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Iowa Alpha North Iowa changes

K

ksradiogeek

It’s been a few weeks since Alpha started cutting staff in the Midwest. One of the clusters affected was Mason City/North Iowa…Jared Allen, ops manager/PD of at least three of those stations, KIAI morning host Britt Bailey, longtime KGLO morning man Tim Fleming and news director Bob Fisher were all let go. Fleming was there for 47 years, Allen for almost 20, Fisher for decades.

radioinsight.com

The Programming/On-Air Purges Across Alpha Media Show No Signs Of Stopping

The ongoing purges of local programmers and on-air talent at Alpha Media is still ongoing. Following their cuts in Misosuri
radioinsight.com radioinsight.com

Since then, all stations have been on automation. But…noticed that around Wednesday or so of this past week, Westwood One formats were installed on all of the music stations:

KLSS/Star 106: Hits Now
KIAI/Country Moose: Hot Country
KYTC/Super Hits: Classic Hits
KRIB: Good Time Oldies

With the cuts in other markets, I’m unsure of what WO formats were installed (if any) - I’ll check them out throughout the week.
 
Interesting. I'll have to try and catch a brief listen of KLSS and KIAI. I'm about 80 miles from Mason City but can often manage to hear KLSS and KIAI in the car here and there given the spot. I will likely be by Mason City later in the summer. Sad part is I'm sure these music services sound about as exciting and dynamic as Westwood One can be expected to be. :rolleyes:
 
KRIB used to run Westwood One Standards.

Many of their Chicago-area stations that had these layoffs also used to run Westwood One back in the 90s and Early 2000s.
 
After talk that the ones in Missouri were going to use AI generated talent from jocks in other markets, the local Alpha properties have also gone to satellite programming. Not sure if that’s a permanent move or just temporary until the AI programming can be developed, but satellite contracts usually run three years.
 
AI talent is great (Not really) but you need someone to program the music. They can pay to have AI do that, or they can just get Westwood One for free on barter
 
JeremyAndrews said:
AI talent is great (Not really) but you need someone to program the music.
Click to expand...

No reason Alpha couldn’t simply duplicate the playlist of, say, KUPL across its country stations. Some are better researched than others, but, especially in smaller markets, few stations deviate much from what the major stations in their formats do. The industry already has more than its share of F10 and print PD's.

JeremyAndrews said:
They can pay to have AI do that, or they can just get Westwood One for free on barter
Click to expand...

Unless the rules have changed in the last 15 years, you have to have a fairly high AQH to get WW1 free. I wouldn’t be surprised if some of the Alpha stations hit that number, but I doubt it's all of them. Granted, if you fall into the fee plus barter category, it's still cheap in most cases. I once worked for a station that fell into that category and still got satellite programming for less than the price of a single full time jock. The barter also can be pretty significant as you’re talking about giving up roughly 20% of your inventory from 6 AM to 6 PM. Probably doesn’t hurt much in smaller markets if you already can’t sell everything anyway, though.
 
Kent said:
After talk that the ones in Missouri were going to use AI generated talent from jocks in other markets, the local Alpha properties have also gone to satellite programming. Not sure if that’s a permanent move or just temporary until the AI programming can be developed, but satellite contracts usually run three years.
Click to expand...
One suspects that the bit about "AI" was a cover story, possibly intended to fend off the obvious questions about decline.
 
Kent said:
After talk that the ones in Missouri were going to use AI generated talent from jocks in other markets, the local Alpha properties have also gone to satellite programming. Not sure if that’s a permanent move or just temporary until the AI programming can be developed, but satellite contracts usually run three years.
Click to expand...
The AI talk was never founded in reality. It was uninformed speculation.
 
During severe weather Thursday night, KRES was airing local updates. It wasn't the wall-to-wall severe weather coverage it used to air, but, during breaks, someone was breaking in to give generic updates. I actually found out part of my county was under tornado warning from KRES. I'm guessing the person wasn't local, but I didn't catch his name.
 
With the demise of some of the WW1 formats this weekend, some Alpha stations have changed their providers/format setups.

In Iowa in particular, KRIB shifted back to what is considered to be soft oldies under what I believe is the modern America’s Best Music service. (Think Streisand, Bobby Darin, softer Bee Gees, S&G, etc.).

KLSS remains Top 40, but some 90s and 2000s have been added back in; in addition, they have a new voiceover. KIAI and KYTC remain with WW1’s Hot Country and Classic Hits formats, respectively.

