Who will flip to 97.3's old format?

[KentMcN]

Does anyone think some station will flip to KBSG 97.3 old format playing a more pop-based classic hits format? I think KJR-FM should.I hope that Jay Kelly who used to be PD of KBSG would to switch KJR-FM to a more pop-based format.I doubt it will happen because Clear Channel is not letting Jay program the station the way he would like to.It is still the same boring repetitive classic rock format when Bob Case was PD which I predicted would decline sooner or later. Their ratings are going down and the station will continue to decline.I hope they are smart enough to flip and bring back some of the KBSG personalities and watch KJR take off in the ratings.I hope Jay Kelly can do this,he is a good oldies programmer.

 

[TakeItFromMe]

ain' likely dude. No full market FM going that way I'm afraid oldies is gone :'(
This cowboy bets KJR-FM makes a slight adjustment and dumps some of the nineties crap they play like Hootie and The Blowfish and slip in a few 60's tunes. That way the station keeps the Classic Hits audience but adds some Oldies folk :-\ No need to hire a morning show or staff when you got no one challenging you. Time for Kelly and Clear Channel to make bank :-X

The bigger question is what will KOMO do this week to battle KIRO AM/FM ???

 

[SeattleRadioPro]

Totally agree that KJR will make a slight adjustment with the loss of their direct competitor, but you can bet that no other owner with will flip a full market signal to oldies.

The bigger question is what will KOMO do this week to battle KIRO AM/FM ???

Here's your answer: Not one blessed thing.

The cuts have already begun at KOMO. Mariners reporter Shannon Drayer left the station and isn't being replaced - not even on a PT basis. Expect further staff reductions over the next month or two following receipt of the recently conducted market perceptual research.

 

[kentuckymedia]

Surprisingly, a ton of the listeners of KBSG will most likely remain with the new KIRO-FM. However the bulk of people who dont want to stay with KIRO could potentially end up at KJR. Is the new 104.5 ever going to move to Seattle? If it does...I have a feeling that Bonneville will end up with the station.

 

[SeattleRadioPro]

Surprisingly, a ton of the listeners of KBSG will most likely remain with the new KIRO-FM.

What? There's very little shared cume between KBSG and KIRO. SOME old KBSG listeners will stay for the change, but those who liked the music the station played will migrate to KJR-FM, KZOK, KRWM and even KIXI.

 

[AQH]

Surprisingly, a ton of the listeners of KBSG will most likely remain with the new KIRO-FM.

For what -- Gregg Hersholt's rendition of Where Did Our Love Go?

 

[SeattleRadioPro]

Surprisingly, a ton of the listeners of KBSG will most likely remain with the new KIRO-FM.

For what -- Gregg Hersholt's rendition of Where Did Our Love Go?

Nope. It's the Dave Ross song parodies that will retain all those old listeners. Sheesh!

 

[DangerousDan]

It would be different if this were a brand new station with a brand new format. You might retain some old listeners after a flip. But it's not likely people wanting to hear music will stick around to hear programming they're already familiar with. Is there anyone in Seattle who has never sampled KIRO? Think they just want to hear Dori in stereo? (Will KIRO-FM even be broadcasting in stereo?)

If anyone will flip to pop oldies, a better hunch would be an AM station. Just like KIXI attracts older demos to hear music on AM with standards, pop oldies could probably do the same. But my bet would not be on a locally-programmed station. The more likely scenario would be a sat format like Scott Shannon's True Oldies.

But which AM station might it be? With the Sonics gone and KIRO with both the Seahawks and Mariners I predict they will also enhance their sports talk programming. Which can only mean one thing.

That's right, you heard it here first...I'm predicting KJR-AM will flip to Oldies Channel 95!

 

[KentMcN]

I think everybody is confused.I meant that they should flip KJR-FM to a more pop-based classic hits from the 60's and 70's not anything from the 1950's. Not an oldies format,but similar to K-Hits in Portland. I wouldn't be surprised if CBS will try to do this with 96.5.

 

[Kelly]

Hey I have an idea! 97.3 KIRO FM can leave their stereo generator turned on in stereo, and put sports on the left channel, and Dory Monson on the right! During Dave Ross' show, they switch channels! Brilliant! The only downside is many listeners have lost their owners manual to their radios, so panning left and right may be a challenge. I'm sure with all that fine programming coming out of Eastlake, that the listeners won't mind leaning toward the speaker with the programming they prefer.

