Idaho Radio News Etc.

How great is this?

The Clear Channel websites are using graphics from BoiseTraffic.com, then linking to the ACHD traffic management website.

Last August, I reported on the debut of KBSS-FM in Sun Valley. The Boise State Radio station for the Wood River Valley launched its Digital HD Radio feed in October.

As you know, digital radio allows a higher-quality stream of audio to transmit along-side the traditional analog feed — providing listeners with a specially equipped radio to hear a higher-quality product. FM becomes CD-quality and AM becomes FM-quality.

BSR plans to launch KBSU-AM, KBSU-FM and KBSX-FM on the new platform soon, begining with KBSU-A this Spring.

As far as I can tell, no other Idaho broadcasters are currently transmitting in HD.

Stumbled across this gadget the other day. It’s a radio tuner for your PC. It plugs in to the USB port — and comes with software that purports to be TiVo-like.

This is a similar service.

The Idaho Statesman’s Sunday edition reports that Misty Taylor, (one of the thousand or so former KSAS co-hosts) spent the past four months as a greeter on the Disney Cruise Line in the Bahamas. The 22-year-old was dressed up as Snow White or Cinderella or something in her picture. She plans to return to Boise after her “tour of duty.”

KSAS-FM is currently looking for a program director:

1033 Kiss FM Radio, Boise Idaho, has a rare opening for a Promotionally Minded Program Director. If you are an organized person with computer & digital audio editing skills and know Selector or other music scheduling software, let us know. On air experience required. Looking for a highly motivated, enthusiastic person to lead the charge!! Outstanding, state of the art facility. Great city, great company and an incredible staff.

T&R to Jeff Cochran at CC’s Boise office – 827 E. Park Blvd; 83712. E-mail is JeffCochran@ClearChannel.com. Posting says no calls.

So, gathered masses — where is Hoss? Whose idea was this? Mr. Grigg or CC?

I’ve been grosuing for months about the KSAS-FM website with all it’s broken links. Aparantely the situation on-air isn’t much better.

I listened to Open House Party on and off a few times tonight — and heard several mistakes, including locally-triggered PSAs running under songs, and “one-oh-three-three” jingles playing over the top of song ramps. Quite a mess.

In the Dark writes:

For the last year and a half I have done the only live local nighttime talk show in Idaho on 1230am KBAR in Burley. And in that time I have worked with some great people at Lee Family Broadcasting including Charle Micheals , Scott Cameron and when the ego is under control Kurt Kruzer. After Charle left ( He was forced to quit ) Scott Cameron was bumped from KBAR PD to Kat Kountry’s interm PD. Filling the vacant gig was Jeff Nichols a “20 year veteran” of both tv and radio who came in and stated on day one ” In 6 months the station will be 100 percent different”. KBAR was a usual station in the fact that they featured live local talk show’s ( we were all leased time, none of us were employees) At it’s high point we had 4 daily local shows going and doing pretty well until the new PD. In a day and age when national broadcasts are killing the business we are appointed a clown who’s mission was to kill all the local shows and replace them with shitty Talk Radio Networks programs. In the last week he has managed to forced 3 shows to stop production and another to be on the edge of shutting down. And it’s all been done with the owners and GM’s approval. It’s amazing how a small market single owner station’s are following the corp. business plan.

A friend of Idaho Radio write to tell us of the launch of a new site dedicated to Idaho radio public safety and monitoring. Check it out at http://www.idascan.org/

But does Mike Shamus sound a bit like Jodi Stewart?

Listening to a local Boise popster (which, for once, will remain nameless) this weekend made me laugh.

Here are the lyrics from Bowling for Soup’s hit du jour (get it.. har har):

I almost got drunk at school at 14
Where I almost made out with the homecoming queen
Who almost went on to be miss texas
But lost to a slut with much bigger breastes

It is apparantely OK to use all of those words, except the last one (which was removed). Because no kid is going to be able identify the next word in the sequence.

The ears attached to the fingers that write this drivel are coming to town… can’t wait to ‘hear’ what you’ve all been up to.

For the past few weeks, this has been my only local radio fix. It’s like the old days at Boogie Woogie’s… only more strange. Didn’t know that was possible.

The best part of those online files is listening to Chris prepare his audio clips. Or warming up his vocal chords. It is kidna strange to hear a channel 7 guy and a KTIK guy rambling on about guys from KIVI (Will Hoenike), KRVB/KTHI (Larry Doss), KBCI (Teddy Ballgame… uhh.. I mean Ted Dawson). It’s funny to hear (or not) Teddy and J ignore each other. Oh the things I could say.

The Internet’s back.

After a white hot start during the late 90s/early 2000s, many radio stations all but gave up. Both CC & Citadel threw dozens of toys, tools and tricks at the wall — hoping something would stick. Clear Channel continued it’s centraly hosted, template-drive initiative — but scaled way back. No streaming — kiisfmi.com anymore — very little real content. Citadel unleashed it’s local stations and allowed them to dump the corporate solution for local ideas

Now my colleague Cory Bergman over at LostRemote has an interesting item. CC will launch a new web-based show called “Stripped,” a sort of MTV Unplugged style show feautring core artists.

Summarizing LR’s summary here:

“Clear Channel is forced into doing this,” said Phil Leigh, founder of market research firm Inside Digital Media. “It’s very clear that Internet and satellite radio are impacting them.”

