Look at all that's changed!

[tdfstamp]

Wow. I've been away for a while. It's good to be home. The old board is so different. Akbar's still here. And Legend City. And Buster2. But I don't recognize much else. Indulge me ('cuz this is one of those posts that used to bug me): Would you all tick off the major changes in Phoenix radio and television over the last few years? I noticed KTAR finally made that much-rumored jump to FM. And I've seen that Jen Burgess has surfaced at KNXV. What's the deal with KZON? When I left, it was alt. rock with Stern in the morning.

Thanks. I know it's a lame post, but I really need to be briefed on the changes. It is so weird to be back ( "...look! Club Rio is GONE!...", "...hey, they're finally building on the old Los Arcos...", etc.)

 

[KeithE4]

Wow. I've been away for a while. It's good to be home. The old board is so different. Akbar's still here. And Legend City. And Buster2. But I don't recognize much else. Indulge me ('cuz this is one of those posts that used to bug me): Would you all tick off the major changes in Phoenix radio and television over the last few years? I noticed KTAR finally made that much-rumored jump to FM. And I've seen that Jen Burgess has surfaced at KNXV. What's the deal with KZON? When I left, it was alt. rock with Stern in the morning.

Thanks. I know it's a lame post, but I really need to be briefed on the changes. It is so weird to be back ( "...look! Club Rio is GONE!...", "...hey, they're finally building on the old Los Arcos...", etc.)

Welcome back! ;D

Let's see...

KFYI got rid of a guy who was pretty Crummy and hired an out-of-work ex-Congressman for PM drive.

News/Talk 620 KTAR moved to 92.3. Gerald is now in a ceremonial off-air position with the station. Some guy named Ann Carlo (or is it Aunt Carlos?) took his place.

Paul Harrrrveyyyy took his World War I-era audience to KKNT. Not voluntarily, I might add.

Despite pledging that they would keep sports to a minimum, KTAR-FM is officially the new flagship of the Cardinals, replacing KTAR-AM, who in turn replaced KDUS and KSLX.

98.3 is now Where Hip-Hop Lives.

ESPN Radio 860 KMVP moved to 620 and became Sports 620 KTAR. KMVP is now Spanish religion despite TMISU not having officially sold the station yet.

Lumberyard 1440 is still having problems with that old lamp-timer. Gumpdusky is still Gumpdusky.

KDKB, KUPD, and KSLX sound almost identical. Gumpdusky is still Gumpdusky.

KDUS is still hanging in there with Sporting News Radio and a couple of local shows, plus the Coyotes. They get about as many listeners as LibTalk 1480. Gumpdusky is still Gumpdusky.

Colon Blow still has a home on 1100. So does Charles Goyette (OK, they are kinda similar. ;D )

AM-HD Radio is on KFYI, KTAR, KMVP, XTRA (days only), and KMIK. Forget about listening to KFI or KOA anymore. Too much hash from 620 and 860 (Can somebody tell me why the IBOC hash-generator is still being used on 860?).

 

[DrAkbar]

...and don't forget these tidbits:

Star 97.5 didn't have enough listeners, so they became Movin' 97.5. They still don't have enough listeners.

KEZ is still Beth & Bill approved and Xmas Music is played too soon.

KOOL has increased their oldies library from the same 86 to 91 titles. Ratings are even better.

KFNN has the same kind of problem KFNX has when it's time to power down at night.

Mr Peakerman is starting to wear out, but a lot of people say the same about Nurse Jeff and me!

KSAZ's Dan Babich can no longer be heard in the Valley due to his early start and IBOQ hash.

George Bush doesn't care about AM Radio (see IBOQ)

101.5 Free FM was a bust and now they're back to playing totally forgettable music!

Sheriff Joe launched KJOE at Tent City. Arbitron reports TSL is the highest in the nation.

....and the 4 and 5 Cardinals are in playoff contention!

 

[KMGX]

Let's also not forget...

KDKB changed their format from rock to...... rock... in a big stunt that yielded, 1) jocks losing their jobs and 2) new imaging that was pretty hip in 1991. But of course to piggyback off of Keith; Gumpdusky being Gumpdusky.

KFYI had one bad book, the haters were out, but now they're again silenced as KFYI is back to stellar ratings.

Air-America radio was on 1010, had no ratings, is now on 1480 and has no ratings, but at least they power down when they're supposed to (although I'm sure the power monitoring geeks will inform us that they were 16.32 seconds late last night).

Charles Goyette has officially worked at every AM station aside from radio disney--as they took out a restraining order.

Art Bell came out of retirement, retired, came out of retirement and then retired again. (This was after he lost his wife who he could never replace and then got married 3 months later and had a child).

Someone thought giving Larry GAYdos an evening talk show in a major market was a good idea. Hello studio city.

 

[Legend City]

It would be a crime to forget....

