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KFRO-AM and KCUL-AM to flip to Christian "The Way".

B

billyg

KFRO 1370 and KCUL 1410 have stopped simulcasting The Ranch KKUS and are now running a loop promoting "The Way" "An all new Christian radio station featuring programming designed to help East Texans live a better life under the teachings of Jesus Christ".

Any one know if this is a syndicated format? Anyway I think it will flop. East Texas REALLY needs another Christian radio station like it needs another pine tree.

How about Real Oldies and also improving KFRO's sound and signal instead?
 
billyg said:
How about Real Oldies and also improving KFRO's sound and signal instead?
Click to expand...

That would certainly be an improvement, and it could work. It is hard for me to believe that someone would intentionally mess with the delivery method for The Ranch. It is one of the most popular stations in the area. It can be difficult to pick up in Longview and almost impossible to pick up in Marshall. I know that KFRO and KCUL have "challenged" signals, but fans of The Ranch (and there are many) will listen, even in low fidelity AM.

I guess the next thing they will do is fire Tom Perryman, who has made the station what it is. He's a great story teller and a broadcasting legend. I will bet that a lot of the stations listeners are loyal because they like to listen to him spinning yarns. I do.

I hope the religious programming supplier is paying East Texas Radio Group very well. This has to be about money, not programming....
 
Chuck said:
billyg said:
How about Real Oldies and also improving KFRO's sound and signal instead?
Click to expand...

That would certainly be an improvement, and it could work. It is hard for me to believe that someone would intentionally mess with the delivery method for The Ranch. It is one of the most popular stations in the area. It can be difficult to pick up in Longview and almost impossible to pick up in Marshall. I know that KFRO and KCUL have "challenged" signals, but fans of The Ranch (and there are many) will listen, even in low fidelity AM.

I guess the next thing they will do is fire Tom Perryman, who has made the station what it is. He's a great story teller and a broadcasting legend. I will bet that a lot of the stations listeners are loyal because they like to listen to him spinning yarns. I do.

I hope the religious programming supplier is paying East Texas Radio Group very well. This has to be about money, not programming....
Click to expand...

I agree. It sounds like a brokered deal.

East Texas Radio Group seems to be slowly dismantling the Ranch slowly, and that could be the next step. I think it's dumb to cannibalize a popular station just because the demos are older to ad agencies.
 
billyg said:
I think it's dumb to cannibalize a popular station just because the demos are older to ad agencies.
Click to expand...

I don't have firsthand knowledge of the goings on at ETRG, but most of the spots I hear on The Ranch are local, which means they did not come from national agencies.

There are several very good East Texas ad agencies who service larger local clients, like car dealerships and much of the medical industry. These people actually live here and have a good idea about the demos of most area stations. An older demographic is not the kiss of death if you are selling healthcare, assisted living, luxury cars, travel, dining out, RV's and lots of other big ticket items that appeal to an older segment of the population.

The national agencies will buy the top five or six stations regardless of format, but they are usually representing companies who appeal to an 18-35 audience. They are looking for the number of ears listening. The more the better. Listeners are the real product that radio has to sell.
 
I believe that they are looking at it as 2 radio stations that dont make a penny and cost money to operate. The satellite feed I believe is free! And remember East Texas is the last vestage of the "Bible Belt" a liquor store and church on every corner!! And on the way to Tyler the liquor stores are owned by a certain Green Church... But they know that East Texas just cant get enough God on the radio!! I wish them alot of luck. I just want to see someone do something with that historical legendary little AM that will make a difference in the community.
 
They are still playing a loop saying that "The Way" is coming. It seems like a very long time to be stunting. If anybody was listening to KFRO or KCUL, they aren't now.
 
Well Clear Channel usually stunts in October or November with Christmas music and doesnt stop until January first, then you find out that your favorite oldies or soft rock station or classic rock has been turned into a spanish rap station!!

Stunting is meant to kill the original audience and let a future one know that something better is coming.....well maybe not better in this case.
 
I forgot to add that Tom Perryman will not be asked to leave the Ranch, when Tom leaves it is either because he quit or he is talking face to face with Jim Reeves again!

Tom is one of the best sales guys at the Ranch you dont get rid of money!! When he is getting paid more than he brings in, then there might be a problem, but for now count on the Tom Perryman 85th and 90th birthday celebrations on KKUS!
 
600kogo said:
I forgot to add that Tom Perryman will not be asked to leave the Ranch, when Tom leaves it is either because he quit or he is talking face to face with Jim Reeves again!

