Z-104 Silenced; Post Radio To Debut in Station Shuffle

Moreover, music stations are in an increasingly tough battle with such music-delivery technologies as iPods, podcasts, satellite radio and cell phones. Thus, Bonneville sought a distinctive format that would help differentiate the station and broaden its appeal, Oxley said. "Let's face it, Matchbox Twenty doesn't sound very different in Minneapolis or Los Angeles or Washington," he said. "Washington Post Radio can be very local," with exclusive content.

"It's going to be NPR on caffeine," he said. "It will be non-drowsy public radio."

In a rare nod to its competitors, Z-104's Web site yesterday carried this message: "Saying good-bye to Z-104 doesn't mean saying good-bye to the music. Mix 107.3, DC 101 and Hot 99.5 all play modern music."

Bonneville, which is owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, will lay off the station's staff of 35. The company then will hire about 25 people for the new Post stations, including a program director and two producers.

According to BIA, Z-104 had revenue of $9.9 million in 2004, slightly more than WGMS's $9.3 million. But company analyst Mark Fratrik estimated that WGMS was more profitable because of the lower cost of operating a classical station compared with a pop station, which requires heavy promotion and relatively highly paid deejays.

The Post-programmed stations, meanwhile, are wild cards that will face strong competition for news audiences from National Public Radio affiliates WAMU-FM and WETA-FM, news-and-talk station WMAL-AM, C-SPAN radio and WTOP itself.

Farley and Tina Gulland, The Post's director of radio and TV projects, said the stations will be the "long-form" version of WTOP's shorter news reports, with interviews, commentary and news provided by The Post's journalists. Several features heard on WTOP, such as "Ask the Governor" and Mark Plotkin's weekly politics program, will move to the Post stations.

But Fratrik said it might take some time for audiences to figure out what the stations are offering.

Post officials said the agreement could help cross-promote the newspaper and take advantage of its news-gathering resources. "This content-sharing relationship will enable us to put Washington Post journalism regularly on the radio in our circulation area," said Leonard Downie Jr., executive editor of The Post. "It will allow us to do creative things on the radio that you can't do in print."

Under the agreement, Bonneville will pay The Post a license fee and the two companies will split ad revenues after an undisclosed sales level is reached.

Sources said The Post came to terms with Bonneville after discussing similar deals with WETA and Clear Channel Corp., which operates eight stations in the Washington area.

The collaboration comes as The Post and other newspapers battle declining circulation and growing consumer enthusiasm for new media.

"It seems a pretty good move," Paul Ginocchio, a newspaper analyst at Deutsche Bank, said of the radio partnership. "I don't know that it will have a huge impact on the revenue stream, but it enhances the brand and reaches more people."

Staff writer Steven Levingston contributed to this report.