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Salem wasting FMs

A

ajhenderson

Seems recently Salem has an interest in putting their news/talk format on FM. KHNR recently moved exclusively to 97.5 in Honolulu, and now I see the KTKZ/Sacramento is simulcast on KTKZ-FM 105.5, a market rimshot.

My question is, what are they trying to accomplish? The argument that the AM band is dying is ineffective, as no one under the age of 80 wants to listen to the SRN lineup anyway. If they want to move to FM in Sacramento, fine, but why waste a perfectly good full-market AM that could be used for something else... even whoring out the entire day (which Salem is an expert at) would be better. Or, I'd rather they just sell the FM and (God save us) buy more AMs to further expand the format footprint nationally.

Bottom line AISI, it's a waste. Salem gets such low numbers that there's no need for extra coverage, the need to "fill in" holes in a metro when most of their AMs cover the entire metro, or whatever other excuses they could have. A giant waste of millions of dollars in stick value that this Sacramento rimshot could provide. Not to mention the dearth of talk listenership in Hawaii being tied up with 80kW.
 
> Seems recently Salem has an interest in putting their
> news/talk format on FM. KHNR recently moved exclusively to
> 97.5 in Honolulu, and now I see the KTKZ/Sacramento is
> simulcast on KTKZ-FM 95.5, a market rimshot.

That's 105.5, actually... (now KTKZ-FM/Dunnigan)

> Bottom line AISI, it's a waste. Salem gets such low numbers
> that there's no need for extra coverage, the need to "fill
> in" holes in a metro when most of their AMs cover the entire
> metro, or whatever other excuses they could have. A giant
> waste of millions of dollars in stick value that this
> Sacramento rimshot could provide. Not to mention the dearth
> of talk listenership in Hawaii being tied up with 80kW.

I can't speak to Hawaii, but as far as Sacramento goes...once Salem nabbed new move-in 103.9 Lincoln (ex-Yuba City), with a much better class A stick that shoots right down I-80 into the bulk of the Sacramento area from just outside Auburn, 105.5 almost became an appendage.

I suppose Salem could have flipped a coin - continue to run "The Fish" in simulcast with 103.9, or simulcast KTKZ. I'm surprised they didn't stay with the CCM format on 105.5, frankly...it's a geographical fit (westside rimshot) with 103.9 (eastside rimshot) and the two signals pretty much get most of the market, combined.

But...Salem apparently feels 103.9 is strong enough to stand alone. So, they continue to shovel money into a low-rated talk format that gets KILLED by much larger rivals KFBK and KSTE, and is now even fighting it out for ratings with two liberal talkers...

-OA<P ID="signature">______________
Ohio Media Watch - <a target="_blank" href=http://ohiomedia.blogspot.com>http://ohiomedia.blogspot.com</a></P>
 
> But...Salem apparently feels 103.9 is strong enough to stand
> alone. So, they continue to shovel money into a low-rated
> talk format that gets KILLED by much larger rivals KFBK and
> KSTE, and is now even fighting it out for ratings with two
> liberal talkers...

But OA, you forget, as for as Salem is concerned, KTKZ's numbers are thrilling when compared to everything else they own.

Also, KTKZ is fighting it out with KNCO in nearby Grass Valley, as well as KGO and KSFO. It's tough running a talk station in California when every market in Southern CA has KFI in the book and every market in Northern CA has KGO and KSFO.
 
> Also, KTKZ is fighting it out with KNCO in nearby Grass
> Valley, as well as KGO and KSFO. It's tough running a talk
> station in California when every market in Southern CA has
> KFI in the book and every market in Northern CA has KGO and
> KSFO.

Very true, but as popular as they are (especially KGO), they're not really factors by the time you get to Sacramento. Though it is kind of funny to see KTKZ having trouble getting past KGO/KSFO's "out of market" ratings in the Capital City.

No, KTKZ's biggest problem is that, though Sacramento is a very big market for conservative talk, KFBK and KSTE have basically owned 99% of that market for a long, long time. There's just no room in the market for 1380(/105.5), despite their efforts at a local morning show for some 5 years now. And a rimshot FM out of far rural Yolo County is not going to change that.

-OA<P ID="signature">______________
Ohio Media Watch - <a target="_blank" href=http://ohiomedia.blogspot.com>http://ohiomedia.blogspot.com</a></P>
 
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