I was in the Fort Collins area today, and I noticed that 97.3 was referencing 103.5 on RDS, and 103.5 had the slogan "World Class Rock". Is there a format flip coming, or nah? Also, yes, that means I have a lengthy Bandscan coming out.
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KRFX simulcasting KBCO?
- Thread starter ZantennaG1
- Start date
JeeperOne
Banned
Not surprising since the average age of listeners who grew up with what we call Classic Rock today is somewhere around 55+
This would make the birth year of said listeners somewhere around 1967
My point? The listener population of Classic Rock is SHRINKING
Add to the fact that Boulder (Which is KBCO's COL even to this day) was ahead of the rest of the state with its Preogressive values (And admittredly it's oddball culture thnat was the Pearl Street Mall) back then, listeners of what we know today to be Classic Rock were drawn to that (And ultimately KBCO. who's history as an Alternative Rocker on 97.3 goes back to the days of Barry Fey (Who MANY credit as having put KBCO on the map with his concert promotions (Don't ask me how this connection was made. There's NOTHING in Wikipedia that references))
The history of 103.5 goes back to being known as KOA-FM (Later KOAQ during the Q103 days). Problem is their formats BEFORE Classic Rock were...
MOR (Along with KOA 850 after it acquired the CBS Radio affiliation when KLZ 560 dropped the network after flipping to MOR)
Beautiful Music (After the simulcast with KOA 850 ended)
Top 40 AC (In the 1970s)
And simulcasting KBCO solves nothing
This only leaves four choices for iHeartMedia to go with 103.5
1). Move KWBL from 106.7 to 103,5 (Problem with this is while 103.5 gives KWBL a bigger stick to play with, it would have to go up against MAMMOTH KYGO on 98.5)
2). Flip 103.5 to Classic Hits (Problem with that is it would be up against Audacy's KQMT 99.5 (Which is programmed more like a Classic Rocker than a traditional Classic Hits station (which is what KSE's KXKL 105.1 is)
3). Flip 103.5 to AC & bring back the old KOAQ call letters (Problem with that is is puts them up against MAMMOTH KOSI 101.1 (Directly) & KIMN 100.3 & KALC 105.9 (Indirectly))
Perhaps THE BEST solution of ALL would be this....
4). Use 103.5 tp give KBPI a better home than it has on 107.9 (I say this because 107.9 are a pair of PEASHOOTERS North & South of Denver but in Denver itself, the Trimulcast can BARELY be heard. 103.5 would change this as while KBPI can still exist on 107.9 to fill the gaps not covered by 103.5 & KBPL can still exist on 107.9 to cover the South, moving KBPI to 103.5 to cover Denver would do A MUCH BETTER job than KBPI up in Ft. Collins would (Ft. Collins stations have never done very well in Denver since AC outlet KTRI left the air on 102.5)
Am I crazy for thinking this?? Am I reading too much into this apparent simulcast or could there REALLY BE a change in the offing involving 103.5??
This would make the birth year of said listeners somewhere around 1967
My point? The listener population of Classic Rock is SHRINKING
Add to the fact that Boulder (Which is KBCO's COL even to this day) was ahead of the rest of the state with its Preogressive values (And admittredly it's oddball culture thnat was the Pearl Street Mall) back then, listeners of what we know today to be Classic Rock were drawn to that (And ultimately KBCO. who's history as an Alternative Rocker on 97.3 goes back to the days of Barry Fey (Who MANY credit as having put KBCO on the map with his concert promotions (Don't ask me how this connection was made. There's NOTHING in Wikipedia that references))
The history of 103.5 goes back to being known as KOA-FM (Later KOAQ during the Q103 days). Problem is their formats BEFORE Classic Rock were...
MOR (Along with KOA 850 after it acquired the CBS Radio affiliation when KLZ 560 dropped the network after flipping to MOR)
Beautiful Music (After the simulcast with KOA 850 ended)
Top 40 AC (In the 1970s)
And simulcasting KBCO solves nothing
This only leaves four choices for iHeartMedia to go with 103.5
1). Move KWBL from 106.7 to 103,5 (Problem with this is while 103.5 gives KWBL a bigger stick to play with, it would have to go up against MAMMOTH KYGO on 98.5)
2). Flip 103.5 to Classic Hits (Problem with that is it would be up against Audacy's KQMT 99.5 (Which is programmed more like a Classic Rocker than a traditional Classic Hits station (which is what KSE's KXKL 105.1 is)
3). Flip 103.5 to AC & bring back the old KOAQ call letters (Problem with that is is puts them up against MAMMOTH KOSI 101.1 (Directly) & KIMN 100.3 & KALC 105.9 (Indirectly))
Perhaps THE BEST solution of ALL would be this....
