So..Anyone Heard About The Big Spokane Switcheroo?

[Bongwater]

The buzzword says on New Year's Day, KXLY-FM and KEZE will be swapping formats, moving Coyote Country to 99.9 and The River to 96.9......

 

[radiojjh]

Hey Larry---good to see you on this board----I was going to put something up after I read it in the paper and saw a few ads on Channel 4 for the flip-flop....Yeah...the KXLY group is flip-flopping them....they believe the 99.9 signal is better in reaching the rural areas, and that the river may do better at 96.9 as far as listeners within the city. I think the KXLY group blew it big time when they picked the name "Coyote Country," why? The PD and well-known afternoon personality on KIX-96 Country is "Coyote" so it's very confusing to the audience. At the moment the stations are next to each other 96.1 and 96.9 so maybe that's another reason to move them to 99.9. The River has never had stellar ratings since they flipped from "Classy"/Lite AC to their current format, and it was like they handed 98.1/KISS-FM a big chunk of listeners. KISC-FM is the only mainstream A/C station in the market and with the exception of 1050 were the only station to be 100% Christmas music, and that always gives KISC-FM a big bump in the ratings.....

It will be interesting to see what happens come 2010. I think there will be some very confused listeners and that both stations will probably lose some of their audience.....sure wish we had the PPM Meters here in Spokane, but that's around 3-4 years off......It was amazing I went to alot of places during the past month, and heard KISS-FM on a bunch....then probably KKZX, and KZZU and KCDA as well.

Obviously the KXLY group is committed to making "Coyote Country" a long-term player in Spokane. Right now they rank #3 out of 4 country stations in this market.....with #4 being pretty much a suburban station with it's focus on Sandpoint/C'da vs. Spokane. And they play more classic country---it's 102.3. Co-owned with KPND 95.3--who moved their tower, which allows them to cover Spokane....but their music is not focused and they don't even show up in the ratings....they play a very odd mix of adult-alternative, Americana music, there stereo pilot light is on but I don't believe they even broadcast in stereo and their website keeps showing events for 2008 and 2009 that have long since passed. Kind of a waste of a station IMHO. Other observations...it's so odd that both 101.1FM--that's the way their bill their former oldies and now classic hits format station and Bob-FM 103.9 pretty much are just music, pre-recorded liners and commercials...NO PERSONALITY at all...and to me that just isn't radio.....it's a cheap to run music box.....their music selection isn't bad, but not to have someone serve it up is again in my opinion--a major mistake.......gosh I miss programming......

There ya go....



JJ...Your Spokane Radio Pal....

 

[Bongwater]

Hey Larry---good to see you on this board----I was going to put something up after I read it in the paper and saw a few ads on Channel 4 for the flip-flop....Yeah...the KXLY group is flip-flopping them....they believe the 99.9 signal is better in reaching the rural areas, and that the river may do better at 96.9 as far as listeners within the city. I think the KXLY group blew it big time when they picked the name "Coyote Country," why? The PD and well-known afternoon personality on KIX-96 Country is "Coyote" so it's very confusing to the audience. At the moment the stations are next to each other 96.1 and 96.9 so maybe that's another reason to move them to 99.9. The River has never had stellar ratings since they flipped from "Classy"/Lite AC to their current format, and it was like they handed 98.1/KISS-FM a big chunk of listeners. KISC-FM is the only mainstream A/C station in the market and with the exception of 1050 were the only station to be 100% Christmas music, and that always gives KISC-FM a big bump in the ratings.....

It will be interesting to see what happens come 2010. I think there will be some very confused listeners and that both stations will probably lose some of their audience.....sure wish we had the PPM Meters here in Spokane, but that's around 3-4 years off......It was amazing I went to alot of places during the past month, and heard KISS-FM on a bunch....then probably KKZX, and KZZU and KCDA as well.


Obviously the KXLY group is committed to making "Coyote Country" a long-term player in Spokane. Right now they rank #3 out of 4 country stations in this market.....with #4 being pretty much a suburban station with it's focus on Sandpoint/C'da vs. Spokane. And they play more classic country---it's 102.3. Co-owned with KPND 95.3--who moved their tower, which allows them to cover Spokane....but their music is not focused and they don't even show up in the ratings....they play a very odd mix of adult-alternative, Americana music, there stereo pilot light is on but I don't believe they even broadcast in stereo and their website keeps showing events for 2008 and 2009 that have long since passed. Kind of a waste of a station IMHO. Other observations...it's so odd that both 101.1FM--that's the way their bill their former oldies and now classic hits format station and Bob-FM 103.9 pretty much are just music, pre-recorded liners and commercials...NO PERSONALITY at all...and to me that just isn't radio.....it's a cheap to run music box.....their music selection isn't bad, but not to have someone serve it up is again in my opinion--a major mistake.......gosh I miss programming......

There ya go....



JJ...Your Spokane Radio Pal....

Hey JJ, good to hear from you too. I agree with a lot of what you said. It's at the point where I don't even listen to much local commercial terrestrial radio (on both sides of the Cascades) anymore because all the personality and life has been sucked right out of it. These stations are like iPods with commercials and recorded liners. If people wanted that, they'd make their own. It's pretty cheap and easy to do as well for ANYONE. The Mapleton stations are ESPECIALLY lousy.

The move to AAA on 99.9 always puzzled me too. The lite AC "Classy" sound may have been a tad dated by 2006, but they always were a close second behind KISC. I played The River (via the internet) in my office here on this side of the Cascades for a while, but quickly tired of them once I realized just how TIGHT their playlist was (isn't AAA supposed to be about a HUGE, eclectic selection?) They are no KINK, that's for sure. But I also think AAA is a format not everybody can do. Especially if "formula radio" is all the MD knows. You have to be willing to break a few molds and conventional ideas to really stand out in AAA.

Spokane has just way too many country stations anyway. KHTQ can really use some SERIOUS competition. And maybe a current AAA can find something better to do. Whoever's in charge of KPND's web site needs to be fired for embarrassing incompetence. But KPND's format itself, although odd for Spokane, does have one good thing going for it; aside from a program on KYRS-LP, it's the only radio source of blues music in the area. They also seem to be a lot more indie leaning than KXLY-FM (and certainly KZBD.) Not much for big ratings in a place like Spokane, but it fills a tiny niche. They're like the WMVY of the Inland Northwest. But they do need to get their act together on the web and in their format structure because they're falling WAAAY behind everybody else....Literally.

 

[chokesman-review]

I've always felt KXLY flipped 99.9 to a half baked AAA because it was designed to thwart KPND's move in. If I recall the timing right, KXLY did the flip about a month before KPND went hot at thier new stick.

In typical XL fashion they blew up thier successful franchise for a short term payoff. Some cooler heads need to focus on stabilty and billing instead of implusive one-ups.

The move to AAA on 99.9 always puzzled me too.

 

[radiojjh]

Well...they made the flip-flop of the two stations, and IMHO I think it is VERY confusing to the average listener who doesn't care alot for change....or having to search the dial for their favorite station and/or music. But of course it is NOT I who makes the decisions and makes the calls on the changes......it will be interesting to see what transpires, IF we only had PPM here in Spokane, apparently that will be arriving in 2013 or 2014...not too far down the road.

anyway....hope we all experience a great 2010 personally and in the world of radio, sound good???


;-)

Uncle Jayge