As I tweeted Thursday (retweeting the good folks at RadioInsight.com), Emmis has flipped local (Austin) translator K274AX to a comedy format, ending a ten-month simulcast of 93.3 KGSR (as originally reported, back when that simulcast started, here). The new format, Comedy 102.7, is actually the HD3 feed of KGSR, so those lucky few who have HD radios won't be hearing anything new.
Over the last few days, I have checked out Austin's newest terrestrial radio station. It is an affiliate of the 24/7 Comedy Radio Network and, as such, is one of the few HD subchannels that I have heard (that isn't an AM talk format simulcast on FM) that actually runs commercials. From what I can tell, the commercials aren't too terribly obtrusive, though. Mostly, the station/network seems to consist of short (3-5 minute) clips of different comedy shows (so don't expect to hear a full routine), with the comedian identified at the end of the clip (so that the listener spends the first minute or so of each clip trying to determine who the comedian in that clip is before, in my case most of the time, giving up).
Because this is a translator, its signal is not protected as full-power stations' signals are, and so those people living in south Austin (south of William Cannon, from what I can tell) will have the occasional morning (such as today was) in which Comedy 102.7 is overpowered by Jack FM out of San Antonio. This isn't really anything new, which may be one reason why this translator has had more format flips than any other in town in the last five years (remember when it was oldies KITY?).
As for the comedy format itself, for the most part it kept me laughing for most of my commute to/from work (Comedy 102.7 may be a very good stress relief for those people stuck in traffic on I-35 or Mopac). You will find the occasional hostility toward Christianity (it didn't take me long to find that), and I'm sure that eventually everyone listening will be offended by something. You've been warned. But, by and large, the only warning is that you might be laughing too hard to pay attention to the road. It's worth a listen.
Check out Comedy 102.7's web page here (such as it presently is...current quote: "We're for real, but this website's a joke!").
Check out Comedy 102.7's Facebook page here.
Check out Comedy 102.7's Twitter feed here.
Showing posts with label Austin radio. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Austin radio. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Monday, August 15, 2011
"Big Talker" quiets; True Oldies moves
I discovered on my drive home what many other Austinites discovered earlier today. I was flipping around the FM dial (the family beater does not have an auxiliary port or a working cassette player at present) and was surprised to hear music coming from my radio at 98.9 FM, which, until recently, was KXBT, the "Big Talker". Given that I heard the voice of Scott Shannon, and that the local traffic and weather reports referred to the station as "98.9, Austin's Greatest Hits", it didn't take long for me to figure out that the music of the True Oldies Channel, previously found on 92.5, has moved to 98.9. (The station is still simulcast on 92.5, for the moment, for the benefit of the many, many people who hit my blog searching for some combination of "92.5", "austin", and "oldies".)
The 98.9 The Big Talker Facebook page (a short-lived page, I fear), I discovered, had one final announcement:
There are a lot of unhappy comments on that post, but the numbers don't lie. A quick look at Austin's ratings shows that KXBT-FM could barely eke out a 1.0 rating for July, putting it behind pretty much every other full-power FM radio station in town. What will happen to fairly well-known hosts previously featured on KXBT, such as Glenn Beck and Dave Ramsey, is yet to be seen.
As for the future of 92.5, Radio-Info reports that station owner BMP has a new format planned for that frequency, which is not as strong as the 98.9 frequency. But given the better frequency at its new home, this should be a good move for the profitable oldies format.
A quick update: RadioInsight reports that the new format for 92.5, starting after Labor Day, will be the ESPN Deportes format currently heard on 1260 KWNX. KWNX will then simulcast 104.9 the Horn.
Update 8/16/11: As expected, the 98.9 Facebook page was shut down. That link will now take you to the main Facebook page.
The 98.9 The Big Talker Facebook page (a short-lived page, I fear), I discovered, had one final announcement:
Hey, it's Jeff Wolf...the Program Director for what was 98.9 The Big Talker since the very beginning in November 2009. Despite our hard work to bring you more stimulating talk, our audience did not grow as quickly as we hoped it would. Please continue to follow Sean Rima on facebook; you never know what else is on the horizon. I've learned so much from you and thank you for listening to us. Until we meet again...please enjoy the music.
There are a lot of unhappy comments on that post, but the numbers don't lie. A quick look at Austin's ratings shows that KXBT-FM could barely eke out a 1.0 rating for July, putting it behind pretty much every other full-power FM radio station in town. What will happen to fairly well-known hosts previously featured on KXBT, such as Glenn Beck and Dave Ramsey, is yet to be seen.
As for the future of 92.5, Radio-Info reports that station owner BMP has a new format planned for that frequency, which is not as strong as the 98.9 frequency. But given the better frequency at its new home, this should be a good move for the profitable oldies format.
A quick update: RadioInsight reports that the new format for 92.5, starting after Labor Day, will be the ESPN Deportes format currently heard on 1260 KWNX. KWNX will then simulcast 104.9 the Horn.
Update 8/16/11: As expected, the 98.9 Facebook page was shut down. That link will now take you to the main Facebook page.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
As quickly as it came, "Mega" departs
Well, that didn't last long.
Apparently the 102.7 translator that, just two weeks ago, started simulcasting Mega (103.5 FM-HD2), has dropped Mega in favor of already-on-the-FM-dial KGSR 93.3. Per RadioInsight.com, this fulfills a prior promise to boost KGSR's signal after its move from 107.1.
