KVI to mexican music?

It's sunk to 25th in the age 6+ market.

It's KVI, a proud heritage station, pioneering talker and former market leader whittled down to nothing because of Fisher's baffling, guess-again programming and general neglect.

We keep hearing (as do some of our readers) that KVI's flipping to Spanish language talk and Mexican music.

As ironic and amusing as that would be, we have no proof they're even considering it.

 ¿Pero, porque no? It's not that loco. Spanish language programming in general is growing like Topsita. A radio source says: "Salem does okay with a music format called 'regional Mexican' and they have a crappy signal." But, he says, "Fisher doesn't have the sales staff and management staff to do it properly however....but maybe they could 'rent' the signal to someone or just sell it outright."

KVI is a wasteland of syndicated right-wing talk, that significant numbers of people don't listen to. And no wonder: day parts are such as Sean Hannity, always a dud in this market; the Laura Ingraham Show twice a day, (9a-12p and 3-6p) neither one live. Does this sound like a station flapping in the breeze? It does to us, too. (We bet late-night UFO-monger George Noory (9p-3a) has the largest market share on the station).

A problem: Fisher has a big, fat salary going out to Bryan Suits (m-f, 5-9a) who has a stainless steel, no-cut contract. They'd need to keep him; but with his well-known reverence for other cultures (especially Mexican) we're visualizing him spinning the platitos and pitching the tacquerias.

Expect something to happen, sometime, but Fisher is kind of slow especially with KVI. They like to drive stuff into the ditch, then let it get rusty before trying to extract it.

KIROFM, on the other hand is actively trying new stuff, changing stuff up, and spending money. (We're expecting a big KIRO announcement next week).

(Before one of our resident righties says it, CBS progressive talk station KPTK is even lower than KVI. But it has never been a player, and is certainly not a heritage station, pioneering talker and former market leader. The fall of KVI is a more compelling story. Neither station's ratings have anything to do with their politics).

Comments

[Ben]

Fisher does have the know how, they run Univision northwest for crying out loud! Can you say synergy between a TV and radio brand, just like KOMO and KOMO?

[benseattle]

<< A problem: Fisher has a big, fat salary going out to Bryan Suits (m-f, 5-9a) who has a stainless steel, no-cut contract. >>

My question to someone in the know is: HOW MUCH is a big, fat contract? Didn't somebody say Monson is around $150,000? Didn't Mitch on KJR turn down a huge offer from Miami years ago to take an even bigger deal to remain? How much was that?

I'd love for this column to expose what some of these low-rated talkers actually take home.

Any (accurate) guesses on a real number for Suits?

[my name jose jimenez]

The reference to KPTK reminds me: I never heard what happened to call letters KING, once at 1090-am. Why the change?

[KS]

This lends creedence to Seattle being a mediocre radio market. Sports talk may be the one exception. If one of the largest talk stations is having problems, stemming from Fisher Broadcasting and appears to have bottomed out and may not be a talk station, there is a glaring deficiency in Seattle talk radio - which is weak compared to Portland and probably even Spokane...

Hopefully, they will hold onto Suits, a libertarian who is sometimes a real breath of fresh air, even though he is not that friendly toward liberal progressives. Suits is really all they have not worth mentioning 2X/day Laura Ingraham, that indicates they are financially hurting maybe or just plain negligent. Outside of Suits for talk, KVI sucks...

[TomF]

$150,000 does not qualify as "big, fat" money. Not even in the impoverished radio business. I'd be surprised if the most visible talent in this market (Suits, Monson, Ross) were making so little.

[Rat_Bastard]

I'm also very curious as to what radio pays...
Always hear about too much for hosts like Monson and Ross, and too little for all of the producers.
I keeping hoping for the official "Bryan Suits to KOMO" thing...
Suits/Carlson/Scram
I often listen to the car shows and Mclendon's home improvement show Saturday mornings.
Waking up to mariachi cha cha sure wouldn't be the same after a beer fueled Friday night.
(Insert visualization of Dudley Moore's first morning in Mexico from the movie "10" here)

[Rat_Bastard]

OK, Y'all have a good time with Suits/Carlson... SCRAM.
Meant to say "Schram".

[Ed Bennett]

Jose, When the Bullitt sisters sold KING-TV to Providince Journal, the buyers made an agreement that the sisters could keep the call signs KING for the radio stations as long as they owned them. When they sold the AM to Bonneville, they had to get new call signs (KINF) then KNWX. They later traded frequences with country KRPM, then KMPS-AM, KYCW and finally pregressive talk.

[jean (pronounced "zzzhhhon")]

I get the feeling KVI doesn't care anymore. This morning (Monday Oct 25), they're playing another re-run: "This is an encore presentation of the Bryan Suits program."

Too bad...though there's much about Suits I dislike, he is a professional. I never got the impression he was coasting; always seemed to be fully engaged.

Must be lonely for him over there...probably not for much longer though. Wonder if he'll stay in Seattle.

[jean (pronounced "zzzhhhon")]

...and yet another Suits show rerun this morning (Wed Oct 27)--something's definitely up--doesn't Blatherwatch have any inside info on this? No contacts/informants at all at KVI/KOMO/Fisher? So what's going on?

[Adam]

KVI should just flip back to oldies/classic hits; bring in Pat O'Day, and some of the other great Seattle radio personalities.

Or bring in Ichabod Caine and flip it to country or something; or bring in Ichabod and flip KVI to classic hits or whatever; but anything other then Spanish, I don't want another spanish radio station in Seattle, there's too many of them here already.

[Greg Rudebaugh]

I must the last listener, I do enjoy the programming and have been a listener from the beginning. Guess i'll have to get my daily fix from the internet.

[Ed]

Where do I tune in during my lunch time for sean hannity? I don't like music on am radio. I want to hear hannity during lunch. I can't believe this happened!

[Colleen]

I feel like the left has gain a victory. I have always felt KVI was my source for true information. With the turn of events in our nation, now was the time to go big, not quit. Stupid, heartbreakingly stupid.

[Brandon]

They talked about conservative talk show hosts being censored. Now it looks like KVI has done it themselves by cancelling their talk programming and switching to oldies music. So much for finding out what the main stream media won't tell you or report on. It's no wonder this happened since all the changes they have made in the last two years to their programming.