Up the road in Mankato, KMKO is still airing rock music, but has gone back to using their voiceover they had prior to last summer. Also, KEEZ has apparently gone back to their former ‘Mix’ branding, dropping the revived ‘Z99’ after just a few months.
 
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Think of America's Best Music as soft adult oldies... not standards but no rock... and pretty darn soft.. but not always old either. theyve played some newer songs by newer artists that are covers of older songs.

says a former local content director for a WW1 standards station. even had then pd, carl southcott tell me "soft adult oldies" was a great name for it
 
ksradiogeek said:
With the demise of some of the WW1 formats this weekend, some Alpha stations have changed their providers/format setups.

In Iowa in particular, KRIB shifted back to what is considered to be soft oldies under what I believe is the modern America’s Best Music service. (Think Streisand, Bobby Darin, softer Bee Gees, S&G, etc.).

KLSS remains Top 40, but some 90s and 2000s have been added back in; in addition, they have a new voiceover. KIAI and KYTC remain with WW1’s Hot Country and Classic Hits formats, respectively.

Up the road in Mankato, KMKO is still airing rock music, but has gone back to using their voiceover they had prior to last summer. Also, KEEZ has apparently gone back to their former ‘Mix’ branding, dropping the revived ‘Z99’ after just a few months.
Click to expand...
Yet half of their digital still indicates Z99! Whoops...
 
IKHNetworks said:
Westwood One is availble for FREE via a barter? I did not know that! Doesn't Westwood Run off of KU Band (Satellite)?
Click to expand...

yes and computer.. they have a service that is voicetracked and all music, imaging and jock tracks get pushed to a computer sitting at the station.

Not like many of the satellite services are live anymore anyways
 
Update:

Last Thursday, Conni began returning local programming to their Mason City music stations, with KLSS going back to local. Mornings are done by Anna & Raven (which I had a feeling they’d add - they’re done in-house over in Connecticut), their new PD hosting middays, a new afternoon talent (not sure if she’s local), and the return of Erik Zachary (who was on nights prior to going to WWO two years ago).

Backtrax has been dropped after, I believe, 25 years. AT40 is being retained.

Sounds like KIAI, KYTC and KRIB will go back to local, but in phases.
 
ksradiogeek said:
Update:

Last Thursday, Conni began returning local programming to their Mason City music stations, with KLSS going back to local. Mornings are done by Anna & Raven (which I had a feeling they’d add - they’re done in-house over in Connecticut), their new PD hosting middays, a new afternoon talent (not sure if she’s local), and the return of Erik Zachary (who was on nights prior to going to WWO two years ago).

Backtrax has been dropped after, I believe, 25 years. AT40 is being retained.

Sounds like KIAI, KYTC and KRIB will go back to local, but in phases.
Click to expand...
The afternoon tracker is WALK Long Island afternoon host Christina Kay. The new PD, Molly Penny, is overseeing KLSS and Superhits 102.7.

radioinsight.com

KLSS Returns To Locally Originating Programming Under New PD

Connoisseur Media Hot AC "Star 106" KLSS-FM Mason City IA has debuted a new on-air lineup as it drops Westwood
radioinsight.com radioinsight.com
 
I have zero to do with this station, but the whole "going back to local" thing is a bit of a stretch if you ask me. Syndicated Morning Show, local PD Molly Penny, (who is also PD of the Classic Hits station, so I'm guessing is be voicetracked--albeit locally), Afternoons voicetracked from Connoisseur's Long Island station and Erik Zachary doesnt really scream "Super Local" to me. Not trying to rain on their parade, since its better than WW1 all day long, but...not alot of broadcasting going on from Mason City. Good luck to them.
 
The Hustle said:
I have zero to do with this station, but the whole "going back to local" thing is a bit of a stretch if you ask me. Syndicated Morning Show, local PD Molly Penny, (who is also PD of the Classic Hits station, so I'm guessing is be voicetracked--albeit locally), Afternoons voicetracked from Connoisseur's Long Island station and Erik Zachary doesnt really scream "Super Local" to me. Not trying to rain on their parade, since its better than WW1 all day long, but...not alot of broadcasting going on from Mason City. Good luck to them.
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You're right. There isn't enough money in the market for this station to support enough full-time local staff anyway to actually make it truly local. It just has more of a personality presence individually which helps make it seem more local and hopefully be somewhat more relatable.

Local by today's standards for markets like Mason City isn't ever going to be what it was.
 


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