The demise of CBS’ “97.1 Free-FM” KLSX Los Angeles in February 2009 has led to some of the most innovative attempts at online broadcasting.
While Tom Leykis has used his remaining time on his CBS contract to build a network of podcasts and unique music streams and Heidi Hamilton & Frank Kramer, part of KLSX’s midday show are getting some publicity for their site, it’s been former morning host Adam Carolla making the biggest inroads in using his daily podcast to bring himself to new mediums.
Carolla, picked in 2005 as one of the regional replacements for Howard Stern, will be getting a one-week tryout on Stern’s “Howard 101” channel on SiriusXM the week of January 24. His daily podcast will be simulcasted live with the addition of live commercial breaks. The following week, Carolla’s show will be audible live for the first time on a subscription basis via UStream.TV. UStream will charge $9.99 a month or $49.99 per year to listen or watch Carolla’s program.
Carolla and RadioIo’s Bubba The Love Sponge are the two highest profile broadcasters attempting the subscription model for themselves. Both have the benefit of being syndicated in the past, and in Bubba’s case saw first hand how the subscription model works from his time at SiriusXM. If they can make it a viable business model, there will be greater opportunities for more radio personalities to make the shift.