Idaho Radio News Etc.

Just one question… where’s his other shoe?

Leave your captions below if you feel so inclined…

Open House Party returns to the Boise Market. The nationally syndicated program will air Sunday nights on KSAS.

It last aired on KZMG several years ago.

OK, here’s my lame version of the Oscars. At least I didn’t make a dumb name like the “Raddies” or something. These are my personal picks for 2004 — as such, it’s only an opinion…

Best Morning Show
(tie) Mike & Kate, Mix 106
Cory & Debi, KQFC

Most Versatile Production Talent
(tie) Jody Stewart, Citadel
Tom Collins, Clear Channel

Best Locally Produced Special Weekend Program
The Other Studio, KRVB

Station Most Tuned in to Those Who Tune In
KIZN-FM

Most Entertaining Live Afternoon Jock
(The Return of) Big Jack Armstrong

Most Entertaining Night Jock
OK, I’m picking 3 — Ian from KQXR, Nate from KZMG and Hot Rod from KIZN

Most entertaining part-timer/voicetracker
Dale Larsen, KJOT

Best Community Outreach, non-sponsored
KIZN’s efforts to support our troops

Best Community Outreach, sponsored
KXLT’s Christmas Wish program with Home Federal

Most drool-worthy contest
KKGL’s “win tickets to every Eagle Rock show in 2005″ contest

Best Stunt
Chained to Kate, KCIX

Worst Stunt
The damn dam joke, KQXR

Weirdest Stunt
“We fired Caves & Prater for a movies show on a random Friday in January, but not really we were kidding ha ha”, KTIK

Best website
KIZN.com

Worst website
J105.com

Best radio folk on the tee-vee
There’s only really two possibilities — but Tracy & Margo are slightly more telegenic than the KBOI guys

Best Television Commercials
KRVB’s testimonial spots on sister TV outlet KIVI

Best brand image change
Adding “…and 90s” to New Rock 100.3 The X

Station of the year in an FM role
KRVB, 94.9 The River

Most amazing part about this post
That I didn’t mention barely mentioned KZMG or KSAS until now. :)

Can’t listen to KZMG for long without knowing that a “new” morning show is set to debut in x days.

So who’s being added to the show?

…don’t upgrade the blog software again. I undid the upgrade and the comments 1) work, and 2) allow you to be someone other than “anonymous.”

In October I asked if anyone had information on KDJQ-AM. At the time, no one did.

Now we learn the forthcoming 50,000 watt AM is hiring. This from the Thrifty Nickel want ads:

NEW RADIO STATION opening in Boise! Outside advertising sales positions. Includes base pay, profit sharing. Must have motivation and the ability to sell.

The advertiser? 890 KDJQ.

The station’s new tower is set to go up at Pleasant Valley & Kuna-Mora. The construction permit was issued February 3 — and expires April 10.

The CP belongs to Robert E. Combs, representing “Palmetto Radio Group Inc.” FCC filings show that the Boise frequency isn’t alone — the group is winding though the permit process for stations in Taylorsville (Salt Lake City), UT; Winter Springs, FL; Silver Springs, FL and Lockwood, MT.

We’ll continue to watch this story as it develops.

Update Rumors of a new country entry in to the Treasure Valley have made the rounds for… what… a decade? The timing never seems quite right.

That’s about to change.

KSRV-FM (96.1) has dropped its generic brand centered on the station’s call letters in favor of a more contemporary “96.1 The Bull.”

“So what?” You say.
“They’re a west-side player!” You say.
“They have a non-directional antenna blasting from just 483 feet above the ground… in Ontario!!!” You say.

Just last week, the station was granted a construction permit for a site at Deer Point — to broadcast 47,000 watts with a directional antenna. That gives it a signal pattern nearly identical to… oh, say.. KJOT.

“Oh. ” You think quietly.

KSRV is owned by “FM Idaho,” the same group that owns KTPZ, KMHI and KTFI.

The station’s on-air lineup includes radio vet Dale Jefferies.