As for Mega listeners, depending on the part of the area in which they live, they may still be able to hear Mega on K288FJ, the translator at 105.5. The catch: that translator is located in Bastrop.
Apparently the 102.7 translator that, just two weeks ago, started simulcasting Mega (103.5 FM-HD2), has dropped Mega in favor of already-on-the-FM-dial KGSR 93.3. Per RadioInsight.com, this fulfills a prior promise to boost KGSR's signal after its move from 107.1.
As for Mega listeners, depending on the part of the area in which they live, they may still be able to hear Mega on K288FJ, the translator at 105.5. The catch: that translator is located in Bastrop.
Wednesday, December 01, 2010
"Mega" returns to Austin airwaves
Courtesy RadioInsight.com:
Mega, the dance format last seen (for those who don't have an HD radio) at 93.3 in Austin, has returned to the airwaves via the translator at 102.7 that once was used for Hill Country oldies station KITY. Until now, Mega had only been available as the HD2 signal of KBPA 103.5 (Bob FM), or, of course, online.
Of course, Mega was not a ratings success, which is why the format of 93.3 was changed to the still-lamented Hot 93.3 (at least it appears to still be lamented, judging by the number of hits I get from the search terms "what happened to hot 93.3" or some variant). However, with a low-power translator (which still occasionally is overridden in south Austin by Jack FM out of San Antonio), the return on investment probably doesn't need to be nearly as high, and so my guess is that we'll be seeing Mega at 102.7 for some time to come.
Update: My guess was wrong.
Mega, the dance format last seen (for those who don't have an HD radio) at 93.3 in Austin, has returned to the airwaves via the translator at 102.7 that once was used for Hill Country oldies station KITY. Until now, Mega had only been available as the HD2 signal of KBPA 103.5 (Bob FM), or, of course, online.
Of course, Mega was not a ratings success, which is why the format of 93.3 was changed to the still-lamented Hot 93.3 (at least it appears to still be lamented, judging by the number of hits I get from the search terms "what happened to hot 93.3" or some variant). However, with a low-power translator (which still occasionally is overridden in south Austin by Jack FM out of San Antonio), the return on investment probably doesn't need to be nearly as high, and so my guess is that we'll be seeing Mega at 102.7 for some time to come.
Update: My guess was wrong.
Monday, September 20, 2010
The River gets Spirit
Listeners to 105.9 the River in Austin may notice a change in their favorite station starting today.
As conjectured in this space a few months ago, 105.9 KFMK was sold. Specifically, the station went to a company called Crista Broadcasting, a company known for operating several Christian radio stations in the Pacific Northwest. The sale is to receive final approval today, September 20, according to All Access.
So what does this mean for The River? Well, it means that the gradual trending toward adult contemporary music (with some Christian music intermingled) is going to come to an abrupt end. The format of KFMK, now dubbed "Spirit 105.9", will return to contemporary Christian.
Crista VP/GM Stan Mak, for one, is excited about this change to Austin's radio landscape:
The new general manager of the station, Tim McCoy says that they "have done extensive research to ensure [they] are programming the type of local station that ‘Austinites’ have been asking for." Whether that will translate into ratings success is left to be seen.
As conjectured in this space a few months ago, 105.9 KFMK was sold. Specifically, the station went to a company called Crista Broadcasting, a company known for operating several Christian radio stations in the Pacific Northwest. The sale is to receive final approval today, September 20, according to All Access.
(Link courtesy All Access)
So what does this mean for The River? Well, it means that the gradual trending toward adult contemporary music (with some Christian music intermingled) is going to come to an abrupt end. The format of KFMK, now dubbed "Spirit 105.9", will return to contemporary Christian.
Crista VP/GM Stan Mak, for one, is excited about this change to Austin's radio landscape:
SPIRIT 105.9 is here because of the overwhelming support for this format that we heard time and time again in our conversations with AUSTIN listeners. SPIRIT 105.9 is going to provide uplifting music and message to the great people of AUSTIN.
The new general manager of the station, Tim McCoy says that they "have done extensive research to ensure [they] are programming the type of local station that ‘Austinites’ have been asking for." Whether that will translate into ratings success is left to be seen.
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Austin radio: 102.3, 105.9 swapping frequencies
In Austin, hip-hop music seemingly jumps from one frequency to another about every year. First it was on 104.3, then 93.3 started competing, then 104.3 made a really ill-advised decision and dumped hip-hop, only to return to it six months later after watching their ratings decline by something like 75%, then 104.9, and now Austin's only source of hip-hop on the radio is 105.9 the Beat.
But not for long.
As multiple sources have reported, 105.9 the Beat is moving down to 102.3, sending the River upstream to 105.9 (the River has already updated its main page to reflect this change).
Most people in Austin might be wondering why Clear Channel, which operates both stations, would swap one for the other in this way. The answer is fairly simple: Clear Channel presently only owns one of the two stations, that being 102.3. (I'd refer to these stations by their call letters, KFMK for 105.9 and KPEZ for 102.3, but knowing Clear Channel, these calls may change in the near future once this swap occurs. Or not.) Clear Channel divested itself of 105.9 a few years ago due to radio station ownership regulations and sold it, along with a lot of other stations in other Clear Channel markets, to something called the Aloha Station Trust, which, I assume, will eventually sell all these stations. However, as stated above, Clear Channel is allowed to continue to operate 105.9 as its own station until Aloha does sell it. And since The Beat has performed quite well in recent ratings periods, and much better than The River, Clear Channel very much wants to hold on to the successful format.
