Idaho Radio News Etc.

Fa’06
KCIX-FM
7.2
KBOI-AM
7
KTHI-FM
6.8
KIZN-FM
6.2
KIDO-AM
5.8
KKGL-FM
5.6
KJOT-FM
4.9
KXLT-FM
4.9
KQXR-FM
4.5
KSAS-FM
3.7
KRVB-FM
3.5
KQFC-FM
3.3
KTIK-AM
3.1
KZMG-FM
3.1
KFXD-AM
1.9
KGEM-AM
1.8
KTMY-FM
1.4
KWEI-FM
1.2
KDBI-FM
0.8
KTPZ-FM
0.6

Advance numbers for Boise come flooding on to the street Wednesday. We’ll post them when they come in. Our usual analysis and breakdowns may not come until Thursday.

Check ‘em out here

Here’s the audio of the KSAS/103.3 Kiss FM call I noted last week. (MP3, 3.6MB)

The Associated Press quotes an anonymous source within Fidelity as saying the mutual fund giant will vote “no” on the Clear Channel private equity buyout.

Fidelity owns 11% of CC.

WKRP in Cincinnati Season One will finally (finally) be available on DVD on April 24th. You can pre-order now from Amazon and get $12 off — making the price a media-salary-affordable $27.99.

My daily scan of Radio & Records uncovered this:

For all of those of you who wish I’d drop dead, well… sorry.

Those crazy kids in the main-stream media. Sorry, I’ve just always wanted to say that.

Anyway – The (Ontario, OR) Argus-Observer has a nice profile of Locally Owned Radio’s Tester Broadcasting venture.

I couldn’t find it online — so click the link below to read it (Thanks James for the tip!)

Read the rest of this entry »

KQFC/The Big 98 are auctioning off the chance to co-host the Q Waking Crew show with Cory & Debi. Bidding stands at $75 as of 8:10pm Sunday.

Proceeds go to help Special Olympics Idaho. Bid here.

OR — you could go bowling with Shamus, Tara & Brad with KZMG/Magic 93.1. Bidding on that item is a bargain at $40.01.

Listing here

Items are part of the first ZIdaho.com Charity Auction.

This is post number 1500 on Idaho Radio News.

After 1500 items, I have some lingering questions:

• - Will Jon Duane & Chris Kelly ever show back up on the radio airwaves?
• - Why did Big Jack disappear from KDJQ? Will his association with KSRV extend to its sister station now playing FM oldies?
• - Will the FCC’s relaxed city of license change rules lead to a mass exodus of radio in rural areas? Will this give satellite radio even more of a toe-hold?
• - Who will buy Clear Channel Boise? Will it be people you’ve heard of? Will it give Boise more locally-owned radio?
• - What kind of splash is Locally Owned Radio hoping to make with its new Tester Broadcasting venture? Will a high-profile new studio rival the group’s old Boise Spectrum days?
• - Speaking of LOR – what will it program on 99.1 FM? What gap does it think it can fill with success?
• - Is KTIK looking to its past for a piece of its future?
• - Will the country format take over for CHR as the most over-saturated niche in the Boise area?
• - Also on the CHR beat: will the slight repositioning of KSAS & KZMG to opposite ends of the spectrum help them stay afloat — or continue to drive listeners in to the open arms of KCIX? Is it CC’s grand plan to use Kiss as a wedge to pin Magic down and help Mix?
• - Will the poor employees of Citadel Boise ever be allowed to read this site at work?

On the eve of the McCall Winter Carnival comes news that the area’s most recognizable station may be packing its bags and moving south.

The Brundage Mountain Air-owned station has filed an application with the FCC to move its city of license to (drumroll please…) Parma.

The station has asked the Feds to grant them a full Class C transmitter at the same 101.1 frequency — but with a transmitter location south of Marsing in the Owyhees. Check out the FCC records. (Thanks, OT for the tip!)

Aaron Traylor on KSAS/103.3 Kiss FM had a funny bit during evening drive.

A caller rings the request line and gets Aaron — mildly disguising his voice:

AT: “Hello, Clear Channel radio afterhours switchboard”
Caller: “Can I talk to Aaron Traylor?”
AT: “What station does he work for?”
Caller: “Kiss FM”
AT: “OK, let me transfer you.”

