Idaho Radio News

Former Spud Brother Jerr Moore shared this piece of history from his archive (touching on this post about the old KF95 logo). If you have something, send it to idahoradio@gmail.com and I’ll share it.

This is the KARO/Arrow 103.3 logo - before the frequency went pop as KSAS/103.3 Kiss FM.

I’m very behind in posting this, but Gordon Capps died August 7th in Ontario. The former owner of KSRV died at the age of 95. After the jump, read his obituary, and please feel free to leave your remembrances in comments.
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KQXR/100.3 The X mid-day talent Jac is heading away from the X for a variety of self-started versions, including as promoter of Bank (the band) independent voice work and she’s doing some concert promotion to boot.

That’s what this job posting is for.

As Peak Broadcasting ramps up its Bronco Sports Network, affiliate KSRV/1380 AM is increasing its sports coverage.

The Argus Observer notes KSRV will air high school football games for Fruitland and Ontario High Schools. Station manager Dave Tester will also host three local sports shows each week. A lunch-time show will broadcast from Fiesta Guadalajara from 12:15-1pm - then the Argus Observer newspaper and KSRV will team for a coaches show each Saturday morning at 9am, live from Carl’s Jr.

KSRV will also do two HS football games at once this Friday - with the assistance of the KQLZ/100.7 transmitter (which will soon have new call letters). Ontario vs. The Dalles airs at on KQLZ at 6:30 and Fruitland vs. LaGrande takes off at 7pm on KSRV.

This magically dropped into my inbox today. It’s a station demo for KQXR/100.3 The X back in 2002. It’s laced with sharp wit, localism… and Byl and Doug.

Cameos from Jacent Jackson, Mellisa Paul, Kallao and the funniest happy holidays promo you’ll hear for a while. Or heard a while ago. Or will hear in the future but you might have heard in the past. Whatever. Download the MP3 and quit reading my crap.

The Idaho Daily Statesman lost its lawsuit against the Idaho Business Review. Details here.

Key:

The Business Review said the Statesman was trying to corner the market on lucrative legal ads.

“The Statesman was attempting to gain a monopoly on the publication of a broad scope of legal notices contrary to the Idaho Constitution and, we believe, the Legislature’s intent when they amended the act in 1994,” IBR attorney Newal Squyres said.

PS: Back on the radio beat this evening with a bunch of stuff.

KBOI’s fingernails are still hanging on the edge of Bronco Football - with a pre-game show broadcasting live from Baja Fresh. The station is touting the new venture on its website. (Since when does the “J” in Paul J. stand for J-A-Y?) The KBOI radio experts have teamed up with the Statesman for a blow-out show For Bronco Game Day and Bronco GameNight.

Football is back, and for it’s 36th season, so is KBOI! Bigger and better than ever.Introducing KBOI’s Game Day “Dream Team”…

Legendary Voice of the Broncos Paul Jay Schneider,Jeff Caves,Boise State Hall of Famer Bart Hendricks,
The Idaho Statesman’s Mike Prater, Chad Cripe, and Brian Murphy, former Bronco Tony Altieri, plus Tom Scott, Chris Walton, Brett Reckamp, Nate Shelman, Andrew Paul and more!

Join us for Bronco GameDay all season long before every home game at Baja Fresh on Broadway and University. Our live pre-game show will start 3 hours before kickoff and will include great food and drinks, prizes, live music, and a big screen TV. Presented by Syringa Bank, exclusively on 670 KBOI.

Then after each game it’s Bronco GameNight… as Jeff Caves and former Bronco quarterback Bart Hendricks break down the game, and take your calls.

Now in our 36th year covering the Broncos, Nobody does it better!

HIBF returns to the Journal Studios for its August 28 meeting.
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Because Arbitron gets prickly when we quote book numbers that aren’t 12+… we’ll take a judicious approach:

Persons 12+ mornings (change from spring 07):
1) KKGL (down)
2) KBOI (up)
3) KTHI (down)
4) KIZN (down)
5) KQFC (up)
6) KAWO (up)
7) KSAS (up)
8) KCIX (up)

Other notes: the KZMG morning show fell by half, while KSAS doubled.

Persons 18-49 mornings (change from spring 07):
1) KKGL (down)
2) KQFC (up)
3T) KCIX (down)
3T) KIZN (down)
5) KSAS (up)
6T) KAWO (up)
6T) KJOT (up)

Other notes: KAWO up nearly 600%. KKGL down more than 3 share points, but still smoked #2 KQFC. KZMG lost 60%+ of its audience. KQXR also down 60%+.

Men 18-49 mornings:
1) KKGL
2) KQFC
3) KIZN
4) KJOT
5) KAWO

Women 18-49 mornings:
1) KSAS
2) KCIX
3) KTHI
4) KQFC
5) KIZN

Idaho Radio News has learned that KFXD is not listed on the stations page at the front of the Arbitron book.

Why?

In the 90s, this same station (in)famously wasn’t in the book because the program director at the time neglected to properly submit the station. One wonders…

Anyone have the demo and/or morning show numbers? An Excel spreadsheet sent to idahoradio@gmail.com would be much appreciated. E-mail me if you have something fax-able for the number.

Anonymity very much guaranteed.

Wonder whose job this was…
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Man I should start charing for these…
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KAWO’/WOW Country 104.3’s “Tarzan” (aka the non-Hardball-playing Chris Matthews) is getting hitched! He popped the question to girlfriend Rosey last week. Tarzan told listeners that she wouldn’t let him tape it for radio playback… but that didn’t stop him from doing a dramatic reenactment with one of Boise’s most well-known voices…

One of the smartest local people in Idaho media is Vickie Holbrook of the Idaho Press-Tribune. Holbrook and fellow editor David Woolsey have started a new “From the Editors” blog at IdahoPress.com - and it’s already worth a read.

