• Get involved.
    We want your input!
    Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.

    After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
    If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.

    After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
    https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/

    Thanks in advance and have fun!
    RadioDiscussions Administrators

KWVN The Vine Gone!

C

crainbebo

I was not extremely pleased to hear a mention of "107.7 Hot FM" and hear CHR and rap on 107.7 this afternoon. The Vine, which was a satellite-fed adult hits format "Simply About Music", is no more in the Tri-Cities. What were they thinking? I enjoyed the format as I heard some rare rock and pop from the 80s and 90s on there.
Here we have a market that has no more than 200,000 people, in total, with 3 small-playlist CHRs duking it out. KOLW, KUJ, and now KWVN. Someone is going to lose in this, and it's either going to be Hot FM (after 6 months) or KOLW (also Hot, what?). KUJ Power 99.1 has had (mostly) the biggest shares and audience in the Tri-Cities for CHR. Expect another format change soon in the Tri-Cities, but for now, KKMX-104.3 Tri City OR and KPPK-98.3 Rainier, OR both stream the Simply About Music adult hits format online.
KKMX is at: http://v6.player.abacast.net/1056
KPPK is at: http://v6.player.abacast.net/1563

-crainbebo
 
NO ACs at all in Yakima. I know - we haven't had an AC in over 4 years, since KQMY-99.3 flipped to a simulcast of News/Talk 1280 KIT.
I mostly listen to a static filled to fair/good KONA 105.3 for AC, 75 miles away in Pasco.
There's also KQFM 100.1 in Hermiston (which relays Westwood One AC, the same stuff you hear all day after 10AM on KSWW) and the signal can be OK for a while, but then it fades and comes back. 80-85 miles.
The Seattle stations only make it about once every hour and very weakly. 96.1 is blocked by KLKY but I can find one little spot at my apartment that gets KXXO very weakly.

And I was wrong, there are a total of 4 CHRs in Tri-Cities...alone! KUJ, KWVN, KOLW and 101.9 KZIU (ex-Broadcast Architecture smooth jazz, now heard on KWDR 93.5 Royal City) All 4 fighting for a little chunk of audience in SE WA/NE OR. Talk about no variety! Like I said, I predict within the year someone will lose, maybe KZIU, maybe KOLW. And then maybe the Tri-Cities can get adult hits back on the radio without having to travel to Walla Walla and listen to the 250w 106.9 that has Bob FM from KZIU's HD-2.

-crainbebo
 
Last edited:
crainbebo said:
The Seattle stations only make it about once every hour and very weakly. 96.1 is blocked by KLKY but I can find one little spot at my apartment that gets KXXO very weakly.


-crainbebo
Click to expand...

That is pretty surprising! I would think that you would have a better shot at picking up the Spokane stations on tropo before picking up Seattle area stations.
 
Obviously they're duking it out over those younger demos. Are there a lot more young people over there in the Lower Yakima Valley? :)

Is KUJ considered part of the Tri-Cities market, or is Walla Walla a separate radio market?
 
KUJ, like all the others, are part of a whole market - Tri Cities/Walla Walla/Northeastern Oregon, I believe.
There is quite a bit of young people out here...Yakima itself is less than 100000 and has a rhythmic station (KHHK) and a top 40 (KFFM). But in the lower valley, especially east of Sunnyside, there's now up to SIX CHR/Rhythmic choices in the area. At least the Vine (while it was on) was an escape from CHR. They played lots of 70s/80s songs that KJAQ (or KRSE pre-Hawk) wouldn't touch with a 10 foot pole.

That said spot that gets KXXO did not get it at all when they were 4000w in Tenino. In general, KXXO lost 10s of thousands of potential listeners being at that site... as KXXO was even weak in Auburn and Kent, where it used to boom in. Now back at Rooster Rock, KXXO can be heard once again all around the Puget Sound area, to the ocean beaches, and beyond.

-crainbebo
 
Is this a sign radio is indeed dying anything outside of Hispanic, Country or CHR in Tri-Cities? The industry has bled so many listeners that only the most dominant formats are profitable now? I miss the days in TC where many of the stations all had their own niches and there were choices.

