Idaho Radio News Etc.

We should see the preliminary numbers any day now. As always, you’ll find in-depth coverage here (past examples: Spring 04, Fall 03).

From LiteOnline.com

Simultaneous Playing of “We Are The World”
We Are The World is being released on DVD on 2/1, with a portion of proceeds going to help with Tsunami Relief. We are joining in with radio stations from around the world, along with MTV & VH1, to play the song at 10am on Friday, 1/28, the 20th anniversary of the recording of the song. Please join us!!

Local radio station seeking a full-time air talent for the morning shift. Lots of phone/listener interaction. Must be comfortable with digital automation and will be writing and producing commercials and station imaging. Be ready to handle a `one man show`. Computer skills are a must. Must have 3 years experience. Great work ethic, career minded individual required. Will need to submit a tape and resume before closing date of 02/09/2005.

magicvalleymail@cl.idaho.gov

Haha. That headline is more for shock value than anything else. Among the possible candidates for chairman of the Federal Communications Commission is Jim Miller (formerly of the FTC of course).

When is soon?

Done a Google search for Idaho Radio News lately? This site is link #35. Seriously.

Do that same search in Yahoo! and the site is #1 (ditto for just plain “Idaho Radio”).

Whatever.

I think the biggest single story in the Gem State right now is the deployment of the 116th Brigade Combat Team in Iraq. As KTVB’s military reporter Ryan Panitz can attest, I can grow tired of military stories — but not this one. It affects a huge number of Idahoans.

That’s why KIZN’s latest promotion is a great idea — “Kissin’ 92 Operation: Valentine.” The station is inviting schools, churches and community groups to make Valentines that will be delivered to the troops in time for the February holiday. Great way to connect with the community — in a fresh and different way.

Not sad to see FCC chair Michael Powell leave his post.

This Powell quote struck me:

“The seeds of our policies are taking firm root in the marketplace…”

Yes – your policies designed to suck all localism out of radio, and stir up censorship on TV. Thanks.

I’ve promised myself that I will keep the Seattle references to a bare minimum. Hopefully this is that minimum:

From the Mountain flows the River
When Journal bought KFXJ, I was uneasy — the station seemed destined to go the corporate way. Dull. Boring. No imagination. I remember listening to Bob Rosenthal’s evolutionary/revolutionary intro at 5pm that day a few years ago thinking “this is crazy.” Of course, as you all now have figured out — my affinity for KF95 has something to do with my fathers role in the station.

But I was wrong. Dan McColly, Bob Rosenthal — and later Tim Johnstone had a positive impact on the frequencey (, Kenneth). It’s just enough more mainstream that it appeals to a wider cross-section of people — and the improved numbers bare that out.

Seattle has it’s own AAA format station (of course). After listening to KMTT/The Mountain for several days, I long for The River. They both have different spins on the same theme — but The Mountain just sort of falls flat. They should have so much more potential (in the home of Hendrix no less). They have deeper resources — Entercomm versus Journal — but still don’t have that x factor. It’s too… corporate.

Journal Boise has done an amazing job making its corporate owned stations sound independent.

(Yes, I know… having my identity public has made me soft.)

Dave who?
One of the biggest advertisers in the Puget Sound region is Dave Smith Motors. Yeah… the one from Kellog, Idaho. If they are on the air in Seattle, how come they aren’t doing much in Boise?

Reset the presets
One of the first things I did after crossing Snoqualmie pass was search for my new presets. I replaced KISS FM with… well, KISS FM (and just because KSAS is owned by CC and KBKS is owned by Infinity doesn’t mean the stations are musch different). Except perhaps live jocks giving free crap away at 4am… strange.

KZMG’s morning show is leaking talent faster than a helium balloon poked with a pin.

As we reported last month, Big Boy took off for Memphis — leaving Jayar & Baylie behind. Now Baylie is the last man (uh, woman) standing. Jayar is in Nashville (that Tennessee is a popular place), working for a national Christian radio service (you’ll remember he came to Boise from Air1).

Of course… his picture is still on KZMG.com as of this writing. Have a feeling that won’t last.

When Micky Fox left KSAS last year, I pointed out how many morning show mutations the station endured. In the interest of fairness, I should probably do the same.

Jayar, Big Boy, Baylie
Jayar, Big Boy, Erica Fox (of course, just Jayar & Big Boy while they looked for EF’s replacment)
Erica Fox, BambIan
Matt Wilcox, Erica Fox, Little Bambi Foo Foo
Matt Wilcox, Scott Lander, Erica Fox
Mike & Kate (and Jody & Carlos)
…and I could go on (and on and on and on) back to Steve & Suz… but I won’t.

Like I said earlier this month — the station is facing a threat from KSAS’s syndicated programming (God that still hurts to say).

Magic’s got to do something big. Quick.

Update: I’m told that Baylie will stay on — and be paired “with a new person.”

The Idaho Statesman’s Dan Kouba likes to push the line. Sometimes it’s funny — but usually… not.

He took aim at Keep the Commandments coalition leader Brandi Swindell in the 1/11 edition of Thr!ve magazine — and took some serious pot shots. The story is no longer on the paper’s website. (read it below)

Finding happiness on his way to hell

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20+ years of listening to and studying the Boise market have taught me that this area plays well above it’s market number. When a jock moves to a new station, or is hired “off the beach” — you’ll hear “grumble grumble, another retread.” There’s a reason — people come to this amazing area and stay. And sometimes that means they have to change jobs during their time. It just illustrates how unique Idaho is. This is a fiercely competitive town — and you all prove that just about every day.

