KCBS-AM will begin simulcasting on 106.9 on October 27. KFRC-FM moves to 106.9 HD2 and kfrc.com.
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Bye bye, KFRC-FM
- Thread starter RockTheGlobe
- Start date
Thats a sound business move in order to recoup the $95 Million CBS paid for the signal. Its about time someone openned their eyes to the fact that what they were doing was a waste of time. Do the jocks move over to the HD channel?
RadioStarOne said:
This is in keeping with what radio experts like David Eduardo have been saying - that in order to remain competitive going forward, AM stations will increasingly have to simulcast on FM. According to Eduardo, this has started to happen in other markets. It seems like the Bay Area is entering this trend a little bit late, if anything. All News KCBS is one of the few bright spots in the Bay Area for CBS. It makes sense to make plans for the future, even if the move will gain them few new listeners in the short run.
If all this is true, I doubt CBS is willing to continue shelling out a half million bucks (conservatively) for jocks to work on HD2, considering very few people are listening. As far as I know, there are no other HD2 stations with jocks - live or voice-tracked. Also, given the state of the economy (deep recession), this move is a way for CBS to save some money.
This may be another sign that KGO is heading for trouble - Citadel has no Bay Area FM stations on which to simulcast, and I doubt they will spend the money to buy an FM frequency, given the financial state of the company, and the economy.
YIPES! They barely got this pig off the ground and now they're flipping it AGAIN?
This seems to be a disturbing trend that I think will spell the end of FM radio. KIRO in Seattle recently blew up a popular heritage classic hits station to simulcast and eventually move entirely it's AM format to FM.
The sad fact is, if you put too much news talk on it, you'll just ghetto it like AM. The fact is it wasn't entirely the low-fi and static of AM that killed it 30 years ago, but the lack of exciting new programming on the band as well. FM has it's limitations too and it's no more immune - even with HD.
It's a cost cutting move I'm sure, but like they say, you get what you pay for.
Will KFRC keep it's calls? Probably so, unless they swap with KCBS in L.A. I just can't imagine KFRC being anywhere but in 'Frisco.....
This seems to be a disturbing trend that I think will spell the end of FM radio. KIRO in Seattle recently blew up a popular heritage classic hits station to simulcast and eventually move entirely it's AM format to FM.
The sad fact is, if you put too much news talk on it, you'll just ghetto it like AM. The fact is it wasn't entirely the low-fi and static of AM that killed it 30 years ago, but the lack of exciting new programming on the band as well. FM has it's limitations too and it's no more immune - even with HD.
It's a cost cutting move I'm sure, but like they say, you get what you pay for.
Will KFRC keep it's calls? Probably so, unless they swap with KCBS in L.A. I just can't imagine KFRC being anywhere but in 'Frisco.....
landtuna said:
Whatta grand jingle that was...
As for Bongwater's comments:
>>> This seems to be a disturbing trend that I think will spell the end of FM radio. KIRO in Seattle recently blew up a popular heritage classic hits station to simulcast and eventually move entirely it's AM format to FM.
Too often of late, many stations have tried skewering toward the younger demo.
The repetitive nature of KFRC's '70s/80s music simply did not recapture that of
the '50s-'70s sound that was successful before...
>>> The sad fact is, if you put too much news talk on it, you'll just ghetto it like AM. The fact is it wasn't entirely the low-fi and static of AM that killed it 30 years ago, but the lack of exciting new programming on the band as well. FM has it's limitations too and it's no more immune - even with HD.
Couldn't have said it any better, BW...
>>> Will KFRC keep it's calls? Probably so, unless they swap with KCBS in L.A. I just can't imagine KFRC being anywhere but in 'Frisco.....
Agreed...but WHERE would they put the calls? Maybe 1550 AM, which would be
decidely much better than the crummy KYCY calls...
As I recall, weren't San Jose's KOME calls were "parked" for awhile in Sacramento on
1470 not long ago? No one has picked them up, far as I can tell on the FCC search
engines. Let's hope the KFRC calls, at the very least, remain unassigned...
As for the KFRC staff, if they were let go, I do wish the jocks/jockettes well...they
did well with what they had at their disposal...
--jay
J
Jul
Guest
Link: http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/content_display/news/local-broadcast/e3i0731a974271226257c5e69351c17fe2f . What would be the new call letters for this station? KCBS-FM is used in LA right so I'm guessing they can't use those calls unless CBS radio or whoever decides to change the calls for that station in LA so the KCBS-FM calls can be used in SF.RockTheGlobe said:
A
AnimatronicAbeLincoln
Guest
Not if it's good news and talk you won't.