So, 102.3 the Beat will remain a Clear Channel property, while 105.9 the River will eventually find its way into someone else's hands, where it may or may not continue with its current format. And thus Clear Channel remains quite happy with itself.
Meanwhile, Austin listeners find themselves changing their presets yet again.
Update: The River has changed. See here for info.
But not for long.
As multiple sources have reported, 105.9 the Beat is moving down to 102.3, sending the River upstream to 105.9 (the River has already updated its main page to reflect this change).
Most people in Austin might be wondering why Clear Channel, which operates both stations, would swap one for the other in this way. The answer is fairly simple: Clear Channel presently only owns one of the two stations, that being 102.3. (I'd refer to these stations by their call letters, KFMK for 105.9 and KPEZ for 102.3, but knowing Clear Channel, these calls may change in the near future once this swap occurs. Or not.) Clear Channel divested itself of 105.9 a few years ago due to radio station ownership regulations and sold it, along with a lot of other stations in other Clear Channel markets, to something called the Aloha Station Trust, which, I assume, will eventually sell all these stations. However, as stated above, Clear Channel is allowed to continue to operate 105.9 as its own station until Aloha does sell it. And since The Beat has performed quite well in recent ratings periods, and much better than The River, Clear Channel very much wants to hold on to the successful format.
So, 102.3 the Beat will remain a Clear Channel property, while 105.9 the River will eventually find its way into someone else's hands, where it may or may not continue with its current format. And thus Clear Channel remains quite happy with itself.
Meanwhile, Austin listeners find themselves changing their presets yet again.
Update: The River has changed. See here for info.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Another Austin radio change: 92.5 FM
The oldies format has returned to Austin's FM airwaves, courtesy 92.5 KXXS. Less than a month ago, the station switched, along with its simulcast partner, 104.9 KTXX, to sports/ESPN; now, the station has adopted Scott Shannon's True Oldies Channel (ending its simulcast with KTXX).
The True Oldies Channel is a satellite-based station which plays songs from the late 50s to the late 70s (see, for example, their recent playlist using this link) and claims to have a much larger library than most terrestrial oldies stations. Whether that is true remains to be seen, but according to at least one person who has already heard the format here in Austin, nary a human voice has been heard. (Aside: I don't necessarily think that constitutes much of a problem, given people's use of iPods and the link, and also given Bob FM's success despite (or because of) their being mostly jockless.
This change to KXXS represents the first real return of the oldies format to Austin, since "Oldies 103" became Bob FM in 2004. Sure, there have been rather half-baked attempts to bring oldies back to Austin before, such as KITY (whose website still erroneously claims to have a translator in Austin) or Majic 95.5's subchannel, KKMJ-HD2 (which, last I heard, was playing 60s-70s oldies, but I can't verify, as I do not have an HD radio), but KXXS is the first real attempt at an oldies format on FM in Austin. Oldies 103 consistently pulled top-ten ratings in this market, so this could be a pretty good move for KXXS, though the target audience of oldies may be getting too old for advertisers' tastes.
KXXS has filed with the FCC to move its city of license from Elgin to Sunset Valley; this can only help its penetration in the Austin market. The oldies format should also be a draw for listeners of stations which have recently switched to all-Christmas music (Majic, The River), and so I would not be surprised to see a major improvement in the ratings for KXXS in the near future.
Update 8/15/11: People looking for the oldies format should check out 98.9 in the future; see here for details.
The True Oldies Channel is a satellite-based station which plays songs from the late 50s to the late 70s (see, for example, their recent playlist using this link) and claims to have a much larger library than most terrestrial oldies stations. Whether that is true remains to be seen, but according to at least one person who has already heard the format here in Austin, nary a human voice has been heard. (Aside: I don't necessarily think that constitutes much of a problem, given people's use of iPods and the link, and also given Bob FM's success despite (or because of) their being mostly jockless.
This change to KXXS represents the first real return of the oldies format to Austin, since "Oldies 103" became Bob FM in 2004. Sure, there have been rather half-baked attempts to bring oldies back to Austin before, such as KITY (whose website still erroneously claims to have a translator in Austin) or Majic 95.5's subchannel, KKMJ-HD2 (which, last I heard, was playing 60s-70s oldies, but I can't verify, as I do not have an HD radio), but KXXS is the first real attempt at an oldies format on FM in Austin. Oldies 103 consistently pulled top-ten ratings in this market, so this could be a pretty good move for KXXS, though the target audience of oldies may be getting too old for advertisers' tastes.
KXXS has filed with the FCC to move its city of license from Elgin to Sunset Valley; this can only help its penetration in the Austin market. The oldies format should also be a draw for listeners of stations which have recently switched to all-Christmas music (Majic, The River), and so I would not be surprised to see a major improvement in the ratings for KXXS in the near future.
Update 8/15/11: People looking for the oldies format should check out 98.9 in the future; see here for details.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Not another one: is a format flip coming...to 102.3?
Rumors have appeared that Clear Channel may be about to pull the plug on 102.3 the River.
