Idaho Radio News Etc.

Jeff Abrams – director of Boise Community Radio Project dropped a line in comments to respond to our September 18th item on the project’s slow progress.

Hello. I’m glad we’re still on everyone’s radar screen. After almost 18 months of webcasting from downtown, we are more of a broadcast service than ever, streaming content that originates here, in Boise (except our independently produced syndicated content).

As far as your header “still not on the air” – unless someone has figured out a way to bypass the FCC non-com freeze – I’m wondering why any “sources”, engineers or technical types are surprised we are not operating terrestrially. Our website is updated as news/events warrant, including announcements of upcoming fundraisers, etc such as our recent Amy Goodman benefit. We remain confident that our engineering strategy for obtaining a license is sound and we’re eagerly anticipating the day that the FCC opens the non-com window (potentially this spring) for new applications!

Regards,

Jeff Abrams
Executive Director
Boise Community Radio

(Thanks to Dave Arthur for the YouTube gold)

KAYN/Canyon Country 100.7 has moved to 106.7 in the Twin Falls area (Magic and Wood River Valleys).

100.7 is now broadcasting all-holiday all-the-time as “Christmas 100.7.” No word on the post holiday plan for the frequency.

Canyon Country is no longer available in the Boise area.

KGEM…

KCID…

I’ve agreed to help friend and colleague Cory Bergman at Lost Remote manage his new project: The Circuit.

These discussion group/e-mail lists give people an opportunity to share ideas and build a better web product. Three lists are offered: Revenue, Developers and Producers. While this will be primarily aimed at TV-side folks, there will likely be great ideas applicable for radio sites.

The groups will be moderated (meaning either Cory or I will approve any message going out) – so you shouldn’t be flooded with promotional spam or useless junk. Sign up here. The groups will use Google Groups – and you can opt out at any time.

Also: I’ve made several changes to the site based on suggestions. The gray and blue colors are darker, and the old “e-mail” link is back – above the search box. You’ll also find a new “about” page. I’ve also reworked the logo fobs… for the most part each station’s logo is no longer cropped (with a few exceptions). I’m also displaying eight recent comments, instead of five.

Odd… KTHI/107.1 K-Hits’ website is missing a logo or any identifying marks.

Update: It’s been fixed…

Byl & Doug at the Rolling Stones concert…

KXLT/107.9 Lite FM went all-Christmas all-the-time at the stroke of midnight.

KCIX/Mix 106 is already salting in holiday tunes – the first cut showed up before 1am.

The Boise Hawks have a new owner. The team was formerly owned by Base Capital — the parent company of Horizon Broadcast Group. HBG dumped their Boise/Twin Falls market stations – then later got gobbled up by Base Capital.

Red Wolf Broadcasting filed a challenge with the FCC over the license of KZMG/Magic 93.1, R&R reports. The complaint centers over the station’s airing of “Airbound.”

The program, produced by Citadel and hosted by company exec Tony Bristol aired on scores of company-owned pop/CHR/urban stations nationwide – including Magic.

The filing alleges Citadel accepted cash from top record labels, in exchange for song placement and the airing of a scripted donut promoting the song. An earlier Payola investigation by New York attorney general Elliot Spitzer found that labels purchased positions in a number of national programs – including Open House Party, Airbound, and Entercom’s CD Preview.

The complaint calls Airbound “a series of 12 or so commercials masquerading as a bona fide radio program.”

Red Wolf is zeroing in on the alleged failure of Citadel to identify the paid placement.

To my memory, the host generally read a vague acknowledgement of the labels involved at the end of the show. However, to my ear, it was not worded in such a manner that the average listener would think money exchanged hands

The show is no longer on the air — but nearly 30 Citadel stations join KZMG on the receiving end of the challenge filing.

Red Wolf owns a pair of stations in New London, Connecticut.

So why now? Magic’s license isn’t up until 2013. The battle centers in on the merger of Citadel and Walt Disney’s ABC Radio division. Since the deal is structured to move all licenses from both companies to a newly formed unit – Red Wolf is using the Airbound nugget in an attempt to block the ABCR/Disney merger.

This isn’t Red Wolf’s only attempt – it originally filed against 9 stations on this same issue in March. It even alleged that WXLM-FM went without tower lights at night, and had no fence around its transmitter site.

It’s not just Clear Channel shareholders or top execs that will make out like bandits if the proposed merger deal goes through — just about every investment bank on Wall Street gets a cut, so says MarketWatch. Citigroup, Credit Suisse First Boston, Deutsche Bank, Morgan Stanley, RBS and Wachovia all either take an ownership stake, are providing advice or are helping to finance the deal. The banks stand to gain $130 million from the sale.