Hendrie back on the air, on the most unhip station of all KTAR-FM

Dennis Miller was live on 1310, a great catch, then KKNT grabbed him and put him on dead at 7pm

Because....Schlitty and Shill finally wore out their welcome and they got a boot to the head

Which allowed Hugh Hewitt to be live again.

1310 scrambled and came up with Brian and the Judge, which is less interesting than BJ and the Bear

Boortz is back, dead at 4:30 because Gerson needs his half hour of predicting the 1998 presidential race reruns.

KTAR brought some guy named Mac (It wasn't MaClean Stevenson as Hello Larry though, Portland is a long way from LA)

KFNX has a hyperventilating patriot guy telling you to buy gold and avoid flouridated water.

Ted Simons is gone and on TV now.

The creek rose..........John Dayl, RIP

Barry Young is still underachieving and doing the best morning show, but, he is against Aunt Carlos, Laura (I AM OUTRAGED!!!) Ingraham, and Charles Kookfart Goyette

Lance Dreyer broke a product shilling record by referring every ailment known to mankind to his friends at Better Health.

Radio Free Phoenix keeps on rocking in the free world, and I feel fine.

 

[oldiesfan6479]

...is now on 1480 and has no ratings, but at least they power down when they're supposed to (although I'm sure the power monitoring geeks will inform us that they were 16.32 seconds late last night).

Hey, I resemble, er, resent that! ;D

Remember when you had two minutes on either side of the hour
(and--back a million years ago--the half-hour) to duck in your
legal ID? Well, as long as the usual suspects get the power drop
done within two minutes of when they're supposed to, that's fine
with me.

 

[Legend City]

I work with a guy who accidentally did a pirate station on 1230 that reached down to Douglas and up to Page when he was in High School.

He had no idea.....

 

[EricStein]

98.3 is now Where Hip-Hop Lives.

And they are putting up hundreds of billboards with quotes from hip-hop artists to make sure people know that they're the only "real" (station's emphasis) hip-hop station in Phoenix. Adding fuel to their new "war" with 101.5 is that both stations have studios in the same uptown Phoenix office complex (101.5 moved from the old KOY building to North 7th Street in late Summer, sending KOOL-FM downtown).

AM-HD Radio is on KFYI, KTAR, KMVP, XTRA (days only), and KMIK. Forget about listening to KFI or KOA anymore. Too much hash from 620 and 860 (Can somebody tell me why the IBOC hash-generator is still being used on 860?).

Not so fast, Keith. KGME is not broadcasting in HD/IBOC...yet. Even KOY, CC's only music format on the AM dial (which should have been the first CC Phoenix station to go HD on the AM, given the content), is not running IBOC at this time. CBS, a major corporate HD cheerleader, currently has only one of its three Phoenix stations (KMLE) running FM HD. The "next generation of terrestrial radio" is off to a slow start.

 

[pberger]

Are there any good promo deals for HD radios through one of the stations? (Like XM & Sirius do)

I might try it, but I don't want to spend $200 on what might be a short lived experiment.

 

[buster2]

[I might try it, but I don't want to spend $200 on what might be a short lived experiment.
[/quote]

Nah...Go for it! I love my AM Stereo receiver!!!

 

[KeithE4]

And they are putting up hundreds of billboards with quotes from hip-hop artists to make sure people know that they're the only "real" (station's emphasis) hip-hop station in Phoenix. Adding fuel to their new "war" with 101.5 is that both stations have studios in the same uptown Phoenix office complex (101.5 moved from the old KOY building to North 7th Street in late Summer, sending KOOL-FM downtown).

One can tell that 98.3 is the real hip-hop station since the font used for their "Where Hip-Hop Lives" slogan on the city buses looks like gang graffiti. ;D

Not so fast, Keith. KGME is not broadcasting in HD/IBOC...yet. Even KOY, CC's only music format on the AM dial (which should have been the first CC Phoenix station to go HD on the AM, given the content), is not running IBOC at this time. CBS, a major corporate HD cheerleader, currently has only one of its three Phoenix stations (KMLE) running FM HD. The "next generation of terrestrial radio" is off to a slow start.

I can't see KOY ever turning on IBOC, at least not while they have their current format. How many folks over 70 buy HD radios?

As far as XTRA/KGME is concerned, it sure sounds like IBOC hash on 890, 900, 920, and 930 during the day. I don't hear it at night like I do on KFYI and KTAR.

 

[EricStein]

As far as XTRA/KGME is concerned, it sure sounds like IBOC hash on 890, 900, 920, and 930 during the day. I don't hear it at night like I do on KFYI and KTAR.

910 doesn't light up as "HD" on my radio, when I can receive KFYI, KTAR and KMVP's IBOC broadcasts. It could just be the aging equipment at their site causing the static on their adjacent frequencies.