Idaho Radio News

fin.

Peak Broadcasting and Citadel Broadcasting can go back to competing on the airwaves and the offices of advertisers — but not in the courtroom.

After a year of coughing up cash to attorneys - the two parties have now settled.

The terms? None really. Pay your own attorneys and take you ball and go home.

More FM station changes

Idaho’s FM shuffle continues - with two pending frequency moves in the Treasure & Magic Valleys.

GAP Broadcasting has asked to change KLLP/Star 98.5’s city of license from Chubbuck to Filer - and boost from a C2 to a 100kw C1. The station would stay on 98.5 FM.

The company (which owns the former Clear Channel stations in Poky/IF and Twin Falls) is asking to move KSNQ/98.3 The Snake to 100.1 FM.

Let’s play… are you smarter than me?

So I got an e-mail telling me that KAWO/WOW Country 104.3 turned the radio station upside down for mother’s day — with a link to the station’s home page. I must have spent a full minute trying to figure out what I was missing…

KJ on tha teevee

KTHI/107.1 K-Hits helped co-host KIVI’s coverage of Race for the Cure today. He held down the fort at the halfway point for the station’s coverage of the race event today. Mac joined a pair of KIVI anchors and an Idaho Daily Statesman reporter for the broadcast.

And as a PS/shameless plug… you can find lots of video, pics and exclusive aerial video & finish line cam over at KTVB.COM.

And PPS: After Race for the Cure I was standing behind my dad downtown today at the Saturday Market with a KTVB vest on when my dad (a former radio guy) said “hi” to none other than Bob Rosenthal. I was uncharacteristically quiet…

Former Idahoans in Nashville

Former KTSY/KCIX/KZMGer Dave Arthur ran into former KZMGer Jayar Reed a few weeks ago at the Gospel Music Association shindig in Nashville. Here’s the self-portrait…

Six minutes early… or four minutes late?

KIDO/NewsRadio 580 has a bumper running during its morning news:

“Traffic and weather together - six minutes faster - on NewsRadio 580, KIDO.”

It’s a not so transparent shot at KBOI/NewsTalk 670. KIDO does the traffic and weather dance on the 10s (:00, :10, :20 etc.) while KBOI does it on the 6s (:06, :16, :26). So depending on your perspective, KIDO is six minutes faster… or four minutes slower.

Press Club notes

The Idaho Press Club handed out its annual awards last night. Staffers from newspapers, radio outlets and television stations (as well as some PR flacks and others) gather each May to celebrate the best in Idaho journalism. The warm-up comedian worked Paul J. Schneider into his monlogue (with a joke about the media’s coverage of his “ouster” that escapes me), and another riff about NPR’s Diane Josephy Peavy (who lives near Carey). There was also a joke about Idaho Daily Statesman entertainer Michael Deeds - who was actually in the room and also won an award.

Idaho Radio News was given the second place award for Best Website in the online publication/magazine division. The excellent Sun Valley Guide took first place honors.

Pay special attention to second place in the “Use of Sound” category…

GENERAL EXCELLENCE
1st Dave Plourde - KCHQ - FM - “Q102 News”

GENERAL NEWS REPORT
1st Samantha Wright, Sadie Babits, Don Wimberly, Krisi Packer, Adam Cotterell - Boise State Radio - “A Senator in Trouble”
2nd Glenn Mosley - Northwest Public Radio - “Moscow Shooting”
3rd Andrew Jacobson - KUOI FM Moscow 89.3 - “Police Have No Leads in Weekend Murder”

SPOT NEWS REPORT
1st Krisi Packer - NPR News 91/KBSX - “What Do You Think Boise?”
2nd TIE
Samantha Wright - NPR News 91 / KBSX - “Crash!”
Samantha Wright - NPR News 91 / KBSX - “Space Rock”
3rd Adam Cotterell - NPR News 91 / KBSX - “PETA Protest”

SERIOUS FEATURE REPORT
1st Samantha Wright, Krisi Packer - NPR News 91 / KBSX - “Summer Feeding Program”
2nd Andrew Jacobson - KUOI FM Moscow 89.3 - “Goodbye Old Friend”

