• Get involved.
    We want your input!
    Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.

    After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
    If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.

    After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
    https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/

    Thanks in advance and have fun!
    RadioDiscussions Administrators

Kvuw-fm 102.3

The station licensed to West Wendover, NV (has I-80 and next to NV/UT state line) is the only station between Elko and SLC, and worst of all, it's a classic hits station! :( What about the kids and young adults that go through or live in this part of Nevada or Utah? What do they listen to locally? NOTHING! SAM 102 is Classic Hits to them is "bleh". :mad: So, what should the new format be for KVUW-FM? I go for CHR/Top 40, and it will be called Hits 102.3 "The Best Station between Elko and SLC!" They will have a live stream, including ones from iHeart and TuneIn, and it's website will be back up again! Any of your suggestions on what's to become of KVUW-FM 102.3 :)

BTW, the SAM branding has already ended so the format change shouldn't be that far. They are also having a CP to increase their power to reach between Elko and west of SLC, so they should change once the CP is finished. :cool:
 
As with all other such decisions, if the station has sufficient ad sales to pay the bills, nothing will change.

And how do you know those other age groups aren't listening?

Personally, if I had the only signal on a long stretch of road, I'd put something like Classic Hits or Hot AC in order to serve the motoring audience. Those two formats are known to have a nice wide demographic spread.

You, sir, are engaging in speculative, wishful thinking.
 
As with all other such decisions, if the station has sufficient ad sales to pay the bills, nothing will change.

And how do you know those other age groups aren't listening?

Personally, if I had the only signal on a long stretch of road, I'd put something like Classic Hits or Hot AC in order to serve the motoring audience. Those two formats are known to have a nice wide demographic spread.

You, sir, are engaging in speculative, wishful thinking.

That's a great idea, but you know there is such thing as HD Radio, so they can be in there, or SAM 102 can just rebrand as Big 102 either on HD2 :rolleyes:, or like what you said, it's main channel. Also, Broadway Media can buy them from Alexandra Ortega and flip it into Mix 107.9 (soon Mix 105.1) from SLC. "Mix 107.9, 103.9, and 102.3" or "Mix 105.1, 99.1, and 102.3." If they do decide to be solo "in the desert", it will probably be the "Coachella of hit music stations" as East NV is a desert. But if they do go to Hits 102.3, here is their schedule ;) (IDK if it can be corrected, made mostly syndicated shows). Oh yeah, commercials on this station will probably remain the same, obviously. :) :

Monday-Thursday:
6-10AM: Kidd Kraddick Morning Show.
10AM-2PM: On Air with Ryan Seacrest
2-7PM: Local DJ.
7PM-12AM: Party Playhouse with Jackson Blue.
12AM-6AM: No DJ (only music, all-request live or from local DJ slot that didn't make the cut (you know how NV is, some locals stay up all night!)).

Thursday
6-10AM: Kidd Kraddick Morning Show.
10AM-2PM: On Air with Ryan Seacrest
2-7PM: Local DJ.
7PM-10PM: Party Playhouse with Jackson Blue.
10PM-12AM: Evolution Beatport Show with Pete Tong.
12AM-6AM: No DJ (all-request).

Fridays :)
6-10AM: Kidd Kraddick Morning Show.
10AM-2PM: On Air with Ryan Seacrest
2-7PM: Local DJ.
7PM-11AM: Party Playhouse with Jackson Blue.
11PM-2AM: HITS 102.3 All-Request Remix.
2AM-6AM: No DJ (all-request).

Saturday
6-8AM: Kidd Kraddick Morning Show. (rerun, probably.)
9AM-12PM: Daly Download with Carson Daly.
12-5PM: No DJ (all-request) or (made-up countdown show, LOL: Billboard Hot 50 on the Radio), 1st option is legit.
5-6PM: No DJ (gap between shows).
6PM-11AM: Open House Party.
11PM-4AM: Saturday Night Online with Romeo.
4AM-6AM: No DJ (all-request).

Sunday
6-7AM: Kidd Kraddick Morning Show (rerun, probably.)
7AM-11AM: AT40 w/Ryan Seacrest.
11AM-2PM: Radio Disney Top 30 Countdown.
2-7PM: No DJ (all-request) or (made-up countdown show (repeat for those who missed it), LOL: Billboard Hot 50 on the Radio), 1st option is legit.
7PM-12AM: Club Kane.
12AM-6AM: No DJ (all-request).

Note that the Billboard Hot 50 is made-up, but the HOT 100, the full one is legit, just not on the radio. LOL.
 
I decided that instead of Kidd Kraddick, I chose Johnjay and Rich instead.

BTW, KVUW-FM doesn't even have a website or a live stream. Did they have one before? What is their current format and name today? It is like the only station in the area (excluding AM). I know Alex Ortega owns the station and their real phone number is in Yelp and Yellow Pages, I think? Google Maps phone # just brings to a station in Cheyenne, WY.
 