An insider on the outside let me know that KZMG is running spots during Fox’s American Idol.

The commercials feature Baylie and Heartbreaker — and continued to run as late as Tuesday.

Shamus checks in for mornings at KZMG (as alluded to below).

Shamus is a Salt Lake veteran — his last stop was at B98.7 beginning in 2001 (with the famous Todd & Erin in the morning). He’s still mentioned on B987.com

From his B98 bio — Would you recommend radio?: It’s a pretty easy gig. If you are a slacker, don’t like real jobs or decent pay, radio might just be for you.

Just one fleeting mention of him on KZMG.com at the moment.

Paris Hilton’s Sidekick hacked.

Again.

Update: Link’s dead. Hope you had fun while it lasted.

I recieved an odd request today: someone wanted me to start a new “thread” for the Spud Brothers discussion started in the Baylie post below.

Is another morning change coming?

Train hits strawberry truck in LA. No one hurt, so I don’t feel ghoulish about linking the video (or running it on TV about 40 times).

Saw this last night on Countdown — then a post on LostRemote jogged my memory.

Watch this clip. (Click Play, then Play without subtitles)

KBCI is not just losing Bronco Football — Melinda O’Malley is set to exit the station next month.

KTVB picks up the contract to televise BSU Football and Basketball. You know my bias — but: It’s a great deal. KTVB will air the basketball games on the 24/7 cable channel — giving that venture some great fresh content.

Details here Oh, and download my Undefeated screen background :)

From the mailbag:

Radio & Records reports that KIGO-AM licensed to St. Anthony Idaho is being sold. KIGO holds a construction permit to move from 1400 to 1420 and increase daytime power to 32kw while nights are only 12 watts. Albino Ortego and Maria Juarez are the buyers. Juarez owns KRXR, a 5kw AM licensed to Gooding while Ortega previous operated KBLI, a 10kw expanded band AM licensed to Blackfoot through an LMA. That agreement ended last year when Bonneville International purchased KBLI. Expect a regional Mexican format on the new KIGO when it goes in operation. The current 1400 frequency is silent.

More turmoil — a source tells me that KZMG has let Baylie go in favor of a “one man show.”

More soon..

Update: This story is unfolding in the comments thread below… take a look.

UnderTheRadar here, reporting on an affiliation switch for both KSEI 930 AM Pocatello, and KRXK 1230 AM Rexburg, effective March 7th. Both stations will switch from fulltime SPORTING NEWS RADIO NETWORK affiliates to fulltime FOX SPORTS RADIO NETWORK affiliates. This news
was reported by AllAccess.com in yesterday’s edition.

For some, one of the most enticing features of XM & Sirius is the ability to know what’s on. It seems like a silly thing — but not having to rack your brain to figure out the name of the song blasting in to your head is a nice frill.

RDS (Radio Data System) tags allow terrestrial stations to put their positioning information on a user’s dashboard. Nice reinforcement of the station’s on-air imaging.

A handful of Boise area stations are taking advantage of this technology: KJOT displays “J105/Classic Rock” for instance. I understand that BSU Radio & KCIX are also dabbling in this technology.

RDS is currently embedded in more than 100 million receivers.

Update: An anonymous poster notes that KTSY, KIZN KZMG KKGL & KQFC display artist/song information via RDS.

Think the “50,000 watt voice of the Northwest” positioner is overstating things a bit?

Tune your radio to 670 AM in the night time hours here in the Puget Sound area — and you’ll hear KBOI. It’s not like listening to a CD — or even like listening to it on the streets of Boise — but my car radio does pick it up while scanning the AM band.

Now THAT’S a radio signal!

I thought she left.

The very cool Operation: Valentine made KBCI-TV’s air last week. I believe KTVB did the story as well.

The station is now helping round up school supplies for Iraqi children.

The best part of Mozilla Firefox? Those damn flying balls on 1033kissfm.com don’t work. Ahhhh.

KZMG has a new morning jock locked in. I’m told a public announcement will come “soon.”