LIGHT FEATURE REPORT
1st Samantha Wright, Krisi Packer — NPR News 91 / KBSX - “On the Road - Construction”
2nd Adam Cotterell - NPR News 91 / KBSX - “Tamales Not Turkey”
3rd Andrew Jacobson - KUOI FM Moscow 89.3 - “A New Face for Jazzfest”

PUBLIC AFFAIRS PROGRAM
1st Sadie Babits - Boise State Radio - “The Power of the B-17″

USE OF SOUND
1st Krisi Packer - NPR News 91 KBSX - “Corn Maize”
2nd Andrew Jacobson - KUOI FM Moscow 89.3 - “Moscow is Quiet”
3rd Sadie Babits - Boise State Radio - “On the Red Carpet”

Disclosure: I’m now on the board of the Idaho Press Club. Amazingly… no one said “nay” while voting on the new slate of directors that includes me.

KQXR CUTS IAN - ADDS VOICETRACKER

KQXR/100.3 The X cut afternoon host and former morning host Ian this week. Night guy Josh will move up and work 3pm-8pm - while “Britt” will fill the void from 8-11. Parts of the shifts will now be voicetracked. I’m told Ian wasn’t fired — could this be part of the Journal-wide belt-tightening we talked about earlier?

The memo said that JBG bosses would “miss” him and “wished him well.”

News flash: Winter hits E. Idaho hard

Several stations in the E. Idaho area are asking for special authority from the FCC to either operate silent or at reduced power.

KBJX/B106.3 and KGTM/98.1 Good Time Oldies have both asked to operate at 10kw instead of the usual 100kw due to damage at their shared antenna on Iona Butte near Idaho Falls.

KEZQ/92.9 FM and KWYS/102.9 FM are both currently silent - and have been since March 2006, except for brief periods so the FCC doesn’t cancel the license. The stations are claiming ice damage at their shared antenna on Sawtelle Mountain.

KEZQ is also part of a proposed rulemaking that would shift it to Iona and make it a full Idaho Falls station at 100kw on 92.7 FM.

Ron O’Brian on Ron O’Brien

KBOI/KKGL/KTRV SkyWatch traffic reporter Ron O’Brian wrote in to note the passing of Ron O’Brien - who he took his radio name from. The Boise Ron shares a story of how the LA radio legend helped give him a big morale boost during the formative days of his career:

I was just a goofy kid of 18 when I first heard the “real” Ron O’Brien. I was attending college in Pendleton Oregon, and could occasionally catch KFI out of Los Angeles at night. It was “Big Ron O’Brien” on the air, and he was doing a contest, including a KFI T-Shirt…I figured I’d call and at least try and get through. When I got through it was actually Ron who answered the call…and as a kid just starting in radio (talking to a “big time” DJ!), I was thrilled. I explained that I was just starting my career…he was very patient as I went on. He said to write, and he would send me a KFI T-shirt. I wrote…and sure enough, he wrote back (see attached) and sent the shirt. It was just a few days after receiving the letter that I got my first full-time job offer at KTIX in Pendleton.
Before starting, the PD asked what name I was going to use…and previously I was using my real name, but he suggested I use something else. I looked through the Gavin Report for ideas, but couldn’t make up my mind. I had told him about the call and letter with Big Ron…he suggested I go with his name, since my real first name was Ron. So, I became Ron O’Brian in 1980 (minus the “big”, which he often used)…after the “real” Ron O’Brien (he spelled it with an “a” early on).

WOW’s Discovery Channel spoof

The creative folks at KAWO/WOW Country 104.3 put their own spin on a new ad branding campaign by the Discovery Channel. The Discovery ads tag with “The World is Just Awesome” and stand out from the crowd. The WOW ads are similar in style and tag with “Idaho… it’s just awesome”

First the Discovery ad — then the KAWO spin.

Journal station leaving Boise airwaves… kinda

Boise will soon have one fewer radio frequency controlled by Journal Broadcast Group. Currently, KIVI-TV broadcasts on channel 6, which is 83.25-87.75 Mhz. The audio portion of channel 6 (in Boise and everywhere) is at 87.75 Mhz — which some (but not all) radios can pick up as 87.7 FM.

