The History of Idaho Broadcasting Foundation will have its next meeting at the Impact Radio Group this Thursday at 7 p.m.
Art’s note after the jump
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Comments rssEXCLUSIVE
© 2008 Idaho Radio News
Idaho Radio News has obtained a large packet of documents relating to the radio rights process for Boise State University’s football and basketball games – including proposals by Peak Broadcasting, Citadel Broadcasting and Impact Radio (formerly Tester Broadcasting).
The documents outline three very different proposals — and show that only two were seen as viable options by a committee evaluating the bids.
The school scored a package submitted by Peak Broadcasting highest, ultimately granting the rights to the upstart company based in Fresno, CA. Peak will air the games on 580 KIDO, one of the state’s oldest radio stations. The Peak proposal scored 665 points out of a possible 700, while a pitch from Citadel Broadcasting scored 651.4. Two proposals from Impact Radio – an original pitch and a second try scored 458 and 454.
The package of documents contain a variety of surprises and information the station groups have not publicly disclosed.
If Citadel were to win the contract, it would have only kept legendary host Paul J. Schneider for one year of the two year agreement, and has hired Dan Karcher, who is scheduled to start work for KBOI in September. Karcher is a member of the Carl Karcher family – owner of the Carl’s Jr. restaurant chain. If Citadel had won the agreement, Karcher would have been involved with pre and post game shows “to become acclimated.”
According to notes of a March 7th meeting, BSU athletic director Gene Bleymaier asked Citadel executives “If we want to make a change immediately, is that an option?” Citadel bosses said they “would do it,” and said that they would have to have someone hired in two to three months.
Citadel would have extended its pre and post game shows in a deal with the Idaho Statesman, and would have put staffers Nick Jezierny, Mike Prater, Chad Dryden and Brian Murphy on the air during the shows. Citadel said the Statesman would “bring a whole new level of improvement to the terms of coverage.” IdahoStatesman.com was mentioned as the “best in the state for updated news.” The meeting notes that they planned to include “websites and blogs” with the agreement.
Citadel’s proposal was nine pages long. Peak Broadcasting’s proposal totaled 39 pages and delved into areas Citadel did not touch. Peak committed to purchasing the naming rights to the Bronco Stadium radio booth – paying a total of $25,000 over the two year agreement for the privilege. Peak also committed to a large scale “Bronco Sports Network,” that not only would expand Boise State’s geographic reach – but would bring the broadcasts to Spanish-language listeners. Peak has contacted stations in Idaho Falls, Pocatello, Twin Falls, Tri-Cities, Spokane, Coeur d’Alene, La Grande, OR and Lewiston/Clarkston, WA (see separate post here).
Peak SVP Kevin Godwin told Dave Burnett on KIDO Friday morning that the hiring of current KBOI host Paul J. Schneider had not been discussed. “We haven’t talked about it one time, even during the presentation.” In the proposal to BSU, Peak said they are “familiar” with the current team and “would make every effort to hire them to continue broadcasting BSU athletics.”
But Peak indicates their preference is to go in a different direction “We would propose a national search for a play-by-play announcer and commentary announcer.” Peak says it will launch a four week recruitment process that would identify the top three candidates – then seek input from Boise State in making a final decision. Peak says it received interest in the position even before the proposal
Impact Radio’s proposal was the leanest of the tree – but did identify its proposed broadcast team: Wayne Dzuback and Chris Wing. Dzuback currently hosts an hour-long radio show on KTMB/99.1 The Man, as well as working in sales. He used to work with Schneider as color commentator for KBOI-AM. Wing is a former Boise State player. Boise State alumn Brian King was proposed as color analyst for basketball games. King currently handles these duties for KTVB-TV.
Impact would have put the games on KTMB/99.1 The Man, as well as KIKX/104.7 in the Magic Valley – and a station currently owned by Blue Sky Broadcasting in N. Idaho. Impact says it has a pending purchase agreement in place for the N. Idaho station. It also would have worked to buy an E. Idaho station or contracted for airtime.
While Boise State took meetings with representatives for Citadel and Peak – they did not meet with Impact Radio.
Why Peak Won
Boise State’s letter of justification for awarding the rights to Peak hits a number of points.
Bottom line
Cash value over two years
Value of promotional air time
Sweeteners
Coach Shows
Athletic Dept. show
(This would be a weekly show produced in-house by the athletic dept., and is separate from the coach shows)
Comments rssBig things coming out of KMCL — but the AM and FM.
KMCL-FM is now KMXM-FM, and is set to move to Parma (as previously reported), under the ownership of Wendel Starke and his FM Idaho group. The station would presumably become part of the former Tester Broadcast Group — now Impact Radio. For now, it still serves the greater McCall area.
The AM station – which we reported was sold from David Eaton to Holly Larsen (d/b/a Mountain Air LLC) – is still in Eaton’s hand. It appears the $50,000 did change hands, causing Eaton to cancel the purchase.