(elevator music)

Shotgun (with Save a Horse… music bed): “Hi, My Country 104.3, this is Shotgun! Weeee haw… what can I play for you???”
Caller: “I’m looking for Kiss FM.”
Shotgun: “Can I play you some Faith Hill???”
Caller: “No, I’m looking for Aaron Traylor.”
Shotgun: “You sure? OK… let me transfer you”

(elevator music)

Bill Lee: “107.9 Lite FM, this is Bill Lee, what can I play for you?”
Caller (agitated): “I want Kiss FM.”
Bill: “I can spin some Celine Dion if you want.”
Caller: “No, I called for Aaron.”
Bill: “We’ve got your continuous lite favorites…”
Caller: “Are you kidding? I just want to request a song!”
Bill: “OK, I’ll transfer you over.”

(elevator music)

KIDO anchor: “NewsRadio 580 KIDO, what can I do for you”
Caller: “Are you kidding? I just want to request a SONG!”
KIDO: “I’ve got election results… maybe some news? You need the weather?”
Caller: “NO!! Just Kiss FM!”

Transfer…. elevator music

Aaron: “103-3 Kiss FM.”
Caller: “Finally. Can I hear Christina Aguilerra?”
Aaron: “Ooo… sorry sweetie… request hour just ended.”
Caller: “Are you kidding????”

Click.

It might all have been staged, though the caller seemed legit. The DJ responses were obviously recorded – but all answers to logical questions. Either way… just to put in that amount of production work for a bit is impressive.

The attorney for Jennifer Strange, the woman who died after a California radio station’s stunt is now pushing the FCC to pull the license for the Entercom-owned station.

Quoting the attorney:

“We believe the conduct of the radio management and on-air staff mandates that your agency terminate the radio station’s license and discipline its ownership for the wanton disregard of the safety of the participants in this contest. We believe action of this nature is required by the FCC to send a very clear and unambiguous message to radio station ownership across this country that this type of irresponsible conduct that degrades, humiliates and endangers citizens will not be tolerated. A ‘death penalty’ of this nature to a radio station would send a clear message to radio station owners that this type of behavior is unacceptable.”

Update: I’m having flashbacks to my time in Seattle — the station in question here is “KDND” — not “KNDD” as my headline originally said. The latter is a Seattle station, also called “The End,” also owned by Entercom, and also located at 107.9.

The two largest industry news websites – AllAccess and Radio&Records both now make it impossible to link to stories. AA has that ridiculous sign-in firewall. I don’t mind the registration, but they have it structured so the only thing I can link you to is the home page. Now R&R has all their articles coming up in these weird little pop-up boxes. So instead of delivering you straight to the content I am referencing, all I can do is dump you on the home page.

KZMG/Magic 93.1’s Valentine is promising listeners that he will never play any song – or say anything that will embarrass a listener in front of their co-workers.

The pledge sounds a lot like KTSY promise:

No blue humor or offensive lyrics, and 89.5 FM, KTSY will never embarrass you in front of the kids!

BDS has commenced monitoring the Boise market.

The Nielsen-owned service will listen in on these stations:

KCIX/Mix 106
KXLT/Lite 108
KIZN/Kissin’ 92.3
KQFC/The Big 98
KQXR/100.3 The X
KSAS/103.3 Kiss FM
KTSY/89.5 KTSY
KZMG/Magic 93.1
KWEI/Spanish Radio
KRVB/94.9 The River

Noticeably absent: KTMY

Clear Channel Communications announced it found an owner for its non-Boise properties. KEZJ, KLIX-AM and KLIX-FM in Twin Falls – as well as KID-AM, KID-FM, KLLP, KPKY and KWIK-AM in Idaho Falls/Pocatello will go to Blue Point Media. The stations join CC sisters across Wyoming, Montana, Iowa and Minnesota in the new company.

Deals could close by mid-year.

AllAccess posted this excerpt of a letter to employees from CC’s Joe Hogan:

“The decision to sell your stations was not made quickly or easily, nor was it a reflection on the efforts and work of you and your team. It is a business decision in keeping with the strategic direction of Clear Channel Radio. Thank you for staying focused on your job throughout this process.”

