In focus: KTPZ
Don Day | June 27, 2004
Over the next few months, we’ll take a look at some of the stations in the area, and what they’re doing — good and not as good.
KTPZ is based in the Twin Falls area. It’s primary license is in Mountain Home, with secondary listings for Boise and Twin Falls. The station has a repeater on Boise’s Table Rock, allowing it to transmit in to the Treasure Valley. The signal can also be heard in the Wood River Valley (and as far north as Cascade).
The station is about one year in to it’s “new” format — a mostly CHR mix. The current branding is “Music Monster 99.1, KTPZ.” The station is owned by FM Idaho, headed by Wendell Starke. It was purchased from American General Media — who purchased it from Horizon Broadcast Group. Starke sold the station to HBG, then bought it back in a firesale, and returned the station to the Monster brand. KTPZ used to have a high profile studio at the Boise Spectrum facility in Boise.
The station primarily focuses on the Twin Falls market. The majority of advertisers are from the TF market, with a few from Boise/Nampa.
The talent lineup is what you would expect from a market the size of Twin. We’ll stay away from name-calling and finger pointing; suffice it to say most of the jocks are trying — which is a good place to start.
The imaging is odd. After HBG sold the station — the former Monster format was revived — right down to some of the imaging elements. Instead of taking a good concept and evolving, the stations seems stuck in 1999.
The library is much larger then KSAS or KZMG — the Monster’s primary competition in the Boise market. The gold library is quite large — and varied. It’s that station on your presets that will usually be good for about one or two songs — before you encounter something out of left field. KTPZ seems to be trying to capture the CHR and Hot AC formats — but really doesn’t live in either world.
The station has an active morning show — but the rest of the day has that “voice tracked feel,” though it’s unclear to me if they are actually VT or not.
And as we’ve talked about here once before — weather is a big deal for KTPZ. The station features endless weather updates, many with a lengthy sponsor billboard. The sponsor mention often seems to be longer than the actual weather drop.
Learn more at KTPZ.com