But on February 17, 2009 - all TV broadcasters will shut off their analog transmitters and broadcast in digital only. That means that stations will move to a new portion of the spectrum - on the UHF band (KIVI moves to channel 24 though PSIP will map it to “6.1″). So if you currently listen to KIVI’s program audio in your car — enjoy it while it lasts.

Deeds thinks BCRP will cover Boise

Idaho Daily Statesman entertainer Mike Deeds says that BCRP will cover Boise. So there… it’s solved then.

He quotes the BCRP engineer - Michael Brown with Brown Broadcast Services - and says that if you can get KQTA/Ke Buena 106.3 in Boise - you’ll get BCRP’s forthcoming station.

If you can tune in 106.3 FM right now, you’ll most likely be able to hear BCR, according to Brown, who’s performed radio engineering since 1974 and FCC application work since 1987. Brown says that comparing a 100,000-watt station and a 7,900-watt station isn’t “apples and apples, but it’s apples and green apples.” The biggest factor for FM stations, by far, is intervening terrain. “The power is important,” Brown says, “but it’s not nearly as important as the terrain.”

Brown favors this map - which he says is more accurate. Also - remember how IRN was the first to note that BCRP would probably have to use a translator to get good Boise coverage? That translator has been secured - and would broadcast at 93.5 FM. Here’s the map of the translator’s signal pattern, according to Brown again.

Our “own” RDS echoes what Brown says in a previous comment

KQTA is 100 kw, and BCRP is only 7.9 kw. More important than power with FM signals is height and line of site. BCRP will do better than you think.

Then there’s this:

“My point is, why would we have spent all this time and effort working on this thing if we didn’t have damn good reasonable assurance that this thing was going to send a beautiful signal into town here?” Abrams says. “I wouldn’t have tried to bring the entire community along if I thought there was going to be marginal reception here.”

“Fugitive” caught

KCIX/Mix 106’s stunt to give away a Kia has ended:

Closing the GAP on LMAs

AllAccess notes - and FCC filings confirm that GAP Broadcasting has made a deal to buy KSNQ/98.3 The Snake in Twin Falls and KEGE/92.1 The Edge in Pocatello. Intermart Broadcasting currently owns both stations, but GAP controls them via LMA the dates back to the Clear Channel days.

KDJQ sold… again

For the second time in a year - KDJQ-AM has a sale in place, according to FCC records. Current owner Robert E. Combs hopes to sell the silent 50kw station to Salt and Light Radio. Last year the station had a deal in place to sell to Churchill Media of Oregon - but that deal fell apart, leading Combs to list the station for sale on craigslist. Zions Bank later sued to recover the assets of the station because Combs had repeatedly failed to pay back money owed to the bank.

Salt and Light radio lists Keith Pettyjohn as its president - and all the board members have Boise addresses. Salt and Light Radio, Inc. filed for a business license from the State of Idaho on March 4th. The filing says the businesses purpose is to “operate a Catholic radio station.”

There’s also a Salt and Light Catholic Media Foundation that operates a TV network in Canada - but it does not appear the entities are related.

Heard and read

“You’ve got a body for feeling earthquakes”

– Heard by the Boise Weekly in an unamed Boise radio studio April 16th - and published as “Real dialogue from the naked city” this week

BSU to honor Paul J.

Boise State will honor long-time football and basketball play-by-play announcers Paul J. Schneider.

The school and the Bronco Athletic Association will contribute $10,000 to set up a scholarship in his name for a football or men’s basketball player.

The school will also give Schneider and his family lifetime seats in the press area of the new skybox. The press area will be named the “Paul J. Schneider Press Area.” The press box itself will carry a name to be determined as rights have been sold to Peak Broadcasting.

Paul J. will also be recognized at halftime of the 2008 season opener with a Distinguished Service Award - and be nominated for membership in the Boise State Athletic Hall of Fame.

Boise Community Radio won’t reach Boise

The Boise Community Radio Project has the FCC’s go ahead to light up a transmitter in Oregon - with Caldwell as a city of license.

The big question in many minds: This is the Boise Community Radio station… right?

