News 92-1 is now B92

[rgradio]

I think you can adjust KMJQ's playlist enough as to open up the old R&B favorites (60s-80s) to KROI, and taking Majic more current.

This could work, but I don't think RO is wanting to cannibalize their stations listener bases with similar songs, you can hear a good example with CBS Radio with 96.5 and 95.7.

I'm betting on the fact they quickly sell it off in a few days and the new owner will do whatever it wants to it.

 

[ContinuousWave]

Here is the problem that KROI shared with the following now defunct news/talk stations on the FM band. KKHU, 106.9 (U106.9, before they moved to a closer tower). KRTK/KKTL 97.1, (97-Talk-FM) and KFNC 97.5 (FM Newschannel 97.5); all of them were not on a Class C 100KW tower covering all of Houston. You cannot have a successful news/talk station on the FM band unless you get on a Houston stick. That would be almost anything on the Senior Road tower. You have to be able to cover all of Houston. KROI had only 21,000 thousand watts. It operated in mono so the signal could get out further. (We did the same at 97Talk-FM where I produced the Dayna Steele Talk Show while working for Roger Gray.) News 92 had a great line-up of people; as did the aforementioned stations. Without a good signal, it will not work.

When 92.1 was on the 500 ft stick near downtown it had a better building penetration than it does now...but why they moved from the 1000 ft tower on 288 halfway to Freeport to the current tower was a dumb idea..had to lower power and it ended up farther from downtown...(threw more signal over the ocean)....I dont think they could move back to the old 1000ft tower (is it still standing? I was there only one time while a tower crew was doing some work on it)..

 

[purpledevil]

Apparently, we won't have to wait very long for the new format on 92...or are we going back to 92.1? Anyway, 5 days worth of 24/7 Beyoncé is being reported, which takes us to Monday morning.

I'll buy a 2 piece bikini and walk around the streets of Houston all day long if Radio One sells KROI.

Not with what they paid for it, that's for sure. They'd take a bath and a half if they tried to unload KROI right now. There's just no way in the world they walk away from the tens of millions of dollars they've already thrown at 92-1.

In all honesty, I'd like to see them give the 90s format, that Frog mentioned, a real chance on 92-1 this time. I mean, why not?

Either that, or just lease it to Jesse Dunn for KCOH's programming. There'd be a flow of money coming in from the lease, and KCOH's format would compliment the formats of the Radio One sister properties pretty well. 92-1 would be a HUGE upgrade for KCOH, and it'd free up 1230 which likely goes on the block. Just throwing out a couple of thoughts...

 

[Drucifer]

There is something seriously wrong when Michael Berry is still on the air and J.P., Lana and Bonnie are on the streets and I should add that I really don't have any dislike for Berry anymore, I just am amazed that Houston prefer's his nonsense over the news.

 

[TheBigA]

I just am amazed that Houston prefer's his nonsense over the news.

People also prefer Duck Dynasty to Bill O'Reilly.

 

[stan]

Morons are dominant, apparently.

 

[gabigley1]

Lost interest with the demise of the board last year but I'm passionate about this thread.

R-1 at least gave the format a three year trial run to see if it would work or not... Some radio experts say an all news station
should have at least have a two year trial run before it is written off as a failure or if it will work or not.
Some were saying R-1 should have killed their Houston all news format after only only a few months on the air. I said R-1 was in this
for the long term and that was not going to happen. Besides, they were spending close to 1 M on a new studio for the station when it was already on the air.

Personally, I asked on here why R-1 didn't consider moving the signal over to 102.1. I was told 102.1 is a Cash Cow and that would
never happen. The format may have worked if they were on that frequency in my opinion. The 92.1 frequency certainly
helped contributed to the failure of the format in my opinion.

The other thing that may have contributed to this was the fact that there were no newsworthy natural disasters in the three year
run of the station. The R-1 game plan may have been to catch the other Houston news radio stations with their pants down.
Unfortunate for R-1, the station did not have the opportunity to do so and grab the competitions loyal audience.

