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KING-FM Going Non-Comm Two Months Earlier Than Anticipated

Great news! Good music still sells even if people have to support it themselves.

I bet most of the supporters are NOT under 30...just like the REST OF THE RADIO AUDIENCE AT LARGE.
 
I believe this is the future of formats whose audiences are no longer in the revered target demo. Or can't attract more than a 1 share.

There are lots of radio stations in a lot of cities that could make more money by ignoring the demands of advertisers and catering to the demands of listeners. The subscription model works if you control costs. They'll need to constantly motivate their base, which means coming up with unique ways to ask for money. Because listeners will become complacent if you let them. But if they stay connected and stay in listeners faces, they'll be around for a long time.
 
Whether commercial or non-comm, Seattle will still have classical music on a full-market FM signal. Many major markets can no longer say that.

WQXR, once the dean of classical music stations, is now on a signal that is barely receivable in most of the NY metro area. Better to listen to that station online than over the air! ;)
 
The Bullitt sisters have put KING-FM in a trust that sees it will FOREVER remain classical and at 98.1 MHz. VERY smart move on their part. Losing KING-FM would be like losing The Space Needle. An iconic and priceless part of the Seattle identity would be lost. Even if you don't regularly listen to KING-FM, it's good to know it's there. And always a refreshing alternative when you're tired of everything else on the radio.

Compared to WQXR, or even WRR-FM (which lives under constant threat of one Dallas mayor/city council vote to sell off the station from the City of Dallas to a commerical conglomerate, which of course would automatically change the format to An Even Better Mix Of The Same Crap Everyone Else Is Playing), KING-FM will survive intact for decades to come. It's the only classical music station in America that can make that claim.

It's sad, but someday it could very well be the very last independent classical music radio station remaining in America........
 
That claim it will be forever classical is true as long as it is owned by the trust. Should the trust sell the station (and it HAS had offers to do so) all bets are off!
 
LITTLEBOYBLUE said:
That claim it will be forever classical is true as long as it is owned by the trust. Should the trust sell the station (and it HAS had offers to do so) all bets are off!
Click to expand...

A similar situation is Pacifica's KPFA (94.1 FM) in San Francisco and WBAI (99.5 FM) New York. Those are Pacifica's only stations on the commercial FM band and are co-flagships of the network. Pacifica has had many offers since the 60s to sell both of those stations and has always refused to do so. Pacifica is not about profit, they're about a cause. Pacifica has maintained control of those two valuable pieces of FM real estate despite having trouble paying their bills.

IMHO, the trust that owns KING sounds quite similar. :)
 
I used to work in the KING-TV building, although not owned by the TV owner (ProJo then Belo) I always loved seeing the KING-FM studio there. It was great to hear the station and occasionally visit with the professionals who worked at KING-FM. Is the radio station still in the KING-TV building?
 
 
With all these services, KING is King:
KING-FM (FM, HD1, and on line)
The Evergreen Channel (HD2 and on line)
The Seattle Arts Channel (HD3 and on line))
Symphonic Favorites (on line only)
The Seattle Opera Channel (on line only)
 
ai4i said:
With all these services, KING is King:
KING-FM (FM, HD1, and on line)
The Evergreen Channel (HD2 and on line)
The Seattle Arts Channel (HD3 and on line))
Symphonic Favorites (on line only)
The Seattle Opera Channel (on line only)
Click to expand...

No wonder KING is King! No other classical station in any market has such an array of music services! Seattleites, be grateful you have such a jewel of a fine arts station! :)
 
radioguy39nj said:
No wonder KING is King! No other classical station in any market has such an array of music services! Seattleites, be grateful you have such a jewel of a fine arts station! :)
Click to expand...

Uh - we are, and have been - for decades now. But thanks for the admonishment, NJ dude.

Oh, and it wasn't KING-FM's idea to end the JSA early. From: http://www.radio-info.com/newsletter/html/tri-05112011.html:

"...#2 is "The wind-down of the KING-FM Joint Sales Agreement", which the company says was a money-loser that it ended early, on May 1. Clipping the deal early cost it some one-time money, but CEO Brown says it was worth it – “This has not been a profitable venture for the company, since I’ve been here…I’m very much looking forward to operating this radio division without the drain on cash flow.” Fisher took over ad sales for commercial-classical KING-FM (98.1) in 2002, after Entercom gave up the job. Last year KING-FM (already run by a non-profit) announced it would be switching to a non-commercial business model in mid-2011, and you wonder if Fisher terminating the JSA early is one reason KING accelerated its conversion date. Fisher says the KING deal might’ve cost it $1 million a year in cash flow.
 
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