The River, which debuted on KPEZ almost four years ago, started out as strictly contemporary Christian, but has added some family-friendly adult contemporary music in recent months/years. (They were playing Sara Bareilles's "Love Song" over a year ago, I know.) Mrs. Snowed was a big fan of the River, and I would listen to it occasionally when I wasn't listening to Bob or whatever. 102.3 had a much better signal than the three different much-lower-power stations serving the Austin area with the syndicated "K-Love", and because the River was a commercial station, it wasn't always asking you for donations like Candle 88. (True story: someone once related to me that Candle 88, in the midst of what seems to be an ongoing pledge drive, said that if listeners didn't pledge, they were grieving the Holy Spirit. Yikes...) So the loss of the River may be a sad development, at least for Mrs. Snowed and other contemporary Christian listeners.
Anyway, what I have heard so far (with no verification whatsoever, so take this for what it's worth) is that 102.3 will go all-Christmas on Thanksgiving Day, and once the holidays are over, so is the River.
I'm sure the loyal listeners of the River will not be thrilled to hear this, but keep in mind that these are just rumors...there were rumors circulating about 105.9 for years before that CC finally dumped its format, so this may turn out to be totally unsubstantiated. We will see.
The River, which debuted on KPEZ almost four years ago, started out as strictly contemporary Christian, but has added some family-friendly adult contemporary music in recent months/years. (They were playing Sara Bareilles's "Love Song" over a year ago, I know.) Mrs. Snowed was a big fan of the River, and I would listen to it occasionally when I wasn't listening to Bob or whatever. 102.3 had a much better signal than the three different much-lower-power stations serving the Austin area with the syndicated "K-Love", and because the River was a commercial station, it wasn't always asking you for donations like Candle 88. (True story: someone once related to me that Candle 88, in the midst of what seems to be an ongoing pledge drive, said that if listeners didn't pledge, they were grieving the Holy Spirit. Yikes...) So the loss of the River may be a sad development, at least for Mrs. Snowed and other contemporary Christian listeners.
Anyway, what I have heard so far (with no verification whatsoever, so take this for what it's worth) is that 102.3 will go all-Christmas on Thanksgiving Day, and once the holidays are over, so is the River.
I'm sure the loyal listeners of the River will not be thrilled to hear this, but keep in mind that these are just rumors...there were rumors circulating about 105.9 for years before that CC finally dumped its format, so this may turn out to be totally unsubstantiated. We will see.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
KGSR to 93.3; 107.1 to flip to Regional Mexican
Following up on Tuesday's entry:
Emmis Austin announced today that KGSR, currently at 107.1 FM, will move to 93.3, replacing the defunct Hot 93.3, effective tomorrow, 11/20, at 5pm. This will make KGSR's format available to many more people, since 93.3 broadcasts at twice the power.
In order to help listeners make the transition, KGSR will broadcast on both the 93.3 and 107.1 frequencies for ten days. Then, on Monday, 11/30, 107.1 will move to a Regional Mexican format, apparently in an attempt to fill the void left by BMP's blowup of multiple stations three weeks ago.
You can read the press release, and more information, at the Statesman's website.
Emmis Austin announced today that KGSR, currently at 107.1 FM, will move to 93.3, replacing the defunct Hot 93.3, effective tomorrow, 11/20, at 5pm. This will make KGSR's format available to many more people, since 93.3 broadcasts at twice the power.
In order to help listeners make the transition, KGSR will broadcast on both the 93.3 and 107.1 frequencies for ten days. Then, on Monday, 11/30, 107.1 will move to a Regional Mexican format, apparently in an attempt to fill the void left by BMP's blowup of multiple stations three weeks ago.
You can read the press release, and more information, at the Statesman's website.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
"Todd and Don Show" to return
590 KLBJ announced today that the "Todd and Don Show" will return to its lineup. (Strangely, KLBJ previously had an article on their site announcing this change themselves, but now it's gone, so here's KXAN's article, and here's the Statesman article.) The show, pulled in July over controversial racial remarks made by Don Pryor, will return to KLBJ's lineup on December 7.
Emmis, owner of KLBJ, issued the following press release:
Emmis, owner of KLBJ, issued the following press release:
Earlier today, Hispanic leaders and Emmis Austin Radio management met to discuss cultural sensitivity issues and a commitment to open communications and improved relationships. Emmis Austin Radio presented a plan of action which includes mandatory diversity training for all on-air personalities, producers, and station management, at all six Austin radio stations owned and operated by Emmis. Emmis announced that The Todd and Don Show will return to the KLBJ-AM airwaves on December 7, 2009, with a transformed perspective on community history, expectations and cultural sensitivity. Hispanic leaders were updated on Emmis Austin Radio’s progress in these areas so far, and were assured by Emmis that efforts to better serve the entire Austin community would be ongoing.
Hot 93.3 to flip?
All Access is reporting today that the entire Hot 93.3 air staff has been let go. The station is currently still running CHR/Rhythmic without jocks, apparently. No other information has been confirmed as of this date, but unsubstantiated reports are that the station is going to jettison its current format on Friday (I'm already getting hits to this blog entry from people checking into that possibility), possibly in favor of an FM Talk format...
...which makes little to no sense to me, given that we already have FM Talk available via 98.9 KXBT, and also (kinda) via translator K259AJ 99.7 (simulcasting 590 KLBJ). It also makes little sense given KDHT's top-ten ratings in a tight Austin market. But I guess we'll see.