The Oasis was a miserable flop, not because AAA is bad. I think it could work in TC if closer to the KPND model rather than just trying to be a little older skewing commercial version of KTCV. Oh yes, and an ownership who had a concept outside of hyper tested tight jockless playlists. I'm amazed it lasted 10 months honestly.

I was in Pendleton some years ago. Capps was pretty committed to The Vine. Obviously, the move is for a local Pendleson CHR instead of one piping in from Tri-Cities and that will give them better sales locally for them. Although, Crainbebo you count KWVN as a Tri-Cities properity and yes, it is receivable, but is in some ways it is a rimshot. Capps though, doesn't view it as a Tri-Cities signal. Unless, they change that with the CHR move, but I doubt it. The only property of theirs that they somewhat market in TC is K-Wheat. Other than that, they don't do much in TC.
 
Last edited:
Yes, the Oasis flipped to "Oz 100" classic rock. Tri-Cities is bland outside of KONA and KZIU Hank FM. I can't get the low power K272ED "Smooth Jazz 102.3" here, or KTCV (blotted out by local KYTR, and in the lower valley by KAYB).
If there wasn't KMGW Mega 99.3 (Rhythmic Oldies) in Yakima, this market would be bland as well. Maybe KYNR/1490 would pass. It's all about the $$$ in radio nowadays, the more en Espanol and country, the better!
 
Mostly yes, sadly. Luckily, I landed on my feet and work at KEWU on the EWU campus in Cheney. I do the blues programming. My PD gives me full creative control. Pretty sweet deal on a 10kw FM with a substantial coverage area. Show is doing the best it has in years as well. Listenership is way up too.

Five hours of full-on blues programming a beast to program though, but I wouldn't trade it for the world.

I never expected to be back in radio. Funny how it creeps into your life when you least expect it.


crainbebo said:
Yes, the Oasis flipped to "Oz 100" classic rock. Tri-Cities is bland outside of KONA and KZIU Hank FM. I can't get the low power K272ED "Smooth Jazz 102.3" here, or KTCV (blotted out by local KYTR, and in the lower valley by KAYB).
If there wasn't KMGW Mega 99.3 (Rhythmic Oldies) in Yakima, this market would be bland as well. Maybe KYNR/1490 would pass. It's all about the $$$ in radio nowadays, the more en Espanol and country, the better!
Click to expand...
 
I enjoyed listening to KPLU (now KNKX's) All Blues show on Saturday nights. John Kessler has worked at 88.5 for close to 20 years. Glad to hear of the support!
 
Yeah, the former KPLU has had the fortune of stability. KEWU operates differently with student staff so there is a higher turnover. That may be changing though in terms of the blues. :)

As for me, with the full creative control of the blues programming I moved it fully away from the rockblues, rock and non-blues stuff that had found it's way onto the show. Now it's a full on BLUES show celebrating the founders, legends and modern players who keep it real. Very much on the traditional acoustic and electric sides with artists that don't get played anywhere else in the market.

I was always for establishing your own niche if you can find financial support for it. In this case, I made a case to my boss that foundational and legends in the blues you can NEVER go wrong with and those who like public radio will know that we're doing something unique and there will be a decent chance at financial support. (Spinning a 1930s Son House Paramount hasn't been done in this market for YEARS) As for the rockblues audience, they will just as flip to a classic rock station if they don't like what we're playing. They are transitory and not real devotees of public radio support. I did use the former KPLU as an example of stability and that owning a true blues sound is the way forward. Not rock, not contemporary rock crossover stuff... We didn't stand out. Now we do. Now the trick is if it is supportable for the long haul. Already have some underwriting so it's promising.

There are a few contemporary blues (rock) shows in the market. We OWN the traditional acoustic and electric. Already in a year got a nomination for best blues programming. Going up, up, up. Funny thing is, this type of blues has been buried and overshadowed by commericalized rock and contemporary blues, some people argue with me it's not blues, 3 generations have been taught rock stuff is blues.

Overall the feedback has been tremendous though aside from a few not understanding why I won't play ZZ Top. lol

Podcasting too... @
https://www.facebook.com/TheFridayNightBluesShowKEWU89.5/

Cheers.
SS

crainbebo said:
I enjoyed listening to KPLU (now KNKX's) All Blues show on Saturday nights. John Kessler has worked at 88.5 for close to 20 years. Glad to hear of the support!
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom