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New KIRO Logo

F

FatRadioGuy

Guest
Got an e-mail from the KIRO Listener club where they've replaced the 710 with 97.3. My guess is the official announcement of 710 to sports happens tomorrow October 1st with a 90 day window to cancel ESPN from KJR and KRKO.
 
Hopefully, the Hawks season will end in either Late January or early February this season although they way things are going probably mid to late January., also as long as KIRO 97.3 keeps Phil Hendrie on their schedule i'm okay with this. Also, I wonder if anyone from KJR or maybe KRKO is planning on jumping ship to 710 when move to sports is finished. I also wonder what will happen to KJR, KRKO and Fox Sports 850. After ESPN moves to KIRO I could definitely see Fox Sports Radio maybe jumping to 950 or 1380 although either could pick up Sporting News Radio or Sports Byline USA. As for 850 if they were smart they would keep the current call letters and either keep sports talk with Fox, SNR or Sports Byline USA or go news/talk similar to KLAY but keep their local sports play by play and maybe add more. One last thing that interests me about this is the play by play situations, obviously KRKO will keep the Everett teams, but what's going to happen to 850's play by play specifically the Tacoma Rainiers, Whatever happens this is going to be an interesting couple of months especially for sports radio listeners like myself.
 
As far as a flip date, if they plan to do it anytime soon, my guess would be right after the election (like November 5th). I don't think they'll touch it before then, too much political business on the books (and LUR issues and everything else- what a hassle). And waiting till the first of the year potentially takes the new station out of some of the 2009 "annuals" (annual ad buys). Whatever fourth quarter biz is left will be laid in by then, and over the Holidays is a quiet time, good to get the bugs out and hit the ground running for 09. Only a guess.
 
Steenman said:
As far as a flip date, if they plan to do it anytime soon, my guess would be right after the election (like November 5th). I don't think they'll touch it before then, too much political business on the books (and LUR issues and everything else- what a hassle). And waiting till the first of the year potentially takes the new station out of some of the 2009 "annuals" (annual ad buys). Whatever fourth quarter biz is left will be laid in by then, and over the Holidays is a quiet time, good to get the bugs out and hit the ground running for 09. Only a guess.
Click to expand...

"Only a guess," but very good observations.
 
KIRO will stay on AM and FM through the end of the fall book so they can combine the stations' ratings and potentially get back into the top of the ratings for at least one book, until they split at the beginning of the year with the start of the Mariner's season.
 
All this talk of KIRO getting ESPN and going sports full time really makes no sense.

The only reason ESPN would dump KJR is if KIRO were to promise to run MORE of their programming than KJR currently does... This means drive time nationally syndicated talk. Do they really think they can beat KJR with nationally syndicated shows?

And exactly what part of that 1.9 share of KJR's do they want so bad?

KIRO will do just fine as they are with the M's and Seahawks.
 
...unless you live in those sticky areas where 710 kHz comes in, but 97.3 MHz does not....
 
First off.... I decided to create a new account on here after I lost my password to this site, and I couldn't ever change the user name on my account after the big switchover to the new system a few years ago on this site. I was formerally known as 'Stephen' on here, but now i've created a new account, that I can memorize, so from here on out on here i'm 'swhyde1980'.

So..... now with that out of the way.....

I think KIRO completely switching to 97.3 FM is actually a huge historical change for them, considering they've been on 710 AM since 1937 (and WAAAAY before my time). Sounds like they want to completely change the AM side to all-sports, which is a big format change for their AM side of things, ever since they abandoned most of their music programming in the mid-70s for all news/talk. Coincedently, KIRO-AM's current frequency and call letters, came about 71 years ago....hmmmmm....(think, when they were known as KIRO Newsradio 71).

As for Bonneville, I can only wonder if they have any plans to re-purchase KIRO-TV from Cox, and re-form the "KIRO News Network"? Hopefully this time, WITHOUT the "News Out Of The Box". We can all do without that experiment, although KOMO-TV kinda does the same thing today with some of their newscasts, with anchors standing up and reporting the news in the news room. Just without the free-lancing-walking-around-the-news-room stuff while reporting the news. And with today's technology, with having news/talk on FM, and sports on AM, if they took back KIRO-TV, they could have their own sports and weather subchannels on both digital TV and HD radio!
 
Well, it's pretty clear that they are not planning on simulcasting very long. They have started a contest this AM, paying people to say they have "switched." Not added the FM, not experimenting w both, not the "power of two" or any such positioner. Just "switched." You don't want them switching unless you have some pretty solid idea that the AM is going to be doing something else pretty soon.
 
...or changing the logo. Just call yourselves "97.3 KIRO" already and forget the AM. Seriously. Let it go Active Rock as "Z-Rock 710" until January 1st. THAT will clear out AM to FM in a damn big hurry! Cheaper too....

So make the switch. And do it NOW. This is HOW...
 
I would think they would retain the calls. All-Sports 710 KIRO? Why not?
 
IndigoCoyote said:
I would think they would retain the calls. All-Sports 710 KIRO? Why not?
Click to expand...

Indigo, I LOVE your wit and wisdom. But this time, I disagree. I say flat out GO FOR FM! Like I said, turn 710 kHz into ful blown rock, drive the AM listeners en masse to FM immediatally. Make 710 a temporarily UNTHINKABLE advertiser option (because more than likely, when their minds connect KIRO Radio, they automatically, without thinking, say "AM 710" first. You gotta bust that. Regardless of how many pieces.) At least if you really want to avoid calls like "Where's Dave Ross?" after it's all moved to 97.3, no matter how crappy 97.3 comes in Bellingham, or that Canadian "Eagle" (CKLR) that flaps in now and then on 97.3 up here. Forget the long distance audience, forget the AM only radios, forget everything. So go Dick Cheney on it. I'm SERIOUS.

Even the call letters. Leave no trace news/talk ever existed on 710 kHz.

Blowing up a heritage station? Yes. But my thoughts are acting under the assumption that this is the RIGHT way you do it these days.......
 
Lar, maybe you are correct on this one. Having been here all my life, it would seem so odd not hearing some form of KIRO on 710, and maybe that's clouding my thinking-that or the cabernet. My thinking, anyway, is that the two are going to cross promote and both leverage off the heritage calls to create two viable KIRO radio information channels. But maybe blowing up the AM entirely is the way to go.

Day after the election, all-xmas on the am, then it goes all sports on Jan 2. You heard it here first. :p
 
Today they began announcing the station exclusively as 97.3 FM, as if 710 doesn't even exist.

No mention of the AM frequency or "Now on 97.3 FM".

Mike
 
Anyone else notice that in addition to dropping the 710 references, they've started playing music bumpers. It sounds ridiculous to play AC DC into a news headlines segment. They're trying so hard to be young and hip. Poor KIRO, you miss the mark.
 
talkerdjdude said:
Anyone else notice that in addition to dropping the 710 references, they've started playing music bumpers. It sounds ridiculous to play AC DC into a news headlines segment. They're trying so hard to be young and hip. Poor KIRO, you miss the mark.
Click to expand...

KIRO's used bumpers during the morning show for years now, including AC\DC. They probably weren't as noticeable on AM.
 
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