(Thanks to tweep @Kent_Ahrens for the tip.)
Update 11/19: It's not going to be FM Talk. It's going to be KGSR.
...which makes little to no sense to me, given that we already have FM Talk available via 98.9 KXBT, and also (kinda) via translator K259AJ 99.7 (simulcasting 590 KLBJ). It also makes little sense given KDHT's top-ten ratings in a tight Austin market. But I guess we'll see.
(Thanks to tweep @Kent_Ahrens for the tip.)
Update 11/19: It's not going to be FM Talk. It's going to be KGSR.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Austin Radio Changes Coming
RadioInsight.com reports that massive changes are coming to the Austin radio landscape on Monday, November 2. Many, but not all of the changes involve Spanish radio stations flipping to English formats, courtesy the financially troubled BMP Radio. Here's a quick summary of the changes:
I'll be listening Monday and intend to update as I learn anything, but if you know something, feel free to comment.
Check out RadioInsight.com's entire report for more information.
Update 10/31: It appears from a RadioInsight.com update (same link as before) and an Austin American-Statesman article that 1490 KFON will keep its current format, which is listed as Spanish oldies by the Statesman and Tejano by RadioInsight.com. 92.5 KXXS will remain a simulcast of 104.9 with the new format. Meanwhile, former KVET morning host Sammy Allred will have a daily show on news/talk 98.9 KXBT.
- 1490 KFON: switching to an undisclosed format from Tejano.
- 1530 KZNX: moving its local programming to 104.9 (see below).
- 92.5 KXXS: switching to an undisclosed format.
- 98.9 KXBT (formerly KHHL): apparently switching to news/talk. A possible website, 989BigTalker.com, has been registered this week.
- 99.7 K259AJ: the former Hot 93.3 translator is now simulcasting 590 KLBJ.
- 104.9 KHHL (formerly KXBT): flipping to sports, possibly as "104.9 the Horn".
I'll be listening Monday and intend to update as I learn anything, but if you know something, feel free to comment.
Check out RadioInsight.com's entire report for more information.
Update 10/31: It appears from a RadioInsight.com update (same link as before) and an Austin American-Statesman article that 1490 KFON will keep its current format, which is listed as Spanish oldies by the Statesman and Tejano by RadioInsight.com. 92.5 KXXS will remain a simulcast of 104.9 with the new format. Meanwhile, former KVET morning host Sammy Allred will have a daily show on news/talk 98.9 KXBT.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
RIP, Jammin 105.9
You can't say I didn't warn you.
Imagine my very, very slight surprise when I discovered that Jammin 105.9 was gone this morning. I turned on 105.9 FM (KFMK), expecting to hear, most likely, Kidd Kraddick going on about something or another. Instead, I heard rock music, which was quite a surprise, as I had been expecting KFMK to go all hip-hop for some time now. Instead, the station was calling itself "105-9 the Planet", and it was playing an interesting mix of rock music, that's for sure.
And I was all ready to write it up on my blog and talk about where they might be positioned (between 101X and KLBJ, I thought), when I discovered to my chagrin that the internet was down where I was. And so I waited.
In the meantime, it turned out that "105-9 the Planet" was simply a stunt. And what format did end up on 105.9? As expected, it is now hip-hop. They're calling themselves "105.9 the Beat", taking the moniker formerly in use at 104.3 and 104.9 at different points in Austin's radio history and presenting themselves as an alternative to Hot 93.3. (Warning: when visiting Hot 93.3's site, make sure you use ".fm" in the address. Don't use ".com" unless you like non-kid-friendly material appearing on your desktop. Live and learn, I suppose.)
And that's all well and good. But did this have to happen to Jammin 105.9? It's well known that Clear Channel is trying to sell the station for a while, but before then, "jammin' oldies" was a popular format throughout the nation, right around 1999-2000 or so. Jammin 105.9 got good ratings in the Austin market, and the station was entertaining and fun to listen to, thanks to the personalities in place at the time.
So what went wrong? Well, several things happened. First, there was attrition. Personalities left the station and their replacements were either not quite as entertaining, or they were voice-tracked from another city, or both. This was originally mostly due to long-gone 107.7 the End, which was all-80s at the time. Plus, I suppose the format's popularity began to wane with the public. So, KFMK tweaked its playlist multiple times throughout its history, eventually going from a mostly 60s and 70s Motown/disco mix to a mostly 80s rhythmic mix, until finally in 2006 Jammin 105.9 went to the mishmash of a format it had until this morning, with 80s rhythmic songs followed by 90s or 00s rap. It was an interesting array of music, to be sure, but it did not entice me to leave my radio on the station for very long at any one time. (The advent of Bob FM in 2004 was also influential in that aspect.) Add to that the fact that all the live on-air personalities were let go in 2006 during the format tweak mentioned above, and suddenly KFMK became a station with no real unique character. Jammin 105.9 was a bland mix of music that was sometimes good. It was almost as if Clear Channel was trying to kill the station before selling it. (The use of syndicated personalities such as Kidd Kraddick and Ryan Seacrest generally did not help with these images of the station.)
