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Spokane's River

D

Dick Skinner

Guest
Anybody know why Steve and Marie were let go at KEZE?
 
i heard that there were some people let go froma station who rand a traffic report sponsored by toyota...then did a joke about the cars crashing and the recall. dealer called and complained...some people got fired. for some reason I am thinking spokane...but may have been denver. can't find the story...
 
I've heard noises that 'Spokane's River' is almost on deathwatch. Morgan Murphy isn't getting the billing out of it they would like. This switcheroo to 96.9 and thinning of resources the station is recieving to me implies a desperate attempt to drive down costs to make the station more sustainable. They've got a book maybe two left to reign it in.

If they aren't successful in making the station more sustainable, look for the river to run dry. The 3 year experiment will be over.

Then it'll be hello "classy 96.9" or some AC variant.

I can't say I'd miss the 'Spokane's River.' They never impressed me with their variety. Their whole presentation from the "music chosen by you" to 'quality rock, true variety' was silly. Especially given that their playlist was much tighter than their liners promoted. They felt forced and phony. AAA is supposed to breathe. Spokane's River is almost as bad as a CHR in its tight playlist.
 
Another disappointing quarter for Spokane's River. Maybe it's time to get a PD on board who has a clue.
 
Down another half point. Tragic and so easily fixed.
 
Stephanie Sandlin said:
I've heard noises that 'Spokane's River' is almost on deathwatch. Morgan Murphy isn't getting the billing out of it they would like. This switcheroo to 96.9 and thinning of resources the station is recieving to me implies a desperate attempt to drive down costs to make the station more sustainable. They've got a book maybe two left to reign it in.

If they aren't successful in making the station more sustainable, look for the river to run dry. The 3 year experiment will be over.

Then it'll be hello "classy 96.9" or some AC variant.

I can't say I'd miss the 'Spokane's River.' They never impressed me with their variety. Their whole presentation from the "music chosen by you" to 'quality rock, true variety' was silly. Especially given that their playlist was much tighter than their liners promoted. They felt forced and phony. AAA is supposed to breathe. Spokane's River is almost as bad as a CHR in its tight playlist.

It just might happen now.....

I always felt the same way how "Spokane's River" handled the AAA format. A tight playlist of "carefully researched" songs might work for AC, but it's disaster for a AAA format. You'll never hear KINK or even KMTT doing that.
 
Another factor I caught myself thinking about was Spokane's River and KPND out of Sandpoint.

KPND with its 50kw signal just across the Idaho border puts a serviceble signal into most areas of Spokane.

The difference in approach is so drastically different between the two stations. Live interactive jocks most dayparts, audience acknowledgement, deep cuts, flexible playlists for the jocks... it's what AAA is. KPND is always interesting and if you don't like something, switch away and in 10 minutes something quirky might be on.

Contrast that to the hyper safe mostly voicetracked 'AAA' of Spokane's River. No wonder 96.9 had a bad time finding what it wanted to be. It wanted the tightness and ratings of classic rocker KKZX. In the end it had an identity crisis and it never found its way. It ended up somewhere between the original 105.7 The Peak and a recurrent version of 103.1 KCDA.

AAA is not a ratings barn burner but a niche format. Perhaps Morgan Murphy had unrealistic expectations with Spokane's River thinking they could fuse two or three formats with a niche.

Do it well, they will come. Keep doing it well, they will stay. Spokane's River over the long term never realized its potentual. A tweak here, tweak there... no steady vision. It wasn't driven by the right mentality it takes for AAA to succeed, or foolish thoughts of KKZX-like numbers

In the end the little station out of Sandpoint by all accounts appears to have outlasted Morgan Murphy's attempted hostile ownership of the format. Spokane's River went hot two weeks before KPND lit their new tower and 50kw up. I've always felt Morgan Murphy wanted to deny KPND the fanfare and format ownership. They denied them the fanfare but in the end had the wrong mentality for it.

KPND new liner: "Some stations come, other's go, but we're still here. Progressive Radio for the inland Northwest 95 Three KPND."

The better AAA won hands down.

On a side note, anyone know why KPND isn't in Arbitron? I find it interesting they do their thing completely sans Arbitron or any book whatsoever. It enhances their charm.

Bongwater said:
Stephanie Sandlin said:
I've heard noises that 'Spokane's River' is almost on deathwatch. Morgan Murphy isn't getting the billing out of it they would like. This switcheroo to 96.9 and thinning of resources the station is recieving to me implies a desperate attempt to drive down costs to make the station more sustainable. They've got a book maybe two left to reign it in.

If they aren't successful in making the station more sustainable, look for the river to run dry. The 3 year experiment will be over.

Then it'll be hello "classy 96.9" or some AC variant.

I can't say I'd miss the 'Spokane's River.' They never impressed me with their variety. Their whole presentation from the "music chosen by you" to 'quality rock, true variety' was silly. Especially given that their playlist was much tighter than their liners promoted. They felt forced and phony. AAA is supposed to breathe. Spokane's River is almost as bad as a CHR in its tight playlist.

It just might happen now.....

I always felt the same way how "Spokane's River" handled the AAA format. A tight playlist of "carefully researched" songs might work for AC, but it's disaster for a AAA format. You'll never hear KINK or even KMTT doing that.
 
Stephanie Sandlin said:
On a side note, anyone know why KPND isn't in Arbitron? I find it interesting they do their thing completely sans Arbitron or any book whatsoever. It enhances their charm.

If KPND was receiving diary mentions in the Spokane sample, it would show up in the Spokane book. It isn't; so it doesn't. I predict The River will return as a AAA of a different color. They do need work...though not a bigger playlist, deeper cuts and more jock choices...unless they want to drop below that tidy 2 share they have now.
 
Yes, they could. The question is, would they?

A couple factors to consider in recreating the 'Classy' format on 96.9. First, KEZE's signal. Pretty much a metro area only signal. Compare that to KISC with its barn burner signal. Think of going to a birthday party in the Yakima Valley armed with a thin branch to break the pinata. You don't have the tool (big signal) to the job. Second, is there any reliable evidence the old Classy audience would come back? KISC has absorbed Classy's audience. Getting them back, that's a whole new effort there.

A former boss once said, and I'll paraphrase; its keeping them once they are here that is easy. If they leave, getting them back: that is the scary part.

I think by Morgan Murphy, if they scuttle 96.9 by default AC would probably be the choice. They know AC and are keen to have healthy formats on all their signals.

Would Classy @ 96.9 rival Classy @ 99.9 in terms of ratings? Probably not. It would be the secondary AC by a country mile. Think 105.7 The Buzzard's classic rock phase to KKZX. Pretty much how it'd pan out. Another old PD of mine once said, "if you own the format, no one can ever take it from you." KISC owns light rock now.

All that said, I hope they don't flip 96.9 to AC. It would be AC done like KCDA. No real people, just voicetrack galore. Turning the Newsradio franchise at 920 into an AM/FM combo is a novel way to use the 8200w @ 96.9 and give it a unique useage.

e-dawg said:
Can they switched back to AC format and called it Classy 96.9 or switch station with 99.9 FM?
 
I think they should leave it at 104.5 and top 40 105.7 just think what happen wired 96.9 I hate to see you have the worst top 40 and I think kzzu 93 should stick with one format
 
I probley woundn't care watza222 if wired 96.9 goes back on the air but I don't want them to screw with 104.5 jamz why don't you listen to 104.5 that a good station to listen to spokane other this town one of the worst rhythmic chr or top40
 
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