Here’s the service area plot for the proposed station - which will share the tower used by KQTA/Ke Buena 106.3:

You’ll notice Boise is not on this map.

BCRP executive director Jeff Abrams seemed to dance around the subject with the Boise Weekly.

“We fully intend to have our studios remain downtown,” he said.

Not only will the station not have the City of Trees in its service area — the station is hemmed in by KAWZ in Twin Falls, KBSK in McCall and a pending FM application in Baker City. All of those stations are operating on 89.9 FM - which would make an expansion of the proposed BCRP station’s signal area difficult. Plus - they have to protect next door neighbor KBSU at 90.3 FM.

So how is this dog going to hunt without coverage in the Valley’s major population center?

Our resident FCC expert thinks that getting the 89.9 FM station on the air is just a first step — and that the Boise/Meridian/Nampa et al area could actually be served by translators. There are five translators licensed in the Boise area - with two more pending. Since BCRP is a non-comm, it would have the opportunity to buy or lease a translator to rebroadcast the Malheur Co. signal.

Tax dollars to fund BCRP?
The project’s news release says it is seeking $400,000 in construction funds from the Department of Commerce for the Oregon-based station. The organization is also planning to launch a capital campaign to raise an additional $250,000. By contrast, that $250k figure is exactly the same as the Log Cabin Literary Center’s annual budget. The Boise Weekly says the project has applied for a federal grant as well.

Past coverage
- BCRP’s FCC application
- Why BCRP is going after an already well-served niche
- BCRP launches webcast

BCRP given construction permit

UPDATE: Boise Weekly readers: more here

The Boise Community Radio Project has been given its big chance by the FCC. In a public notice filed on April 16th, BCRP was granted the construction permit for 89.9 FM - with a city of license in Caldwell (Caldwell Community Radio?). The period for petitions to deny runs through May 15th. The permit itself is valid for 36 months.

BCRP, headed by Jeff Abrams, has been grinding toward its goal of a community-based radio station for more than six years. If the station successfully builds a transmitter and gets on the air - it would be sandwiched between KTSY at 89.5 FM and KBSU at 90.3 FM.

Here’s the original application.

The BCRP tower would have a non-directional antenna in Malheur Co., OR - map here. The signal pattern would reach Caldwell — but it’s hard to tell if Boise would be served by the transmitter.

Inquiring minds want to know…

So when KIZN/Kissin’ 92.3 host Steve Shannon was on CMT Insider a few weeks ago - did KAWO/WOW Country 104.3 go ahead and run its radio simulcast on Sunday morning at 6am?

JBG’s been thinning its ranks

Company-wide, the Journal Broadcast Group has been trimming staff in the radio and TV division by about 5%. The cuts began last fall, according to Inside Radio - citing CEO Doug Kiel. The cuts will save $3 million per year - and also include a hiring slowdown.

Logan Tusow joins KTVB News Group

Former Lee Family Broadcasting sales manager and on-air talent Logan Tusow has joined the KTVB News Group as sales manager for KTFT in Twin Falls. Tusow worked for Lee from 2005-2008 - after spending 13 years with the Clear Channel group in the market.

(Disclosure: I am also employed by the KTVB News Group)

Ouch

One more note about the BSU radio rights. Last fall, BSU hosted a big alumni homecoming party at Bodo. Portions of it were broadcast live on KBOI and 24/7 - and two national acts entertained the crowd: Reliant K & Blue Country.

Guess who paid to bring in the bands? Citadel. The company paid more than $35,000 to pay the bands — a fact it proudly touted on page two of the company’s failed pitch to BSU to retain radio broadcast rights.

Also: KBOI told the school it plans to unveil the “Idaho News Network” this summer - comprised (potentially) of stations in Pocatello, Idaho Falls, Lewiston, Twin Falls and Osborn.

Margo Vaughn update

KTHI/107.1 K-Hits co-host Margo Vaughn updated her blog - with a letter she wrote to her mom recently:

I’m up this morning aching thru every pore, I’m not sure why. Today (Wednesday) was my best day. I didn’t have to take nausea medicine (last week I couldn’t spell naousea). But I woke up about midnight and felt like I’d been hit by a Mac truck. And restless.

Read the full entry here.