By Bram Teitelman
Sat Oct 29, 7:32 PM ET

Infinity Broadcasting’s preparations for the imminent departure of franchise morning host Howard Stern could leave rock music radio a collateral casualty.

To soften the blow of Stern’s December 16 exit from terrestrial radio, Infinity has changed the format of some of the 27 stations that carry him. Of the 12 rock stations that featured Stern in the morning, three are flipping to talk or the Jack format, which uses no DJs and a random, classic-rock-oriented playlist. Such flips in Sacramento, Calif., and Philadelphia mean one less new-rock station. But in New York, come January 3, Arbitron’s top-rated market will not have a station playing current rock hits.

Infinity launched a talk-based “Free FM” format October 25 on eight stations. The personality-driven programming will feature former Van Halen vocalist David Lee Roth and comedian Adam Carolla, among others, as syndicated replacements for Stern in morning drive.

“What Infinity is signaling is that a combination of celebrity talk and comedy appeals to its target market more than music in general and rock in particular,” says Barry Sosnick, consultant and president of Earful.info. “When you have Infinity, a major player in broadcasting, indicating that music isn’t a powerful draw for listeners, (that is) the most frightening implication.”

NO SURPRISE

Labels see Infinity’s move adversely affecting record sales, specifically in New York. But, as RCA VP of rock promotion Bill Burrs says, the move was expected.

“There had been talk about it forever, and we knew something was going to shake when Howard left,” he says. “It was a shift they’d already made musically when they became more classic rock-leaning, but it’s still a shame to see current rock music leave the airwaves in favor of more talk radio.”

Roadrunner VP of promotion Mark Abramson says New York’s radio landscape will be “a very sad state of affairs” in January. “It will definitely impact albums sold,” he says. “You’re taking away New York’s last remaining new (rock) music outlet, so of course it’s going to have an effect. I’ve got to think that leaves a huge hole that hopefully someone will fill.”

The situation in Philadelphia appears less dire. In addition to a full-time rock station in Greater Media’s heritage rock WMMR, Infinity’s WYSP will still play music nights and weekends. Burrs mentions WYSP’s similar incarnation as a talk/rock hybrid several years ago, when syndicated talent filled up afternoons and middays, complementing Stern in the morning.

Abramson sees WMMR’s presence easing the pain of WYSP’s shift. “Of course, what’s best for the business is the two of them trying to steal ratings from each other,” he says. “Competition brings out the best in everybody.”

“With Infinity being a company that has such a large commitment to male demographic radio stations playing rock music, it’s cause for concern when you see them shift away from current-based rock stations,” says Greg Thompson, Island Def Jam executive VP of promotion. “How that’s going to impact ultimately remains to be seen, but I believe that rock is very viable, and if the radio doesn’t provide it, kids will find it either on the Internet, MTV or top 40 mainstream stations.”

WYSP and Stern flagship WXRK (K-Rock) New York are streaming music on their Web sites, as is former Radio One modern rock station WPLY (Y100) Philadelphia. While Internet radio usage continues to rise, that is no consolation to radio listeners or labels. “None of those are proven entities yet,” Burrs says. “I love the thought of online and the dream that it’s all going to work, but we’re a long way from us knowing whether it will.”

But although there are fewer rock and modern rock radio outlets on the air than there were a year ago, Nielsen SoundScan figures from the first 41 weeks of 2005 show modern rock album sales at 90.1 million, holding a 20.8 percent share of the market. That exceeds the 20.1 percent it had through the same time period for 2004, and if the numbers hold up, will mark the seventh straight year that modern rock has had a market-share increase.

Reuters/Billboard