In June 1996, KACD-FM (Santa Monica) and KBCD-FM (Newport Beach) switched from a Mainstream AC format to a Underground Dance format known as “Groove Radio”. While Groove Radio was unique, it was perhaps too unique for conventional radio. It never made any sort of dent in the ratings. During the summer of 1997, Groove Radio creator Swedish Egil was fired. The station remained in the Dance arena, but it became more mainstream (better suited for radio) — but not so mainstream that it could truly be considered “cheesy”. The name also changed to “Groove 103.1″, mainly because Egil owned the rights to the “Groove Radio” name.
Then, on September 18, 1997, the format changed to an ordinary traditional Rhythmic CHR, yet the name remained “Groove 103.1″. The station was flooded with negative feedback. One week later, the format switched back to dance.
This is a montage of the final half-hour of the Rhythmic CHR attempt; it includes a few commercials voiced by the station’s personalities. Visit The Format Change Archive to hear the relaunch of the Dance format.
Podcast: Embed
