“INDIE 102.3” DEBUTS AS THE BATTLE TO BE DENVER’S MUSIC DISCOVERY SOURCE GOES TO “11”

On Monday, July 1, 2019, Colorado Public Radio’s (CPR) AAA station Open Air vanished and a station with a new brand and a more refined sound appeared: Indie 102.3.

Indie 102.3’s Program Director, Willowbee Carlan, introduced Indie 102.3 by sharing on station’s website [link] what is changing and what isn’t:

“The name might be new, but the mission isn't. We're still committed to being Colorado's new music discovery platform. And we're still committed to local artists -- tightening our focus by playing their music more often to reach more listeners.”

The phrase to “reach more listeners” says a lot about Indie 102.3’s situation.  For the past four years then-Open Air was locked in a stalemate with The Colorado Sound [link] for AAA public radio supremacy on Colorado’s Front Range.

The two stations have common DNA: Consultant Mike Henry. Henry helped build The Colorado Sound. Then, earlier this year he switched his allegiance to CPR and helped construct Indie 102.3. Before moving to Denver, Carlan programmed another station consulted by Henry, NV89 in Reno.

There has never been a competition quite like this in public radio. There are several markets where two NPR News/Talk stations jockey for listeners such as WBUR and WGBH in Boston.  But, a battle between two very sophisticated music stations is something new. This is exciting and listeners will benefit the most.

Indie 102.3 kept many of the on-air hosts from Open Air. This is part of a delicate balance to keep Open Air listeners while attracting new folks.

According to Carlan, Indie 102.3 will have a tighter and more focused playlist than what was heard on Open Air. But Carlan insists Indie 102.3 won’t sound like a commercial station. He told reporter Michael Roberts in Westword [link]:

"There will be some artists who are more familiar and more recognizable, because we think we've been missing some that people know and like and maybe didn't hear enough of. But our core values are the same. Indie 102.3 will still be a public-radio experience, and we'll continue to support the Colorado music scene."

We did our own comparison of 102.3 and The Colorado Sound on Monday (7/1) in the early afternoon.   

As you can see in the chart on the right, the tunes on Indie 102.3 are more recent and more alternative rock oriented than what we heard on The Colorado Sound.

The pace seems faster on Indie 102.3.  Indie 102.3 has more “theater” such as promotional liners. The hosts talk slightly less. This makes The Colorado Sound seem more “folksy" compared to Indie 102.3.

Keep in mind our thoughts are based on only thirty minutes of listening.

Perhaps a reason that Indie 102.3 has a more “urgent” sound is because new listeners will need to come from Denver’s two big progressive rock stations KBCO and KTCL. These are both heritage Denver-Boulder stations and proven winners.  But both are operated by iHeartRadio and critics say their sound has been dumbed down.

Another reality yet to be determined is whether Denver can support two quite similar noncom AAA/Alt Rock stations. While noncommercial radio stations use a different business model than commercial radio stations, red ink is still red ink.

On the other hand, this is all happening in Colorado where life has higher goals. Keep listening because the competition will be entertaining.