Is KPLZ on life support?

[AQH]

Ok, I've read all the pro-KPLZ posts...

Sales are good. (perhaps rates have been adjusted?)

Website has been re-worked. (usually completely unrelated to future programming moves)

Despite all this, I still can't believe Fisher is satisfied with KPLZ's market position. Perhaps not a full format turnaround is in order, but there need to be changes after 10am, or whenever K&A get off the air. Play adult HIT records, not BUBBLING UNDERS. Bring back some positioning and imaging that have some presence. Start using TV to your advantage...is KPLZ utilizing its relationship with KOMO-TV to the max? Bring back a jingle package that sounds like radio, and stop trying to re-invent the jingle concept. Reduce the playlist so that the cume only hears the cream of the crop. It's not rocket science. As a famous shoe company once delcared, "just do it!" Then perhaps KPLZ will get off life support and become the player it was in the late 80's into the 90's. (I'm skipping the KUBE-imitation years)....

"Sales are good" and (at the end of the post), "perhaps KPLZ will get off life support." Dude, if you're going to take a stand, stay with one consistent point.

The other ironic statement is "Bring back a jingle package that sounds like radio, and stop trying to re-invent the jingle concept." How many people, especially on this board, complain about how radio sounds the same from market to market? Same music, same bits and same jingles. At least give Phillips some credit for (GASP!) trying to do something different. :

KPLZ will never be what it was in its heyday. Radio, styles, people, Telecom '96 and most importantly, the music, has changed radio. KPLZ personifies how all of those go through evolutions.

 

[searadiofreak]

I am being consistent. Read my post again...I said "if" they made those changes maybe they could get off life support. The sales aspect was followed by the question if they had adjusted their rates. I have nothing personal against this radio station, in fact think Kent & Alan are great. I just think they could do better, and again, have a real hard time believing Fisher is satisfied about where they are now. IMHO.

 

[AQH]

I am being consistent. Read my post again...I said "if" they made those changes maybe they could get off life support. The sales aspect was followed by the question if they had adjusted their rates. I have nothing personal against this radio station, in fact think Kent & Alan are great. I just think they could do better, and again, have a real hard time believing Fisher is satisfied about where they are now. IMHO.

Okay, apparently I have to spell things out.

If "sales are good," as you say, how can a station be on "life support?"

It also appears that you feel that plugging in the KPLZ from 18 years ago is the answer. It's nice to be reminiscent, but that's just not going to work.

KJR-FM tried the nostalgia route twice, and neither time worked.

 

[LITTLEBOYBLUE]

KJR-FM tried the nostalgia route twice, and neither time worked.

I'm not sure it was just the "nostalgia" thing that didn't work. The last incarnation of KJR-F as 60's & 70's pop was something I really liked a lot. The nostalgia piece was a bonus that made a good package.

From where I was watching, two things screwed up that game plan: (1) Too MANY cooks at one point ... things worked well when someone was in control of the station; but when CC took over and started swapping people and each one had a differing opinion of what should happen down the food chain in Seattle ... became more of a turf thing than a product: (2) SOMETIMES the people who WERE calling the shots were not that experienced or well grounded in decision-making. Tweak tweak tweak ... and it's like a TV show that never gets a consistent time slot before network people say "it's not getting any traction....cancel it". You just need to give some things time to become familiar, etc. Hellsbells...some of the mainstay oldies today weren't THAT big first time around but became familiar on the second pass (and vice versa, of course!!).

I always felt if the station were given a consistent music footprint (such as oldies for a younger generation...the 60's/70's route they were heading...allowing it to drift forward into 80's as time went on, etc.) it would have been awesome. It's an "also-ran" on my car radio these days ... partly because I perceive they want some of the classic rock audience and that's never been my first choice for sampling.

So I wouldn't just attribute their lack of long-term success to the blanket "they wanted to be like yesterday and failed". KFRC sounded great as 60's/70's oldies .... KRTH tried to bring back the KHJ era yet both have drifted from that core these days to survive (KBSG has not yet taken that drastic of a step musically) -- in all cases they balanced heritage and great product that fit the heritage. KFRC, for that matter, dumped everything and went movin' and I'm not sure they are happy with the results -- not as successful there as it was initially in Seattle. CBS/New York was legendary and surviving much better on that music/heritage mix until some genius decided to flush it for JACK. Chicago is trying to bring back oldies on FM using the old WLS-FM but not using the calls or any of the heritage foundation they COULD use to help propel it. They are relying on Scott Shannon to make it work and I don't think that's a great strategy either.

 

[AQH]

With the way KBSG is leaning now, perhaps KJR-FM's music was just a little ahead of its time.

I still feel they leaned too much on the heritage thing. As you said, not the primary killer, but it didn't really help.