KXGJ simulcasting KSBJ

[rbrucecarter5]

I will say this, if the NGEN gets to cover Houston, it will be KSBJ's listeners that make it happen, not the NGEN listener.

I find that ironic. The NGEN listeners WERE - or would have been - the original contributors to KSBJ. KSBJ was supposed to be the station for kids - NEVER to sell out. A lot of us put a LOT of money into KSBJ, an investment for our kids, and something we could enjoy ourselves. We believed in Buddy Holiday and his vision for the station. He - and us - the original investors - have been betrayed. It is almost like Bill Gothard or somebody came in and "sanitized" the station of every bit of creativity, life, joy, excitement, etc. What was left after Buddy Holiday was cruelly walked out of the station he founded is lukewarm praise and worship, and I just want to spew it out when I hear it. It is Christian Delilah - 24/7. And the problem is - KSBJ is influential enough nationwide they helped to drive the praise and worship stuff everywhere. It is no wonder Christian radio nationwide is totally irrelevant to kids and young adults. It is spiritual medicine for the already saved soccer mom - safe enough to make money. But its not about the money. It is supposed to be about reaching people, something Christian radio for the most part has lost sight of.

Back in the 80's, there was KHCB which had hymns and preachers with doubtful qualifications pretending they knew something about CCM, and being incorrect most of the time. There was KGOL, with plenty of watered down AC CCM. Then there was a true innovator - KSBJ. The music was fun, exciting, reaching young people, sponsoring concerts for them, etc. I thank God that they have caught something of Buddy Holiday's original mission again with NGEN. But those of us who remember the original KSBJ are united in our conviction that KSBJ should BE NGEN, should have always been NGEN. And the praise and worship 4:4 plodding boring stuff should GO AWAY! It doesn't minister to anybody I know, and I'm in a really huge church everybody has heard of. Everybody in it goes out to their car and listens to secular, because there is NOTHING on the dial for Christians to listen to. And I've been in a couple of the biggest churches in town, it is the same story regardless of denomination or preacher. Nobody listens to Christian radio that I can find because it is BOR-RING. NGEN can't come on the air fast enough as far as I am concerned.

 

[Mediafrog+]

NGEN can't come on the air fast enough as far as I am concerned.

I'll be curious to see if NGEN on the 99.5 Sugar Land translator makes an impact in the Arbitrons. Although the Radio-Locator coverage map for K258BZ is way too generous, the signal still covers a significant chunk of Houston real estate, including many neighborhoods that would seem to be the perfect demographic fit.

My wife and I listened to NGEN while traveling through Brenham recently (via the 99.7 translator there) and the music and presentation is most definitely different from the main KSBJ programming.

Of course if NGEN does make an impact, it might encourage some other broadcaster to try the format on a more powerful signal. Future of one of the Cumulus operated rimshots?

 

[ChuckTiller]

It was good to hear Zoe Bonet filling in last night on KSBJ.

 

[Fieldtech1]

Nobody listens to Christian radio that I can find because it is BOR-RING.

OK and KSBJ is ranked 2nd in the 6+ PPMs because..............

On an inferior signal to the Missourri City stations I might add.

 

[rbrucecarter5]

Nobody listens to Christian radio that I can find because it is BOR-RING.

OK and KSBJ is ranked 2nd in the 6+ PPMs because..............

On an inferior signal to the Missourri City stations I might add.

NO idea --- I go to Lakewood, nobody I meet there ever listens. There were a lot of 92.1 gospel listeners. Now I don't know what they are listening to. Nothing plays in the buses now. I've been to Second Baptist before Lakewood, several other Houston mega churches, once in a great while I see a "God Listens" bumper sticker somewhere in the parking lot. But the kids are listening to KRBE, KBXX, and KKHH. Occasionally a country fan listening to KKBQ and KILT. Even really strong Christian kids and adults. I go to people's houses, KSBJ isn't playing - something secular is. These are Christian home group Bible Studies and fellowships. They shut secular stations down during Bible study, but background music one place is KODA. Another is satellite 50's. Who is listening to KSBJ? I've got no idea - its a big mystery to me when what would seem to be its target audience isn't listening, and I know a lot of people. KSBJ isn't on anybody's radar. I asked around one 2nd Baptist Sunday School class - a 50 something two years ago knew about NGEN and was anxiously awaiting it - even knew all about HD radio, but he listened to secular sports radio until it came on the air.