Now, if someone could just change formats so I have something to write about :)

Here are the answers I was looking for in the trivia quiz from last month. There are some other acceptable answers

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Lola features local landmarks – Brian Holmes & photographer Lisa Chavez’s story on Todd Clark — the Boisean who draws pieces of Boise (including KQXR) in to his strip.

AllAccess and R&R report that Spanish-language broadcaster Bustos Media has snapped up Boise’s KJHY (102 FM) — in a deal valued at $3.2 million.

Control is set to transfer from First Western on March 9 with an LMA. Bustos will use it’s “La Gran D” format on the station — based on new sister KDUT/Salt Lake.

From R&R: “The Boise area will continue to experience dramatic growth rates during the next decade,” (company CEO Amador) Bustos said. “We are delighted to have assumed the management of this great station, which enhances our commitment to the Northwest region and to Idaho Hispanic community in particular.”

KJHY pulled a 1.3 in the last book — near the bottom of the pile, but ahead of both KTPZ & KISY.

Unknown is the status of AM-sister KNJY.

(Thanks Jim)

Some of you know who I am. Others think they know…

I’m Don Day, and my day job is producing the 6pm news for KTVB. My last day at channel 7 is tomorrow. On Sunday I begin a new adventure in Seattle.

So here’s the deal — I would very much like to keep things moving along on this site. If you hear something funny — or know of news, let me know. idahoradio@gmail.com

I’ve had a blast producing this site — and despite its faults, I know some of you enjoy reading it. I’ll be back in town on a fairly frequent basis, and I’m sure I’ll still shoot my mouth off.

See Lola & the X morning show on KTVB today at 5pm and 10pm.

(in no particular order)

Idaho Radio Buff was kind enough to recap the year in Eastern Idaho radio for us.

1. Bonneville adds weekend programming to KSL-Idaho from their Salt Lake City station and changes the station call letters with a re-image.
2. Bonneville flips 105.5 FM to country as “The Hawk” which has caught on with a new air staff and imaging campaign. The valley is beginning to tune in, with the ‘young country’ slogan going to heart. [I have two anecdotes to back that up!]
3. KUPI-FM and KID-FM change what they were doing in reaction to KTHK’s sign-on – thus creating some country ‘fresh air’ all the way around. New slogans of ‘fresh country’ and ‘the Bull’ hit the airwaves.
4. Spanish-speaking listeners still suffer from a lack of a strong signal after 1620 flips to sports talk and 1400 doesn’t make a signal upgrade (yet).
5. KCHQ-FM 102.1 keeps it local – local commercials, local news… even piped in personalities that have enough information to feel local. (local morning show!)
6. KEZQ and KWYS-FMs sold to Chapparal Broadcasting, finally signing back on air.
7. Out of market voicetracking continues, as Pacific Empire does some piping in from Lewiston, their home base. Bonneville uses some as well, but appears to be changing that with a posting in December.
8. Sand Hill changes KUPI-AM to classic country and loses long-time general manager of KUPI radio.
9. KKMV moves to 106.1 losing Eastern Idaho coverage due to a pending move of KUUU to 92.5 in Utah.
10. Bonneville stations start a morning and afternoon traffic report.

…she’s NOT an X girl:

This is today’s edition of the national cartoon strip penned by Boisean Todd Clark. Click the image to see it a bit bigger.

For some odd reason, KTIK has been promoting a new show by John Patrick. An inside source told me last week that it was just a silly stunt… sure enough.

The management of KTIK would like to apologize to our loyal listeners, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Keith Richards for John Patrick’s “Movies, Music and Munchies” debacle this afternoon. At no time was the use of celebrity impersonations ever endorsed by the management of KTIK.

KTIK strives to bring the best programming possible to our airwaves, unfortunately todays “incident” was regrettable. Therefore, the “Movies, Music, and Munchies” show has been cancelled immediately and Idaho Sports Talk with Jeff Caves and Mike Prater will return to it’s original time.

Phew. That was close.

We aren’t in a book. It’s not April Fool’s. Can someone fill me in on the point of this exercise (other than to give Caves & Prater a day off)?

Chris Walton was quoted in the Memphis Commercial-Appeal following the Liberty Bowl (by the way, its coverage was far and away better then the Statesman’s)

”I can’t believe it; we’ve got a great game and Little Richard too,” said Chris Walton, one of the many thousands of Boise State fans 1,880 miles from home on New Year’s Eve.

”We’re used to this,” Walton said at the half, “but we’ll still be taking oxygen at the end of the game.”

I was up in the press box during the game — but didn’t see Chris. The amazing thing about Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium is a) the press box isn’t the size of a trailer, and b) it has multiple levels. I would imagine the CA reporter just snagged Chris while he was wandering around.

Long time KEZJ morning man Logan Tusow has disappeared from the Magic Valley airwaves.

What’s up at the CC Country?

Heard the one about CC launching a country station in Boise.

Yeah, me too.

As Tim McGraw would say… “Over and over again…”

This is almost falling-down funny: Alice’s predictions for 2004 from Mix106radio.com.

Also — you might have noticed the Blockbuster ad on the Mix106radio.com home page. Except late fees aren’t going anywhere in Boise.