Bye-bye KBSG: From faithful blather reader, Rev: I was awake at 4:00 this AM, so I heard the dying gasps of KBSG: They played about 20 minutes of "that's the end" songs with no announcements or commercial break, and then at about 4:20, there was a "This is KIRO-FM" ID, followed by the Rolling Stones' "Start Me Up." When that ended, they faded into the middle of a commercial and picked up the KIRO(AM) stream in progress, which was running the syndicated Wall Street Journal report. No announcement of the new signal or anything else -- just business as usual. So I went back to sleep.
KIRO suits left the door wide open today to what we've been told is the "inevitable switch" to all-sports programming for KIRO.
It even sounds like they've been talking to ESPN.
At 5a Tuesday morning, KIRO began simulcasting on 97.3 FM, shoving the oldies and the oldsters who loved them to Warmer climes in a move to serve the "maggot-infested, long-haired FM-types," as Rush Limbaugh so poetically but inaccurately describes an audience who are actually the vast majority of radio listeners.
After 87 years of news talk, Bonneville suits say they're "extending
the brand," and going for a younger audience -- one who's never
listened to AM.
But what's the big picture? we can't know yet, but in separate interviews by KIRO news guy, Jim Valley on
the mynorthwest site, GM Carl Gardner, and PD Rod Arquette, used
exactly the same words when asked if KIRO would go away on AM: "Not in
the foreseeable future," they both said with talking point precision.
(photo right: GM Carl "Chauncey" Gardner)
When Valley pressed, "How long is the foreseeable future?" Arquette said, "Don't know yet. we'll see."
Digging down a little with Arquette, it got more revealing. Valley asked about the "million rumors" that ESPN -- all sports -- might come to KIRO AM, Arquette said, "I can't speak to that that right now."
Sounds like Bonneville is talking to ESPN, at least.
Arquette said the Mariners will not be carried on KIRO FM, which means,
presumably, that regular programming will continue on 97.3 during
baseball games.
(photo: PD "The Rodfather" Arquette)
That's gotta make TBTL's Burbank and afternoon goofs Ron & Don happy: the FM dial exposes them to a vastly larger, and younger audience, the latter is one they both target.
Of course it means they won't be getting all the days off they' used to get...
While the new signal penetrates tall buildings like Superman, and follows listeners into tunnels, Dave Ross will have a better shot at an audience he's been battling to hang onto for years: NPR listeners.
An enemy of all these audio dreams is, of course the onerous spotload -- the obnoxious commercial ads that leaves only about 18 minutes of every hour to content. That's a fact of life that commercial radio may never overcome to the satisfaction of public radio listeners.
Speaking of commercials, I noticed that right off the bat this morning. Dave Ross now has the sound quality of NPR but he tosses us to the commercials every two seconds while I could be on NPR receiving an unbroken stream of enlightenment.
The ulitmate solution I'd want but can never have is an option to pay a subscription fee and get KIRO without commercials. Why can't I allocate the money I would donate to NPR (which I don't) to a commercial free version of KIRO? Even with XM I'm pretty sure that would be impossible to manage because the host has to stop the program while commercials run.
BTW, do you have any idea how hard it is to get out of bed with Ducks Bed and Sleepers Sofa adds talking about how comfortable beds can be? WTF?
Posted by: AuthenticAndrew | August 12, 2008 at 01:21 PM
When I listened to Ross on podcast, I didn't get commercials and I heard the whole show in less than twenty minutes. They doing podcast commercials now?
Give it a try. In the meantime, listen to NPR.
Having said that, they are biting off their noses to spite their face by overloading us with commercials. I hate them, too.
Posted by: joanie | August 12, 2008 at 01:38 PM
And kudos to Dave Ross, for actually bringing some dry sarcasm and pointed questions for this "Carl" dude to deal with...the interviewee was definitely uncomfortable while giving his tepid replies to Ross' pertinent questions--and the guy clearly could have answered those questions if he had done his homework....hope that Ross keeps this edge going down the road...
Posted by: Salient | August 12, 2008 at 01:41 PM
That 97.3 doesn't come in as good as some other FM stations. And 710 KIRO AM comes in better than their FM station. I tried it in my car, and in my home. I get better reception from their AM station than their FM. And I'm right outside the Seattle city limits.
Posted by: DT | August 12, 2008 at 03:18 PM
Yeah, that was cool 'salient'; DR with his tenure doesn't have to 'suck up' to any one and he proves it time after time. He's one sharp cookie!