 

[Grindlfan]

Does anyone think some station will flip to KBSG 97.3 old format playing a more pop-based classic hits format? I think KJR-FM should.I hope that Jay Kelly who used to be PD of KBSG would to switch KJR-FM to a more pop-based format.I doubt it will happen because Clear Channel is not letting Jay program the station the way he would like to.It is still the same boring repetitive classic rock format when Bob Case was PD which I predicted would decline sooner or later. Their ratings are going down and the station will continue to decline.I hope they are smart enough to flip and bring back some of the KBSG personalities and watch KJR take off in the ratings.I hope Jay Kelly can do this,he is a good oldies programmer.

I for one would love it if KJR FM would abandon the 80s and 90s crap and go back to 60s and 70s like they were in the early part of this decade when Bob Case was there. It was such a fun station then. We got to hear the true AM Top Forty hits of those decades including Crazy Horses by the Osmonds and Little Woman by Bobby Sherman...until Case was forced to blow it up that is. Then they started playing all the same old over played album rock tracks again. Enough Aerosmith and Steve Miller! I think a switch would do the station good. Bring back some of the old DJ's too. Put Norm Gregory back to work for crying out loud. Also, regardless what KJR FM does, they need to pick up the Classic American Top 40 - the 70s series for Sunday mornings.

 

[KentMcN]

I agree with you on this one. They should have stayed that way to start with,except they played too much disco and old school,they could have adjusted the format a bit and added more variety.But when they changed it in 2002 they ruined it.KJR-FM will never be able to compete with KZOK for classic rock they have dominated this format for 22 years now. Become more pop-based and you will get over a 3 share and if KJR continues to keep the format they have now, it will continue to slide in the ratings. I hope they bring back AT 40 that was on KBSG and also get better personalites.Go back to being Superhits,but not oldies from the 50's and quit playing classic rock from the 80 and 90's too.

 

[Grindlfan]

I agree with you on this one. They should have stayed that way to start with,except they played too much disco and old school,they could have adjusted the format a bit and added more variety.But when they changed it in 2002 they ruined it.KJR-FM will never be able to compete with KZOK for classic rock they have dominated this format for 22 years now. Become more pop-based and you will get over a 3 share and if KJR continues to keep the format they have now, it will continue to slide in the ratings. I hope they bring back AT 40 that was on KBSG and also get better personalites.Go back to being Superhits,but not oldies from the 50's and quit playing classic rock from the 80 and 90's too.

You are right on Kent.

 

[Bongwater]

Hey I have an idea! 97.3 KIRO FM can leave their stereo generator turned on in stereo, and put sports on the left channel, and Dory Monson on the right! During Dave Ross' show, they switch channels! Brilliant! The only downside is many listeners have lost their owners manual to their radios, so panning left and right may be a challenge. I'm sure with all that fine programming coming out of Eastlake, that the listeners won't mind leaning toward the speaker with the programming they prefer.

Would work for some radios...except for my little Sanyo cyclops (one speaker) ghetto blaster, countless clock radios, little pocket transistors, etc. It would sound like a big fat mess.

I would like KIRO-FM to keep the stereo generator on and don't even THINK of messing with the EQ. KQBZ sounded HORRIBLE - even in mono.....

 

[Kelly]

I was kidding Larry...

 

[AQH]

I was kidding Larry...

 

[notalent]

KJR FM was at the bottom of the barrel when Bob Case brought back the call letters. They did play the type of music Grindle suggests... everything from Climax "precious and few" to KC and the Sunshine Band. Nobody listened. then they adjusted and were playing even more songs... and still nothing worked until the current format... and PD.

It has been tried and it has previously failed on 95.7, I highly doubt it will return.

 

[Kelly]

KJR FM was at the bottom of the barrel when Bob Case brought back the call letters. They did play the type of music Grindle suggests... everything from Climax "precious and few" to KC and the Sunshine Band. Nobody listened. then they adjusted and were playing even more songs... and still nothing worked until the current format... and PD.

