The Coyote is road kill. Last Friday, radio listeners hoping to hear the comedy clips and talk shows of the all-comedy network on KOYT-FM (104.3), “The Coyote,” were instead greeted by the steady drone of a heartbeat, which went on for seven hours. At 5pm, with “Let’s Get It Started” by the Black Eyed Peas, the station switched back to calling itself “The Beat,” dedicated to the music of Destiny’s Child, Alicia Keys, Usher, and other R&B and hip-hop hit makers.
For hip-hop fans, as the great Yogi Berra supposedly said, it’s déjà vu all over again. The Beat was once the top-rated format in Austin. But Infinity Broadcasting, faced with competition from upstart KDHT-FM (Hot 93.3), dropped the Beat last July to create a format more appropriate as a vehicle for Howard Stern‘s morning show, which is syndicated by Infinity. The demise of the Beat surprised many people, even prompting those hip-hop gangstas at the Austin American-Statesman to write an editorial lamenting the lack of choice on local radio.
But a few weeks later, Stern announced plans to move to satellite radio in 2006, which doesn’t bode well for the long-term prospects of the new comedy format. Infinity never got around to hiring local on-air talent for the Coyote, which in seven months never generated ratings comparable to the old Beat. “We just looked at where the station was going to be in the future,” said program director Dusty Hayes. “Hip-hop is so big and the music hasn’t shown any sign of slowing down.” Infinity lost the rights to the old call letters, KQBT, so the station is now KXBT. Stern will stay in the morning slot until his contract expires in December, Hayes said.
The move will re-engage the head-to-head competition between the Beat and Hot 93.3, a true hip-hop throw down. At first glance, the station’s playlists are almost identical. Last year, after dropping the Beat, station general manager John Hiatt told a reporter, “We knew there wouldn’t be sufficient advertising revenues to support both stations.” But Hayes believes the fast-growing market is “absolutely” big enough for two hip-hop stations. “Of course, I would like for there to be only one, but I think most markets have two,” he said. Hayes is starting to search for on-air talent. “That’s where most of the differentiation comes in – the on-air talent,” he said.
This article appears in January 28 • 2005.