Then there’s this (again from MarketWatch):

The Clear Channel deal is also certain to draw scrutiny from regulators concerned that many private equity firms, including those tied to investment banks, are colluding on deals. At least five private equity firms have received inquires by the Justice Department, according to published reports.

The folks over at the Idaho Business Review have launched a new site. I noticed it yesterday – and John Foster dropped a comment on the new site below.

Check it out: idahobusiness.net

IdahoRadioNews.com is sporting a new look. Still trying to work out some bugs… but it’s nice to clean things up. It’s been almost two years since the last revamp… so it’s time. Drop me a comment if you see anything weird.

Read the rest of this entry »

OK, it’s my (nearly) monthly plea for your indulgence as I plug something.

My dad has a new calendar on the streets – featuring some very cool shots from around Boise. They’re fifteen bucks — and pretty damn cool (not that I’m biased). You can get yours Saturday mornings at Dawson Taylor downtown, or Trader Joes in Lake Harbor off State. More details (and all the images here).

Here are a few of the images:

KGEM/1140 AM is no longer playing original hits.

KCID/1490 AM is no longer playing oldies.

Instead — the formats have swapped frequencies (but not brands). KGEM is now “The Oldies Station” – while KCID is playing “America’s Favorites.” The oldies format picks up a 10,000 watt home backed by a major station owner, while the original hits format moves to the wimpy, Caldwell based 1,000 watt 1490 AM.

This sets up an AM showdown between KGEM and independent KDJQ. DJ Radio has Big Jack in its corner, but KGEM has money behind it.

KKGL/96.9 The Eagle’s Byl and Doug appeared on KTVB’s Morning News this morning to promote their “get well” card for injured Bronco RB Ian Johnson. The Eagle crew is working to get thousands of signatures on a large card for Ian.

Byl also invited folks to sign his dog. Poor pooch. Byl also “fell off a ladder” at his home. Sounds like he needs a get well card as well.

Happy Thanksgiving…

KSAS/103.3 Kiss FM will host “Mall Survivor” starting Monday. The four day stunt will lock folks in a mall store and put them through a bunch of contests.

Winner gets a PS3.

Hey X kids… you’ve got a new on-air lineup.

How come your website doesn’t reflect it?

KCIX/Mix 106 is giving a way a house valued at $200k.

The promotion, with Coldwell Banker Aspen Realty’s Andi Yamamoto and Tracy Kasper (Kasper… Kasper… where do I know that name?) is qualifying people each day for the 1770 square foot home in Caldwell.

Details here.

Well isn’t this just damn cool.

KRVB/94.9 The River has launched a separate holiday music channel – streamed on its website: riverinteractive.com.

The thing that sets the concept apart is that’s it’s wrapped snugly in the River’s brand, including audio drops in the stream, and a custom branded audio player.

You even get a “pre-roll” ad welcoming you to The River’s holiday channel. The “old-school” analog station will also feature holiday selections throughout the season “sprinkled in.”

The stream has a passel of local sponsors lined up. It’s powered by CustomChannels.net. The station is able to customize the playlist on the holiday channel to match the cuts it is playing on KRVB.

Interactive, progressive and smart.

Former Paul Revere and the Raiders frontman Mark Lindsay has a new gig — in the radio side of the business.

Lindsay now hosts “Mark After Dark” on KLTH/K-Hits 106.7 in Portland. The show takes off each night at 7pm on the CBS Radio-owned “new oldies” outlet. You can listen online at khits1067.com.

He is also opening Mark Lindsay’s Rock & Roll Cafe in Portland’s Hollywood District. The cafe opens this spring, and will include a radio studio — where “MAD” will broadcast live.

As Idaho Radio News first noted in September, Marathon Media previously inked a letter of intent to gobble up Clear Channel’s Twin Falls and Pocatello/Idaho Falls properties.

The Chicago-based Marathon runs (sorry, easy easy pun) a number of stations nationwide, many in smaller markets. If the company has already indicated it wants Poky/IF & TF – why not Boise?

In today’s press release about Clear Channel’s plan to divest itself of the 100+ market radio assets and television stations, the company noted these properties contributed “less than ten percent” of the company’s revenue last year.

Big surprise? No, not really. But having such a large conglomerate own so many media assets marginalizes their indivudal value. What did, say, KCIX contribute CCs overall revenue last year? 1/10th of a percent? 1/100th? 1/1000th?

In Boise, all of our major media outlets are owned by large companies.

- KIVI-TV and six radio stations by Journal Broadcast Group, Milwaukee
- KTVB-TV and 24/7 by Belo Corp., Dallas
- KBCI-TV by Fisher Communications, Seattle
- Six radio stations by Citadel Communications, Las Vegas
- Idaho Statesman and thrive magazine by The McClatchy Co., Sacramento

Why would Clear Channel devote attention or resources to a market that contributed a very small fraction of its revenue?

Update: Corrected HQ location of JBG.