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Do you think we'll ever get another Country Music station in San Francisco?

1069_KIFR said:
This thread is very similar to the one titled, "How 95.7 The Game could work"
It seems like this is How Country could work in San Francisco.
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I think all one needs to do is go out and see what people are paying for. They pay for Giants and A's games, so obviously baseball works here. They're paying for Sharks, Warriors, and other sports as well, so it's safe to say people would listen to radio covering those sports, too.

Okay, country music. Well, there isn't much to choose from in country music nightclubs except the Saddle Rack in Fremont, a huge place that in recent years has cut back. Now it's mostly DJs and it's dark 3 nights a week. It's all-country, though.

Some years back I and a partner had wanted to take over the historic DeMarco's 23 Club in Brisbane, a place where everybody from Johnny Cash to Merle Haggard to Andre Thierry have played. I'm glad we didn't. That horse has left the barn. There have been 4 owners since we were interested and each one has failed badly. To try to keep the place going they've resorted to everything from hip-hop DJs to lingerie shows because the country just doesn't bring in people.

Well, radio listening is a reflection of local culture. Our local culture just doesn't support country anymore.
 
San Francisco will never, ever, ever (Thanks Taylor Swift) have a Country Station. Unless Proposition 'C' is over turned. Prop 'C' banned Country Formatted Radio in San Francisco forever.
 
1069_KIFR said:
San Francisco will never, ever, ever (Thanks Taylor Swift) have a Country Station. Unless Proposition 'C' is over turned. Prop 'C' banned Country Formatted Radio in San Francisco forever.
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Say what?
 
Besides, majority of Country artist, tend to skip the bay area for concerts. If they play in the Bay Area, most likely at the Sleep Train Pavilion in Concord. As for the country music clubs in the bay area, only Saddleback Jack's in Fremont.
 
e-dawg said:
Besides, majority of Country artist, tend to skip the bay area for concerts. If they play in the Bay Area, most likely at the Sleep Train Pavilion in Concord. As for the country music clubs in the bay area, only Saddleback Jack's in Fremont.
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When I worked for KIOI, I was given tickets and a "meet and greet" with Faith Hill (a very gracious person) at what is now the Oracle Arena in 2000. The concert if I remember correctly, was not sold out and I believe I saw about half a parking lot full of pickup trucks, many of which traveled from the inland areas.
 
It'll happen sooner or later. Remember when SF didn't have CHR for the longest time? Now they have 2! KREV & KMVQ. Although I'd say KREV should just flip to Country
 
XCountry285 said:
It'll happen sooner or later. Remember when SF didn't have CHR for the longest time? Now they have 2! KREV & KMVQ. Although I'd say KREV should just flip to Country
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What do you call KYLD's format, then?

KREV unfortunately has zero coverage in SJ and Concord, the two areas where country has hot zips (same as mainstream CHR which is what KREV plays).

They'd probably be more successful flipping back to dance, but I suspect the owner would sooner walk down market street wearing only pink body paint than do that.
 
XCountry285 said:
It'll happen sooner or later. Remember when SF didn't have CHR for the longest time? Now they have 2! KREV & KMVQ. Although I'd say KREV should just flip to Country
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Except that KREVs signal covers only the areas that are least likely to support Country music.... San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley, etc.
 
hammerpants said:
HAPPY BIRTHDAY! You were just gifted 92.7... What format do you flip it to?
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Oldtime radio -- dramas like Gunsmoke and Have Gun Will Travel, and variety shows like Fred Allen and Jack Benny.
 
DavidKaye said:
hammerpants said:
HAPPY BIRTHDAY! You were just gifted 92.7... What format do you flip it to?
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Oldtime radio -- dramas like Gunsmoke and Have Gun Will Travel, and variety shows like Fred Allen and Jack Benny.
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And all the 80-year-olds and up will thank you, if they can find it and get the signal.
 
My dad is in his 60s and watches Gunsmoke. (on Encore Westerns, that is). Don't think that only old nursing home people like Gunsmoke, TV or radio form...