Then in the last 18 months or so, KFMK had a hybrid sort of format, with the mishmash most of the day, but hip-hop weeknights from 7 to 1 and weekends from noon to 1am. This apparently did not appeal to listeners either, and so KFMK's ratings fell further. It was only a matter of time before the format was going to change, and that day has come for Jammin 105.9.
With that said, for almost 11 years, Jammin 105.9 was an integral part of my Austin radio experience, and even though it was a shell of its former self when it departed this world, I will miss it.
Imagine my very, very slight surprise when I discovered that Jammin 105.9 was gone this morning. I turned on 105.9 FM (KFMK), expecting to hear, most likely, Kidd Kraddick going on about something or another. Instead, I heard rock music, which was quite a surprise, as I had been expecting KFMK to go all hip-hop for some time now. Instead, the station was calling itself "105-9 the Planet", and it was playing an interesting mix of rock music, that's for sure.
And I was all ready to write it up on my blog and talk about where they might be positioned (between 101X and KLBJ, I thought), when I discovered to my chagrin that the internet was down where I was. And so I waited.
In the meantime, it turned out that "105-9 the Planet" was simply a stunt. And what format did end up on 105.9? As expected, it is now hip-hop. They're calling themselves "105.9 the Beat", taking the moniker formerly in use at 104.3 and 104.9 at different points in Austin's radio history and presenting themselves as an alternative to Hot 93.3. (Warning: when visiting Hot 93.3's site, make sure you use ".fm" in the address. Don't use ".com" unless you like non-kid-friendly material appearing on your desktop. Live and learn, I suppose.)
And that's all well and good. But did this have to happen to Jammin 105.9? It's well known that Clear Channel is trying to sell the station for a while, but before then, "jammin' oldies" was a popular format throughout the nation, right around 1999-2000 or so. Jammin 105.9 got good ratings in the Austin market, and the station was entertaining and fun to listen to, thanks to the personalities in place at the time.
So what went wrong? Well, several things happened. First, there was attrition. Personalities left the station and their replacements were either not quite as entertaining, or they were voice-tracked from another city, or both. This was originally mostly due to long-gone 107.7 the End, which was all-80s at the time. Plus, I suppose the format's popularity began to wane with the public. So, KFMK tweaked its playlist multiple times throughout its history, eventually going from a mostly 60s and 70s Motown/disco mix to a mostly 80s rhythmic mix, until finally in 2006 Jammin 105.9 went to the mishmash of a format it had until this morning, with 80s rhythmic songs followed by 90s or 00s rap. It was an interesting array of music, to be sure, but it did not entice me to leave my radio on the station for very long at any one time. (The advent of Bob FM in 2004 was also influential in that aspect.) Add to that the fact that all the live on-air personalities were let go in 2006 during the format tweak mentioned above, and suddenly KFMK became a station with no real unique character. Jammin 105.9 was a bland mix of music that was sometimes good. It was almost as if Clear Channel was trying to kill the station before selling it. (The use of syndicated personalities such as Kidd Kraddick and Ryan Seacrest generally did not help with these images of the station.)
Then in the last 18 months or so, KFMK had a hybrid sort of format, with the mishmash most of the day, but hip-hop weeknights from 7 to 1 and weekends from noon to 1am. This apparently did not appeal to listeners either, and so KFMK's ratings fell further. It was only a matter of time before the format was going to change, and that day has come for Jammin 105.9.
With that said, for almost 11 years, Jammin 105.9 was an integral part of my Austin radio experience, and even though it was a shell of its former self when it departed this world, I will miss it.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Emmis/KLBJ Cancel "Todd & Don Show"
Just announced over the air on 590 KLBJ: the Todd & Don Show is canceled effective immediately.
Nothing is on the KLBJ website as of this writing, but according to the on-air announcement (during the 1:30 newscast), Todd Jeffries will be retained as KLBJ's newscaster, while Don Pryor will be reassigned to off-air duties, as the fallout from last week's July 15 broadcast continues.
Update, 7/20 1:45pm: KLBJ has pulled the Todd & Don Show page down since I posted originally. The original story of the suspension of the show (announced last week) can be found, among other places, via KXAN.
Update, 7/20 4:50pm: KLBJ finally got the announcement up on their site. Money quote:
Comments over there seem to be trending against this decision. What's your take?
p.s. Hi, KVUE, don't think I didn't notice that you visited my blog 30 minutes before your story went up...how about some love?
Update, 11/17, 10:35pm: The show is returning.
Nothing is on the KLBJ website as of this writing, but according to the on-air announcement (during the 1:30 newscast), Todd Jeffries will be retained as KLBJ's newscaster, while Don Pryor will be reassigned to off-air duties, as the fallout from last week's July 15 broadcast continues.
Update, 7/20 1:45pm: KLBJ has pulled the Todd & Don Show page down since I posted originally. The original story of the suspension of the show (announced last week) can be found, among other places, via KXAN.
Update, 7/20 4:50pm: KLBJ finally got the announcement up on their site. Money quote:
...we determined that the cancellation of the show was the right thing to do for our employees, our station, our company, Emmis Austin Radio – part of Emmis Communications – and for the community.
Comments over there seem to be trending against this decision. What's your take?
p.s. Hi, KVUE, don't think I didn't notice that you visited my blog 30 minutes before your story went up...how about some love?
