fantasy radio station

[TVradioguru]

If it was such a great sound, then why didn't it last very long?

 

[AQH]

And a great place to party!

Selling the station to Alliance was the nail in the coffin to KXRX, but being "a great place to party" was part of a problem there.

studio was downtown.

The studio was not downtown.

 

[LITTLEBOYBLUE]

KXRX had state of the art automation for it's time, And a great place to party! Jocks would lay down 20 minutes of voice tracks then it was party time! It had carousel like oval track for the carts that took up an entire rack (just for one) but I think he had at least 2, station had a great sound, studio was downtown.

Sounds like the automation system KYYX launched with when it WAS downtown (old KIXI facility @ 3rd & University) and pre-Wave days. Those bulldozer-tractor cart handlers were cool to watch -- oldies were programmed from them so operator had to load the oldies for the shift. What was fun was to manually move to tractor and when computer saw next event it would cycle the thing to correct slot like some video game. Problem with those units is since it was a loop, some carts always upside-down and there were a lot of jamming problems with the carts. I didn't realize that when KYYX moved to Madison Park they took the automation with them? AFTER that when it became KXRX (after KQ96) is when I believe they moved to the waterfront facility.

 

[systemdump]

And a great place to party!

Selling the station to Alliance was the nail in the coffin to KXRX, but being "a great place to party" was part of a problem there.

studio was downtown.

The studio was not downtown.

You are right, KXRX was a Wenatchee, WA station. It was the FM for a AM country station there that went down shortly after we launched KYSN we took most of their AM audience (KUEN? pronounced "queen" anyway) audience within a year. I used to have friends from there I challenged an overnight ratings battle with decades ago, a contest if you will. It was on Wenatchee Avenue, next to Ballard ambulance Downtown Wenatchee. So in Wenatchee, KYSN killed the "queen" within about a year. In my post I was thinking KYYX but said KXRX because I had friends at both stations, Both KXRX and KYYX were similar CHR formats. In retraction I must say KXRX (the one in Wenatchee) had the circular carousels and reels on ancient automation. KYYX was in downtown Seattle and was cool when Pat O'day owned it. Sorry for my mixup. That was about 3 decades ago.

 

[TVradioguru]

Wait, so the station was voicetracked and automated, yet it was so "great" and "cool"? Haven't I read many on this board rail against those two things?

And nobody has answered by question yet.. If the station was so great and cool, why didn't the format last longer than a very few years? Didn't the station go through several incarnations before it was sold? Even back in the 80's, I think you know the answer as to why the station didn't last and it had to do with music.

 

[vivalamusica]

I've thought about this very topic a few times.

Format: Do AOR formats even exist anymore? Basically KZOK with some KJAQ and some KISW/KNDD. Be willing to play some deeper cuts and songs that fell through the cracks. Have various specialty shows (blues hour, Metal Shop, etc.) Allow jocks to do some of their own programming. Play a little harder stuff at night.

Jocks:
Crow & West (for more than 4 days)
Robin & Maynard (for more than 1 reunion show)
Steve Slaton
Scott Vanderpool
Beau Roberts
Cathy Faulkner
Bill Reid
Dan Wilke

Turn them loose and let them have fun. Have fun imaging ala KXRX and Terry McManus (I think). I guess I basically would have The X back in Seattle (ironically playing a lot of same music played then). Ah to be 41 years old and nostalgic for '80s and '90s Seattle radio.

Hey don't forget Marty Riemer I certainly would want him in the mix...

The Vocal MINORITY

 

[systemdump]

Wait, so the station was voicetracked and automated, yet it was so "great" and "cool"? Haven't I read many on this board rail against those two things?

And nobody has answered by question yet.. If the station was so great and cool, why didn't the format last longer than a very few years? Didn't the station go through several incarnations before it was sold? Even back in the 80's, I think you know the answer as to why the station didn't last and it had to do with music.

I heard Pat was having some money issues, he splurged all he could on that station, great air talent, state of the art equipment then, good times, & a format that I still miss. It all went way too fast but was fun while it lasted.