-crainbebo
 
crainbebo said:
My dad is in his 60s and watches Gunsmoke. (on Encore Westerns, that is). Don't think that only old nursing home people like Gunsmoke, TV or radio form...

-crainbebo
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Here's what I learned from six years programming an independent TV station that started with old reruns:

People under 80 will watch Perry Mason, Gunsmoke, Combat!... pick any good pre-1990 show...but never enough of them, all at once, on a regular basis, to get you a salable rating in 35-64, much less 25-54. The 50+ was good. And the 65+ was through the roof. If Neilsen measured above that, the numbers would likely have only gotten better...probably peaking with people between 85 and 95.

But the advertisers that target that audience are bottom-feeders. They only buy cheap. And because there are only barely enough of them to fill the avails, you end up cutting rates to get the business. And in a month or two, they want to pay 70% of that. And so on. It's a race to the bottom.

When we traded those for Frasier, Seinfeld and George Lopez, it was like turning on a money tap.

Same goes for radio drama, nostalgia/big-band and any other format with appeal to upper demos. You'll get some younger listening, but never enough all at once and on a consistent basis to get a demo number.
 
crainbebo said:
My dad is in his 60s and watches Gunsmoke. (on Encore Westerns, that is). Don't think that only old nursing home people like Gunsmoke, TV or radio form...

-crainbebo
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"60's" is way outside the selling demos.
 
weav said:
And all the 80-year-olds and up will thank you, if they can find it and get the signal.
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You're NOT paying attention! Nobody said it had to make any money. The original poster said, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY! You were just gifted 92.7... What format do you flip it to?" That means that the station was a GIFT, free and clear of any debt. It means not having to pay down a bank note OR pay a purchase price to any previous owner.

THAT was the sole reason I suggested old radio programs. I just think it's a great alternative game plan just for the sake of having diversity on the radio dial.

So, basically the cost is rent and electricity, assuming that most of the content is in public domain and the thing can be run automated from the transmitter or someone's bedroom, which it could.

Actually, there are two blips in the demographics of people who listen to oldtime radio: people above age 70 and teenaged boys. I learned this from the days when there was an oldtime radio outlet in Portland. The Arbitron was fascinating because it was basically a U curve.

But if it had to make money, pay off a note and pay off loans, then I'd probably refuse the offer. Too much downside and not enough upside.
 
DavidKaye said:
So, basically the cost is rent and electricity, assuming that most of the content is in public domain and the thing can be run automated from the transmitter or someone's bedroom, which it could.
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That might work. You could set up a playout computer in the rack up at Russian Hill and push the logs and content daily over the DSL line. I've suggested a much to Ed at least once.
 
Anyway, back to the topic...is KRTY getting PPM? And so, how are the ratings down there in San Jose? Just asking because I still don't get why KRTY 95.3 and KTRY 106.3 in Santa Rosa are still on the air, while San Francisco's "Wolf" suffered big time.

-crainbebo
 
crainbebo said:
Anyway, back to the topic...is KRTY getting PPM? And so, how are the ratings down there in San Jose? Just asking because I still don't get why KRTY 95.3 and KTRY 106.3 in Santa Rosa are still on the air, while San Francisco's "Wolf" suffered big time.
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I already posted that KRTY does extremely well in the PPM for the embedded San Jose MSA (an "embedded" MSA is one that is also part of a larger market but separately issued for the localized subscribers) and bills very well, also. KRTY does extremely well in the sales demos, too.

KTRY is somewhat signal-challenged, but does OK as the second country station in the Santa Rosa area.

KFGY, in the Santa Rosa embedded MSA, also does well, being in what is a three way tie for #2 in billing of all Santa Rosa MSA signals (there are 17 stations home to Sonoma County.

All three of these stations, which are in the full San Francisco Metro Survey Area, do well because in their home counties there is a country core. The rest of the market, as several knowledgeable posters have said, has no country core or lifestyle (look at David Kaye's insightful post about country venues and shows). Most of the San Francisco licensed FM stations do not have a competitive signal in either Santa Rosa or San Jose, so they essentially cover the places where the country fans are the fewest.
 
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