Country radio station KZLA has spun it's last song on the Los Angeles FM wave lengths. However, there's still plenty of options for fans to hear their favore music.
Country music took another kick to the gut last week, when radio station KZLA flipped formats, leaving Los Angeles without a FM outlet for country music.
The City of Angels joined New York and San Francisco as major metropolitan areas without a country radio station.
Ten years ago...even five years ago, having no station in 3 of the top US markets could have crippled a music industry. However, today there are alternatives beyond FM radio for people who want to keep up with the Jones or Straits.
Many country fans in New York, San Francisco, and probably soon Los Angeles have benefited from the invention of satellite radio. Easy to use, easy to install, (if you can get over having to pay for radio - usually $12.95 per month) it's the perfect solution for fans looking for multiple country music broadcasters.
The increased distributions of television stations CMT and GAC have made it almost a guarantee that if you have cable or satellite television anywhere in the United States, you can watch country music related videos and shows.
Radio stations streaming on the internet offer a worldwide method of distribution of country music. An increasing number of country music fans are putting their computer in the living room and getting rid of the radio.
Finally, high definition radio is slowly starting to create more of a buzz with consumers. Right now, WALK on Long Island in New York, and now KZLA is broadcasting country music on its high definition frequency. That's right, the same KZLA that was on 93.9 a week ago still lives, but now it's available on HD radio. The problem with HD radio right now is it's still too expensive for most people to get into the game.
So take heart if you live in New York, San Francisco, or Los Angeles, or if you someday you're city looses country radio, thanks to technology Kenny, Tim, Faith, and Keith are still there for you, you just might have to work a little harder (or pay a little more) to find them.
Email the writer - countrymusic@suite101.com
