Slight spoilers for the end of Season Four.....
I know there was probably a topic like this once, but I do not think it is still on this board, but.....
Based on the way Season Four ended with Mama Carlson keeping the station format as it was, it still may have changed the direction of the show anyways for Season Five though. What would a new season have looked like?
[TPTB almost brought back WKRP for a new season based on the season finale's ratings.]
Whoever made this show really understood the radio business. I think a fifth season would incorporate a lot of the changes that were taking place in radio in and around that time. For example, we started seeing (or rather hearing) more automated stations in the 80s. People wanted jukeboxes not personality. Also, no radio station would have continued to do "block formatting" (I think that's what it was called where they day-part the music) as KRP did. It was also mentioned in the finale that KRP's AM signal couldn't compete with even small-wattage FM stations for clarity. AM had them beat on range but stereo was strictly a domain of the FM band. In all honesty the recommendation stated in the finale, that KRP switch to a news/talk format, was the most logical step the station could have taken.
I can only conclude I'm paying off karma at a vastly accelerated rate.
Very interesting take on a future seasons. Mrs. Carlson decided to keep the rock format in the end, but it would have been intriguing to see a possible new format. I wonder if some characters would have left or if they would have added new characters to the mix.
shareShe may have decided to keep the rock format, not in spite of, but because of what Fever said. He noted the station was a tax write-off for her. As I understand it, any business venture that loses money can be written off on taxes but only for seven years.
I can only conclude I'm paying off karma at a vastly accelerated rate.
May contain spoilers-----
Yes, it was certainly a business-only venture in her mind, but ultimately she chose her son over the tax write off.
I doubt that Johnny would have stayed for all talk. Maybe Venus would, maybe not. I am sure Les would have loved it.
shareShe did plan to keep the station as it was due to Johnny's talk with her and in the New WKRP it did stay the same, but you are right. If she had changed it to all talk I doubt he would have stayed either. He would have preferred hosting garden shows in Amarillo as opposed to an all talk or news format.
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