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

[DavidKaye]

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.

I actually wrote software (RoboDJ) that would work perfectly well for such a situation. It'll work on any Windows computer from XP on up.

I happen to like to hear the occasional oldtime radio show. And apparently there is enough of an audience out there for this kind of stuff that there's a new Twilight Zone radio show in production, hosted by Stacey Keach, and on dozens of radio stations. It's been going since 2002. It airs locally on KNEW 960 Sundays from 11pm to 1am.

Here's the Twilight Zone Radio's webpage: http://www.twilightzoneradio.com/index.html

 

[1069_KIFR]

Will it run on Windows Vista?

 

[davideduardo]

Will it run on Windows Vista?

Nothing "ran" on Vista.

It may have walked, crawled or stumbled... but it never, ever, ran.

 

[DavidKaye]

Will it run on Windows Vista?

Yes, XP, Vista, and 7, and with adding some DLLs it'll also run on Windows 2000. The beauty of Windows...

 

[crainbebo]

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.

I actually wrote software (RoboDJ) that would work perfectly well for such a situation. It'll work on any Windows computer from XP on up.

I happen to like to hear the occasional oldtime radio show. And apparently there is enough of an audience out there for this kind of stuff that there's a new Twilight Zone radio show in production, hosted by Stacey Keach, and on dozens of radio stations. It's been going since 2002. It airs locally on KNEW 960 Sundays from 11pm to 1am.

Here's the Twilight Zone Radio's webpage: http://www.twilightzoneradio.com/index.html

Oh yes. My Dad absolutely LOVED that show when he was a teen. Like I said he's in his 60's and still watches Twilight Zone reruns. His favorite episode was the Willoughby train episode.

-crainbebo

 

[DavidKaye]

Oh yes. My Dad absolutely LOVED that show when he was a teen. Like I said he's in his 60's and still watches Twilight Zone reruns. His favorite episode was the Willoughby train episode.

-crainbebo

I don't think you understand. These are new radio episodes which are heard on dozens (hundreds?) of radio stations. My point is that enough stations and advertisers feel that there is an audience for radio drama today.

Stacey Keach, Luke Perry, Jason Alexander, Lou Diamond Phillips -- so we're not talking about bottom-rung actors. If this series has been running since 2004 and is able to attract such stars, there must be some money in it TODAY.

As I said, it airs locally on KNEW 960 from 11pm to 1am Sunday.

 

[Jeffrey]

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.

when and if a station went on the market in SF could the same not happen as in NY with NASH-FM & Cumulus? In the last 5 years the NYC msa had 3 country stations which would have in affect covered the primary suburban and rural areas where country listenership would be strongest so in essence no city grade signal was needed but then came Cumulus who bought Family Radio's WFME 94.7 and flipped it to country under what they are calling NASH, a brand of "country life style", ie. magazine, online, radio. NASH FM isn't doing too well in NY with a 1.9 stagnant market share and declining 18-34 numbers BUT everyone knows that Cumulus didn't put country on in NY for the actual ratings it may bring in as much as it did to have their brand on in the number 1 market and perhaps to shut the CMA up who had been lamenting for years that NY lacked a country station. Cumulus is banking on NASH on a national level and has changed the moniker of many other country stations they own in other markets to NASH.

I'm not for 1 minute suggesting SF should get a country station but am merely wondering whether the same pull for a full market signal is there due to market size regardless of what local ratings would be.

 

[stewie]

Nothing "ran" on Vista.

It may have walked, crawled or stumbled... but it never, ever, ran.

Fantastic response!!!

 

[1069_KIFR]

no.

 

[LKellerIII]

when and if a station went on the market in SF could the same not happen as in NY with NASH-FM & Cumulus? In the last 5 years the NYC msa had 3 country stations which would have in affect covered the primary suburban and rural areas where country listenership would be strongest so in essence no city grade signal was needed but then came Cumulus who bought Family Radio's WFME 94.7 and flipped it to country under what they are calling NASH, a brand of "country life style", ie. magazine, online, radio. NASH FM isn't doing too well in NY with a 1.9 stagnant market share and declining 18-34 numbers BUT everyone knows that Cumulus didn't put country on in NY for the actual ratings it may bring in as much as it did to have their brand on in the number 1 market and perhaps to shut the CMA up who had been lamenting for years that NY lacked a country station. Cumulus is banking on NASH on a national level and has changed the moniker of many other country stations they own in other markets to NASH.

I'm not for 1 minute suggesting SF should get a country station but am merely wondering whether the same pull for a full market signal is there due to market size regardless of what local ratings would be.

Yes, quite amusing. I guess I'm an outlier, but I have a 8 or 10 year old Dell desktop at home with Windows Vista, and it's been flawless for my needs. Of course, all I ever do at home is surf the internet, write the occasional Word doc, and stream stuff...but I've had no problems at all.

And as far as country stations go, I think it's certainly possible that some other corporation might try yet another country station in the Bay Area, but if they do, it won't last long

 

[chrocket87]

Put it on 105.3. Couldn't do worse than what's on it now.

