HD Radio supporters have said that multicast channels could be fertile ground for new format ideas. Now an HD2 multicast has turned into a main-channel format on a Clear Channel station in Dallas.
“Lone Star” is the new branding of KZPS(FM) at 92.5 MHz, described as a blend of outlaw country, southern rock and alternative country; it will mix music from the likes of ZZ Top, Willie Nelson and Stevie Ray Vaughan. It was developed by programmer Duane Doherty and, according to the station, was “road-tested” on HD2 for the past year. The old main channel format was classic rock.
“All we had on the HD2 channel was the music and the response was incredible,” said Doherty in the announcement. “In a sense, we’re recapturing the early days of FM – when your jock was a trusted guide through what was new and important.”
The move also garnered attention because the station says it will not air traditional commercials. “Sponsors” will get one to two minutes of integration in an hour “and will be treated as part of the fabric of the experience, not as an interruption,” the station said.
The cluster’s director of sales Kelly Kibler stated, “We’ll only have one airline, one telecommunications carrier, one beer, one musical instrument store.”