I contrast that to the days of Buddy Holiday's KSBJ - First Baptist let him come and do a presentation, the whole church it seemed was enthusiastically behind him. Big checks being written to get the station running, including mine. I feel like a prize chump now - KSBJ now isn't what I paid good money for! I haven't seen one KSBJ flyer or ad. But I did find a poorly written "bring WAY-FM to Houston" petition on the floor with about 100 signatures. I rescued it and turned it in at the information desk.

I call it creeping dissatisfaction. The overall pot of listeners for radio is shrinking due to availability of satellite, streaming, etc. Over the course of many years, the overall audience has shrunk. So that number 2 in the ratings now would have been a dismal rating 20 years ago. Now that KSBJ has sold out - wimped out on the music - if the KGOL of 30 years ago was still on the air, they would be kicking KSBJ's butt in the ratings because even their AC CCM was much better than praise and worship on KSBJ. Soccer mom Christians I guess form a large rating in a much smaller pool of remaining radio listeners.

I've been listening to WPOZ HD-2 hip-hop stream all afternoon, and probably will hook it up to the iPhone dock in the car on the way home. I've done the same with NGEN and WPOZ rock. If you want something creative these days, you are stuck streaming. Want some lukewarm, safe, non-controversial praise and worship cr@p, you can get it over the air on KSBJ. NGEN over the air in July would be much easier, but I'm living and working in the North part of Harris county where NGEN won't be on the air easily.

 

[xmusicmatt]

Thing is.. I don't think KSBJ's target is exactly to preach to the youth (even though they do have some listeners there).. KSBJ is the equiv of the Mainstream Soft AC station targeting 25-44 year old females..

Even other stations have went softer.. Way FM Network in Nashville leans AC...

Youth targeted programming is a tough sell.. It's been tried in multiple places (reminded of the Sturgeon Bay's 50kw WRGX that changed to a different format when the support for Rock wasn't there) and stations like WNAZ and KOKF that have sold to other broadcasters.

 

[rbrucecarter5]

Youth targeted programming is a tough sell.. It's been tried in multiple places (reminded of the Sturgeon Bay's 50kw WRGX that changed to a different format when the support for Rock wasn't there) and stations like WNAZ and KOKF that have sold to other broadcasters.

It worked in Houston - before somebody wrecked KSBJ. It works in Dallas on KVRK, Radio-U, Air-one, they work. WAY-FM in Denver trends CHR, so do some of the other WAY-FMs. There is just this pervasive feeling that younger oriented Christian radio doesn't generate support. KOKF was more of a hostile takeover. So was WCIE and some other Hot-AC and CHRs I know of.

 

[xmusicmatt]

It worked in Houston - before somebody wrecked KSBJ. It works in Dallas on KVRK, Radio-U, Air-one, they work. WAY-FM in Denver trends CHR, so do some of the other WAY-FMs. There is just this pervasive feeling that younger oriented Christian radio doesn't generate support. KOKF was more of a hostile takeover. So was WCIE and some other Hot-AC and CHRs I know of.

Air1 would not be as big as it is today if it wasn't for EMF buying them up many years ago... While they do have their own budget one could argue that EMF's ownership of also KLove helps some on the bottom line (studios, up-link, back-end costs etc.)

I like what KVRK is doing however look at the ratings (.02 in Feb - the last book that Arbs listed non subscribers pubically) [That same book KLTY pulled a 4.3] -- One could say more listen to the "Christian AC" than the "youth hip rocker" and I am sure that $$$ wise KVRK is run on a very slim budget (when i've listened it's been automated jock less music).

KOKF wasn't a hostile take over.. The owners SOLD the station to EMF! [Nothing hostile about the owners 'giving up' and selling out.]

 

[xmusicmatt]

Speaking of KSBJ .. Radio Mag this month featured KSBJ's updated studios..

http://radiomagonline.com/infrastructure/facility_design/ksbj_rebuilds_and_launches_ngen_0601//index.html

 

[Mediafrog+]

We may be only a couple of weeks away from NGEN launching on the additional frequencies, including 99.5 in Sugar Land, as earlier announcements promoted a July launch. Might come right after the "Share-A-Thon" at the end of the month.

 

[rbrucecarter5]

We may be only a couple of weeks away from NGEN launching on the additional frequencies, including 99.5 in Sugar Land, as earlier announcements promoted a July launch. Might come right after the "Share-A-Thon" at the end of the month.

It looks like 99.5 will be good to about beltway 8 N and I-45 N. I'd sure like to see some more power on 99.5, but that is all we get I guess. It is what it is - Pioneer Supertuner 3D is the most sensitive car radio there is - I-45 and Beltway 8 North is where 99.5 starts mixing with distant signals. None of the other over the air signals are viable for North Houston.
When I get a chance, I'll try to see how far North it gets. I could kick myself, I was in Fairfield last night and didn't give 99.5 a try up there.

