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WHY CAN'T ENTERCOM FIND A PD FOR KKWF?

S

stonesmarconi

Guest
1.) Pay
2.) GM
3.) Station faltering
4.) KMPS is blowing them away
5.) Who cares
 
Perhaps a little of all of the above. But my experience is when a station delays hiring a PD it is due to a general lack of direction, OR, they are trying to economize until they know exactly where they are going.
 
Like I said, every time KKWF has another lineup/PD shakeup, KMPS gets back another 100 listeners.

I knew right from the beginning a new country station wasn't going to work because KMPS OWNS the format here. The trail of country stations KMPS has vanquished is long and bloody: KAYO, KGAA, KBRO, KWYZ, KJUN, KKBY, KRPM and KYCW-FM. KKWF and KNBQ simply do not stand a ghost of a chance against 94.1.
 
In order: #4, then #3. Who wants to take a PD gig where you know for certain you won't succeed in being tops in your format?

Maybe Mahalick should take on the duties again - much like Charese Fruge’s dual PD gigs of Sophie in San Diego and Alice in SF.
 
It's true that KMPS has had staying power. But most of the call letters mentioned don't really count, including KJUN, KWYZ, etc. KAYO #1 was an AM station that disappeared in the 70s after KMPS 1300 AM went on air. KAYO #2 (99.3) did not fail... it was simply sold to Bustos for a substantial sum as a Seattle rimshot. KRPM was a low-budget operation. And wasn't KYCW purchased by CBS/Infinity which owns KMPS? That's one way to get rid of a competitor.

Fact is, KMPS has adapted well over the years. About 32 years as I recall. My wife and I were working at KOL when the format flipped on the AM and then a couple years later we plugged in KMPS FM.
 
No disrespect or diminishing of KMPS, cuz WOW! But I could see reasoning like this if KKWF wasn't a full-market station. If it was in the class of KNBQ, or like it is here in Salt Lake City, with tons of scrappy little rimshots, then sure, cry and mope about not having a chance. But KKWF has a comparable signal to KMPS and by that fact alone, it has as good a chance as any newcomer has to match and win a heritage giant. These previous stations that have failed, have missed something. My guess, with maybe the exception of KRPM, it was patience and longevity. We all know the climate in radio is such that you can't just bleed money, this is clear. But, if a station would last and keep changing and experimenting with the different elements until it finds what the listener is getting at KMPS, and hone it, it could win, or at least tie.

I know my experience isn't in running a station in any fashion, other than some limited behind the mic and board op shifts. But take the preceding words as low-level common sense. It should just work, based on plain old fashioned logic. It should.

So maybe the wolf doesn't do it in Seattle. Maybe young country doesn't work in Seattle. What does? Any market this size deserves more than one major league Country station. These are my thoughts. Fix them.
 
Timmy said:
These previous stations that have failed, have missed something. My guess, with maybe the exception of KRPM, it was patience and longevity. We all know the climate in radio is such that you can't just bleed money, this is clear. But, if a station would last and keep changing and experimenting with the different elements until it finds what the listener is getting at KMPS, and hone it, it could win, or at least tie.
Click to expand...

Nope. You're missing the most important point of all. Seattle is an insular market and once it attaches itself to a station - it's hard to change that. As the esteemed Mr. Wolfenbarger points out it's been KMPS for Country in Seattle for over 30 years now. Why change stations?

Take a look back at the last fifteen years of ratings. Competitors come and go but KMPS and KUBE are either at or near the top every time.
 
Seattle is truly an insular market because of the longevity of the programmers and talent. People like to stay here. KMPS wins because they have a solid sales team that sold through a new competitor. For a couple of books KKWF beat KMPS, but not for long. This market has established winners in every demographic. KMPS and KZOK win 25-54 adults most four books averages over the last decade or so. KISW and KZOK knock down the men 25-54. KRWM and KPLZ own the women 25-54. KUBE and KISW rule 18-34. It has been that way for a long time. The air-talent have been on these stations for years. The programmers, with the possible exception of KISW, have been in this market for years. The sales staff's have been solid performers for years. I would also add KIRO and KOMO to the list as solid AM performers. Think of all the Rock stations that have come and gone trying to beat KZOK or KISW. Think of the long list of AC/Mix type stations that have tried to beat out KRWM and KPLZ. Think of the long list of CHR stations that have tried to knock off KUBE, like KBKS or KQMV.