B
Bob_Hudson
Guest
AnimatronicAbeLincoln said:
People stopped listening to AM because music sounds better on FM: but some AM news and talk stations have continued to be among the the highest rated 12+ stations in many markets and will probably do even better without the audio and static problems of AM.
I'm in the Image Promo business. We know that a listener is too
busy to keep a broadcaster's priorities in mind, so it's a small
relief for them when a radio station's selection for "Mental
Narrative," its Image Voice, can do the memory work for them.
Lately, I keep hearing this Image Liner rolling through my
head... a female voice repeating a message of comfort. She says,
"With so many radio stations changing their music these days,
isn't it comforting that you can always depend on KOIT for Light
Rock, Less Talk..."
Ever hear that one?
busy to keep a broadcaster's priorities in mind, so it's a small
relief for them when a radio station's selection for "Mental
Narrative," its Image Voice, can do the memory work for them.
Lately, I keep hearing this Image Liner rolling through my
head... a female voice repeating a message of comfort. She says,
"With so many radio stations changing their music these days,
isn't it comforting that you can always depend on KOIT for Light
Rock, Less Talk..."
Ever hear that one?
Newsperson responds:
I beleive that the reason to drop the KFRC format was not so much to help KCBS-AM than it was to stop spending money on an FM that doesn't allow istelf to be sucessfull.
This is not a national trend of CBS as WCBS-FM stands out on its own. Brian Thomas is the PD at WCBS-FM and he was up at KFRC up until 2004.
This is a station that was never allowed by middle mangement to be a personality station. The constant liners really killed KFRC this time!
You cannot force a feeling amoung listeners it just has to happen more naturaly and there are so many other choices in S.F. (even different formats) that have a better connection with listeners. KISS, KLCA, KBLX, The Bone, 101.3, The Wolf and others.
Dan Mason gave this opportunity for 106.9 KFRC and it was blown. Your comments?
Also does anyone know who is staying in middle management?
Newsperson
I beleive that the reason to drop the KFRC format was not so much to help KCBS-AM than it was to stop spending money on an FM that doesn't allow istelf to be sucessfull.
This is not a national trend of CBS as WCBS-FM stands out on its own. Brian Thomas is the PD at WCBS-FM and he was up at KFRC up until 2004.
This is a station that was never allowed by middle mangement to be a personality station. The constant liners really killed KFRC this time!
You cannot force a feeling amoung listeners it just has to happen more naturaly and there are so many other choices in S.F. (even different formats) that have a better connection with listeners. KISS, KLCA, KBLX, The Bone, 101.3, The Wolf and others.
Dan Mason gave this opportunity for 106.9 KFRC and it was blown. Your comments?
Also does anyone know who is staying in middle management?
Newsperson
newsperson said:
It absolutely IS a national trend, if you look at spoken-word-format stations in general. WTOP, Washington, D.C. (all-news, went to #1 after switching from AM to FM with no simulcast); WIBC, Indianapolis, KSL. Salt Lake City (now simulcasting on FM), KTAR, Phoenix, all showed major increases in the key demographics of 25-54 and 18-49 once the programming was put on FM. Those are the demographics sought by advertisers and those people do not use AM. The younger ones don't even know it exists. But they will respond to the format if it's put on the band they use. AM radio is dying because its audience is aging to 55+, and there are not many ad buys targeting 55+.
The song that came to mind for me has some very haunting lyrics..
Both afraid to say we're just to far away
from being close together from the start
We tried to talk it over but the words got in the way
we're lost inside this lonely game we play
thoughts of leaving disappear each time I see your eyes
and no matter how hard I tried to understand the reason
why we carry on this way we're lost in "This Masquerade"
This station was just a shell of what the legend really is. The time to move forward into a new reality has arrived. So long friend its been a swell ride! We really can't go home anymore! The calls will certainly stay elsewhere in the city by the bay. They are to valuable to go anywhere else. I hope...
Both afraid to say we're just to far away
from being close together from the start
We tried to talk it over but the words got in the way
we're lost inside this lonely game we play
thoughts of leaving disappear each time I see your eyes
and no matter how hard I tried to understand the reason
why we carry on this way we're lost in "This Masquerade"
This station was just a shell of what the legend really is. The time to move forward into a new reality has arrived. So long friend its been a swell ride! We really can't go home anymore! The calls will certainly stay elsewhere in the city by the bay. They are to valuable to go anywhere else. I hope...
W
WordLife
Guest
What does this mean for the A's, if anything?
J
Jim P. Pappas
Guest
Being a Classic Rock and 90's Alternative listener, I tried to listen to KFRC-FM, but found it tedious. 107.7 The Bone is good, until they get into the headbanging rock or I get too much static or multipath. As a 41 year old male, I guess my demo is not what people are after. :
I think that 106.9 should go Top 40. Are they insane? this will flop to. They should totally go Top 40.
Re: Bye bye, KFRC-FM Just a note in retrospect from DDR..
From: DrDonRose To: mjpowell45@ Subject: Re: Hello Dr. Don Date: Sun, 13 Mar 2005 13:33:01 EST Hi Mark, Well, yes. I don't know that we can call what is happening to KFRC, the "Demise." Time will tell. The marketplace will dictate what will happen to KFRC, The Big 610. I'm just happy that I had some influence for more than 13 years. For sure, the station will not just go black. Thanks for your loyalty through the years! Love, ddr
Well, My good friend ddr it looks as if the demise is upon us. Although it took a few years. Dougee poo sure muffed it up well just like I predicted he would years ago when he was moved from Sacramento. Radio transformed to be sure.
From: DrDonRose To: mjpowell45@ Subject: Re: Hello Dr. Don Date: Sun, 13 Mar 2005 13:33:01 EST Hi Mark, Well, yes. I don't know that we can call what is happening to KFRC, the "Demise." Time will tell. The marketplace will dictate what will happen to KFRC, The Big 610. I'm just happy that I had some influence for more than 13 years. For sure, the station will not just go black. Thanks for your loyalty through the years! Love, ddr
Well, My good friend ddr it looks as if the demise is upon us. Although it took a few years. Dougee poo sure muffed it up well just like I predicted he would years ago when he was moved from Sacramento. Radio transformed to be sure.
Bob_Hudson said:
True in some respects, but in the same breath you have to acknowledge the fact that AM was still viable even in 1989 (I think that's when WLS flipped from CHR to talk.)
While music is pretty much owned by FM today and I won't argue that, the fact is if you put too many news/talk stations on FM, you're only going to drive the music audiences to Sirius XM, Music Choice, wi-fi or some other provider. HD has been real slugglish in taking off on FM and on one hand, it could be good for HD to move the music to it's sub-channels. On the other one, HD radio digital audio has more artifacts than the Smithsonian (not saying wi-fi is any better by a long shot.)
Radio today is in an especially delicate predicament today. Cutbacks are the buzzword of the day and while CBS is looking forward and keeping the classic hits on HD-2, the real problem remaining is how many people will be listening on October 2nd? There are BAZILLIONS of analog FM radios out there and only a handful by comparison of HD radios. The radio manufacturers are currently under no ordered mandate to transition radio from analog to HD anytime soon and that's going to cost CBS and others in the long run. Then there's small public, LPFMs, Part 15 transmitters and several commercial stations who have cannot provide/resisted HD for one reason and/or the other.
I know radio is going through tough times (not being ENTIRELY sympathetic), but I think a lot of shots are being called prematurally. In these times financially, it's best not to jump on a hog wild speculation now and instantly expect success a year from now. You can kill a station that way.
My best suggestion to CBS San Fransisco (and elsewhere, regardless of broadcasting company) is to forget the $1,000 Thursdays (or whatever) for now - if there's any promo staff left anymore, and start giving out HD radios instead. If you really want HD to take off, this is the best way to do it. Plus, you'll be actually SAVING a LOT of money.....
A
AnimatronicAbeLincoln
Guest
I would say that in a while, a majority of music listeners will have fled to their iPods, their winamp playlists, yadda yadda.
The marketplace will continue to support the market leaders... but will there be 20 stations in any market playing music 5 years from now? I would seriously doubt it. The big music stations that have established brands now (Z-100, KOIT, KOST, yadda yadda...) will survive, but I don't think the also-rans will make it.
Thankfully, there are plenty of varieties and approaches to non-music programming and as a result, many different voices and approaches will be viable, some local, some satellite. They just have to be interesting, compelling, informative, all that stuff. Sports... right-wing... left-wing... business... all-news... room for all of those and probably then some on the FM band. Nashville already has a sports and a talk on FM.
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