 

[ecweaver]

Possibly... I don't know if CBS has any accomplished country programmers they could swap in here.

Country's hot zips, IIRC, tend to be in Contra Costa and Santa Clara counties. 105.3 has a booster in Walnut Creek so could cover that end, and makes it down the valley OK.

Could the promotions staff work a country demographic in those two areas? It's an open question. It would be a big realignment.
I'm not sure CBS would be wililng to make the investment necessary to make such a flip pay off.

Anybody got the nerve to ask Michael Martin?

 

[LKellerIII]

Yet Live 105 keeps going, and going, and going. People on this board have been predicting its demise for years now. I don't know what CBS is thinking, but the format must fill some kind of need in their portfolio of stations when they're selling ad time...or something. It's very possible it brings in a better demographic than country music would - or sports, for that matter.

Also, the signal is somewhat challenged. I used to like listening to Alex Bennett on 105.3 when I was commuting in the morning, but in the car, it was almost unlistenable.

 

[chrocket87]

IMO, Live is still around for one of two reasons. First, they could be banking on the increased fortunes for Alternative stations nationwide to happen in SF. As in, everyone else is doing better, it's bound to turn around here too. Or CBS just doesn't think they can do better with something else and until a better choice comes into play, they're fine as long as its tiny billing is enough to cover costs.

 

[Radical348]

Country's hot zips, IIRC, tend to be in Contra Costa and Santa Clara counties. 105.3 has a booster in Walnut Creek so could cover that end, and makes it down the valley OK.

Nope, the signal down here is pretty bad. It's often fuzzy in DT SJ and some days it barely even comes through. When driving further south, the signal completely sputters out before Gilroy.

 

[DaveBayArea]

Nope, the signal down here is pretty bad. It's often fuzzy in DT SJ and some days it barely even comes through. When driving further south, the signal completely sputters out before Gilroy.

I've heard through the grapevine that 104.9 and/or 105.7 have 3rd order intermod problems with their HD radio signals. That is, the HD carriers beat with the analog signal and create digital noise on 105.3. I haven't checked it out with a spectrum analyzer, but it is a fairly common problem. Digital noise sounds very much like a weak signal, and that could be what you're hearing. You can easily double-check by comparing 105.3 with either 102.9 or 107.7. Both of those signals transmit from essentially the same location with the same power, but there are no HD signals on the adjacent channels.

Dave B.

 

[radiopunk999]

And KRTY does very well. Country has always been tough in San Fran but I think that the past stations over thought it, believing they have to program so much differently than every other Country station in America just because it's San Fan. "Can't play too much twang like George Strait", or trying to be a little too hip for the room. Just play the hits! Seems like there would be a boat load of money there with an exclusive music position, especially with how hot the format is at the moment.

 

[Jeffrey]

And KRTY does very well. Country has always been tough in San Fran but I think that the past stations over thought it, believing they have to program so much differently than every other Country station in America just because it's San Fan. "Can't play too much twang like George Strait", or trying to be a little too hip for the room. Just play the hits! Seems like there would be a boat load of money there with an exclusive music position, especially with how hot the format is at the moment.

The same was said in New York about tweaking the format for the unfriendly country market but Nash FM just plays the hits. Alas, they're not doing well. No big surprise. Country is not a big sell in NY but I'll repeat that Cumulus just put it on the New Jersey signal just to fill the void in the country's number 1 market despite poor ratings.
I find it annoying though considering how many more New York centric formats are missing. New York radio isn't worth listening to but we do have internet and satellite.

 

[DaveBayArea]

I can't remember where it was brought up, but somewhere I read that Country's lack of penetration in large markets is due somewhat to politics. Whether real or imagined, the format is generally identified with a more conservative base, and left-leaning listeners do not listen even if they like the music. For that reason, Country has an uphill battle in the more liberal areas of the country (like San Francisco).

Dave B.

 

[Jeffrey]

I can't remember where it was brought up, but somewhere I read that Country's lack of penetration in large markets is due somewhat to politics. Whether real or imagined, the format is generally identified with a more conservative base, and left-leaning listeners do not listen even if they like the music. For that reason, Country has an uphill battle in the more liberal areas of the country (like San Francisco).

Dave B.

Country is definitely a "right" leaning format although one shouldn't stereotype 100%. Look what happened to the Dixie Chicks when they're criticized Bush. Career over.

One could also argue that Chicago is a left leaning city yet country, WUSN does very well there.

SF and NYC are 2 hard markets to penetrate in terms of country though. New York got one after an absence of 17 years. As a stand alone station I doubt it would last another year but given the Nash brand and money made through national advertising it may last despite poor ratings. Then again who knows what Cumulus may decide to do. They bought the dismal signal for cheap, run it as a juke box, have barely any local programming and pipe most of it in from Nashville. It makes the CMA happy and costs little to run so there you go........SF may be next if they deem the market important enough from a national standpoint. Are there any under performing Cumulus stations in SF?