 

[Unregistered]

Kroi

They paid $75 Million for it.

Apparently, we won't have to wait very long for the new format on 92...or are we going back to 92.1? Anyway, 5 days worth of 24/7 Beyoncé is being reported, which takes us to Monday morning.

I'll buy a 2 piece bikini and walk around the streets of Houston all day long if Radio One sells KROI.

Not with what they paid for it, that's for sure. They'd take a bath and a half if they tried to unload KROI right now. There's just no way in the world they walk away from the tens of millions of dollars they've already thrown at 92-1.

In all honesty, I'd like to see them give the 90s format, that Frog mentioned, a real chance on 92-1 this time. I mean, why not?

Either that, or just lease it to Jesse Dunn for KCOH's programming. There'd be a flow of money coming in from the lease, and KCOH's format would compliment the formats of the Radio One sister properties pretty well. 92-1 would be a HUGE upgrade for KCOH, and it'd free up 1230 which likely goes on the block. Just throwing out a couple of thoughts...

 

[Drucifer]

Lost interest with the demise of the board last year but I'm passionate about this thread.

R-1 at least gave the format a three year trial run to see if it would work or not... Some radio experts say an all news station
should have at least have a two year trial run before it is written off as a failure or if it will work or not.
Some were saying R-1 should have killed their Houston all news format after only only a few months on the air. I said R-1 was in this
for the long term and that was not going to happen. Besides, they were spending close to 1 M on a new studio for the station when it was already on the air.

Personally, I asked on here why R-1 didn't consider moving the signal over to 102.1. I was told 102.1 is a Cash Cow and that would
never happen. The format may have worked if they were on that frequency in my opinion. The 92.1 frequency certainly
helped contributed to the failure of the format in my opinion.

The other thing that may have contributed to this was the fact that there were no newsworthy natural disasters in the three year
run of the station. The R-1 game plan may have been to catch the other Houston news radio stations with their pants down.
Unfortunate for R-1, the station did not have the opportunity to do so and grab the competitions loyal audience.

Brilliant post. Wish I had written it.

 

[purpledevil]

Someone has claimed that KROI will be sold to Cumulus on Wikipedia, fwiw. I nearly spit my coffee out on the screen.

Anyone know what size bikini fits a 6'1"/205 man??

I hope we can file that into the typical bologna file which encompasses most of Wikipedia's offerings. Cumulus....for the love of Pete, no...

 

[TheBigA]

Unfortunate for R-1, the station did not have the opportunity to do so and grab the competitions loyal audience.

I agree with everything you said, especially the fact that the format had 3 years to win an audience. Most owners wouldn't have waited that long. This station was launched around the same time Cumulus started All News 102 in Atlanta. They hired experienced ex-CNN staffers. It too had a fringe signal. It too never caught on. Now the company is infusing some local conservative talkers to build some cume. But I'm expecting they'll switch to some music format if talk doesn't help.

 

[Kent]

Someone has claimed that KROI will be sold to Cumulus on Wikipedia, fwiw.

I've been told that from multiple sources, too. Don't know what the terms are, and I suppose it's possible the people telling me this just saw it on Wikipedia. However, seems like a lot of smoke, and that usually means there's a fire nearby!

 

[stan]

I've been told that from multiple sources, too. Don't know what the terms are, and I suppose it's possible the people telling me this just saw it on Wikipedia. However, seems like a lot of smoke, and that usually means there's a fire nearby!

Just like the stereo signal was an indication of changes to come.

 

[93QClassic.com]

Personally, I asked on here why R-1 didn't consider moving the signal over to 102.1. I was told 102.1 is a Cash Cow and that would
never happen. The format may have worked if they were on that frequency in my opinion. The 92.1 frequency certainly
helped contributed to the failure of the format in my opinion.