This deal will likely isolate CC Boise from its in-state sisters (unless of course a deal between CC & BP for Boise emerges). Boise remains the largest market to be sold by CC — and there’s still no word on a buyer for the SW Idaho group.

In the Clear Channel’s waning days in the Gem State, the company has thrown another oldies station in to the dustbin

KPKY/Kool 94.9 dumped the “Superhits” format in favor of a classic rock blend, anchored by Bob & Tom in the Morning. The station is branding as “94 Nine.”

KZMG/Magic 93.1 Afternoon host Miggy Santos is taking the reigns of the station’s music effective immediately. PD Brad Collins is dropping those duties – while keeping his focus on programming and his morning gig.

…ya’ lose some.

Editor & Publisher notes the Statesman did big things after the Fiesta Bowl.

…While the Idaho Business Review tears in to the Statesman’s “new” website.

Disclosure: I oversee KTVB.COM… so naturally I might be a tad biased.

The Associated Press reports that the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office has changed course on the death of a woman after a radio contest. Originally, the police said it didn’t appear there was any negligence. But that aircheck — made public by the Sacramento Bee changed that perception. The AP reports that the KDND DJs alluded to a college student who died during a similar stunt in 2005.

I heard one legal analyst say on MSNBC today: ‘Signing a release doesn’t protect you from doing something to someone that kills them.’

…You have to wonder how that aircheck got out…

That’s our FCC!

KNTV San Jose reports that Entercomm has let ten people go after the “Hold your wee for a Wii” stunt that ended in the death of one of the contestants.

Even more shocking is this exchange — on the air — between the now-dead woman, Jennifer Strange – and the station’s morning team:

DJ: Can’t you get water poisoning and like die?

DJ2: Your body is 98 percent water. Why can’t you take in as much water as you want? …I know.

DJ: That is what I was thinking, maybe we should have researched this.

DJ2: Jennifer, congratulations on making it to the final two. How are you feeling?

Jennifer: I still have to go pee, but my stomach is like really, really full. I look like I am pregnant again. It’s pretty funny.

DJ2: How much longer do you think you can go Jennifer.

Jennifer: As long as my stomach will continue to let me. I don’t know. Maybe a couple more.

DJ2: Jennifer, I heard that you’re not doing too well.

Jennifer: My head hurts. They keep telling my that it is the water, that it will tell my head to hurt and then it will make me puke.

“Maybe we should have researched this.”

Indeed.

Update: Dave Arthur found the aircheck from the Sacramento Bee. I transcribed this passage, where one person called in trying to warn of the danger:

DJ1: How come you guys aren’t going to do it?

Caller: Because we don’t want to die.

DJ1 (in best, “you’re stupid” voice): Oh, OK. Hey Carter – is anyone dying in there?

“Carter:” We’ve got a guy who’s just about to die. (Laughs)

DJ1: I like that we laugh at that. Make sure he signs the release! Make sure he signs the release! Haha.

KRVB/94.9 The River is hosting a pair of in-studio sessions today:

- At noon, Augustana will stop by and perform a few songs
- At 4pm (appropriately) Vega 4 will hit the Treasure Valley airwaves

Augustana’s “Boston” is heating up the airwaves on a number of formats – including Hot AC (#9 this week on KCIX) & CHR (#41 on KZMG).

Both artists play the Big Easy tonight.

UPDATE: Tim notes in comments that Augustana’s bus broke down. No noon session. Damn.

FMI is working to give itself two separate clusters – one focused on the Magic Valley and the other focused on the Boise area.

The KTPZ format and calls will move from its current 99.1 position to one of the stations currently in the construction permit stages. When that move is complete, 99.1 FM will join KSRV-F/A, KMHI and KAYN in the Boise cluster.

Wendell Starke will continue as majority owner of both groups — as noted in the press release issued today:

While there has been no ownership change or change in the ownership structure of the company, FM Idaho Co. will operate under Dave’s direction using the d/b/a Tester Broadcasting. Though he has no ownership in the company, Dave will have a generous participation in the profits.

Larry & Stephanie Johnson will continue to helm the FM Idaho/Locally Owned Radio cluster in Twin Falls.

There’s still more news to come on this front in coming weeks…