KIRO on FM works out very well for me as I couldn't otherwise listen during the day because of poor-to-no reception in our big all-steel building. IMO they're (KIRO) doin just the right thing. I can only wonder what KVI must be contemplating at this point???
Posted by: Duffman | August 12, 2008 at 03:27 PM
Good point, Duff. I remember when I worked downtown and I had trouble getting KIRO on AM - getting anything on AM! FM was much better. I hadn't remembered that. Should make a difference for a lot of people.
KIRO should put that ad on the downtown buses. Get the word out.
DT, I always got KBSG just as well as KIRO almost all the way to Birch Bay. I'm surprised you don't get it clearly.
Posted by: joanie | August 12, 2008 at 03:48 PM
I heard the interview on KIRO today too. DR was keeping the guy going.
I still don't see KIRO getting ESPN from KJR, unless KIRO might agree to broadcast MLB playoff games in their entirety, KJR is selective in that, then brag "We are your World Series Station"
I still think that Fox Radio Sports will switch to Bonneville and drop KHHO. KIRO signal covers far bigger area than KHHO does. Depends on your radio in your car too. My truck can't pick up KHHO but my company van does in Southend up to say Bellevue.
But, jeez KIRO staffers are going at this like the FM simulcast is the best thing since sex....mmm maybe for some of them it is...
Posted by: Mike the Driver | August 12, 2008 at 05:50 PM
Isn't there a sports station at 810 or 820 on the AM dial? Seems like I used to find that just below kixi occasionally. I thought that was ESPN for some reason. This was several years ago...
Posted by: joanie | August 12, 2008 at 06:01 PM
Ross did a brilliant interview with the VP, Gardner. UNLIKE the KIRO reporters and anchors who were basically puppy dogs lapping up every word management fed them, Ross used his critical thinking skills and asked Gardner real questions. AND the fact that Gardner didn't know the answers, was shocking. Better yet was the Ross comment "how do you get to be VP without knowing these things" or something to that effect.
KIRO reporters should be ashamed. And I don't mean to lump them all together because it was one person doing the story for the most part, don't remember his name. Probably Jim? It makes me wonder if they have the skills to report any story, if they can't even be skeptical about one that's handed to them.
Posted by: NoBS | August 12, 2008 at 06:11 PM
I think Ron &Don should have every day off, the freaking radio
Posted by: Rich | August 12, 2008 at 06:15 PM
Yeah Dave was riding this "Carl Gardner" - "Vice President for Alternative Frequency Broadcasting at Bonneville Internmational", at first I thought he was being funny, and maybe he was, but a few of his remarks really hit bone:
"How do you executives get your jobs?"
"That's two things you haven't thought of yet and you're the Vice President for Alternative Frequency Broadcasting"
Ross: Why couldn't you get an FM frequency that was closer to 710? Like, 97.10?
Carl: "Th-that's a great idea...we didn't investigate, but we will..."
Seriously? Oh
my
god
Well, I wasn't laughing.
One naturaly assumes that they thought of this from the very very beginning and all this was never a possibility for whatver reason, like we assume the sun will rise and set.
And we can assume that when Dave Ross was contemplating these things on the way to the station in his Prius he wasn't chuckling, thinking, "oh, those goofy guys in marketing", because it's really not funny at all. He was probably pissed. You know you would be.
It's nice to see Dave Ross leverage his seniority to put some people to the coals. Dori has aparently been stretching his influence to its breaking point for a long time.
Posted by: AuthenticAndrew | August 12, 2008 at 06:18 PM
>That 97.3 doesn't come in as good as
>some other FM stations.
The 97.3 transmitter shares the tower site (on Tiger Mountain) with most of the other major FMs in town (except KUOW and KEXP which are on the Channel 9 tower on Capitol Hill). So there shouldn't be any significant difference in reception. http://www.fybush.com/sites/2007/site-070504.html contains a description of the Tiger Mountain complex.
I was awake at 4:00 this AM, so I heard the dying gasps of KBSG: They played about 20 minutes of "that's the end" songs with no announcements or commercial break, and then at about 4:20, there was a "This is KIRO-FM" ID, followed by the Rolling Stones' "Start Me Up." When that ended, they faded into the middle of a commercial and picked up the KIRO(AM) stream in progress, which was running the syndicated Wall Street Journal report. No announcement of the new signal or anything else -- just business as usual. So I went back to sleep.
Posted by: rev | August 12, 2008 at 06:32 PM
Dave Ross is a lib buffoon. He wasn't angry at Gardner. It was obvious he was doing his milquetoast Mercer Island cocktail party style ribbing. Not serious , not angry. He's an annoying buffoon with no passion, no gutsy positions, just this banal selfsatisfied, smug Mercer Island lib crap.
Posted by: Tomy008 | August 12, 2008 at 06:47 PM
T008 Don't know if it's just me, but your comments are getting to be irrelevant. Same 'ol patter with no real analytical critique.
Dave Ross is the best thing Seattle radio has going and if you think otherwise you're a fool and know abolutely nothing about people's taste.
Posted by: Duffman | August 12, 2008 at 07:18 PM
I very much agree that Dave Ross is one of the best in the business
Posted by: Rich | August 12, 2008 at 07:38 PM
I wonder if KJR will become like "The Buzz" and bring Tom Leykus in. With the "Bigger Dance" and sportstalk audience demos men's talk would be perfectly suited for JR. Then KIRO would have the chance to reinvent sports talk radio.
Posted by: Mike Barer | August 12, 2008 at 07:53 PM
Duff, you're starting to sound relevant! Good for you.
Posted by: joanie | August 12, 2008 at 08:17 PM
He's a buffoon. A silly, tiresome little man.
Posted by: Tommy008 | August 12, 2008 at 08:44 PM
The car manufacturers must think terrestrial radio is going. The antenna in my Subaru is located in the left rear quarter window. Looks like a large defroster element or a dipole design by some lazy engineer. I miss the good ole vertical spikes that were mounted on the right front fender.
Posted by: Coiler for more am dx'ing | August 12, 2008 at 10:44 PM
Coiler, you need to push the button to make it come up.
Posted by: nevets | August 13, 2008 at 12:31 AM
Duffman is a hypocrite of the highest order.
Posted by: AuthenticAndrew | August 13, 2008 at 01:13 AM
I listened to KIRO FM 973 tonite and the signal is the same as AM in my company vehicle.
I don't understand why they are not broadcasting the FM in stereo though. The VP said on Ross's show that it would sound better as mono. I don't hear a difference. When KIRO had the Seahawks on last weekend, the quality of sound was better on AM than FM, I could hear some background noise on the FM.
And again, don't think KIRO will get ESPN Radio. Can you imagine John Clayton being on both KIRO and KJR? LOL
With KRKO coming up to 50,000 watts soon, they already carry ESPN and their signal will overlap with KIRO.
Posted by: Mike the Driver | August 13, 2008 at 02:09 AM
Is KOMO gonna be the next one to broadcast on FM? Say goodbye to KPLZ?
In Canada, stations are leaving the AM band for the FM band, Vancouver has a few that have switched already.
Oh, and maybe KVI could switch over to "All Traffic, All the Time", just like the station 730AM in Vancouver BC
Posted by: Mike the Driver | August 13, 2008 at 02:11 AM
When they played music on TBTL you could really tell the signal is mono. Stereo would sound "bigger", in your car mono seems to be coming from the middle of the dashboard while stereo will seem to come at you from bother sides.
KOMO to FM? How is KOMO not dead? They went to Mariners/News to escape a losing formula and have left themselves utterly without the one thing that makes KIRO work, talent. KOMO couldn't be an emptier shell of a station if it tried. Do they have some new and exciting syndicated programming planned? Weekend specialty programming perhaps? Oh wow I can't wait.
Posted by: AuthenticAndrew | August 13, 2008 at 03:10 AM
'Duffman is a hypocrite of the highest order.'
AuthenticAndrew: care to expand on that statement there smegma-breath.
Posted by: Duffman | August 13, 2008 at 05:40 AM
>>Is KOMO gonna be the next one to broadcast on FM? Say goodbye to KPLZ?<<
No way.
Unlike KBSG, KPLZ's a cash cow for Fisher - a company that needs all the cash they can get.
The cost cutting consultant will be filing his recommendations soon and you can expect the gutting of KOMO to kick into high gear at the end of the month
Posted by: RobP | August 13, 2008 at 11:56 AM
Rev, Start Me Up at 4;20? The significance of that wake 'n bake timing from KIRO is stunning! Ha!
Posted by: fremont | August 14, 2008 at 01:31 PM
Did anyone else get the 4:20 allusion? Wiki it, if you give a shit...
Posted by: Fremont | August 15, 2008 at 08:32 AM
..duly Toked!
Posted by: Duffman | August 15, 2008 at 08:49 AM
Any one know why Goldy isn't sitting in for Dave Ross today?...was he unavailable?
Posted by: Duffman | August 15, 2008 at 09:30 AM