They already gave this a try back in the 70s. Hard to remember for many, but some of us recall once upon a time before Majic 102 was inflicted on the city. KLYX Clear Lake was elevator music -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6VwHWuA-Ks -- before a short lived News Talk Radio 102 KLYX in 1977 or 78.

 

[fadedglory+]

Something I've always wondered about, too is the signal travel northerly of KROI; up until 2003 or so KRTS was co-channel with KTSR out of College Station. When KTSR was taken dark in favor of KNDE, it seems that should have freed up the channel for Seabrook to be enabled to move to a different site and/or to be able to apply for wattage increases, especially before the 91.9 for KHCB got built out and lit up for B/CS. Back in the time of the co-channel the KTSR signal would play out by the time one got to Conroe from College Station. Once in Conroe/Woodlands area there were billboards in spots advertising KRTS...........something I stand to be corrected on. Not sure what the ERP of either signal was prior to the end of the co-channel era, but I'm thinking that the College Station (signed on as KTAW) was on air prior to the one out of Seabrook.

 

[ContinuousWave]

92.3 in Livingston (formerly on 92.1) and 91.7 (now KUHA) has kept KROI/KRTS limited in northern coverage....it did have 100KW at its former 1000ft tower..but moving to the current site and doubling height required it to back power down to keep the signal to the north down to the same level it had.

(I incorrectly stated earlier that 92.1 was at 288/59 intersection...I think there was an aux at the tower for someone but looking at the 92.1 files on the FCC database, it has always been south of town...and with an IF spacing issue because of 102.9, that also explains why KROI is limited to the north)

Remember 92.1 was a Class A only freq back in the day...(When certain channels were assigned to As only)..Cant the exact year the FCC changed all of that...but IIRC it was in the 1990s...by then stations were also seeing a single channel move as a "minor" change rather than a major change and they were upgrading like mad.

 

[rbrucecarter5]

92.3 in Livingston (formerly on 92.1) and 91.7 (now KUHA) has kept KROI/KRTS limited in northern coverage....it did have 100KW at its former 1000ft tower..but moving to the current site and doubling height required it to back power down to keep the signal to the north down to the same level it had.

When the novelty of Beyonce wore off (one obscure song), I discovered 92.3 from Livingston. Really good station, and pretty decent signal over Katy for as far away as it is.

 

[Theater of My Mind]

Not living in Houston I never heard this station. How well were they executing the format compared to some of the country's really successful all-newsers? Were they on a 30-minute news wheel? Taking network feeds and/or strong lifestyle features from CBS or anyone else?

I'm spoiled by the quality of the two great all-news stations we have here in NYC, and find it hard to believe that a single good all-news station couldn't work in market #6. You guys are saying the Houston FM signal was somewhat challenged, but the New York stations are on AM which seems like nearly as much of a disadvantage despite their good signal footprints.

Maybe an all-news format just belongs on AM after all. FM News failed in New York too (but to be fair, it was awful).

 

[purpledevil]

The network feeds were ABC News.

Imo, News 92 failed because of technical difficulties and the overall presentation that turned away listeners.

I certainly appreciated having a virtual who's who in journalism roaming the halls of Radio One, but the problems going into and coming out of breaks was glaringly apparent from the start, and the giggling and horsing around with each other over the air likely drove away some percentage of listeners that prefer a more hardline approach to delivering the news. I mean, look at how they began the stunt. Cut off a news story about ebola, right in the middle, to launch "B92".

That ending pretty much tells the story of what went wrong with KROI. It wasn't the talent, but the overall execution of the product delivery that ultimately doomed it.

 

[TheBigA]

It wasn't the talent, but the overall execution of the product delivery that ultimately doomed it.

I think that's a contradiction. The talent IS the execution. They're one and the same. And I remember when the station started, everyone on this board was very complimentary of the talent choices. The quality of the talent determines how the station sounds. And these were experienced people. Perhaps they were TOO serious, too wonky, and too hardline. That's what NPR does, and Houston already has an NPR station if people want hardline news.