These stations don't panic when someone attacks them, they just sell through it and adjust programming slightly. A winning combination.
 
Wow! That's great insight. I totally see that it can be tough. So why, like here in SLC, can newcomer, KUBL (TheBull!) come in and just wreck 50+ year heritage country mammoth, KSOP? KSOP was doing traditional new country (like KMPS), KUBL came in and fired up a top-40esque blowtorch (like KKWF) and have consistently out-rated and out-sold KSOP for the 15 some-odd years it's been here. (Don't quote me on 15 years). I get the whole insular concepts here. Now more than before. But 50+ years of being the main game in SLC?? Now there are 3 full market new country stations, 1 full market classic country and 1 rimshot new country. It's bewildering. Being a fan of Country, I love it. Never gonna happen in Seattle though... I don't think KKWF should go away. If nothing else, it keeps KMPS on their game. The competition makes the product as a whole better.
 
Bill Wolfenbarger said:
It's true that KMPS has had staying power. But most of the call letters mentioned don't really count, including KJUN, KWYZ, etc. KAYO #1 was an AM station that disappeared in the 70s after KMPS 1300 AM went on air. KAYO #2 (99.3) did not fail... it was simply sold to Bustos for a substantial sum as a Seattle rimshot. KRPM was a low-budget operation. And wasn't KYCW purchased by CBS/Infinity which owns KMPS? That's one way to get rid of a competitor.

Fact is, KMPS has adapted well over the years. About 32 years as I recall. My wife and I were working at KOL when the format flipped on the AM and then a couple years later we plugged in KMPS FM.
Click to expand...

Very true.

But regardless of the gory details, who came out on top?
 
What does Mike have to do with it? I thought he was just the PD at the End? Is he the one doing the hiring for the Wolf' PD job? Palm you are right, companies now more than ever want to see immediate results and sometimes that is just not possible. It all depends on how big of a mess the previous PD left things. As I follow stations around the country, it is just amazing to see new stations launch and then quickly go through 2-3 PD's before managment decides to flip formats 12-18 months after the initial launch. How can you expect to be successful when you have such a quick trigger finger?
 
Mike Kaplan has nothing to do with the hiring of the new PD for The Wolf.

... but I do love watching all of this speculation from all of you folks who have no clue how things work on the 16th floor of Met Park.
 
Why do people keep bringing up R&M on the buzz? Towards the end they were the worst part of that station. Now this is just a listeners perspective, but I avoided their show like the plague. It was the only time during the day that i switched the dial from 100.7.
 
checkerguy said:
Why do people keep bringing up R&M on the buzz? Towards the end they were the worst part of that station. Now this is just a listeners perspective, but I avoided their show like the plague. It was the only time during the day that i switched the dial from 100.7.
Click to expand...
BECAUSE. Robin and Maynard were not well fitted on The Buzz. But R&M are vintage Seattle radio personalities with a decidedly unique, creative and very well crafted show. I miss them like anything. My current radio listening habits would IMMEDIATELY change if they came back. Don't like 'em? Fine. But I don't know how any true radio person can say that they put together anything but a top-notch product.

Every time R&M come up the petulant remarks start up on this board: "their ship has sailed", "they're over and done". BUT on recent posts on this very same board there have been all kinds of remarks about how it is that heritage stations like KMPS manage to overcome competition because of their heritage personalities. So which is it? Heritage = good or Heritage = bad?! Because if heritage is good in Seattle (which I have been saying FOREVER) then BRING BACK THE R&M SHOW!!!!!
 
AMEN on R&M!!

Just last week at work, on a Friday afternoon after a long week, I threw an old R&M CD in from the KZOK days and half of the office swarmed around my desk and laughed their butts off. No matter how much time passes by, they will always be my favorite and they will always be damn funny. Most people who did not get their humor, NEVER got their humor which is fine but it is a shame they went away without Madam Fabulina saying one final "Good Day Sir".
 
rw said:
Mike Kaplan has nothing to do with the hiring of the new PD for The Wolf.

... but I do love watching all of this speculation from all of you folks who have no clue how things work on the 16th floor of Met Park.
Click to expand...

Don't fool yourself. Decisions aren't made in Met Park but at Bala Cynwyd. Kaplan is in Uncle Pat's back pocket with his hands in his front ones.
 
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