KNBQ

[Seattleradiodude]

With KMPS as the leader in seattle in the overall ratings for many books now.

And the Wolf not far behind,

Why is it that KNBQ it down there with The Monkey in ratings(CC Group)? Is it their distance from Seattle? Because they have the south sound covered better than anyone (in the country format).

They clearly dont throw too much into air talent, with a syndicate morning show and nothing in the evenings.
Could they make a comeback in the new year?

 

[jdweaver]

Dude. In real estate it's location, location, location. In radio it's signal, signal, signal. KAYO did a fabulous job doing country in the South end till Bustos flipped it Spanish, but even with a great live team, well conceived promotions and good billing, they never broke a 2.0 12+ share because they simply couldn't cover the entire market.

KCMS was a 2.0 share station till they moved to Tiger Mountain (or was it Cougar?) and got full market coverage. They now consistently are doing 3.5-4.5 shares 12+. Gotta have signal to play with the big boys - and if you don't have the flame thrower signal, do a great job focused elsewhere (as KAYO did). Clear Channel would probably love to sell KNBQ. It really doesn't fit their major market model these days.

 

[LITTLEBOYBLUE]

Clear Channel would probably love to sell KNBQ. It really doesn't fit their major market model these days.

Could always flip it to oldies that ORIGINATED in the south sound (where the signal is strong).
- Ventures
- Fleetwoods
uh....that may be it (but a helluva niche format).

 

[radioplayer]

......KCMS was a 2.0 share station till they moved to Tiger Mountain (or was it Cougar?) and got full market coverage. They now consistently are doing 3.5-4.5 shares 12+. Gotta have signal to play with the big boys - and if you don't have the flame thrower signal, do a great job focused elsewhere (as KAYO did). Clear Channel would probably love to sell KNBQ. It really doesn't fit their major market model these days.

KMCS moved from their Edmonds site to Cougar mountain a few years back (3 yrs ago I think) In their case, the Edmonds duel AM/FM-antenna combo (ants on the same stick) in addition to the rather low elevation of the Shoreline campus, didn't help their FM coverage for much.

Bustos has a good transmit location but as you correctly pointed out, it's hard to play a Seattle area numbers game when you really don't cover that much of the Seattle metro.

As you also pointed out, I think that this station can make it good down in the south sound by sticking to something that works for the primary area it serves, not by trying to reach to the fringe audience. In this case, it's a nice dream but not practical given both the physics and the competition that you meet when you play with the big boys in the Metro.

 

[djdan]

Tough to win with a 60% market signal. You have to live local/direct business. Makes you
wonder why more stations like KNBQ don't try and become Olympia or Tacoma stations and super
focus local/direct. I remember as a south-end teen that KNBQ was THE station. It only served
CHR in the south, but did pretty good business. It later moved north and became KBSG I think.

 

[SeattleRadioPro]

Makes you wonder why more stations like KNBQ don't try and become Olympia or Tacoma stations and super
focus local/direct.

Wow, Dan, I'm really surprised at you. Clearly you don't know there are a few stations already that. Like KXXO, KGY and KRXY. So there's not a lot of that local/direct business left to go around. CC at one time did have its sales office in Tacoma, but eventually moved it to Elliot Ave., probably because they could do better NOT being south-sound-local-account focused.

I remember as a south-end teen that KNBQ was THE station. It only served
CHR in the south, but did pretty good business. It later moved north and became KBSG I think.

You're absolutely correct. The only thing that KNBQ and today's station have in common are the call letters.

 

[LITTLEBOYBLUE]

I remember as a south-end teen that KNBQ was THE station. It only served
CHR in the south, but did pretty good business. It later moved north and became KBSG I think.

You're absolutely correct. The only thing that KNBQ and today's station have in common are the call letters.

Probably way more than you guys care...but sequence was:

KTNT-FM (97.3) was owned by News Tribune along with KTNT-AM (1400) and KTNT-TV (Ch 11). TV & radio were together on the hill at 11th & Grant (facility today is a cell phone/paging central & business office).

TV was spun to Gaylord and became KSTW.
Calls changed on the FM to KNBQ so it could distance from the AM & reinvent itself. Mostly automated until around 1980, when they made a run as a regional CHR. Meanwhile, the stick moved North so they could have Seattle coverage.

Then sold to Viacom...morphed from CHR to Oldies (K-Best) around the time CHR's were dying (KPLZ and KUBE strugging with crap music product, KNBQ and KHIT both gave up on the format) ... KBSG moved to Met Park (the building where Entercom is NOT [across the street] ... penthouse above Group Health offices). Later sold to Entercom...and moved to Eastlake when Entercom acquired KIRO's AM & FM from Bonneville (to consolidate and because the other Entercom offices were too small to handle all). Final chapter was LMA/Sale to Bonneville.

 

[notalent]

KNBQ still has a sales office and studio in Tacoma. That sales team sells local direct for KFNK and KHHO also.

Bussman does his show from the Tacoma studio every day.

 

[Seattleradiodude]

Its a little bit better than 60% for signal, but i know what your sayin
However i get it in HD north of seattle, so its not a lost cause

As far a programing, i know CC moved KFNK to full time seattle office(which was smart)
and KHHO is a joint venture between the two.

Busman is live. Is Tracy Taylor?