B
babylon
Guest
So who were the winners and losers today??
Buster: Thanks for the kind words. You've got a good memory. I haven't made that argument in 7 or 8 years. It came from a dinner conversation with a friend of mine, Tom King, 20 years ago...in which we said the standards station of all time on the West Coast, Gene Autry's KMPC, could be saved by a move to FM. They didn't and it wasn't...moving from music to sportstalk in 1992, to just plain talk in 1994, to all-female talk in 1996, and to Radio Disney in '97 or '98. A couple of years back, it became ESPN radio.At the time, the argument made sense. The World War II generation was in their 60s and 70s, and those big Buicks and Mercurys they bought, even in 1986, all had FM radios. Today, a straight standards approach on FM would be doomed. That generation is now in their 80s and 90s.I saw the window as having closed and the format having moved on to not really being standards anymore (which is why you hear a chunk of 1970s and early 80s AC records on KOY these days). What Jeff Trumper and Bill Minckler are doing at Star 97.5 is a different thing that, because it's not bound by the old rules of that format, has a very real chance in the marketplace. They've got a button in the cars I drive, and most Boomers I've met and talked to about radio say they listen, too. ---Michael HagertyPS: You're wrong about McMahon and KTAR. 'ZZP may be stuck, but they're only 2/10ths off Power92. Somebody's gonna win.The story about KUPD and KDKB may be that Howard Stern's listeners went back where they came from.buster2 said:Winners:Star 97.5 - Who knew? Actually Michael Hagerty has said a Standards station on FM would draw listeners. He was right. Mike's "Da Man." (And no quibbling about it being a truly "Standards" format. I know it's a little different, but it's a close description.)
It's nice to hear music for grownups. And even scarier to think that I may have become one.Production Boy said:Michael, I agree. 97.5 is very cool. Minckler is fine tuning it now, you can tell. It's hip, but not pretensious "HIP", and standards (especially the newly recorded ones) do sound great on FM. I've heard a new promo voice for the last couple of weeks and the promos are pretty funny. Mostly Image and Web Listener Club stuff. Nice to hear a station not take itself to seriously. Let's hear it for the local guys doing somthing different...And let's have more of it! 8)
It should be technically possible to add an on-channel booster in the Phoenix area. But, the only feasible place to put it would be Shaw Butte, and the areas you mention would still have some troubles due to Squaw (I mean Piestewa) Peak being in the way. There's no tall buildings in west Phoenix that could be utilized like the Bank One/Chase Building in Downtown Phoenix in regards to 105.9's on-channel booster (which could also be a suitable site for 103.9 to place a booster for better west Valley coverage) or the Westward Ho tower. Unfortunately, the Chase Building is outside of the 60 dBu contour for 97.5.allthatisdaveaz said:I've noticed that 97.5 has some signal problems in the areas where its younger, hipper demographic lives, works and plays: the east Camelback/Arcadia corridor, south Scottsdale and the Central Ave corridor. I suppose it's due to the Phoenix mountains being in the way of the transmitter near Crown King. Would an on-channel booster help solve some of these issues?
I know these are the 12+ numbers, but it doesn't look like The Edge benefited from 101.5's format switch either. They should have.buster2 said:The murky:KZZP (or Kiss if you prefer) seems to be stuck in neutral as does Mix 96-9.The Peak appears to have settled into place, but it's not a bad place.KOOL continues to do well, but I wonder if they are concerned about slippage. The overall trend is less-than-encouraging.KUPD and KDKB: whatever.Free FM: Leykis called out KFYI when he hit town (for the fourth time). You gotta walk the walk if you're gonna talk the talk. Face it, Leykis has NEVER gotten numbers in Phoenix, not as a straight-ahead liberal host and not as a horny 8th grader host.
Star 97.5 did a lot of TV promotion on major network stations and Cox Cable during November and February sweeps. They should have added AZ-TV to their marketing mix because the target demos for both stations are similar (unless I'm missing something. Do you have the answer, Mr. Hagerty?).buster2 said:Notice my list doesn't address pure numbers. KOOL is a ratings winner, for example, but things look murky. Star 97.5 doesn't have huge ratings, but they came from nowhere and don't have much of an ad presence in town, so their success is remarkable. Lots of this stuff is relative, it's all subjective, and I'm always right, except when I'm wrong.
Good thing you corrected yourself, Eric.You were about to get vetoed by Janet!Eric Stein said:...and the areas you mention would still have some troubles due to Squaw (I mean Piestewa) Peak being in the way.