4). Use 103.5 tp give KBPI a better home than it has on 107.9 (I say this because 107.9 are a pair of PEASHOOTERS North & South of Denver but in Denver itself, the Trimulcast can BARELY be heard. 103.5 would change this as while KBPI can still exist on 107.9 to fill the gaps not covered by 103.5 & KBPL can still exist on 107.9 to cover the South, moving KBPI to 103.5 to cover Denver would do A MUCH BETTER job than KBPI up in Ft. Collins would (Ft. Collins stations have never done very well in Denver since AC outlet KTRI left the air on 102.5)
Am I crazy for thinking this?? Am I reading too much into this apparent simulcast or could there REALLY BE a change in the offing involving 103.5??
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Thank you for the response, and I think it could be plausible, considering that IHM always had that problem with KBPI. I still don't know why they would axe a station that was pulling in consistently better ratings than the station that is replacing it, except for the reasons you mentioned below about aging out.
I would really hope to see 106.7 take on a 70s/80s/90s format (so sort of a Soft AC/Classic Hits combo like what the Breeze was) whilst KWBL goes to 93.3 (thus placing it far away from KYGO), KTCL (Alternative) takes over 103.5, and KBCO becomes KBPI/KBPL on 97.3. However that might be wishful thinking on my part!
Again, thanks for the response!
Ouch. Ironically, a Classic Rock lovin' family member was, in fact, born in 1967. However, it's worth noting that he'll likely be in the workforce for another 5 to 10 years, and so they might be able to squeeze out a few more sales out of his generation, but I do see what you mean.
Yep. Hopefully, unlike the previous oldies format, the more active style of CLR will attract a younger audience who expects more action in their music.
Agreed
Thanks, I actually didn't realize KLZ was anything other than a talk station, and that KOA was on 103.5!
Respectfully, isn't 106.7 taller and has less nulls in the signal than 103.5? Also, what would go on 106.7? Otherwise, agreed that KYGO is quite fierce competition.
Intriguing, but as you said, putting a new format up against tried and true stations is generally trouble. Then again, IHM doesn't have a true Classic Hits station in Denver, so they might salivate at that line of thought.
As an aside, KDHT 95.7 has proven that bringing back an old callsign might help re-establish some of that audience. By saying AC, you do want to operate a mixed playlist from similar to that of KOSI, right?
Agreed, this is a really awesome solution!
You are not crazy for thinking a change is on the way. IHM has done some stuff lately that's been borderline insane.
I would really hope to see 106.7 take on a 70s/80s/90s format (so sort of a Soft AC/Classic Hits combo like what the Breeze was) whilst KWBL goes to 93.3 (thus placing it far away from KYGO), KTCL (Alternative) takes over 103.5, and KBCO becomes KBPI/KBPL on 97.3. However that might be wishful thinking on my part!
Again, thanks for the response!
@JeeperOne How likely would a Jack FM comeback be, if they tried 103.5? We all know that KJAC used to have one, but they don't anymore, so is this on the table? Problem is, most Jack-FM affiliates are under the Audacy brand, but I thought Jack could broker out to different brands and stations?
Jack in both Seattle and St. Louis belong to IHeart.
Awesome!
It would be wrong to assume the audience for classic rock is shrinking. I've read on several occasions now that young people are "rediscovering" older music and liking it. The reason? In general, new music is just not that good (with a few exceptions). It has to do with the way new music is produced because of the state of the music industry. Rather than record companies putting a lot of time and money into artists to help develop them after they were discovered in a club, they are finding the ones that are getting the most attention on TicTok. In MANY cases this does not mean the most talented. It just means they got the most clicks for any number of reasons. Also the amount of content put out there is way more than ever before, which makes it hard to filter out the bad and find the good new stuff. If you get time check out a guy on YouTube named Rick Beato. He knows a lot about the music business and he loves to rant about the current state of the industry, and can explain way better than me about why older music is so much better.
www.theatlantic.com
Is Old Music Killing New Music?
Old songs now represent 70 percent of the U.S. music market. Even worse: The new-music market is actually shrinking.
St. Louis? You mean Baltimore?
No. Likely an RDS error to be fixed.
No reason to try to put logic here. iHeart regularly cross promotes its stations. The OP probably just heard or saw part of that and others turn it into a baseless conspiracy theory. Much like most of the internet.
In my case, it was an RDS grab, but the cross-promotion thing sounds plausible to me.
JeeperOne
Banned
It's ratings suicide to take on KYGO, KOSI & KXJK to begin with so what good would it do to keep KWBL on the air when JBPI doesn't even have a decent home??
THE ONLY reason why KQMT is able to stay competitive against KXKL us because it has more of a Classic Rocker sound to it, KWBL wouldn't have such a derivative sound going for it
JeeperOne
Banned
That is about as likely as "Ralph" coming back (Remember THAT station??)