Also: With McClatchy freezing every single employee’s pay for a full year, one Statesman reporter is trading his gig on Curtis Rd. for a much more noble cause: he’ll be reporting for the Stars & Stripes military newspaper in Iraq and Afghanistan. Heath Druzin will be based in Germany, but be embedded with troops in both theaters over the next year.

I’m very excited about the appointment to my new management position with Impact Radio Group

Those words were credited to Darla Sturtevant in a news release issued eight days ago. But Sturtevant is no longer with Impact. Idaho Radio News has confirmed through multiple sources that Impact’s newly-appointed director of sales has left the company. She joined Peak Broadcasting’s Boise operations.

Sturtevant’s making the rounds. She started the year at Citadel - moved to Impact this spring, and now makes the drive to Park Blvd. each morning.

Factoid of the day: Sturtevant’s son Aaron Paul (nee Sturtevant) currently stars in AMC’s Breaking Bad (not Bud), and had bit parts in Mission: Impossible III, K-Pax, House MD, Medium and more. Here’s a press pic of the Sturtevants earlier this year at the Breaking Bud premiere.

Yeah yeah… no one sells 12+ numbers. Sadly, it’s the only way to put everyone on an even playing field with the same yard stick.

That yard stick is dripping with red ink - with ten stations falling from the fall. One more station (KJOT) saw a modest 3% gain, and three other stations (KTMB, KFXD, KQTA) disappeared, notching a zero. That’s 14 stations that didn’t fare strongly.

The biggest loser? KTIK/ESPN Radio 1350 KTIK The Ticket. After two straight books with a 2.6, the station slumped to a puny 1.4, its worst number since fall 2001. The station fell 47% book to book.

KKGL/96.9 The Eagle is Boise’s #1 radio station. Anchored by Bob & Tom in the morning and local jocks in the midday and afternoon, the station jumped to its best number since spring 1998 with a whopping 7.4. That mark is also the best rating for a commercial FM since KIZN/Kissin’ 92.3 scored a 7.5 in 2005. The Eagle also leads its nearest competitor (again KIZN) by 7/10s of a point and dominated direct competitor KJOT/J-105 by a 4.1 rating. Wow.

KZMG/Magic 93.1 is on the skids. As I’ve noted the past year, it has been incredibly inconsistent, has a mis-matched morning show, unfocused imaging, sloppy playlist and has been without a consistent night jock for quite some time.

That may be just my opinion - but the station’s audience is leaving in droves. The station plunged 35% from spring 2007, and 12% from the fall. Its 2.9 number is the worst in a decade since spring 1998. I don’t have historic date before that time, but I think it is safe to say this is KZMG’s worst book ever. Only KRVB/Idaho’s 94.9 The River has a lower number amongst FM stations from the big three.

Chart time: (blue is KSAS, red is KZMG):

The strange saga at Impact Radio Group continues.

As I totally didn’t report last week - the group hired Darrell Calton as its new GM. Calton previously held the Director of Sales position for Citadel Boise. The group also elevated another Citadel alum - Darla Sturtevant to Director of Sales… though there could be another chapter in this part of the story.

Speaking of chapters - this one’s a doozy. Former GM of the group Dave Tester is back… this time as station manager of KSRV in Ontario. Really.

“Dave brings with him a wealth of knowledge, experience and sales know how,” Calton told the Impact staff.

Dale Jeffries will continue to handle operations duties for the Ontario-based station.

Stay tuned next time for another edition of “As the Impact Turns”

Several stations did not register in the publicly released Arbitron numbers: KFXD, KTMB and KQTA.

All Talk 63 has a popular morning duo in place, so its absence is puzzling. KTMB and KQTA don’t have much to brag about - not to mention that KTMB/99.1 The Man… doesn’t even exit anymore.

KAWO/Wow Country 104.3 is one of Boise’s top five radio stations - and beat long-time heritage station KQFC to take the silver medal in the country race. Despite all the good news, the station is still behind KIZN/Kissin’ 92.3 The station jumped 170% year-to-year - nearly tripling its audience from the final book as My Country 104.3.

The 5.4 number is also better than KLTB/Kool Oldies 104.3’s best number since 2003. There’s a funny paradox here: this validates Clear Channel’s decision to switch out oldies for country - but the formula the company and its manager came up with didn’t work… but Peak’s attempt certainly is.

The usual “Up in the fall, down in the spring” trend continues to hold true for KBOI, with a 4.7, on par with the last several spring books.

KIDO also generally sees a stronger fall book, but the swings aren’t as great - and the station almost always beats KBOI in the spring, with KBOI taking the fall race. But this next book could be key. Though the station will still produce pre and post game shows for Boise State University football with Paul J. Schneider, it is losing the actual game telecasts and the prestige that goes along with them.

Journal Broadcast Group’s stations had a tough book. The group has one station in the top 10 - perennial winner 107.1 K-Hits with a strong 6.7.

The rest of the stations are in the doldrums.

- KJOT/J-105 down 12% from last year to 3.3
- KQXR/100.3 The X lost a third of its audience for a 3.1
- KRVB/Idaho’s 94.9 The River went up slightly from spring ‘07, but only notched at 2.6

And as a commenter noted, Impact’s automated, unstaffed KSRV/96.1 Bob FM outranked those three stations - despite management upheaval and a fairly weak overall presentation.