Update, 11/17, 10:35pm: The show is returning.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
An Open Letter to Dale Dudley
Dear Dale Dudley:
During one of my rare forays across the radio dial to your morning show (to which I'm not giving a link), I, yet again, heard you slamming Alaska's soon-to-be-ex-Governor Sarah Palin. That, I'm used to hearing from you, just as I expect certain CBS late-night hosts to be one-sided and bitter. (Actually, you seem to be on a similar track, but I digress.) You, of course, are entitled to dislike Governor Palin, just as I am entitled to dislike your show.
Your entitlement, however, does not give you carte blanche to make totally unfounded comments about Governor Palin, as you blatantly did during your show of Friday morning, July 10. If I remember correctly (as you might expect, I was not recording the show), and I believe I do, you called Sarah Palin a liar for stating that her family had amassed personal debt related to the filing of, to date, 19 ethics violations, most of which have already been dismissed as frivolous (and I have no doubt that the remaining ones will be dismissed as well).
While I am sure that some of your listeners will be quick to believe that an Austin radio personality knows more about Alaska state law than the governor of said state (who happens to be on the other side of the political spectrum from said radio personality), I can show that you are factually incorrect about the situation. The answer to your assertion may be found in this Weekly Standard article by Matthew Continetti. While the whole article is very informative, the specific phrase that refutes your assertion is the following:
Who's the liar now?
p.s. I regret that I will not be listening to your show to hear the apology you ought to be delivering to Governor Palin, as I can only take a little bit of your show every couple of weeks, and only when every other station is at a commercial. (Yes, that happens in Austin radio...they all seem to break right around :45 after, except for your station.) But I don't expect you to apologize anyway; I expect you to continue to be your charming self. Stay classy.
During one of my rare forays across the radio dial to your morning show (to which I'm not giving a link), I, yet again, heard you slamming Alaska's soon-to-be-ex-Governor Sarah Palin. That, I'm used to hearing from you, just as I expect certain CBS late-night hosts to be one-sided and bitter. (Actually, you seem to be on a similar track, but I digress.) You, of course, are entitled to dislike Governor Palin, just as I am entitled to dislike your show.
Your entitlement, however, does not give you carte blanche to make totally unfounded comments about Governor Palin, as you blatantly did during your show of Friday morning, July 10. If I remember correctly (as you might expect, I was not recording the show), and I believe I do, you called Sarah Palin a liar for stating that her family had amassed personal debt related to the filing of, to date, 19 ethics violations, most of which have already been dismissed as frivolous (and I have no doubt that the remaining ones will be dismissed as well).
While I am sure that some of your listeners will be quick to believe that an Austin radio personality knows more about Alaska state law than the governor of said state (who happens to be on the other side of the political spectrum from said radio personality), I can show that you are factually incorrect about the situation. The answer to your assertion may be found in this Weekly Standard article by Matthew Continetti. While the whole article is very informative, the specific phrase that refutes your assertion is the following:
Furthermore, because state ethics law requires the accused to pay for her own defense, the Palins' personal legal bills add up to around $500,000.That's right, she does, in fact, have to pay her own legal bills for her defense. She wasn't lying when she said that. And you, Mr. Dudley, in your ongoing quest to crucify the woman, slandered her on air.
Who's the liar now?
p.s. I regret that I will not be listening to your show to hear the apology you ought to be delivering to Governor Palin, as I can only take a little bit of your show every couple of weeks, and only when every other station is at a commercial. (Yes, that happens in Austin radio...they all seem to break right around :45 after, except for your station.) But I don't expect you to apologize anyway; I expect you to continue to be your charming self. Stay classy.
Thursday, December 04, 2008
2008 Christmas List
As 2008 draws to a close, I have started to think about what I would like to get for people for Christmas. (Actually, Mrs. Snowed does most of this, which is a good thing, seeing as I'm only just starting to think about it.)
This year, I want to give the following:
Have a Merry Christmas season. Love you lots!
This year, I want to give the following:
- For the Austin American-Statesman (heretofore known on this blog as the "unwanted daily"): relevance
- For the Austin Chronicle (heretofore known on this blog as the "worthless weekly"): objectivity (perhaps you can also share it with a few other organizations)
- For Barack Obama: best wishes and a hope that he will govern from the center, and a promise from me not to contract Obama Derangement Syndrome
- For Bob FM: an expanded library
- For Bush Derangement Syndrome/Palin Derangement Syndrome sufferers: a life! (That especially means you, Andrew Sullivan. No, I'm not giving you a link.)
- For Capital Metro: some knowledge regarding just how far south Austin really extends
- For the Dallas Cowboys: a playoff win already! I'll take one in early 2009. I'd prefer four.
- For everyone currently "underwater" with their mortgages: Financial Peace University
- For GM: Chapter 11 bankruptcy and an accelerated schedule for the 2010 Chevy Volt
- For Ignite Consulting: just go away!
- For Jammin' 105.9: flip the format already and put it out of our misery!
- For Jennifer Kim: decency in campaigning
- For KVUE: an end to those annoying "we've won the Edward R. Murrow award for overall excellence x years in a row" spots, which always make me laugh when they air right after some technical (or other) difficulty (and it happens way too often)
- For KXAN/LIN TV: lousy ratings (Granted, NBC's helping to grant this one for me.)
