Idaho Radio News Etc.

Later this weekend, read an in-depth (1200 word) interview with KSAS’s new program director Aaron Traylor. Hear what he has to say about the future of KISS, some programming tweaks — and what brought him to Boise.

We now know that Bustos Media has grabbed its second frequency in the Treasure Valley — but it may not be the end.

Amador Bustos told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer:

“We are interesting in being about three deep in all our markets, not only Seattle, to maximize the synergies” of owning multiple stations in a single market.

Yes, the original does say “interesting” instead of interested. But you get the idea.

In March I wrote about the debut of HD Radio on KBSS-FM in Sun Valley.

Plans have long been in the works for KBSU-AM, KBSU-FM and KBSX-FM to go digital in the Boise Valley. I checked in with Jim East, BSU Radio’s Associate General Manager on a timeline: Equipment has been ordered, and is begining to arrive. We should see KBSU-AM first, followed by KBSU-FM and KBSX. No firm dates.

On a related note — if you read the Boise Weekly, you know that John Hess is set to take the helm of the Boise State Radio. East tells me this happens June 20th.

This is the crux of the Erin Ryan-penned BW story:

In five years, Hess made some of the most striking changes in the history of NPR Iowa, utilizing listener and staff input to change programming and helping to bring in the most fundraising dollars either station has ever seen. His blend of aggressive business sense and inclusive management garnered Hess national attention, and Boise State Radio was quick to offer him a job as general manager

He says more local news and talk programs are a priority.

Bonneville International Communications has been sued by the Jack-FM rightsholder for using the “Playing What We Want” slogan.

SparkNet Communications filed a preliminary injunction for the use of the slogan at WTMX in Chicago, KKLT Phoenix and WARH St. Louis. SparkNet previously went after Fisher Communication’s KPLZ here in Seattle for using the “whatever we want” tag line shortly after Infinity launched the authorized Jack format earlier this spring.

Billboard quotes from the suit: “Bonneville is misleading listeners� and “weakening consumers’ perception of the Jack FM product (as being iconoclastic and irreverent) and is tarnishing the ‘playing what we want’ mark.�

No comment from Bonneville.

As Napoleon Dynamite would say: “I’ll do whatever I feel like I wanna do GOSH!!”

Update: Bonneville says SparkNet doesn’t know Jack: “It’s nuts to think that radio listeners identify stations by their tagline,â€? BC attorney David Quinto told Billboard Radio Monitor. “They identify them by their frequency or call sign.â€?

From R&R (Thanks Cale):

The rapidly growing Bustos Media, headed by former Z Spanish Radio principal Amador Bustos, adds its second FM in the growing Idaho city by acquiring KBNH-FM, licensed to Homedale, ID, from Leopoldo Ramos’ R&S Media for $2.25 million. Bustos will own 26 stations with the deal.

Bustos already owns KDBI at 101.9 FM – licensed to Emmett with a tower at Deer Point.

KTPZ spent the spring working on a sweeping local contest – the search for a new DJ. The Monster’s newly rehired program director Howard Mayhem was nice enough to answer a laundry list of questions on the stunt.

Mayhem says the contest raked in more than 350,000 web “hits� in ten weeks. That works out to about 5,000 views per day.

The contest started out with a “monstrous” list of contestants – twenty in all.

“Each week we had a new task for them, and each week four were voted out, until four is all that were left,â€? Mayhem said. “Then we cut ‘em in half till we got the winner.â€?

Instead of a list of inane tasks that had little to do with radio – the station’s staff put them through their paces. The first week was “stooge week,� – more like intern week: tasks included making coffee, washing the car and cleaning out the littler box. From there, KTPZ held court with tasks involving promos, PSA – commercial work, even live shows and a live remote for the final two contestants.

Mayhem said he wanted to give the stunt some meaning – he cited KSAS’s Radio Idol contest from a few years ago, when “the winner (was) from Texas, and Hmmm… what do you know, (a) former CC employee.�

To battle that – all the votes were made by listeners logging on to KTPZ.com – even the final decision. The station didn’t get a say.

“Each contestant COULD NOT have any previous radio experience. Voice and personality talent abound in many places with the announcer pool desperately inbred, and recycled.�

The Magic Valley community got very involved in the contest – with contestants doing every thing they could to scrape and claw their way to the next round.

“We had many cars decorated and painted, business cards, and flyers handed out, marquees through town promoting their favorite D.J.â€? The free reader boards were a bonus they were not expecting — “we even had one contestant purchase billboard space with hundreds of her own cash. She came in second.â€?

Howard even seems to have a little bit of Paula Abdul affection for some of the non-winners (no… not like that. Eww.): “In the first couple of weeks we all had our favorites, we met people who seemed to have not only a passion for the biz, but a natural ability that surprised even the veterans. but their could only be one winner, and we had to say goodbye to our favorites, and pick new ones, then say goodbye to them. Downer.�

The winner was a man using the name “Joey Bravo.�

“He came to shine as the contest rolled on. He has a hip hop sound to him that is as smooth and cool as anyone I’ve ever heard.â€?

Several rounds of voting were tight – but Bravo pulled out a few 11th-hour victories.

“In the final vote, Bravo had more than 1100 votes, M&M came in second with well over 900.�

The big bonus – Bravo will actually get a show of his own. The pay is low – at the minimum wage of $5.15 an hour – but there is some incentive to stick with it for the summer.

“If he lasts all summer long he’ll get a $1000.00 bonus. After the summer is over (who knows?)â€?