Just remember the station owner is trying to pay off a huge investment (the frequency would have been auctioned to the highest bidder, then they have to buy land and build the station only to sign on and pay the monthly operating expenses). So, you can bet they chose a format that would be of interest to local advertisers. Then you cut as many corners as you can to be sure to get the bills paid.

In a small market like this, a lone station, your objective is not to be many folks' favorite stations but the one the most people will tolerate. I have been in that boat at one station...the only one on the dial. The youth are not what the average advertiser is after, so a top 40 would appeal to too few of the potential listeners. Musically, you can't make too many happy in such a situation so you want people who might not love the music that much to listen in because that listening universe is so small.

On the other hand, top 40 in the evening might be a good idea. I'd be quite adult centered during business hours. Lots of small market stations have no other choice than to play what many business owners like because the dirty secret is the business owner won't buy advertising unless they like the station or know most of the adults tune in.

I've been on that freeway several times. It is certainly a pretty vacant dial.

HD might not be a good choice out there. What percentage of overall radios can receive HD channels. The equipment isn't cheap and you pay an ongoing fee for the technology (although I understand that will be going away at some point). Many stations in Houston where I am are not making money on HD. Their best route is to get a translator to rebroadcast the HD signal...an additional investment on top of it all. I think in West Wendover that would only lead them to bankruptcy.
 
This station is only 3000 watts, and the combined population of West Wendover NV and Wendover UT is only about 6000, 68% Latino. Regional Mexican might be the best choice.
 
You might be right depending on the Hispanic population. I've worked markets that were 75% Hispanic but they wanted English language radio. If we are talking a Hispanic population whose parents, grandparents or beyond were immigrants or have populated the area for generations, Regional Mexican would have little appeal, most likely. Back a few decades ago I worked a market that was 97% Hispanic. Top 40 was big then and there was the all English station I worked and a top 40 across the river with Spanish language jocks. The listeners chose us because they didn't want to hear Spanish language jocks...go figure.

A market of 6,000 is a tough one to program for because you need the highest percentage possible to listen to you.
 
You would have to know the market to determine the music format, and in this one, I don't know what the Latinos would prefer.

In a market of 6000, surrounded by nothing but mountains and desert, classic hits or some form of AC might be it... a mass appeal format that is also a lot of people's 2nd favorite format. But to get the locals listening, you would need a lot of local programming... news, weather, sports, funeral announcements, community calender, local sports play-by-play. Birthday & anniversary announcements. Maybe even swap shop and radio auctions.

Probably only live, local programming in the morning; maybe only the 7 & 8am news, noon news, 5pm news. Everything else would probably be music on a hard drive, maybe a bit of voice tracking. Couldn't have much of a staff.
 
This station is only 3000 watts, and the combined population of West Wendover NV and Wendover UT is only about 6000, 68% Latino. Regional Mexican might be the best choice.

As b-turner said, the Hispanic population that is second generation and beyond is not the target for pure Spanish language formats.

If a significant percentage of Hispanics are not immigrants, then Regional Mexican is not an option. In this part of the country, no other Spanish language format is anywhere near as viable.

The Hispanic influence in the market will make music preferences lean towards the more pop and rhythmic side. And an Hispanic majority will influence non-Hispanics as the music played in High School activities and social gatherings will be driven by the majority.

Look at comparable assimilated Hispanic markets like San Antonio or Albuquerque for guidance if you have a long-term Hispanic population.
 
Luckily you can squeeze in lots of local information in an hour or so in the morning and keep the local listening all day. For example, I worked a small market station that went live to carry syndicated farm programming from 6 to about 6:45. We did a 2 person morning show until 8. Local news at 7, 7:30 and 8, then again at noon, weekdays. We only played about a song or two each quarter hour because we were full up on local programming (school lunch menus, community events, funeral announcements, local coach with spots, weekly guests on various topics, frequent weather and an interview each morning). Saturday we did a Swap Shop for an hour. Sunday morning we had a local pastor play Christian music. Outside that, we were satellite delivered. We found if we got them in the morning, they stuck around. And yes, 'Tradio' was huge.
 
One thing to remember is, KVUW-FM has a CP to expand it's coverage to Wells and Elko areas. IDK what is the format for KVUW now or if it's silent at occasions. If it goes Top 40, expect competition from KHIX-FM (Mix 96.7) from Elko, NV, if it does.
 
Readers of this post. If you live in the Salt Lake City or Elko, NV area or you are traveling on I-80 near the Utah-Nevada border, can you go to Wendover and check what the 102.3 frequency (KVUW) really is now? There isn't a live stream, so the only way to figure out is to go to Wendover (in the center near the casinos in Wendover and everything) and tune in to 102.3 FM... :(
 
When I was through Wendover in Summer 2014, it was all 80s music with not a single liner, ad, station id, promo... not a thing and i listened for over an hour. I seriously began to think it was someones ipod connected directly to the transmitter.
 
Last edited:
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom