KVI re-flip confirmed... where's the meat?

You suffered ”Hot Talk KVI”, "More Stimulating talk!", “Freedom 570", "Conservative Talk… No Apologies!”, and “Seattle’s  Greatest Hits.”

Now brace yourself for “Smart Talk for a Sound Life.”

We (and others) reported last week that Fisher's KVI is flipping back to talk after a typically unthought-out discarding of a their long-established talk brand for a turn to oldies-of-the-oldies music last year.

What convinced the geniuses upstairs at Fisher to make the change-back? Could it have been the 0.3 % of the market the once-mighty talker had sunk to? Could it have been they could get stugots if they tried selling it? Well, yes and yes.

Will they go after the “large KIROFM audience" with the same apolitical, yet idiotic "lifestyle talk?" Well hell, yes. a) It's the only audience available and b) Fisher hasn’t had an original programming idea since they introduced conservative talk in 1991. (We say large KIROFM audience with sardonic quotes around it because, though KIRO may be getting a decent percent of the market, the market pie has shrunk- fewer people are listening to radio- the largest number of actual people who listen to KIRO for more than five minutes thoughout the day, is less than half a million).

Will the PD be Travis Box? probably, that's because... he kind of already is.

Do you smell our old friend, talk consultant Dennis Kelly? you should. (Reports that he was considering the priesthood were, apparently, apocryphal).

Here's the email sent to advertising clients:

"Beginning January 3, 2012, KVI Greatest Hits will flip to talk radio, called Smart Talk 570 KVI. The positioning will be 'Smart Talk for a Sound Life', featuring lifestyle, health, local and entertainment news. We anticipate the core audience will be adults 35-64. Hosts Mark Christopher and KOMO 4 TV’s Elisa Jaffe will start out the day with Sunrise Seattle, (a Good Morning America-type program) and other hosts including Clark Howard, Phil Hen drie (comedy-oriented), The Buzz featuring Scott Carty, and a WSJ Daily Wrap will inform and entertain listeners.”

(photo left, Mark Christopher; right, Elisa Jaffe with Puddin' Pie)

We haven't heard  Mark and Elisa, so we’ll reserve judgement on the morning GMA knock-off. The rest of the canned, washed-up line-up is syndicated talk scraps left from the demise of other stations not sucked up by Bonneville or Clear Channel. Geov Parrish (KEXP Saturdays, 6-9a) notes, that the new line-up "would have approximately seven times as much local programming as KTTH."

Parrish also notes "As abysmal as the Oldies KVI's ratings have been - they'd go lower, but Arbitron doesn't measure negative numbers - the station has continued to carry a heavy spotload, suggesting that Fisher has been using sister stations KPLZ and KOMO (which actually have ratings) and charging a bit more, or opening up a bit more inventory, by dumping some of those ads on KVI's good-but-ignored signal. Chances are good they're also going to use their ad inventory in trade to help pay for the syndicated talk programming, too, meaning that now KVI will have even more commercials. Maybe, maybe, it will also have more listeners."

While we admire the re-addition of talk to the AM dial, we’re still skeptical that the teevee-centric Fisher has the will (and the imagination) to make this $ucceed. With the cheap-ass syndicated line-up, they've already shown they aren't into spending much dough on this "new" format.

Prove BlatherWatch wrong… please!

Comments

[curious]

The only use I have, or can see ever having for KVI, is that computer/tech show hosted by Chris Hanis.

--
74.2 percent of all statistics are made up on the spot.

Oops, almost forgot, I am. . .

curious

[Mango Jerry]

Don't get your hopes up, Michael. This will be the same dull dry bread as KOMO1000, but it might get the numbers up enough to sell the license to somebody who knows what to do with it.

[Gingergrahm]

That's NOT Elisa Jaffe. Maybe her 25 years ago or maybe her daughter...

[blathering michael]

Ginger: that's the picture that Elisa has chosen for her Facebook page...

[Fremont]

But that IS the inimitable Puddin' Pie, of course...

[Ellywood]

I'm pretty sure Fisher didn't own KVI when it started down the conservative talk radio path in 1991. Back then, it was Golden West, or whatever Gene Autrey's company was called.

[bmac]

Note also that Fisher's e-mail to clients said KVI would be airing "Christmas music" as opposed to "holiday music." Good choice of verbiage if they hope to reconnect with conservative listeners prior to the flip.

[Pete]

Note also that Fisher is doing the same thing they did with Carlson and Schram on KOMO - using personalities they already had under contract (Carlson for KVI, Schram for TV, and now Jaffe for TV), so the new assignment probably costs Fisher little or nothing.

All in all, it sounds a lot like KOMO Radio, except without any content - and that's saying a lot.

[Bill Wippel]

KVI was once the envy of Seattle radio competition. It has a great signal.There are so many radio stations in the market, Seattle takes almost 2 years to reflect a station's success, ratings-wise. I remember the very first people meter survey. KPLZ was number one. They are certainly not there now. KVI's many format changes appear to be done too quickly. The programmers are probably pushed into making changes before the new format takes hold. The bottom line at Fisher is precarious. Despite their selling the KOMO building, they are still not making a profit. It would seem to me a change has to be made at the top of Fisher, not KVI.

[Fred]

I find the comments in this thread interesting.

Fisher goes and tries something different and what happens? The same old "Fisher sucks" comments.

It wouldn't matter what format KVI went back to...the so-called geniuses here would still pan it.

Give them a LITTLE credit for trying something new, please

[sparky]

What are they doing that is new?

[Laura Van Slyck]

Fisher tried something new, they tried oldies music in a heritage political talk spot. It was stoopid. Now floating another lifestyle talker in town without hiring anyone interesting is again, stoopid.

[Lydia]

I'm glad there will be another choice for morning radio. Not being one for snarky music radio hosts, and bored with KIRO, sick of Glenn Beck's manic and paranoid show, and not able to get KOMO where I live, I hope the new KVI format will make getting going in the morning more enjoyable.

So, Clark Howard is returning to the Seattle market?
Clark Howard has a wonderful consumer advocacy program out of Atlanta.

So, cut out the snarky remarks already.....Okay?