- For MSNBC, particularly Keith Olbermann and Chris "Snugglebuggle Kissyface" Matthews: Valium
- For Sarah Palin: better handlers, better interviews, and a Reagan-like rebound paralleling his rise from the 1976 ashes
- For the staffers who slammed Sarah Palin: obscurity
- For Time Warner Cable: a little respect for your customers, maybe?
- For the United Auto Workers: an immediate and permanent end to the Jobs Bank, some severely restructured contracts, and a dose of humility
Have a Merry Christmas season. Love you lots!
Friday, October 05, 2007
How to tick off advertisers
I know KFMK (Jammin' 105.9) is pretty much being run on auto (no jocks, syndicated morning show instead of, you know, music), but I hope it isn't the norm for a commercial break to have a McDonald's ad immediately followed by an ad saying something to the effect of "we need to stand up against FAST FOOD!", which is what I heard this morning. I would imagine McDonald's might have something to say about ad placement.
Given the level of attention ClearChannel is apparently not giving this station, is it any wonder it's the lowest-rated full-power FM station in town presently?
Given the level of attention ClearChannel is apparently not giving this station, is it any wonder it's the lowest-rated full-power FM station in town presently?
Monday, January 29, 2007
Now I Feel Old (Part 2 in an apparently ongoing series)
Our local oldies station, KITY (an affiliate of Dial Global's The Oldies Channel) continues to redefine what an "oldie" is. Today, I found out that "oldies" includes songs from 1988 that aren't "Kokomo" (which has been playing on oldies stations for years already), when I heard Steve Winwood's "Roll With It" during morning drive.
Obviously, "Roll With It" fits a certain musical style, and I don't expect a whole lot of 1988 songs to show up as oldies (really, can you picture Bruce Chandler transitioning from Frankie Valli into Guns N' Roses?), but still, wow.
NOTE: The KITY page no longer has streaming audio embedded, but still offers a link for it.
Obviously, "Roll With It" fits a certain musical style, and I don't expect a whole lot of 1988 songs to show up as oldies (really, can you picture Bruce Chandler transitioning from Frankie Valli into Guns N' Roses?), but still, wow.
NOTE: The KITY page no longer has streaming audio embedded, but still offers a link for it.
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Icy Austin Morning Radio
One of the consequences of the ongoing icy weather in Austin seems to be that KLBJ-FM is currently off the air. This is a bit of an improvement over their current morning show, but let's wait to see how things play out.
No, I really don't care too much for Dudley and Bob, sorry. I like to hear music while I drive, not hours of talking. Unfortunately, there hasn't been a classic rock station playing music during morning drive since 107.7 was still the Hawk. Bob-FM isn't bad, and KITY is pretty good when the signal isn't overpowered (that's the problem with using translators), and I suppose that even Majic 95.5 plays okay music every so often, but on pretty much any other station to which I listen, you have to wait for a long time before someone, be it Kidd Kraddick, Bobby Bones, or even JB and Sandy, stops talking. Remind me why that's a good thing.
By the way, if you want to annoy Kidd Kraddick, ask him about the time in 1997-98 that he facilitated the wedding of two complete strangers. Odds are, he and everyone else on the show will deny that it happened.
No, I really don't care too much for Dudley and Bob, sorry. I like to hear music while I drive, not hours of talking. Unfortunately, there hasn't been a classic rock station playing music during morning drive since 107.7 was still the Hawk. Bob-FM isn't bad, and KITY is pretty good when the signal isn't overpowered (that's the problem with using translators), and I suppose that even Majic 95.5 plays okay music every so often, but on pretty much any other station to which I listen, you have to wait for a long time before someone, be it Kidd Kraddick, Bobby Bones, or even JB and Sandy, stops talking. Remind me why that's a good thing.
By the way, if you want to annoy Kidd Kraddick, ask him about the time in 1997-98 that he facilitated the wedding of two complete strangers. Odds are, he and everyone else on the show will deny that it happened.
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Radio 101
I really appreciated, back in the days when this was done, the really quick radio commercial breaks, back when it wasn't necessary to have eleventy songs in a row. Stations would play three songs, break for one or two ads, and be right back to the music. I have airchecks that illustrate this nicely. Back then, I was willing to wait when I heard, "More music in 60 seconds!"
However, today's bloated breaks send me straight to the preset buttons. But what makes this worse is that it appears that we are simply expected to sit through these commercials as long as it takes. I don't know about anyone else, but I am not inclined to wait around for something to happen when someone blithely says "We'll be back in 3½ minutes." (That would be you, Bobby Bones.)
That moment I heard that, I flipped to Bob FM, and sure enough, Bob got a whole song, "Devil Woman", in before Kiss-FM even came back from their break. "Devil Woman", by the way, is longer than 3½ minutes, so either Bob faded the song early, or Kiss took a longer break than promised. Either way, that's not a good way to get your listeners to stick around.
However, today's bloated breaks send me straight to the preset buttons. But what makes this worse is that it appears that we are simply expected to sit through these commercials as long as it takes. I don't know about anyone else, but I am not inclined to wait around for something to happen when someone blithely says "We'll be back in 3½ minutes." (That would be you, Bobby Bones.)
That moment I heard that, I flipped to Bob FM, and sure enough, Bob got a whole song, "Devil Woman", in before Kiss-FM even came back from their break. "Devil Woman", by the way, is longer than 3½ minutes, so either Bob faded the song early, or Kiss took a longer break than promised. Either way, that's not a good way to get your listeners to stick around.
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