Sunday, January 18, 2009


indie 103.1 is going off the air?

I almost couldn't believe it- indie 103.1 was vanishing from the airwaves. Could this be? For any of you living in LA, indie 103.1 (like it or not) has become a staple of the LA scene for the last 5 years. This Thursday they announced they were going off the air and moving to exclusively online broadcasting.

The reason given so far is "because of changes in the radio industry and the way radio audiences are measured, stations in this market are being forced to play too much Britney, Puffy and alternative music that is neither new nor cutting edge. Due to these challenges, Indie 103.1 was recently faced with only one option --- to play the corporate radio game"

Is this an indication of the time? Is it yet another example of traditional media's struggle to adapt in a modern online era? When will advertisers see that popularity and success are not effectively measured by current standards set in place. Making a stand against these advertisers may not seem like much but as listeners spend their more of their time online, advertisers will be forced to pay attention.

Unfortunately attempts to save the station are proving to be of little help. In the end however it all comes down to dollars. Inside sources at the station tell me the station will be replaced be Spanish station El Gato. More information on El Gato can be found here



Like many who have turned to the Internet as their only home, indie 103.1 is currently striving to figure out ways to make the Internet work for them. The biggest issue I predict is that no one has internet radio in their cars- YET. Technology will have soon to adapt, cars sales may even depend on it.

1 comment:

  1. Will the internet prove to a more viable alternative for the 101.3's of the world, as fancyschmancy internet phones like the iPhone proliferate through the population?

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