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Sinclair selling KOMO, KVI & KPLZ

Yeah, that too.

Off-topic for seatown: Are you getting sick of 'once in a lifetime' opportunities to buy hot tubs yet? Good god almighty, can they just leave Pasco and never come back?! 🤮

Back to the topic at hand...
 
The hot tub thing is apparently working. I still don’t get it. Apparently obnoxious commercials tend to increase traffic. The rest of us just cringe.
 
Often stations in this situation try to find new call letter similar or close to the old ones... In this market KKMO is obviously out of the question... So what are the possible alternatives? KHMO? KMMO? KMOO?
 
Is KGFA available? I think that was what is now KOMO's original calls back in 1926. As for the hot tub commercials, are you talking about the shouting voice guy commercials advertising hot tub and swim spa sales that pop up seemingly every holiday weekend? I remember last year thinking how are they able to do this when retail is barely open? If these are the same adds I'm thinking of, they're here too.
 
notalent said:
Often stations in this situation try to find new call letter similar or close to the old ones... In this market KKMO is obviously out of the question... So what are the possible alternatives? KHMO? KMMO? KMOO?
Click to expand...

as a side note, i hear KKMO 1360 up here in west central alaksa surprisingly well, regularly ... about as strong as KOMO.. just not as often or for as long at a time.
 
bobdavcav said:
Is KGFA available? I think that was what is now KOMO's original calls back in 1926. As for the hot tub commercials, are you talking about the shouting voice guy commercials advertising hot tub and swim spa sales that pop up seemingly every holiday weekend? I remember last year thinking how are they able to do this when retail is barely open? If these are the same adds I'm thinking of, they're here too.
Click to expand...
In that KOMO and KJR swapped frequencies, was KGFA the original call of the former or latter?
 
Still wild speculation at this point, but I always wondered if some sort of all-traffic format would work on a station like 570. Clearly, the profit margin would be ridiculously slim (and more than likely nonexistent), but it might work if they utilized their existing in-house news reporters (and contract with total traffic) to provide the content. Heck, they could even roll pre-recorded content most of the time, and just use the updates that are used on 1000 on a loop. It would only need to be completely "live" during the commuting hours anyway. I can only assume that Lotus would rather have their Spanish language programming on 97.7 rather than an AM (and one that's weaker than 1000 to boot).
 
notalent said:
Often stations in this situation try to find new call letter similar or close to the old ones... In this market KKMO is obviously out of the question... So what are the possible alternatives? KHMO? KMMO? KMOO?
Click to expand...

Not sure what KOMO Radio's new calls will be, but KHMO and KMMO are in use and stand for their respective cities, Hannibal, MO and Marshall, MO.

I believe KMOO is still on a country station in Mineola, TX.

Unless Lotus is willing to share out a decent sum of money, I can't imagine the calls KOMO AM/FM change to will resemble the current ones in any way, shape, or form.
 
DavidEduardo said:
I suspect that the news format without the TV synergy and cost sharing is in danger.

Lotus is not a high-budget company, and they have succeeded by careful cost control while maintaining localization of many of the formats. Howard Kalmenson is a true radio person, having bought his first station in the 60's. He's amazingly bright and perceptive and sees opportunities where others do not.
Click to expand...
Lotus could buy the rights to use "KOMO" on the radio stations if the seller is willing while keeping the call sign for the TV stations. Quite a few long running such arrangements in markets around the US.
DN14224 said:
Sources say the KOMO branding is not part of the deal so expect changes there.
They also say to expect Star to flip to a Spanish format.
And they will be leaving KOMO Plaza.
Click to expand...
Sad to see yet another set of legacy callsigns dumped.
 
Yep. I don’t think many younger folks care about this but those who remember President Johnson are totally keyed into these original calls. I do understand calls change, but forgive me for a nostalgic viewpoint.
 
If they have to dump the KOMO calls, they could take the calls KNZS. It's in use at an FM in Arlington KS, but not in use on an AM (callsigns don't have to be in the same place for both AM and FM, at least in most instances). "News Seattle".
AM 760 San Diego had to dump KFMB when they got bought out. It's now KGB-AM.
 
How about restoring the old KNWX calls from 770/1210? Or KNWZ, which is in use on an AM in Palm Springs but not an FM?
 
Last time I checked, KSEW is available, so is KSEA (on FM only). I'm hoping that either 97.7 or 101.5 flip to AAA, like future sister station KRVB Boise, since Seattle lacks a full-powered AAA. KEXP is technically Alternative and KNDD has been slipping.
 
Well, I thought KPLZ was gonna go Spanish when this was all over, per the OP.
 
Hole in your radio said:
Lotus could buy the rights to use "KOMO" on the radio stations if the seller is willing while keeping the call sign for the TV stations. Quite a few long running such arrangements in markets around the US.
Click to expand...
Or continued use of the calls is part of the transaction.
 
To answer the original question, KGFA was the original call of what is now KOMO, KJR and KOMO didn't swap frequencies until I think the '50s. I'm actually not sure when KGFA went away, but I don't think it lasted that long, maybe a few months. As for possible calls, keep in mind that in order to have an AM and FM with the same calls, they either have to be owned by the same company or be granted permission to use the calls. The only example I can think of of a station using the same calls as an unrelated opposite band station is KLCK, AM in Goldendale, FM in Seattle. I would think it unlikely they would use a callsign already in use.
 
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