Is It Just People in NW Washington, or Does EVERYONE HATE KISM?

[Bongwater]

It's a common thing everywhere I go in Northwest Washington.

In any discussion, when music is brought up, do not EVEN mention KISM. People's blood pressure tends to go up.

Their repetitious playlist is infamous. The same 10 songs. Over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over, et al.

OK, so not the same 10 SONGS. But the same 10 greatest hits CDs. I know Classic Rock is supposed to be um, classic. But even KZOK doesn't do it THIS way. They break it up a bit, playing a few one hit wonders, maybe some album cuts or rarities. Not KISM.

There is NOTHING past 1987 KISM plays. NOTHING. Even KZOK has discovered Metallica, Soundgarden and Pearl Jam and the '90s in general. Not KISM.

I guess there's a luxury in being a station that is not Nielsen rated because if they were, they would have been sold or off the air a decade ago at this rate. I'm serious. Nearly everyone I meet in Bellingham and around the area HATES KISM. Passionately.

And for the same reason. It's just BORING. ESPECIALLY the demo that's supposed to be KISM's target. I'm 48 and I'd rather have my head kicked in than put up with an hour of KISM.

Yes, it's Classic Rock. Music that stood the test of time. Let's KEEP it that way. OK? Too much familiarity breeds contempt. And that's exactly what I am seeing with KISM.

Maybe there's a few old butt-rockers who get off whenever there's an AC/DC song playing on 92.9 MHz. But no one else. At all.

They're stuck in a time warp. KISM might have been cool 30 years ago. But not in 2016. They're redundant as all hell. It's a good thing Carol Dooley got out when she did because even SHE would have been sick of working at KISM by now (BTW, if you miss Carol Dooley, you can find her doing afternoon drive on Sunshine 106.8 out of Dublin, 6-10am Pacific time http://sunshineradio.ie/relax/ )

But seriously, I can't find ANYONE who LIKES KISM anymore. At all. Even those I knew who used to listen to KISM now defected to satellite or internet. And for the same reason; KISM is hopelessly STALE.

Has Classic Rock radio (or at least the Classic Rock stations owned by Saga) gotten so redundant that they just simply don't CARE anymore? There is such a thing as progression of TIME and not even KBSG was immune from it.

Off my soapbox. I await your lynching in the toolshed. But I tell it like it is.

 

[placebo1969]

It's a common thing everywhere I go in Northwest Washington.

In any discussion, when music is brought up, do not EVEN mention KISM. People's blood pressure tends to go up.

I'm serious. Nearly everyone I meet in Bellingham and around the area HATES KISM. Passionately.

But seriously, I can't find ANYONE who LIKES KISM anymore. At all. Even those I knew who used to listen to KISM now defected to satellite or internet. And for the same reason; KISM is hopelessly STALE.

Off my soapbox. I await your lynching in the toolshed. But I tell it like it is.

Maybe you need to meet more people. I listen to KISM daily, nearly 47 years old and certainly don't hate the station.

 

[installLSC]

OK, so not the same 10 SONGS. But the same 10 greatest hits CDs. I know Classic Rock is supposed to be um, classic. But even KZOK doesn't do it THIS way. They break it up a bit, playing a few one hit wonders, maybe some album cuts or rarities. Not KISM.

There is NOTHING past 1987 KISM plays. NOTHING. Even KZOK has discovered Metallica, Soundgarden and Pearl Jam and the '90s in general. Not KISM.

Are you sure about that? I listen to KZOK fairly regularly, and I've never heard any of those artists on the station. For that matter, the only post-87 songs you regularly hear is Tom Petty's 90s hits. Same when I go back to Eastern Washington and listen to their classic rock stations. Your problem is with the format, not KISM.

 

[TheBigA]

Whenever I get bored with the station I'm listening to, I simply hit the scan button. It doesn't take long before I hear something I've never heard before.

 

[semoochie]

It's a common thing everywhere I go in Northwest Washington.

In any discussion, when music is brought up, do not EVEN mention KISM. People's blood pressure tends to go up.

Their repetitious playlist is infamous. The same 10 songs. Over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over, et al.

OK, so not the same 10 SONGS. But the same 10 greatest hits CDs. I know Classic Rock is supposed to be um, classic. But even KZOK doesn't do it THIS way. They break it up a bit, playing a few one hit wonders, maybe some album cuts or rarities. Not KISM.

There is NOTHING past 1987 KISM plays. NOTHING. Even KZOK has discovered Metallica, Soundgarden and Pearl Jam and the '90s in general. Not KISM.

I guess there's a luxury in being a station that is not Nielsen rated because if they were, they would have been sold or off the air a decade ago at this rate. I'm serious. Nearly everyone I meet in Bellingham and around the area HATES KISM. Passionately.

