What's next for Free-FM

[94117]

now, more than ever..

we need all news, all the time.

106.9/fm 740/am

 

[RadioStarOne]

I Know! Its time to kick out the "I" and drop in a rather cute Big C after the FR and call it KFRC 106.9 FM!

What a wonderful sound rolling off a Boss DJs Tongue!

"This is K F R C AM 1550 and FM 106.9 San Francisco! Home of the Greatest Hits of the 70's and 80's!"

And Yes Free FM is Dead and now buried! Good Riddance!

Well?.................Well? We can dream can't we? Or Well?...................

 

[LKellerIII]

"This is K F R C AM 1550 and FM 106.9 San Francisco! Home of the Greatest Hits of the 70's and 80's!"
And Yes Free FM is Dead and now buried! Good Riddance!
Well?.................Well? We can dream can't we? Or Well?..................."

There's been a lot of not so subtle hinting around on this thread - and on the "KFRC is Back" thread that the Oldies...er...Classic Hits will be back on 106.9. There are a couple of things about this that don't make a lot of sense for me:

(1) Free-FM has been doing just slightly worse than MOViN in the ratings. But it seems to me that talk on FM has potential - at least in the long run, where as the MOViN format seems to be a big flop in most of the markets it has entered. Yeah, it does good in Seattle, but I'm guessing that Seattle didn't have a lot of urban formatted stations until MOViN came in. The Bay Area has a glut of urban music stations, and having YET ANOTHER one is just downright stupid. At least talk on FM is unique, and if CBS got their act together and hired provocative local, and issues-oriented hosts, it could have a future - especially since inside experts who post here like David Eduardo are telling us that younger listeners do NOT like AM radio. According to these people, news and talk on the radio has a better future on FM than on AM. Yes, "Free-FM" has been a fiasco, but if they changed the branding as they are doing in other markets (dropping the "Free-FM" moniker), gave it another year, and hired KGO quality (but probably younger) hosts, I think it might gain significant audience. If MOViN ever gains any momentum at all, it will only be a few tenths of a rating point that they will manage to steal away from Kiss-FM or KBLX. Not much future there.

(2) If you're going to bring back Classic Hits, it makes more sense to put the format back on 99.7, where it has been for about 15 years, and people are used to finding it. It's only been gone about 9 months, afterall. Especially since CBS does not like to spend money on advertising. Has anybody else noticed that Clear Channel Outdoor uses a lot of their billboards to advertise Clear Channel radio stations, while you almost NEVER see a CBS station advertised on a CBS billboard? CBS also does not advertise on TV.

By the way, I don't claim to be an expert, and if I'm wrong and 106.9 is KFRC Classic Hits next week, I'll be happy to eat my words.

 

[XM RADIO]

Lkeller, thats something that cant happen quick enough!! Dump Free Fm 106.9, living in Concord 106.9 is much weaker than 99.7!!!! You cant drive in Walnut Creek listening to 106.9 with out reception problems!! Any idea of whos going to be on the Line up? Kenny in Concord

 

[SFStatic]

Agree and disagree with Keller. CBS has been running those butt wiggling spots for Movin' often enough to make me gag.

OTOH, concerning Free, yes...rebrand and hire KGO quality hosts, and you would get big ratings. Frankly, hiring KGO quality local hosts (agree with younger on FM) will bring some handsome numbers.

 

[LKellerIII]

"Agree and disagree with Keller. CBS has been running those butt wiggling spots for Movin' often enough to make me gag."

How could I have forgotten those?? They make my eyes burn. I must be trying to erase them from my mind. Exception noted.

Have you wondered, though, why CBS in general does not do as much advertising as Clear Channel? I think they put a few Adam Carolla signs on buses for the first 2 or 3 months of Free-FM, but nothing after that. I've never seen MOViN advertised on a CBS billboard...thank god - it would be a big ugly green thing, no dobut.

Contrast that with how many KNEW billboards you see with Michael Savage's ugly puss, T-Man on Wild 94.9, KMEL, or those ubiquitous Renel-Santana-Marvin Gaye billboards for Kiss-FM. They even put up billboards for The Quake from time to time. And I notice that Entercom has been recycling the old Bonneville TV commercials for KOIT.

 

[SFStatic]

Very good point. Radio used to do a lot more advertising, though, both on boards and TV. It sure seems strange for a business that makes it's living convincing other businesses to advertise on it not to believe in spending any advertising dollars itself! Note how well KOIT does book after book, and how they consistantly use TV. And Bonneville didn't own a TV station in the market. You'd think since CBS does, they'd pimp their own radio product more, even if it met trading some ad dollars and running some Channel 5 ads on their radio stations!

 

[WordLife]

I see a good amount of Movin' commercials and when Free-FM first came out, there were a lot of Corolla and John London banners on buses and what not.

I think Free-FM can only hope to pick up some A's listeners...