It will be exciting to have decent Christian radio on the air again - for the first time in decades in Houston.

 

[Mediafrog+]

Looks like this initially slipped by, but The Chronicle had an article about KSBJ the other day:

http://blog.chron.com/sportsmedia/2012/06/ksbj-makes-a-splash-across-fm-dial/

Mentions that the flip of some of the FM frequencies to NGEN will happen Tuesday July 3. A posting on the NGEN Facebook page also mentions the new frequencies hitting the air in two weeks.

 

[rbrucecarter5]

Looks like this initially slipped by, but The Chronicle had an article about KSBJ the other day:

http://blog.chron.com/sportsmedia/2012/06/ksbj-makes-a-splash-across-fm-dial/

Mentions that the flip of some of the FM frequencies to NGEN will happen Tuesday July 3. A posting on the NGEN Facebook page also mentions the new frequencies hitting the air in two weeks.

I love how the article said it isn't about money - its about the ministry, but a poster on here was adamant that they wouldn't want to put their big money format on a worse signal. And the new portable people meters rating system has KSBJ a dismal 16th in the ratings - maybe I've been right all along and all those soccer moms are a lot more fun than listening to stodgy, boring praise and worship music.

I was also interested in their comment that NGEN was aimed at 12-25 year olds. I reconnected with a couple of the original KSBJ fans, ones who - like me - contributed time and money to the effort to get the station on the air as a station for young people. Both of them listen to NGEN, not KSBJ. One of them, like me, streams WPOZ HD-2 and HD-3. Almost every Christian I know listens to secular, or doesn't even bother with turning on the radio. We are late 50's and early 60's - we love NGEN, too. A lot more than that boring praise and worship cr@p! Age has NOTHING to do with preference to musical style - once a rocker, always a rocker! I crank up NGEN through Dr. Dre's and in my car subwoofer!

I especially found it interesting that Tim McDermott thinks the demand for NGEN is mainly outside of Houston - well - where are there more young people and young professionals? In Houston or in small towns around Houston? Is he referring to Texas A&M? But the sum total of high school and college students in Houston far outnumbers the number of Texas A&M students.

NGEN should be on KSBJ, and the praise and worship stuff on the HD-2 and translators. But I'll slog through traffic with annoying static and dropouts on a deep fringe 99.5 until KSBJ finds a better frequency for NGEN.

 

[Fieldtech1]

There is a typo in that article, I dont know where the author got his cume and rank numbers, they were ranked 5th in the latest PPM 6+ ratings, I dont beleive Arbitron releases a 12+ number anymore since the advent of PPM.

 

[johndavis]

There is a typo in that article, I dont know where the author got his cume and rank numbers, they were ranked 5th in the latest PPM 6+ ratings, I dont beleive Arbitron releases a 12+ number anymore since the advent of PPM.

If you subscribe to the book, you can see Persons 12+. Arbitron just doesn't give those numbers away for free anymore.

Barron frequently quotes 25-54 numbers in his columns, so I suspect that the Chronicle subscribes. Otherwise, they couldn't print anything other than the 6+ subscribing stations.

 

[mrbeasley]

Looks like this initially slipped by, but The Chronicle had an article about KSBJ the other day:

http://blog.chron.com/sportsmedia/2012/06/ksbj-makes-a-splash-across-fm-dial/

Mentions that the flip of some of the FM frequencies to NGEN will happen Tuesday July 3. A posting on the NGEN Facebook page also mentions the new frequencies hitting the air in two weeks.

I love how the article said it isn't about money - its about the ministry, but a poster on here was adamant that they wouldn't want to put their big money format on a worse signal. And the new portable people meters rating system has KSBJ a dismal 16th in the ratings - maybe I've been right all along and all those soccer moms are a lot more fun than listening to stodgy, boring praise and worship music.

I was also interested in their comment that NGEN was aimed at 12-25 year olds. I reconnected with a couple of the original KSBJ fans, ones who - like me - contributed time and money to the effort to get the station on the air as a station for young people. Both of them listen to NGEN, not KSBJ. One of them, like me, streams WPOZ HD-2 and HD-3. Almost every Christian I know listens to secular, or doesn't even bother with turning on the radio. We are late 50's and early 60's - we love NGEN, too. A lot more than that boring praise and worship cr@p! Age has NOTHING to do with preference to musical style - once a rocker, always a rocker! I crank up NGEN through Dr. Dre's and in my car subwoofer!