And for the same reason. It's just BORING. ESPECIALLY the demo that's supposed to be KISM's target. I'm 48 and I'd rather have my head kicked in than put up with an hour of KISM.

Yes, it's Classic Rock. Music that stood the test of time. Let's KEEP it that way. OK? Too much familiarity breeds contempt. And that's exactly what I am seeing with KISM.

Maybe there's a few old butt-rockers who get off whenever there's an AC/DC song playing on 92.9 MHz. But no one else. At all.

They're stuck in a time warp. KISM might have been cool 30 years ago. But not in 2016. They're redundant as all hell. It's a good thing Carol Dooley got out when she did because even SHE would have been sick of working at KISM by now (BTW, if you miss Carol Dooley, you can find her doing afternoon drive on Sunshine 106.8 out of Dublin, 6-10am Pacific time http://sunshineradio.ie/relax/ )

But seriously, I can't find ANYONE who LIKES KISM anymore. At all. Even those I knew who used to listen to KISM now defected to satellite or internet. And for the same reason; KISM is hopelessly STALE.

Has Classic Rock radio (or at least the Classic Rock stations owned by Saga) gotten so redundant that they just simply don't CARE anymore? There is such a thing as progression of TIME and not even KBSG was immune from it.

Off my soapbox. I await your lynching in the toolshed. But I tell it like it is.

I'll tell you one thing: If I didn't know the call letters before, I certainly know them now! You can't BUY publicity like that!

 

[Radio-X]

KISM isn't the worst classic rocker out there, but it is pretty stale. They have two things going for it: That massive signal from Mt. Constitution and they are the only rock station that is able to gobble up the ad dollars in Bellingham. That area is unique in that it is big enough to be underserved by the few local radio stations -- you have all the Vancouver and Victoria stations that come in with near city-grade signals, but none of them could really care about Bellingham ad dollars when there's more than enough Loonies and Toonies to be had over there in Metric-land.

Saga and Cumulus are not well known for their classic rock formats either. I spent a good chunk of my life in a market with another Saga classic rocker and it was a carbon copy of KISM: same pre-1985 playlist of maybe 150-250 songs, same boring two liners in between songs, but surprisingly decent jocks for the size of market on the air. The Cumulus classic rocker was even worse

I should point out that even someone who doesn't really like KISM may still listen. I'm 50-55 miles as the crow flies from Mt. Constitution and its what I have as my alarm clock choice. Not that I want it to -- its just more that KZOK and the other Tiger Mountain signals are shielded from my bedroom clock radio. KISM gets picked up near perfectly. I'm sure there are all kinds of stores, offices, and stockrooms in northern Snohomish, Skagit, and Island counties which have KISM on. Primarily because its the only thing of 3-5 stations up there that are not horrid that a lot of crappy radios or terrain shielded property can pick up.

I'll take 100.3 the Q out of Victoria any day of the week over KISM, however.

Radio-X

 

[Rob Piotrowski]

Trust me. It's just you.

 

[fordranger797]

I never thought KISM was that bad. It's really the best choice for people who live in Whatcom county for a few reasons:

1. Seattle signals are not really that listenable after you reach Bellingham.
2. OTA options from Vancouver are heavy in can-con rotation, which a lot of US listeners may not care for.
3. I've always found it difficult to pick up Victoria stations in Bellingham, since the San Juan Islands degrade the signal.

 

[bobdavcav]

Honestly I think KISM is better today than they were 10-15 years ago. Back then, they used to play songs that seemed to go on forever. That being said, I'm not a huge Classic Rock listener. I did have an Uber driver a while back that had his radio locked to KISM.

 

[JakeMott]

I liked them back when their label was KISM Independent Rock. But like you said, they are a bit stale now.

 

[Blatherwatch]

I used to receive the station in Olympia before the LP use of KMAS and now KRXY, which may move yet again on Bush to a different freq

 

[crainbebo]

Wow...last time I was in Olympia, I had a very weak KISM on I-5 in Olympia, and KDBL Toppenish for a couple of miles near Nisqually (the so-called Mt. Rainier Pipeline). Before KRXY/KMAS 92.9, KDBL was also heard well in downtown Shelton, and (if no new 106.5 is on), KEGX booms in like a semi-local there from Richland.
When I lived in the Everett/Seattle area, KISM seemed to be just a normal classic rock station with the usual small playlist. Meaning, a station I wouldn't listen to often.

 

[seatownmedia]

I hear the OP's complaints. However, when one hears the same 10 songs over and over, they are probably a very active listener. That is OK, unless they get rated, which frankly could go one of two ways. First, they dismiss the station totally due to this complaint, or they decide to report listening as an "active". Bellingham is not a PPL market. I'm not even sure the market is rated at all. So all this is fair territory.