It has been tried and it has previously failed on 95.7, I highly doubt it will return.

I think you may have your timeline off slightly. The brief format change between "Lite Favorites" and KJR-FM was a stunt to shed the previous K-Lite audience. The plan was to launch KJR-FM with it's associated nostalgia hook all along. Prior to that point, K-Lite had been pillaged after a rookie GM fired the long-standing PD who built it up, mainly because the long-standing PD was opposed to the Smooth Jazz block format at night, (which the rookie GM wanted). By the time Bob came in, K-Lite was a Train-Wreck.

After a year or so as KJR-FM, the results were that few listeners seemed to know, or care about the historical significance to KJR. So rather than continuing to beat the listeners who didn't care over the head with how cool and nostalgic the station was, they correctly opted to just have it stand on it's own. Just for the record, it never has done as well as when it was K-Lite.

 

[notalent]

Actually, Kelly, I was refering to the time period after "The Beat" and "The Mix" when they brought back the KJR FM call letters for the second time. Thats when Bob Case was throwing every oldie against the wall in an effort to see what stuck I guess. It was most definitely more "oldies" in 2003/04 than it currently is.

I believe this was the time period when Pat Cashman was doing mornings and Bob was on in PM drive.

I've heard a lot of good things about Bob Case and his years at KUBE but after hearing what he was doing for oldies on 95.7 in the mentioned time period I have to question whether he really knew what to do with the station at that time or with the format.

Either that or there just was not room for two stations in the market playing those same songs at that time.

 

[Bongwater]

KJR FM was at the bottom of the barrel when Bob Case brought back the call letters. They did play the type of music Grindle suggests... everything from Climax "precious and few" to KC and the Sunshine Band. Nobody listened. then they adjusted and were playing even more songs... and still nothing worked until the current format... and PD.

It has been tried and it has previously failed on 95.7, I highly doubt it will return.

I think you may have your timeline off slightly. The brief format change between "Lite Favorites" and KJR-FM was a stunt to shed the previous K-Lite audience. The plan was to launch KJR-FM with it's associated nostalgia hook all along. Prior to that point, K-Lite had been pillaged after a rookie GM fired the long-standing PD who built it up, mainly because the long-standing PD was opposed to the Smooth Jazz block format at night, (which the rookie GM wanted). By the time Bob came in, K-Lite was a Train-Wreck.

After a year or so as KJR-FM, the results were that few listeners seemed to know, or care about the historical significance to KJR. So rather than continuing to beat the listeners who didn't care over the head with how cool and nostalgic the station was, they correctly opted to just have it stand on it's own. Just for the record, it never has done as well as when it was K-Lite.

That brief period was in 1994 and "The Northwest's New 95.7 FM" It was a stunt (and perhaps the very first '80s format station, stunt or not.) It was VERY refreshing in the middle of grunge overload on one end and gangsta rap on the other. It was also the exact time KPLZ became "Star 101.5". It played a lot of '80s hits that many '80s stations have not played ever since.

KJR-FM came on as the '70s station, which was nice. But agreed, the nostalgic value was probably overestimated. That's why KJR-FM Version 1.0 began to flounder around 1999. Then KMBX came on as "Mix 95.7", which was Hot AC with a lot of surprises (Dr. Feelgood" Motley Crue anyone?) Then KBTB "95.7 The Beat", which was downright AWESOME. Then after a stunt as "Quick 96" - remember that?, back to KJR-FM, Version 2.0 in 2002, as "Superhits of the '60s & '70s." There was just one little problem...much of the playlist was very mainstream '80s hits. A fact that was not lost on many confused listeners. And a few radio anarchists (at the Seattle NAB convention, someone set up a little pirate station that mocked KJR-FM with a fake big-voiced jock that could have EASILY passed for any KJR-FM jock at the time, along with very cleverly edited KJR-FM jingles taken off the air.) Here's the aircheck of that:

http://www.negativland.com/listenhere/kjr1all.m3u (MP3 Stream)

Made by those lovable aural anarchists, Negativland.

Very soon after, KJR-FM finally found some actually grounding as "Rock-N-Roll's Greatest Hits" instead of the flimsy and inaccurate "Superhits of the '60s & '70s." positioner.