Tom is one of the best sales guys at the Ranch you dont get rid of money!! When he is getting paid more than he brings in, then there might be a problem, but for now count on the Tom Perryman 85th and 90th birthday celebrations on KKUS!
Click to expand...

Tom is an old friend. I think I first met him when I was a teenager and he was at KGRI. That was quite a while ago! He IS "The Ranch." Without him, it would be just another country station. I imagine the only way he will leave is feet first. I hope he enjoys many more years on the air. He is an original.
 
The Way will begin Monday, 10/17, per this article in today's LNJ.

http://www.news-journal.com/business/local_business/business-beat-panda-express-should-be-open-by-november/article_1af13553-cefb-5e89-bd3e-7a2802f98525.html

Comments - the article says that the stations will operate from 5 am to 7 pm. So, I guess they will be signing off at 7 pm? Can a station that is authorized for 24 hour operation voluntarily chose to sign off whenever it wants?

Dru states that the Christian teaching format on The Way will "fill a void in the Longview and Marshall markets." I dispute this statement, as the area already has 2 full time Christian talk/teaching formats on 90.3 and 90.7. I believe that also 91.9 carries some teaching programming as well. I just don't see how this format will get any listeners on AM, with similar formats also on FM. I guess it is a cheap/no cost format, but if Dru really want to fill a market void, classic hits would have been the route to go.

It's sad to see a heritage station like KFRO relegated to simulcasting and throw-away formats like this.
 
I found this part of the article most interesting:

Panda Express should be open by November

No, seriously, this really does like a boring choice and as just mentioned "teaching" programs aren't unique to the area.

Regarding the hours of operation I'd have to think that they'll come up with something to air after 7 o'clock. The rules about hours of operation haven't changed; they still require stations to operate two-thirds of the hours they're authorized for between 6 AM and 6 PM and two-thirds of their authorized hours between 6 PM and midnight. A station could elect to become a daytimer, of course, to get around the requirement for operation in the evening but I doubt that's a possibility in this case.
 
jd said:
No, seriously, this really does like a boring choice and as just mentioned "teaching" programs aren't unique to the area.

Regarding the hours of operation I'd have to think that they'll come up with something to air after 7 o'clock. The rules about hours of operation haven't changed; they still require stations to operate two-thirds of the hours they're authorized for between 6 AM and 6 PM and two-thirds of their authorized hours between 6 PM and midnight. A station could elect to become a daytimer, of course, to get around the requirement for operation in the evening but I doubt that's a possibility in this case.
Click to expand...

I guess Moody doesn't want to pay ETRG to broadcast on KFRO-AM & KCUL's night signals. I don't know why Moody or ETRG could just run Christian music or re-run the daytime teaching programs at night. I worked years ago at a AM Christian station that did just that.

I don't think they'll have much of an audience. There are area FM Christian stations such as KTAA (which has a CP for a 46K power increase) and KBJS that air mostly Christian talk and teaching programing. But from what I've experienced Christian broadcasters and ministers don't care about ratings. That they're "getting the word out" is more important to them.
 
As of about 4:00 PM today (Monday, Oct 17) the stunting loop is still playing. There is some audio running about 15 db below the level of the loop that may be the satellite feed from "The Way." It is hard to tell, but nobody will listen to it for long enough to find out. Technical difficulties, maybe?
 
If their goal was to completely kill those two stations...waiting this long for the stunting did a superb job. Congratulations they have ZERO listeners!
 
600kogo said:
If their goal was to completely kill those two stations...waiting this long for the stunting did a superb job. Congratulations they have ZERO listeners!
Click to expand...

I can't get a decent signal on either station at my current location, but under the static, it sounds like somebody is talking, so maybe the stunting is over. The audio sounds down in the mud, but that may be due to the amount of interference I'm hearing.

Anyway, I think 10 days of a 2 minute continuous loop should have driven off anyone who might have listened. Wouldn't it have been better to play Christmas music with an occasional promo for the new format? That wouldn't be very hard to do. You could even use an ipod if you really want to be cheap about it.
 
It seems the incredible static was caused by the CFL bulbs and computers in the office. It cleared up when I drove away from the building. They are now broadcasting "The Way" - for better or worse.
 
It's been nearly a month since the alleged beginning of AM1370/1410 finding "The Way". Has it actually started? Or is ETRG still showing its incompetence in flipping formats?
 
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