While some CC sites (like 1033kissfm.com) are loaded with content, very little of that is local. KSAS’s site is loaded with broken links and other problems (that damn staff page is still srewed up. I know y’all are visiting this site.. why don’t you fix it?) The best CC site in the state is KLIX in Twin Falls — newsradio1310.com features local news, and is well presented.

Citadel has a running start. Sites like ktik.com are terrific. I don’t really understand why they always put the Scott Slant at the bottom of the page, but that’s just me.

Then there’s the Journal bunch: a few flickers of potential, but all in all, not much going on. No reason to check in to see what is up.

My favorite Boise radio event is coming up again — the Mix 106 Easter Egg Scramble is this Saturday in Ann Morrison Park.

I had the pleasure of being involved several years ago — spreading eggs across the field (that sounds much weirder than it actually is). Seeing the THOUSANDS of kids dash for eggs is an amazing thing. KCIX has been the home to the event for a whopping TWENTY YEARS — possibly the longest running radio event in the area.

IPTV’s Dialogue will focus on the state of radio broadcasting. The guest is Kevin Klose, president and CEO of National Public Radio.

Catch at 8:30pm MT Thursday on IPTV (channel 4 in Boise, channel 10 in Poky/IF, and others).

From AllAccess via UnderTheRadar:

The FCC has placed a six month freeze on new LPFMs and translators after a coalition of groups complained that three TWIN FALLS, ID-based companies were obtaining, then immediately selling the permits.

The Commission on THURSDAY (3/17) granted the emergency request filed MARCH 9 by groups like the PROMETHEUS PROJECT, the FUTURE OF MUSIC COALITION, and the UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST to freeze licenses and investigate trafficking in licenses by RADIO ASSIST MINISTRY, INC., EDGEWATER BROADCASTING INC., and WORLD LINK RADIO, INC.

LPFM advocates complain that the companies are gobbling up frequencies that can be used for local stations, instead selling the permits to nationwide religious networks. Also proposed by the Commission are several rules that would relax third-channel interference protection to full power FMs (a change bitterly opposed by the NAB), grant LPFM’s primary status against translators, extend the time to build an LPFM CP to 36 months, and allow for ownership of multiple LPFMs (with a change in the local residency requirement).

April Fool’s Day is just a few weeks away…

Who will outstunt them all this year?

In this post.

Snake River Pool and Spa is the location. A hot tub full of milk and Lucky Charms is the challenge. Which contestant will last three days in this soupy mess?

Watch KQFC’s St. Patty’s video

(Thanks Doug!)

KIZN, again proving to be one of the classiest stations in the Valley — as well as one of the most connected with its listeners.

KIZN.com’s home page slides the promos and ads for a large picture of Chris LeDoux. The Wyoming native (and Treasure Valley fan favorite) died of cancer this past week.

Well done.

Well, sorta. Chelsea from Nampa High scored an exclusive interview (posted on KZMG.com):

1. how many hours do you work a week month?
1 – I’m the Program Director, and as such, I typically put in 45-55 hours per week in the building, sometimes working 5 days per week, sometimes 6 or even 7 if the need is there. Sometimes I do certain things from home as well .. ..

2. how long have you had this job?
2 – I’ve been the Program Director for Magic 93.1 since May 2003.

3. what interested you in this job?
3 – Although I had been a Program Director before, my last two positions held were Assistant Program Director positions. I felt it was time to seek out an opportunity to program again. As an added bonus, Magic 93.1 is in Boise, Idaho, one of America’s most liveable cities.

4.did you have any experiance with this job before?
4 – Yes.

5.did you want this job when you were younger?
5 – I dreamed of being many things when I was a younger person. I took my first radio job in 1985 simply as something to do and I fell in love with the business shortly thereafter.

6.how much do you make in a year / monthy?
6 – Can’t really go into that. People starting out often make nothing or close to it, but with hard work, luck and the right talent at the right time, the sky’s the limit. Most radio personalities though lead pretty ordinary middle class lives.

7.do you need any college degree’s to get this job?
7 – Not necessarily as “an outgoing personality” can’t really be a learned skill, but it doesn’t hurt to have a background in communications technologies, marketing, advertising, sociology and psychology.

8.how old do you have to be to get this job?
8 – Of legal working age.

9.do you enjoy your job?
9 – Yes, absolutely. I’m a popculture [sic] buff. I love music and working with creative people.

10.bo you get breaks? if so how long?
10 – We’re not really what you would call a “time card” environment, which is one of the things that I personally enjoy about the business. Breaks? It depends on the particular role that you fill in the radio station. Morning show hosts would have a more difficult time squeezing in a break than would jocks who host a less demanding show.

Click on the KZMG.com message board and you’ll see this note:

Author: heya (65.121.129.—)
Date: 03-09-05 14:57

how about that cool new morning show? they are awesome!

The IP address of “heya” just happens to be the same one assigned to the Citadel computer network.

What a co-inky-dink!!!

Idaho Radio News caption contest:

Has the sports guy with a single letter for a first name packed his bags for the sunny days of KTIK? He is currently “filling in” on the show with Chris.

Is J Bates the latest Future Former Spud Brother?

Update: Yeah, that’s a 10-4 good buddy.