Agreed. Who is KXJK, is that 96.5 FM?
I do remember that KBPI used to be on 106.7, but I don't quite get why KWBL has to go away here. They are a good preformer in the Denver market, and despite KYGO, it has held its own quite well.
People only really seem to respond to two types of country: New Country (KWBL), and classical country. Sure, there are other types out there, such as bluegrass, and "pop-country", but if you want guranteed ratings, it's either Luke Combs or Johnny Cash.
Rock, on the other hand, has evolved into several successful formats as well as generations/decades. It certainly helps that KQMT is a classic rocker, KBPI is an "active" rocker, KTCL is an alternative rocker, KBCO is alternative/international rocker, and KXKL is more of a pop-based classic Hits station, but you can only get so far on a format.
KQMT and KRFX is the exact same format, so one would need an edge over the other. For example, KQMT is ran by Audacy, which runs the "two-minute promise" on all of their stations, plus KQMT is home to the double play weekend. Meanwhile, KRFX is currently running the "$1,000 Casholine To Avoid Tankruptcy" promotion, and the morning show has the "Joke of the Day". In addition, KRFX frequently gets involved in the Broncos. As we can see here, both of these stations have something extra to offer. Also, KXKL has their own stuff, such as the 80's prime time at 7, the Nine 90's at 9, and the 80's party weekend, plus the "KOOL concert giveaway".
I don't think format is the end-all-be-all, but having the right format helps. Classic Hits/Rock caters to the largest generation that has been seen in the US, but radio is about the connection with the listener.
I barley remember Ralph, but he did good for the Nuggets. By the way, Mile High Sports moved from 1340/104.7 to 98.1.
Ralph was the AM station to Alice. So it was Ralph and Alice (like the Honeymooners).
Because someone got an incorrect message from RDS, we are now speculating that KRFX may be flipping formats? It's #7 in the latest ratings. Classic Rock is NOT in danger of falling out of the 25-54 demo. Over time, most 1960s titles have been deleted and newer CR artists have been added to the format.
Classic Rock is not subject to the same age concerns as other formats. In the 1970s, 80s and 90s, Album Rock stations played only a few current and recent songs per hour. These stations aired tracks from the biggest selling albums of the rock era. Meanwhile, Top 40, Country, Urban and Latino formats played current hits almost exclusively. If you listened to those stations, you rarely heard anything more than a couple of years old.
Not so with Album Rock. You heard plenty of songs recorded years earlier, maybe before you were born. And today, people in their 30s, 40s and 50s are tuned to Classic Rock stations with no concern that Led Zeppelin, The Eagles, Fleetwood Mac or Van Halen are too old. This may change eventually but not for the foreseeable future.
Classic Rock is not subject to the same age concerns as other formats. In the 1970s, 80s and 90s, Album Rock stations played only a few current and recent songs per hour. These stations aired tracks from the biggest selling albums of the rock era. Meanwhile, Top 40, Country, Urban and Latino formats played current hits almost exclusively. If you listened to those stations, you rarely heard anything more than a couple of years old.
Not so with Album Rock. You heard plenty of songs recorded years earlier, maybe before you were born. And today, people in their 30s, 40s and 50s are tuned to Classic Rock stations with no concern that Led Zeppelin, The Eagles, Fleetwood Mac or Van Halen are too old. This may change eventually but not for the foreseeable future.
There are subtle but noticeable differences between KQMT and KRFX.
KRFX, for example, plays quite a bit of Metallica. It even plays the Offspring and Rob Zombie. They seem to be throwing a bone to the crowd who used to listen to KBPI but can no longer do so given its severe signal downgrade.
KRFX, for example, plays quite a bit of Metallica. It even plays the Offspring and Rob Zombie. They seem to be throwing a bone to the crowd who used to listen to KBPI but can no longer do so given its severe signal downgrade.
I corrected the statement about Spanish language format previously, but will say it again. Because stations that play Spanish language hits in any format... traditional CHR, Churban, AC, Regional Mexican or tropical / salsa generally rotate quite a bit slower than English language current hits based formats, they play a lot more gold and go back a lot farther.
I mentioned that current based regional Mexican stations in markets in the Southwest will go back to the 80's and 90's for some gold. Reggaetón /Churban stations will go back 10 and even 20 years for some "anthems" that they play.
Of course, Top 40 got its name because such stations only played 30 to 40 total songs "back in the day" and still generally play less than 90 including recurrents. That is the definition of the format.
Classic Rock is where all the '90's grunge is now. But I truly think this is also the last viable generation of Classic Rock. After grunge, there was hip-hop influenced nu-metal and I think the line gets drawn right about there. Because most of that music never aged well. Even with it's own fans (and don't even get me started on some of the bands.)
KLZ was once a Z-Rock hair metal network affiliate around 1990.
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