Howe in mid-December to express her concern that “Jammin”‘ was a severe loss to Denver’s black and Latino communities. No decisions were reached. They agreed to meet again, without a specific date.
Howe offers one ray of hope. When the new high-definition radio kicks in, meaning stations can break their signals into multiple outlets, the classic R&B format may reappear on one of the substations. Drawback: Listeners must invest in an HD receiver, and they are not cheap.
Around the dial
ESPNEWS covers live the selection of the 60 players eligible for the USA Baseball roster of the first World Baseball Classic (5 p.m. today). It’s a big deal worldwide, particularly in South America and Japan, but Sports Illustrated reports that only 20 percent of the 49,000 seats available for the U.S.’s two opening games in Phoenix have been sold. … Paula Woodward, investigative reporter on KUSA-Channel 9, talks about ethics in journalism at the Colorado Press Women luncheon, starting at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday at Fourth Story restaurant in The Tattered Cover Cherry Creek. Reservations, 303-347-6278. … The Glenn Miller Orchestra plays the Paramount Theater on March 25 in a benefit concert for KBDI-Channel 12. … Quotable: “I may have many faults, but being wrong ain’t one of them.” Jimmy Hoffa
Dick Kreck’s column appears Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. He may be reached at 303-820-1456 or dkreck@denverpost.com.
