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KZYP-FM 99.3 Pine Bluff is now...

A

arkbear

Guest
back on the air as "The Hog", an ESPN Radio Affiliate. They ran Westwood One's coverage of the NFL during recent weeks and had the NFC championship game while KABZ was running the Lady Razorback Basketball game. (I'm a Chicago Bears Fan) They're running all of ESPN's shows, including NBA play by play. The only daily deviation is that they're running ARN's Sports Rap. They also have ads stating that they're the home of the hogs starting in Feburary. I've since caught a couple of Razorback Baseball games on the station. Another bumper has them listing the Razorbacks and all of the local HS mascots (Hogs, Cardinals, Bulldogs, Zebras, ect.) and saying they'll talk about pretty much any animal.

Any Thoughts?
 
Is KZYP now liberated from the MRS quagmire, or is Andy Hodges doing an LMA with 'em? Are the studios still at Commerce Road, or is it back on Apple Street (the tx is still there, right?).

An FM sports format ... that should work.

What PB could use is a locally operated Urban AC with live jocks and plenty of community news/features. A "black KOTN", if you will. Too bad that's not likely, what with the $$$ almost certainly being diverted toward equipment, studio condition, etc.

--Russell W.
Pine Bluff radio 'survivor', 1988-90; the "Russell" who ruined PB radio 20 years ago, not the one that ruined it now
 
I'm not all surpised that Andy Hodges flipped the once listened Z99 from urban/AC via ABC to sports via ESPN. So that just goes to show you that if a sports format is the way to go in Pine Bluff, so be it. Which reminds me, didn't Little Rock have a sports station at one time? If so, then I think in Pine Bluff and its surroundings there'll may be a good chance to win the demographics of men. KPBQ, which I think they're still country, could be good to go in switching up to urban AC. But, I doubt that it will ever happen. While we are still on the subject, what's going on with the other stations in Pine Bluff besides the MRS Vultures. I know that KTRN is doing a way better hell of a job than those miserable fruit loops on Commerce Road.

Oh well....a good urban AC station shot to hell at the expense of the Miserable Radio Stations henchman who is not a "brotha" amongst the 'hood. What a waste of listening space.
 
KZYP-99.3 FM is back on Apple Street, with the transmitter. The Commerce Rd. facility is a complete mess. 1400, 1490 are both off the air and have been for over a year. 101.3 does have a very small signal (albeit a dead carrier) which is eminating from the Commerce Rd. building, oddly enough. You lose it once you get to the Pines Mall, about 1 mile away. It's nice to see that my MRS=Miserable Radio Stations moniker is still remembered.
 
All-in-all, I can think of worse formats to program in Pine Bluff...(G. Gordon Liddy comes to mind, as well as any programming installed by MRS.

ZYP now has a product that will draw a low cume, but has a high selling power-ratio. Sports sells, but it takes a lot of effort to broadcast local sports. However, if the bulk of the programming will be done via satellite, then this could be an easy profit center. (Provided someone will pound the pavement.)

The 1.6 million dollar question is... Did Hodges purchase the station, LMA it, or is he working for MRS Ventures again?
 
Andy Hodges is LMA'ing all of the Russell stations (Arkansas and Mississippi). Doubtful that he is getting ANY help from Russell on any of the bills.

You'll find ARN News and Sportsrap.... Some farm market updates as well. He's doing his best.
 
I tuned into 99.3 this afternoon and I got a political talk show, not ESPN? anyone know what's going on?
 
> Andy Hodges is LMA'ing all of the Russell stations (Arkansas and Mississippi).

I don't know about the Arkansas stations, but there's no copy of the LMA contract in the Mississippi station's Public File, as required by FCC rules. Moreover, there is no employee on site who works as the licensee's management level employee, as also required by FCC rules., Then again, MRS was never too concerned with following FCC rules. Andy doesn't seem to be too concerned either.
 
Ohcome on, there are a few Mississippi broadcasters I can think of who don't like to Obey the rules.

how can 101.3 only be getitng out a mile or two? Have they hooked up a Ramsey FM25 and using that as their transmitter? LOL
 
I've recently met Andy Hodges and he's asked this retired shrink to help him sell local adds and to find investors for his new operation. Basically he's now just streaming ESPN and ARN programming. He's not broadcasting any local ads or local live programming. i firmly believe Pine Bluff needs an alternative to the insufferable Floyd Donald/ Billy Cobles crap at Ktrn. It is truly pathetic, especially that produced by the meglomaniacal Donald.I'm vaguely aware of Hodges' unfortunate connection to the criminally inept, OPM addicted...not to be confused with opium but the even more addictive OPM ( Other People's Money ).
This is incredibly bizarre stuff. What's LMA'ing, Larry?
 
An LMA is just like leasing a house or an office space. You're just leasing someone else's radio station and paying a flat fee. Pine Bluff radio has been neglected and neglected over and over again since Buddy Deane died. I worked at KOTN back in the 80's and it was one of the finest full service music stations you could have asked for. I left there and went to Greenville, and the radio in Mississippi was (and still is) so bad that it really left me longing for the smell of the paper plant. I bet the people in Dumas sure wished they had a local station yesterday! There would have been less injury if they could have been warned.
 
> An LMA is just like leasing a house or an office space.

Yes and no. Even though another operator "leases" the station, the licensee is still responsible for compliance with FCC rules. Moreover, the licensee is required to have a management-level employee at the station during normal business hours. None of the Russell/Hodges LMAs meet this requirement, a violation of FCC rules.

LF
 
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