FM radio is struggling to compete with higher-tech options amid a downturn in advertising, and Los Angeles station Indie 103.1 has thrown in the towel. The station unexpectedly went off the air forever at 10AM PT today, and left this note on its official website:Indie 103.1 will cease broadcasting over this frequency effective immediately. 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.
Indie 103 will now broadcast only online. PerezHilton commented that "It's a sad day for good music in L.A."
Personally I don't see why it's worth throwing down the gauntlet over Britney Spears. Actually her new single "Circus" is pretty good. But you have to admire the station for bowing out of the competition rather than abandoning its principles.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
1-15-2009 @ 6:36PM
Jeff said...
At last a radio station with some backbone. More power to you!!!!!
2-01-2009 @ 10:54PM
Chris said...
It's about time that a radio station realizes that we don't want to hear garbage and does something about it. I would rather pay for satellite radio (I do right now) or listen online. FM radio died years ago along with the true Disc-jockeys who listened to their local listeners. Kudo's Indie 103.1
1-16-2009 @ 7:34AM
shaggy said...
Let's see, you know your audience wants to hear Britney and P. diddy but you'ld rather go out of business than give the customer what they want. You deserve to go out of business.
1-24-2009 @ 2:27AM
Ron said...
This is really BOGUS! Obviously 103.1 was a PIRATE station in the first place. No licensed station is listed on the FCC website for LA on 103.1. Given the fact that a Los Angeles licensed FM station would sell for MILLIONS, why would a legal station just "give up?"
1-31-2009 @ 1:46PM
Ryan said...
Well, Ron is a total moron. If you actually looked it up, instead of just talking out of your ass, you would find out that the station is KDLD out of Santa Monica, which covers LA, there is also a repeater that covers OC, KDLE, which originates from Newport Beach. Do a little more research before you begin to ramble. The station did "give up", but is now an online only station.