Bravo also takes home a year’s supply of Mountain Dew – and gets a 2-story billboard of his own. I just hope he doesn’t beep when he backs up.

Ben has sharp eyes — and noticed a mistake in the title of this page. Can you?

KWYS-FM is the latest to hop on the “we play any song out there” bandwagon.

It’s using a new WestWood One satellite format known as Sam. WW1 PR says the format appeals to A25-54:

“Westwood One is thrilled to capitalize on one the hottest format trends in radio – 100% music with no disc jockeys,â€? said Charlie Cook, Westwood One VP Programming. “This format promises to pack more music per hour than any other national music format in America. SAM is ’simply about the music’ — fewer commercials, no downtime.”

My E. Idaho source says the switch happened between last Friday and Monday.

The station’s sister (and former simulcast partner) KEZQ of West Yellowstone is still pumping WW1’s Soft AC format.

Personal note: I have a dog named Sam. And a cat named Jack. So when do they launch Repo radio? Yes… My dad has a cat named Repo. Don’t ask.

The nice folks at the Boise Weekly were kind enough to dig this out of their archive — I thought that many of you who used to work at the old Amity building might enjoy it:

Click image to enlarge

…this man?

Yes, in fact it does say “He beeps when he backs up.”

Citadel Communications Boise has blocked access to IdahoRadioNews.com from its internal computer network. Additionally, the company has warned employees not to post here — or risk termination.

I feel that this site has been quite fair to Citadel (as well as Journal and Clear Channel). Pointing out the good the stations do — and yes, the not-so-good. If Citadel wishes to not allow its employees to access this site, so be it. I will continue to cover them just like I always have — and employees from Journal and Clear Channel may chime in with their 1st amendment-backed thoughts. And, I trust — employees will just check the site from home.

I did a little more digging on “Yes.”

Dial this number when you have a minute: 888-YES-8888.

Say “Kissin 92.”

It will know what station you are talking about. Now give it a time… say, 2:12 pm. It should know what song was playing — and play you a snippet.

Want to buy it? Go ahead.

The company is using MediaGuide’s real-time monitoring service, which listens to all the stations in the top 200+ markets (versus MediaBase’s handful of stations in fewer markets). The service is real-time.

There is a bit of a discrepancy between MediaBase & MediaGuide’s top five.

For the past 7 days on KRVB, according to the old MediaBase data on AA:

1) Dave Matthews, American Baby
2) Jack Johnson, Siting Waiting Wishing
3) U2, Sometimes You Can Make It…
4) Coldplay, Speed of Sound
5) Bruce Springstein, Devils and Dust

MediaGuide from Yes.com:
1) Jack Johnson, Siting Waiting Wishing
2) Bruce Springstein, Devils and Dust
3) Dave Matthews, American Baby
4) U2, Sometimes You Can Make It…
5) Coldplay, Speed of Sound

It could be that — since MG has today’s data factored in, that they are actually in step — MediaGuide’s data is just fresher.

It’s a little freaky to stare at the US map at Yes.com and wait for a song to start playing in Boise and pop out of the map.

Also, since our first post, KTPZ.com has added the Yes bar. Too bad the KTPZ folks won’t answer my e-mails. :(

If you go to stoneage.yes.com – you can actually pull up live data on any station:

The Idaho Statesman’s Saturday editions feature a short piece on the Boise Community Radio Project — it doesn’t add much we don’t already know, but does shine a much brighter spotlight on the project.

The venerable WCBS & WJMK have both flipped from Oldies to Jack.

Here’s the somewhat-interesting twist: Both stations are streaming their former formats online.

(WCBS — WJMK)

This is posted on the Magic Morning Show website (it’s like an IdahoRadioNews.com post…):

WAS OUR BOSS DRUNK???
OUR BOSS JIM ALLEN SENT US THIS DISTURBING EMAIL LAST NIGHT. WAS HE DRUNK OR TRYING TO BE FUNNY? YOU DECIDE

“Hey Shavus and Tamara,

You guys are the best. And since I benn listening to your show – I never niss it. We got more ipods. They are cool. Pick more of the songs I like that contest that we did last month a lot and we got more ipods. people won a lot of them then. i picked a song to have be the ipods song fo r the day it is 1 2 steps by sierra it will be on magic after 3 o clock but be FOUR 4 o clock . i can’t tell you how much you guys have made me glad about giving you jobs on the morning on the radio station and contests too. Yeah, Yeah! Shavus and Tamara! and the rules are the smae for the contest like in may only it is june now. i am the boss. jim”

Mike & Tim (or Tim & Mike) will feature “Revenge of the 90s Acts” this Sunday at 9pm on KRVB (94.9 FM The River).

Be there Aloha.

It’s mostly a new skin for their old site — but it’s a step in the right direction.

And they’re throwing a free concert

…34 people from Idaho wish you well!

Clear Channel has launched its online “Stripped” feature.

It’s a lot like Sessions@AOL from my view… right now there really isn’t much content there.

No, not that AA — AllAccess.

1) Former KZMG morning co-host Baylie has been bumped up a notch at WHBQ in Memphis — doing some promotions assistant work (as well as weekends).

2) BIA Financial Networks is predicting doom and gloom for radio revenue — except in a handful of markets — Boise among them. They bumped the 2005 growth projection from an already healthy 3.4% to a smoking 6%. Wish I could bump revenue on this site by 6%. Except, oh wait… zero plus six percent is still… well, you know.

Wow:

Their one-minute hourly capsules will expand to five minutes and be heard on 500 stations, many of them former CBS or ABC affils.

Details