LOS ANGELES (GOLDWILLOW) - The Save Country
Music Ribbon Campaign is launched. Los Angeles and
Orange County country music lovers started an awareness initiative yesterday with a powerful new ribbon campaign that promotes getting a new country music station in the Los Angeles area. "This is a very poignant way to get the word out that we want our country music back. There is a huge devoted and passionate audience for this genre," states
Karen Oliver, known as Countrykitten on the countryboards.com boards/KZLA 93.9 where this grassroots movement is gathering tons of steam.
Black Thursday is the name that former KZLA country music listeners now refer to when they talk about August 17, 2006 as Emmis Communications flipped the station format from a country to a pop format focusing on beat-heavy R&B and dance tunes, competing with several of the same types of stations already in Los Angeles market.
"Having country taken away from Los Angeles is like having someone close to you walk away. You hope and pray that one day it comes back to you and i hope that country music returns to LA. We want our country back," states Mark Suggs of Carson.
Former KZLA listeners have banned together, initiating a major letter writing campaign, placing advertisements in Nashville Magazines, informing advertisers of the new format that they will boycott their products, and telling anyone who supports a new country radio station in Los Angeles that they will rally around them and champion their products and services. Shirts have been created to be worn at the upcoming Academy of Country Music ("ACM") Live Nation Bash 06 Concert which was originally KZLA FM's annual signature event scheduled October 14th, 2006 in Irvine, California.
Doris Figueroa, of Huntingotn Beach, finds herself upset over the recent format change, "Such artists as Tim McGraw, Phil Vassar, Toby Keith, Shania Twain, Reba McIntire need a home in Los Angeles. Plus I miss Shawn Parr, Whitney Allen and Brian Douglas. It was the talent that made KZLA a family."
"We invite you to join in and wear a ribbon," states Karen Oliver, Campaign Manager. "The campaign is all about getting an entire genre of music back to Los Angeles and re-creating the country music family we had before, but this time bigger and better."
"We have the proof that southern California market can easily support a country music station and even get it into the top ratings. Country music as a whole is on the up-swing, per Arbitron's own findings. It even appears that KZLA's Stations ratings went up just before they were taken off the air."
Information:
https://countryboards.com/boards/
93.9 KZLA topic area
