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1370 KFRO History
- Thread starter 600kogo
- Start date
Interesting I was just looking at some really big station's histories (KTRH, KPRC, KLVI, all of them from 1923-1925), and none of them have anything updated on wikipedia. Nor does any of the East Texas Stations (now with the exception of KFRO). Of course KTRH, KPRC, and KLVI are all Clear Channel stations, and we all know that they back the dumpster up first thing and dump the history in it !
Thanks for the update on Wikipedia, very fascinating.
BTW a quick update: I was listening to KFRO-AM today, and it sounds like they've improved the processing slightly, a little louder and not quite as tinny.
And after a quick run with Southern Gospel and then Christmas music for a few weeks, it sounds like KWRD has finally settled on a country format.
BTW a quick update: I was listening to KFRO-AM today, and it sounds like they've improved the processing slightly, a little louder and not quite as tinny.
And after a quick run with Southern Gospel and then Christmas music for a few weeks, it sounds like KWRD has finally settled on a country format.
C
C414B
Guest
billyg said:
Is AM1470 now simulcasting its FM sister or is this a separate and different country format?
C414B said:
I think KWRD's partly simulcasting with KPXI for most of the morning for TSN news and local shows like the swap shop.
For the country music, I don't know what format KWRD's using now. From what I heard It's not KPXI's "Real Country" format, yet its not the same one KGAS-FM is running. I need to do some more listening..
See that is the one thing I dont get about Jerry Hanzen. He changes formats on a regular basis, and he uses satellite feeds??? Why not just get a decent automation load it up with music and hit the random shuffle button. At least then he would own all of the commercials! That is for the most part what KZQX does, but with many thousands of songs!! Which sounds great! By using a satellite feed you have to give up a crap load of commercial avails!
600kogo said:
Well, it is a little more complicated than "random shuffle" but your point is well taken. We generally have eight 30 second spot breaks per hour, two 30 second (usually local) PSA's, one minute of business news and 30 seconds of weather during daytime hours. There are several one minute or so features through the day like Stardate, Chickenman, The Medical Edge, etc. Of course there are still liners and jingles, which take up some time, but all totaled, it's less than ten minutes per hour that isn't just music. That's compared to about 17-18 minutes per hour that most networks put into their clocks.
The best news is you avoid long stop-sets, which I think drive people away from radio
600kogo said:
I don't think Hanzen or the staff knows what to do with KWRD.
I checked out KWRD today and around 9:45 am they were simulcasting with KPXI with "Real Country" and the swap shop show.
But when I checked back around 1:30 pm, KWRD was running ABC Adult Contemporary format. If it was the kind of soft traditional AC (like KOOI) it might work in Henderson. But this ABC format sounds more like a Hot AC playing Katy Perry, Bruno Mars etc.
And at 5pm KWRD runs Bill Gather's Homecoming Radio Hour with southern gospel music! ??? No wonder why I was confused with what format it has. I'm sure others are too.
Russian Roulette radio format style. The best thing that they could do with KWRD is play 1940's-1970's country. Henderson would eat that stuff up!!! KGRI (Jim Reeves/Tom Perryman era) was one of the very first all country stations in the world. So playing that era of music to a very country audience I think would go over very well! Personally I think that they need to change the call letters of KPXI to KGRI to serve Henderson better!
Chuck I did not mean to say that KZQX was not well programmed. I love the fact that with KZQX I never know what I am going to hear next!!! You have a large music library, and it is well within format, but so much variety it sounds like its on random shuffle! If I had a standards station it would litterally be a mirror image of KZQX. As Carly Simon said "Nobody Does it Better"!
Chuck I did not mean to say that KZQX was not well programmed. I love the fact that with KZQX I never know what I am going to hear next!!! You have a large music library, and it is well within format, but so much variety it sounds like its on random shuffle! If I had a standards station it would litterally be a mirror image of KZQX. As Carly Simon said "Nobody Does it Better"!
600kogo said:
Oh, I didn't think you did. But it actually does have a programming structure to it, which varies by day-part.
I admit it's early days it really was an automation system set to shuffle when it got to the end of the play list. That actually worked pretty well too, but you risked train wrecks like playing eleven Frank Sinatra Songs in a row. Some people loved it when it did that. Others, not so much.
Sometimes it makes me wonder if trying to make sense out of it is better than just letting the computer go hog wild....
600kogo said:
Thanks. Maybe you could call it the "Forrest Gump School of Programming." Like his box of chocolates....
The sad thing is that "the Forrest Gump" programming is far superior to anything in East Texas. KZQX's music and variety are the best! Second best in the market WAS "The Ranch" but not anymore!! They have way too many 90's and 2000's songs. I know that with any oldies formats if you dont grow the format it dies with your audience, but the ranch is just terrible these days. Someone needs to get Chuck McKinley back in there ASAP!!! He knew how to program that station! Now "The Ranch" is just another cookie cutter station programmed by a consultant!
600kogo said:
I would love to see the KGRI call letters back in East Texas, but a low power station in Lebanon Oregon has them now.
If I was running KWRD I'd experiment with a "Real Oldies" format with a heavy emphasis on '55-63 pre-Beatles hits and some MOR crossover hits (similar to WDJO in Cincinnati), less 70's unless people wanted to hear them. But I don't know how that would go over in a small town. It's just tough getting anyone to listen to AM radio now.
I have said it before and I will say it again, "Henderson is an island unto itself". Time has somewhat stood still there, they dont welcome technology or non-Henderson born citizens. With that being said Henderson would welcome a well programmed classic country AM station. Especially if you play 50's and 60's country almost no 70's. But pop/rock oldies wont go over really well there at least not on AM
600kogo said:
Not to complain, but the statement about The Ranch staying at the top of the ratings is a little over the top. Obviously, the 4.9 that was noted wasn't for KCUL; it belonged to the parent station, KKUS 104.1. Also, the footnote for that figure points to what's now a dead source, R&R.
But other than that, it's good reading, and I'm through being picky. For now.
For the record the Tom Perryman show is at the top of the ratings, and here lately KKUS and KOYE have been going back and forth for the Number one position for ACCESS.1. And in its demo The Ranch is number one. If you check with radio-info the ratings for KKUS are tied to KFRO and KCUL. The KKUS signal does not cover all of east Texas and KFRO and KCUL were used to fill in the gap.
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