 

[TheHearer]

The Bay Area has a glut of urban music stations, and having YET ANOTHER one is just downright stupid. At least talk on FM is unique, and if CBS got their act together and hired provocative local, and issues-oriented hosts, it could have a future - especially since inside experts who post here like David Eduardo are telling us that younger listeners do NOT like AM radio. According to these people, news and talk on the radio has a better future on FM than on AM. Yes, "Free-FM" has been a fiasco, but if they changed the branding as they are doing in other markets (dropping the "Free-FM" moniker), gave it another year, and hired KGO quality (but probably younger) hosts, I think it might gain significant audience.

By the way, I don't claim to be an expert, and if I'm wrong and 106.9 is KFRC Classic Hits next week, I'll be happy to eat my words.

Would you like to join me for lunch?

I'm really shocked by what just happened yesterday, that FreeFM is no longer.

Several male listeners I know, myself included, fit exactly that profile described here. We're bored by news/talk found on other stations, as good as KGO is. FreeFM definitely spoke to us as guys.

They say they'll transfer some programs onto 1550AM. However, what I found really appealing about FreeFM was its local hosts too. They spoke about local issues and had local guys calling in. Is there any chance of this kind of exchange on 1550?

I really think FreeFM had tremendous potential on FM, simply by rebranding as you put it. One big reason it didn't catch on as it could have was it was publicized and marketed so little. It was rare that I saw a billboard or anything else announcing its existence.

Bay Area radio has gone back to being boring. I hope they add some local touch to whatever they do with "Free FM" (Free AM?) where they reposition it to.

 

[LKellerIII]

"Bay Area radio has gone back to being boring. I hope they add some local touch to whatever they do with "Free FM" (Free AM?) where they reposition it to."

Yes - I'm prepared to eat my words...a little salsa might help. I wasn't a big Free-FM listener - I still prefer KGO, but I thought the format had potential. My preference would have been death for MOViN. CBS has never known what to do with the 1550 frequency - they'll probably let the talk format die a slow death there. Leykis and other syndicated hosts were on 1550 before (remember "Yadda Yadda Radio?"...No? You must not have been either of their listeners). The station never even showed up in the Arb ratings. KGO, KTRB, KQKE, and KNEW are all competition on the dying AM band...and I think there's a Salem station in this market, too, but I can't remember. It's not a pretty picture.

 

[TheFrameGuy]

I feel for ya TheHearer. On November 30, 2005, Seattle lost its equivalent to Free FM, "Radio For Guys" 100.7 The Buzz. The Buzz was all local shows except for Leykis and was fairly popular. Now we get Leykis replayed at 10 PM on 99.9 KISW. The BJ Shae Show was the mid-day show on The Buzz and when they blew up the station, he moved to mornings on KISW to fill Howard Stearn's spot. 100.7 The Wolf is getting better ratings than The Buzz did, but "Radio For Guys" has been missed for 1.5 years.

 

[RadioStarOne]

"Bay Area radio has gone back to being boring. I hope they add some local touch to whatever they do with "Free FM" (Free AM?) where they reposition it to."

Yes - I'm prepared to eat my words...a little salsa might help. I wasn't a big Free-FM listener - I still prefer KGO, but I thought the format had potential. My preference would have been death for MOViN. CBS has never known what to do with the 1550 frequency - they'll probably let the talk format die a slow death there. Leykis and other syndicated hosts were on 1550 before (remember "Yadda Yadda Radio?"...No? You must not have been either of their listeners). The station never even showed up in the Arb ratings. KGO, KTRB, KQKE, and KNEW are all competition on the dying AM band...and I think there's a Salem station in this market, too, but I can't remember. It's not a pretty picture.

Actually there are two Salem stations 1220 and 1100 AM.

 

[Madmansam]

"Bay Area radio has gone back to being boring. I hope they add some local touch to whatever they do with "Free FM" (Free AM?) where they reposition it to."

Yes - I'm prepared to eat my words...a little salsa might help. I wasn't a big Free-FM listener - I still prefer KGO, but I thought the format had potential. My preference would have been death for MOViN. CBS has never known what to do with the 1550 frequency - they'll probably let the talk format die a slow death there. Leykis and other syndicated hosts were on 1550 before (remember "Yadda Yadda Radio?"...No? You must not have been either of their listeners). The station never even showed up in the Arb ratings. KGO, KTRB, KQKE, and KNEW are all competition on the dying AM band...and I think there's a Salem station in this market, too, but I can't remember. It's not a pretty picture.

Actually there are two Salem stations 1220 and 1100 AM.

I might be wrong Radio Star One, but I think the discussion was on Talk Stations. While Yes Salem has 2 Bay Area Stations, Salem only has one talk station in the form of KNTS 1220. The other is an All Christian Station Station KFAX-1100. While KFAX has some Christian Talk (as well as Christian Teachings), I doubt someone who is a big fan of KGO, or even Adam Corolla or Mancow would want to listen to KFAX. Just My Two Cents

 

[Madmansam]

CBS can move the KIFR calls to 1550 and call it "1550 FREE AM" ?

 

[jvparent]

"CBS can move the KIFR calls to 1550 and call it "1550 FREE AM" ?"

Why? Makes no sense to take a slogan that drew no money and few ears and dump it someplace that draws less money and fewer ears. And, before you smack me around -- yes, I know -- doing things that make no sense does fit the CBS profile.