Idaho Radio News Etc.

Since 1997, when 99.1 FM started serving the Treasure Valley as KTPZ – the frequency has gone through a number of format changes. This decade alone, the frequency has gone through three ownership changes, four sets of call letters and seven formats (NOT counting all-Thriller-all-the-time or The Bronco).

1997 – The Music Monster, CHR
2001 – The Point, 80s rock/pop
2003 – The Peak, hot AC
2003 – Music Monster returns
2007 – KTMB, The Man – FM Talk
2008 – KQLZ, True Oldies
2009 – 99.1 The VIrus

I was so proud not to have gotten suckered late last year when Impact Radio temporarily launched “The Virus” Modern Rock format before ACTUALLY launching Wild 101.

This time – the Impact pulled a similar stunt in reverse. “The Bronco” lived for about three hours, before flipping to “The Virus” – a modern rock format.

I can’t pick up the station on my desk radio – will give it a listen shortly.

At high-noon-04, KQLZ stopped playing the Thriller loop and launched “99.1 The Bronco.” The format, as rumored, gives Boise another country choice.

Billing itself as “Idaho’s Best Country” and teasing clips of Big & Rich, Carrie Underwood and Trace Adkins – the station ran a short sweeper, then segued into Randy Houser’s “Boots On.” Toby Keith’s “A Little Less Talk and a Lot More Action” was song number two. A pair of personalities took the mic after song two – one male and another female. They did not identify themselves.

One sweeper says the station plays “105 in a row.” Another says “no frogs allowed.”

KQLZ joins KQFC/97.9 Idaho Country, KIZN/Kissin 92 and KAWO/WOW Country 104.3 in the country space.

Here’s the launch audio.

Go Broncos!

PS: Check out my “I Wonder” story today — who had the blue & orange Broncos first – Boise State or Denver?

Big Jack Armstrong is hanging up the microphone after 36 years in the business. Read his retirement letter after the jump:
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We know that KQLZ will launch a new format on Friday – but we don’t know exactly what it will be. So let’s engage in some wild uniformed speculation!

There’s three things we know it won’t be: oldies, urban CHR or variety hits. There are lots of things it could be…

Boise doesn’t have a few formats that are being tried in other places: the female-skewing “Movin’” urban AC brand (up tempo hits of the past decade or so), smooth jazz, “Jane”… Jack/Bob FM for females, country oldies, FM talk, Radio Disney and others. Oh, and polka.

I doubt Impact will try to recreate “The Man” with FM talk, despite the bronco references. Radio Disney, jazz & country oldies are niches too small to get the kind of pop they are looking for.

Jane? Movin? Maybe. The female space is pretty crowded.

What else?

Another country station of some type (Country Bob?) seems plausible – the KIZN/KAWO/KQFC pie is still fairly sizable, and Impact has been able to best established players in a genre once this year. This could possibly dovetail with a “bronco” moniker, in the horse sense more than the sports image.

Modern rock? As KQXR/100.3 The X has widened its footprint, some have grumbled about its approach. Just as the country pie is large, so is the KKGL/KJOT/KQXR/KSRV market. Perhaps Impact would position KQLZ to further fracture the rock market in an attempt to boost Bob. That type of cluster strategy isn’t uncommon… even if it does sometimes create lame radio.

We’re going to run two polls: what format would you most WANT to hear… And what format do you think you WILL hear.

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Remember the fork analogy? Impact decided to throw down the fork on KQLZ/99.1 Idaho’s True Oldies Channel sometime overnight – jettisoning Scott Shannon’s True Oldies channel for a format we’ve heard in the Treasure Valley before.

All Thriller all the time.

The long Michael Jackson tune is playing in a continuous loop, with a single bumper between each song: “Friday. High noon. It’s bronco season.”

What that cryptic reference means or what the new station will be remains to be seen – but we’ll all have three days to speculate. (My money’s on a 24-hour polka service.)

Impact GM Darrel Calton was coy on what the new format would bring, saying only “Could be a big week for the Broncos.”

Afternoon host and oldies format stalwart Jack Armstrong confirms he is no longer with KQLZ – saying simply “I’m out.”

“He is one of the last great broadcasters and I will personally and professionally miss him,” Calton said.

Elliot Klein, a member of the Impact ownership team echoes the sentiment.

“I too have the ultimate respect for Jack Armstrong both professionally and personally,” he said.

Also, this landed in my inbox from a (possibly) confused listener:

Please stop playing Michael Jackson’s Thriller. It has played several times consecutively now and is very tiring to hear over and over!

KQLZ is on its second frequency after launching on 100.7 then making the move to 99.1. The format notched a 1.5 rating (12+) in the spring book, down from a 1.8 in the fall.

“We tried as hard as we could to make Oldies a viable format but the ratings after two years told the story,” Calton said.

He points out that the former ABC Radio Networks (now Citadel Media) has pulled the format from stations it owns in Washington, DC and Detroit.

“The next chapter for the signal starts Friday at noon.”

This isn’t the first time Impact has pulled a similar stunt – though the other instance probably caught less attention. When the group got the KMCL transmitter on the air late last year they stunted by playing Thrille on a loop before launching “The Virus” for a few hours (which segued into Wild 101 on KWYD).