Stations like KISM tend to go to the common denominator, which mean they keep playing the same top testing songs over and over, as that results in the best ratings performance, if they indeed are rated. Don't blame the station for trying to win the game as it has been handed to them. It is just common sense from broadcasters, until they can come up with a better system.

 

[AQH]

I hear the OP's complaints.

We all do, all the time.

 

[Dan Sys]

Interesting article about Australian radio that kind of fits into this KISM discussion:
http://www.tonedeaf.com.au/472819/how-repetitive-aussie-radio-station-playlists-actually-are.htm

 

[TheBigA]

Interesting article about Australian radio that kind of fits into this KISM discussion:
http://www.tonedeaf.com.au/472819/how-repetitive-aussie-radio-station-playlists-actually-are.htm

As the article says, while some complain about the repetition, their actions don't show that they'll support the opposite. It's a situation where they say one thing, and do another.

I study the streaming charts, which show exactly what listeners choose to hear when they control the playlists, and for the most part, it's a very narrow group of extremely popular songs and artists. Not a lot of album cuts or unfamiliar artists. If you watch what people do in the on-demand world, they are DEMANDING smaller playlists and repetition. Now of course there have always been the 7% of the population that wants deep cuts. Those are the folks who don't listen to the radio, and strictly listen to their own personal music collection. But the other 93% are perfectly happy with what they get. That's why FM remains so popular even with all the digital alternatives.

 

[KateW]

I remember in the early 1990s, KISM was a top 40 station.

Sort of OT, but why didn't any radio station owner in Bellingham attempt an urban station? KUBE 93 couldn't really be picked up clearly in Whatcom County and Vancouver, BC, but a Bellingham-based radio station would get clear reception in both Whatcom County and Metro Vancouver, plus R&B/Hip Hop fans in Metro Vancouver never really had an urban music outlet (The Beat 94.5 tried but failed).

If all those South Asian stations can be based in the border towns and target the Metro Vancouver South Asian population, I think an Urban station based in Bellingham targeting the Metro Vancouver R&B/Hip Hop fans had the potential to do well.

 

[Dan Sys]

KISM did try to focus on the Vancouver market in the 80's (as did KNWR, the predecessor to KAFE), however due to the terrain north of the Fraser River both signals were "iffy" in Vancouver itself. In the southern suburbs (Surrey, Langley, Abbotsford) the signals were great, however with the bulk of the population back then being on the north side of the Fraser it was a lost cause. To add to reception problems nowadays you also have CKYE 93.1 and CHLG 104.3 on adjacent frequencies to the two Bellingham stations which has made them pretty well unlistenable in the Lower Mainland unless you live close to the U.S. border. The FM band is beyond being saturated!

 

[Radio-X]

Problem now with being a US to Canada "border blaster" is the rules are waaaay against you in doing it legally. The CRTC tried to shut them down last year, but in their stupidity realized they ARE legal stations that are American licensed and just happened to put enough signal in Vancouver to make it sell-able. The CRTC is well known for cranking out Soviet-esque versions of precedent and history, however, so they re-wrote the rules regarding this...

From what I remember, a US-based station CAN STILL attempt to target a Canadian metro, however:

- Any money spent on advertising on a US station is considered a taxable business expense. Meaning, the money spent on advertising is NOT tax-free like it is on a Canadian station
- They cannot subscribe to the Canadian radio ratings service
- Studios for these stations are no longer allowed in Canada. This was something that could have made a difference 20 years ago: Both KCTS-TV and KVOS had studios in Vancouver!
- Commercial stations based in the USA cannot have any sort of related business license for the station in Canada. Meaning any salesfolks or staff will be starting their day in Bellingham and commuting up there.

I should point out that if a Canadian station chose to attempt to "border blast" to the US, I find it near-impossible that the FCC would act (or care). You can bet your bums, however, that the CRTC would strip a "border blaster"'s license faster than you can say "back bacon".

In all actuality, turning a US station into a Canadian border blaster these days would probably net you just as much money as if you focused on Bellingham/Whatcom County alone. You may make a lot of Vancouverites and Victorians happy with a Cancon-free format targeting BC, but the listeners will be legally restrained in returning that "love" in the traditional manner of good ratings and Canadian ad loonies/toonies. Plus, you'll still find a lot of Bellingham businesses feel left out.

Radio-X

 

[Kelly A]

Problem now with being a US to Canada "border blaster" is the rules are waaaay against you in doing it legally.

True statement. Granted not radio, but KVOS-TV went from $15+M in annual revenue directly attributed to their BC audience and sales office. When the Canadian government clamped down, income north of the border dropped to zero. Revenue that only included Bellingham, Whatcom County went to less than $300K annually. Game over.