I especially found it interesting that Tim McDermott thinks the demand for NGEN is mainly outside of Houston - well - where are there more young people and young professionals? In Houston or in small towns around Houston? Is he referring to Texas A&M? But the sum total of high school and college students in Houston far outnumbers the number of Texas A&M students.

NGEN should be on KSBJ, and the praise and worship stuff on the HD-2 and translators. But I'll slog through traffic with annoying static and dropouts on a deep fringe 99.5 until KSBJ finds a better frequency for NGEN.

Actually, most of that demographic group is out in the suburbs. So, it makes sense to have it on the outlying signals as opposed to the main signal. However, if you look at where KSBJ's main site is located, it's out in the suburbs, too.

 

[xmusicmatt]

I was also interested in their comment that NGEN was aimed at 12-25 year olds. I reconnected with a couple of the original KSBJ fans, ones who - like me - contributed time and money to the effort to get the station on the air as a station for young people. Both of them listen to NGEN, not KSBJ.

No matter how much you beat the bush on this one.. the target of NGEN is what it is .. 12-25.. and to be honest.. Your in the minority as an adult who favors that music over what other Christian AC's are doing... (your not their target anyways) .. AC's target the 25-45 year old female..

As someone who runs a internet radio station targeting 12-25... the $$$ support is just not there.. I have a lot of "younger" listeners and I don't see them lining up to send me $$$ to pay my bills to Sound Exchange, ASCAP/BMI/SEASC each month... or the bandwidth fees to stream. In fact... sadly most people I know that age are using things such as Spotify, Pandora to listen to "what they want when they want" .. they don't listen to radio (AM/FM or Internet) because they don't want to listen to songs they don't want to hear ...

KSBJ is successful at what they do.. and they do it very well.. and people DO like it.. even if you do not.

 

[rbrucecarter5]

I was also interested in their comment that NGEN was aimed at 12-25 year olds. I reconnected with a couple of the original KSBJ fans, ones who - like me - contributed time and money to the effort to get the station on the air as a station for young people. Both of them listen to NGEN, not KSBJ.

In fact... sadly most people I know that age are using things such as Spotify, Pandora to listen to "what they want when they want" .. they don't listen to radio (AM/FM or Internet) because they don't want to listen to songs they don't want to hear ...

KSBJ is successful at what they do.. and they do it very well.. and people DO like it.. even if you do not.

Do you read your own post? Could it possibly be that young people are listening to things other than radio because radio has nothing programmed to them? I think I have a legitimate bone to pick with KSBJ. Unlike the people there now, I was there at the beginning. I didn't donate good money for the present format. And the original KSBJ did just fine in the ratings 30 years ago. It generated a whole lot more excitement in churches than the present format does. I applaud them for putting NGEN over the air. It's about time they recognized their roots as the station that never supposed to "sell out".

These demographics are a bit too compartmentalized for my taste. People are individuals, not demographics. An 80 year old can be a hip hop fan as easily as a 12 year old can be a classical fan. People tend to dislike labels, whether it is a minority or a demographic. They tend to want to break out of these artificial labels and little boxes they are supposed to be in, sometimes very vocally. I am glad to be a 57 year old Christian rock and hip-hop fan. I am not a second class Christian because of my musical preference. I stand side-by-side a teenager who likes Southern gospel and nothing else, an African American who plays cello in the school orchestra and likes Vivaldi, a Hispanic who can't stand Spanish language stations - they like country instead. And so forth. When you add together the aggregate numbers of people who don't like the narrow format boxes the radio executives program - we account for some serious - and ever increasing numbers. The more you try to categorize, homogenize, fine-tune the format, the more listeners will slip away and into satellite, streaming, Pandora, iWhatevers, etc. It is like a restaurant with only baby food on the menu. No matter what flavor baby food - Christian AC, top-40, urban hip hop, young country, sport talk - it is still baby food and it is getting blander and blander as programmers fine tune based on focus groups. Radio was much more viable when it was edgier and a bit unrefined. When it was actually responsive to audiences. When focus groups had never been heard of. When corporate ownership was called "trusts" and illegal. Radio generated excitement, interest, and more revenue - with less commercials. Those days are gone, and when corporate radio figures out what went wrong, it will be too late. The vast majority of listening will be on the internet. Their profits dwindling, the corporations will write off the loss, profit the revenue from years of commercials, and sell the remaining stations at pennies on the dollar to whatever microscopic ethnic audience that will pay for them. In 50 years, I doubt there will be over the air radio anywhere.