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Bye bye, KFRC-FM

DavidEduardo said:
Almost without exceptions, all news (#1 WTOP in DC) and news/talk and sports on FM have done marvelously. The exceptions have been either marginal signals or startups that had second string, mostly syndicate, talent.
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It's the issue about marginal FM signals in the bay area that I wonder about. Frankly, I listen to KGO and KCBS on AM because they're not suceptible to the challenging topo the bay area has (unless there are repeaters). I drive a lot, and like keeping my signal from hill to hill so I can keep up with those traffic reports. ;)
 
I GIVE KFRCnewstalk fm 6 MONTHS. I think KFRC should just have a format change every 6 months that way they can attract a much larger demo....oh wait they are allready doing that format.
 
The terrific S.F. Peninsula Press Club blog reports that the KFRC crew will return to wrap things up this week:

KFRC's Dave Sholin, Celeste Perry and Sue Hall have been let go, but they will return this week (we don't know when) to do a farewell show.

There's also an interesting snippet of conversation from the company meeting that is reprinted there:

http://sfppc.blogspot.com/2008/10/more-about-kcbss-new-fm-signal.html

CBS is also in the process of putting in a booster in Pleasanton to increase 106.9's coverage in the Tri-Valley area. Right now, when driving, the station's signal begins to decay as you head out on 580 past Hopyard and Hacienda.

Of course, KCBS' signal is loud, strong and clear all the way out into the Valley on 740 AM, so I'm not certain why this is an issue now.

DJ
 
EastBay said:
DavidEduardo said:
Almost without exceptions, all news (#1 WTOP in DC) and news/talk and sports on FM have done marvelously. The exceptions have been either marginal signals or startups that had second string, mostly syndicate, talent.
Click to expand...

It's the issue about marginal FM signals in the bay area that I wonder about. Frankly, I listen to KGO and KCBS on AM because they're not suceptible to the challenging topo the bay area has (unless there are repeaters). I drive a lot, and like keeping my signal from hill to hill so I can keep up with those traffic reports. ;)
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Really? Maybe because I drive a lot within the city of San Francisco, I actually find AM reception more challenging. There is heavy static and hum off and on - frequently from the overhead Muni lines (I think). FM does not seem to be susceptible to that. There are a few stations that get spotty reception depending on what part of town you're in. 105.3 fades in and out in some parts of town. 93.3 is especially bad...or used to be...I don't speak Spanish so I don't listen anymore. 98.1 fades out along Hwy 280. But most FM frequencies remain very strong as I drive around in San Francisco, the East Bay, and San Mateo County. Overall, I think all the talk about the Bay Area's "challenging topography for FM" is not particularly true anymore.

Sure - 106.9 will not have the reach that 740 does. That's why a simulcast makes more sense in the Bay Area than just moving KCBS completely to FM, as has happened in some markets.

Some of you have said that FM news will not work in the Bay Area? Why? You're not going to bring up 95.7/KPIX are you? That was a truly pitiful excuse for a radio station (though toward the end, they had two good local talk shows). KCBS is a popular and established presence here.
 
seems to me that in the ppm world if the new combined am and fm at kcbs gains just 1 share 25-54, kcbs will dominate the ratings...somebody check my math but i think a little goes a long way when you are number 1 think about it would u rather have a #33 FM or take a top 5 25-54 and make it number 1 by a country mile?
 
EastBay said:
It's the issue about marginal FM signals in the bay area that I wonder about.
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You don't have to wonder. The marginal FMs do nicely, thank you. Notice the ratings. Even KSOL with 6kw does just fine.
 
gameon said:
seems to me that in the ppm world if the new combined am and fm at kcbs gains just 1 share 25-54, kcbs will dominate the ratings...somebody check my math but i think a little goes a long way when you are number 1 think about it would u rather have a #33 FM or take a top 5 25-54 and make it number 1 by a country mile?
Click to expand...

My admittedly non-expert prediction is that the simulcast will not make a big difference in the short-run. KCBS will not rocket to a commanding #1. But their share will build slowly over time, and they will attract a greater share of desirable 25-54 demographic, who (for some reason that escapes me) seem unable to find the AM/FM button on their radios. And that's the point, isn't it? (No pun intended.)
 
if that is the case, i'm even surprised that CBS Radio would make such a move...would a slow ascent on KCBS' part be ENOUGH for the network??
 
andreajesus said:
if that is the case, i'm even surprised that CBS Radio would make such a move...would a slow ascent on KCBS' part be ENOUGH for the network??
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Well, like my disclaimer said - mine is a non-expert prediction. But it seems to me that the Bay Area Arbitron ratings have remained very stable over the last decade. I don't recall any new format or station making a big splash in the ratings...certainly not overnight. The biggest change was probably the ascendancy of KSOL, but that took a few years.

I don't see thousands of people suddenly become KCBS fans just because its on the FM band. I know it won't make any difference for me - KQED and NPR have pretty much ruined my appetite for commercial all-news radio.

But if KCBS's ratings grow over time, and CBS saves lots of money on KFRC operating costs in the meantime, seems like a win-win to me.
 
You all keep forgeting that cbs needs to recoup the $95 million they payed for this turkey of a signal on 106.9! Harold Camping laughed all the way to the bank with CBS money, and I bet he's still laughing just
that much more now! Some people never learn.
 
ok, you just GOT-TO explain the Harold C connection to CBS money...we know him on the East Coast VERY well... ;)
 
Harold Camping of Family Radio, Inc. sold what was KEAR-FM 106.9 to CBS Radio, Inc. for $95 Millon dollars at about the time CBS was Launching the Free Radio Format after the departure of Howard Stern from terrestrial radio. He then paid around $35 Million to CBS Radio for the KFRC 610AM Radio Signal and renamed it KEAR 610. CBS has yet to even come close to getting any quality return on their investment. The interesting part is one of these days someone is going to come along and give Mr. Camping or his heirs another large pile of cash for the 610 signal. Its just a matter of time if you know what I mean.
 
RadioStarOne said:
The interesting part is one of these days someone is going to come along and give Mr. Camping or his heirs another large pile of cash for the 610 signal. Its just a matter of time if you know what I mean.
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I would bet they can not get $20 million for 610 today.

In a few years, when KCBS's FM simulcast drains a lot of the under-55 traffic from the AM band, 610 is going to be worth even less.
 
From the Chronicle/SF Gate.com article, they quote Doug Harvill as saying, "We gave it our all!"
Really? Seriously 'Your All'?!?! I don't think so, if you had, KFRC would be a top 10 station in the SF Area.

Good thing John Mack Flanangan kept his day job. Ya see, he is wise with the business!
 
RadioStarOne said:
You all keep forgeting that cbs needs to recoup the $95 million they payed for this turkey of a signal on 106.9! Harold Camping laughed all the way to the bank with CBS money, and I bet he's still laughing just that much more now! Some people never learn.
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Don't forget: the key to the deal for CBS was getting a TV station in Sacramento, not getting an FM in San Francisco. They lost a great legacy radio station (albeit of the lowly AM variety), and may have acquired an awfully large albatross as a part of the bargain.

Re: Harold Camping. With all due respect to him, I have heard him on the air for many, many (many, many, many) years, and I don't believe he laughed all the way to the bank. In fact, if he even cracked a smile, I'd be shocked.
 
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