Biggest Surprise Of Year?

[TakeItFromMe]

Enough of the threads about Low power honchos and Am non-factor licenses dudes Let's try some end of the year posts. What are the biggest surprises of the year:

1. KMPS still on top despite solid numbers from THE WOLF. WOLF gets em 18-34 for the year, but KMPS is your 25-54 champ. I give them props :-X
2. Steve Rivers to KBKS. The station needs a complete overhaul and they bring in the most decorated CHR cowboy in the business...but does he still have the chops ???
3. Mornings in Seattle. The market started to change in 06, but in 07 it was back to the aging shows. Ichabod with adults, Bob Rivers with boys and Kent and Alan with the ladies and T-Man with the 18-34 year olds and the kids. FITZ remains a contender, but didn't get it done in 07. BJ Shea is moving in on Rivers, but ain't got it done yet. Kent and Alan kinda win by default with the ladies cause MOVIN and WARM don't really got morning shows. Jackie and Bender aren't a challenge to K@A or T-MAN. T-Man really wins by default cause J@B don't get it done and MOVIN doesn't really have a show. :-\

Biggest loss of the year: Something all of us can agree on...The Passing of Larry Nelson. Never met the man, but three decades behind the microphone and the feeling around our building from those that knew him tells the story. :'(

 

[ambandwidth]

That Corolla still manages to float Thee End while afternoons are shambolic and color by numbers C level radio that still can't land impressive advertising $$

 

[Mamaknowsbreast]

Wow ambandwidth I've never seen anyone have so much hatred for a station. Granted they are a mess, but cut them some slack. Your criticism leads me to wonder if you're either the part timer who got canned for grabbing a club owner's breast or the one who got canned for tossing the f-bomb all over the air and then proceeded to give out the PD's phone number.

 

[345palm]

Bonneville's return to the Seattle market has to be one of the surprises of the year, doesn't it?

 

[SeattleRadioPro]

Bonneville's return to the Seattle market has to be one of the surprises of the year, doesn't it?

That along with the fact that Bonneville management hasn't made any significant changes at the stations.

 

[djdan]

Bonneville's return to the market would top my list of surprises for 2007 along with the loss of Larry Nelson. Not sure anything else was a surprise. The mornings shows mentioned have long been on top, so to see them on top again is hardly a surprise. KMPS was never really hurt too much by KWFF, which pulled audience from the younger demographic primarily before fading over the last six months. The END and KBKS have been in real trouble for some time. New programmers at both operations have not helped out much yet, I would give Rivers a couple more books before rushing to judgement.

Bonneville has clearly improved KIRO with a more upbeat approach and much improved ratings over the last four trends, but their moves on KBSG have not panned out. The tight Oldies playlist was scrapped and air-staff pulled back. Somehow I thinkKBSG would be wise to return to its roots and focus on the 60's/70's hits with upbeat personalities. What they are doing now has appeal to me and I would be a p-3 listener. That may not be a good thing because I am a 30 something male so what I like probably doesn't appeal to the core of KBSG. That may be why ratings are dismal and getting worse. It was only four years ago that the current airstaff, led by Jay Kelly's super tight playlists was top three in the market 25-54. My guess is the problem is Bonneville's music approach that may have more limited appeal to my age group, but ticks off the core. One wonders if they will go FM News after the first of the year or Bonneville AC. Both could do well here. Time will tell.

 

[spectacle]

I heard they updated their format because the listeners were too old, like KIXI probably is.

Sad news is radio doesn't have 2% of a chance with the future generation and the older people are still willing to tolerate the current radio/tv technology model.

What a nightmare the future bids!

 

[ambandwidth]

Ah, You Got Me! I was The One part-Time Who dropped the f-bomb while grabbing the Club Owners' Breast :-\

 

[jdweaver]

"KMPS was never really hurt too much by KWFF, which pulled audience from the younger demographic primarily before fading over the last six months. "

Ah contrare...how about the Wolf hurting KMPS to the tune of a painful $9Million in billing? From $25 to $16 million in billing in one year is what I hear. OUCH. You are all nutz if you think The Wolf has not taken a big bite out of KMPS' hind quarters. KMPS had been riding an impossible to sustain crest - a major market with ONE country format (apologies to the former KAYO in South Sound). The dog/wolf fight in Portland is more typical.

 

[TakeItFromMe]

Hah WOLF did force those cowboys to drop rate and reduce the commercial load. My understanding is it took billing from 20 million down to about 16. Pretty big ole drop. With the WOLF billin close to nine that means country went from 20 million to about 25 million for the market. Add a couple more mill for KNBQ and it looks like Country is tops in ratings and $$. Means the Country audience is where it is at. ;D

 

[GenXRadio]

Wow ambandwidth I've never seen anyone have so much hatred for a station. Granted they are a mess, but cut them some slack. Your criticism leads me to wonder if you're either the part timer who got canned for grabbing a club owner's breast or the one who got canned for tossing the f-bomb all over the air and then proceeded to give out the PD's phone number.

I can't speak for ambandwidth but I will say that Corolla is BAD which is very surprising because he can be incredibly creatove.
The same CANNOT be said for Lazlo, oh my jeez that show just plain sucks! It's small market midwest rock radio, want to be a shock jock and be the "too cool for school" guy that everyone wants to hang with.
Any changes at Met Park are going to have to come from upper management because Lazlo isn't going to fire himself.
I just pray that someone over there comes to their sense and majorly overhauls the station, not the format per say just how it's executed and other programming elements.

 

[ambandwidth]

To quote Led Zepp:"Cryin' won't help" - "Prayin' won't do you no good." And what about the Corolla/Laslo signs on the bus?






I threw up not only in my own mouth, but in somebody else's as well!

 

[jupiter2]

The Rivers show on KZOK had its best year ever with 2 #1 12 Plus books in a row... they are becoming a broader demo mass appeal show, while KISW also kicked ass and BJ Shea proved once and for all that losing Howard Stern was actually a plus for that Radio Station (not to mention that the Men's Room has become a staple at the top of 25-54 in a very short time in this market. Leykis who?

T-Man seems wobbly, I suspect his demo is way into new media and lsoing loyalty to terrestrial radio.

If you look around Seattle you will see lots of strong local personalities and less voice tracking than some LARGER markets. I heard KISS in Dalles just went to VT in mid-days. Sheesh!!!

 

[Bongwater]

For me, the big surprise was KLKI flipping to a younger format. In an age when almost every song on AM is dull by design, this is refreshing.....

 

[LITTLEBOYBLUE]

...or maybe a huge herkin surprise is that all the talent "mamma" doesn't like is STILL on the air AND drawing large audiences!!

By the way ... ever notice that all those stations with great big books are all programmed by vet's who've been around since the days when radio was "cool"?? Brenner ... Phillips ... Curelop, etc. Wouldn't go writing off the "benefits" of seniority just yet! All the new-bies and corporate representatives seem to struggle book after book .... Something to be said for "the basics": ENGAGE THE FOLKS!!!

 

[dominic]

Mine would be Ron and Don extending/re-signing thier contract. Unlistenable.