Also on the AM front, it sounds like bad weather has caused problems for the transmitter. This, from an FCC filing requesting the ability to broadcast from a… shorter tower:
UNFORTUNATELY, THE LICENSEE HAS SUFFERED THE LOSS OF THE TOP 40 FEET OF THE STATION’S ANTENNA TOWER. CURRENT CONDITIONS AT THE TOWER SITE, WHICH IS BOG-LIKE MUCH OF THE YEAR AND WHICH IS PRESENTLY BURIED UNDER SEVERAL FEET OF SNOW, PRECLUDE THE PLACEMENT OF THE HEAVY EQUIPMENT ON THE SITE THAT WILL BE NEEDED TO REPLACE THE LOST TOWER SECTIONS, UNTIL THE SNOW MELTS AND THE SOIL DRIES OUT THIS SUMMER.
Comments rssImpact Radio is looking for a general sales manager…
We are seeking a motivated team leader to take our sales staff to the next level. Your chance to grow and succeed in the nation’s fastest growing city. If you’re passionate about advertising, have great leadership skills love challenges, AND are qualified to lead our sales team -
Send your materials to:
Impact Radio Group
Attn: Randy Hyatt
5660 Franklin Rd. Ste 200
Nampa, ID 83607or email
hyatt.randy@gmail.com
Comments rssImpact Radio’s KTMB/99.1 The Man launched a new website – 991theman.net. The site is still a bit light on content, but has a nice layout – and even an ad!
Comments rssMultiple sources confirm to Idaho Radio News that Dave Tester is no longer CEO of the Tester Broadcast Group. Tester did not have an ownership stake in the company – instead, he was CEO and FM Idaho/Locally Owned Radio borrowed his name for the company’s brand. Tester has been replaced by Randy Hyatt according to two sources with knowledge of the situation. A call made for the “day job” today seeking comment was not returned.
Dave Tester was arrested last Thursday in his Meridian home on charges of battery in the presence of children. He was arraigned in Ada County court on the charges Friday afternoon – then released from jail. More here.
The group of stations, which includes KSRV/96.1 Bob FM, KTMB/99.1 The Man, KMHI/Hank FM, KSRV-AM and KAYN/100.7 The Boomer has been rebranded “Impact Radio” – the same name used by the company during its last run at the Boise market, before selling to Horizon Broadcast Group (then buying all the stations back).
Editor’s note: Comments will remain closed on this entry. I’m very reluctantly reversing course on the stated policy to not post crimes committed by members of the Idaho radio community for this one instance only. It now affects his employees – and telling the story without the “why” behind it is not possible. Questions? Comments? idahoradio@gmail.com
Last month – I asked who you thought would get the BSU radio rights. The clear winner was Citadel – with more than 55% of the vote.
Now, a little different question:
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The Boise Weekly’s Deana Darr has a fantastic piece on the race to land the radio rights to Boise State’s athletic events. I talked to Deana on background last week – and she did a great job chasing down all the players.
First, the headlines:
- Journal Broadcast Group did NOT bid on the rights
- Citadel GM Sandy Gamblin: “Certainly, it’s very important to maintain the rights”
- Tester Broadcast Group bid, and would put the games on KTMB/99.1 The Man.
- Peak Broadcasting submitted a bid, but declined to say where the games would go
Journal’s decision to not bid on the rights frankly isn’t a big surprise. They don’t really have a suitable station, and they have a lot of irons in the fire. If the radio rights and TV rights were tied together and Journal had both – that would be something – but the TV rights are not up until next year. Bob Rosenthal is clearly a big BSU backer, but JBG doesn’t seem to be focused on sports.
Citadel has the most to lose – and least to gain out of this. Sure, they’ll save a bundle if they don’t win the rights package, but all that ad revenue goes away. It also hurts KBOI, which has built its identity around BSU. Recent developments, like the rebranding (with less blue and orange) and the expnasion of afternoon news could be a hedge against losing the rights. KBOI also stands to lose Paul J. Schneider if they don’t keep the contract. After 35 years – Paul J. could either go to whomever grabs the rights – or retire. Paul J. is the best-known radio personality in this market, and KBOI doesn’t have an obvious successor. KBOI would also possibly face new competition. If KIDO/NewsRadio 580 pulls in the rights, it boosts them at KBOI’s success.
Peak is possibly the most-obvious second choice to many. The rights would boost KIDO instantly – and could have some benefit to KFXD. Why is Godwin declining to say what station he’d put the games on? This could signal that part of the package is a double pump with football games on both KIDO and an FM station. Of course, all four of Peak’s FM stations are female-oriented. As I’ve reported before, Peak CEO Todd Lawley told staffers last year that he would either get the rights for his group – or make Citadel pay dearly. I highly doubt he gave much thought to a third bidder.
Which brings us to Tester Broadcast. While Dave doesn’t own the stations – he’s a smart operator with the backing of an owner with pretty deep pockets. BSU might be turned off by the KTMB. The station has a very large signal pattern, but there are holes around Boise. Part of the plan may be to find ways to plug those gaps. I think everyone in this town just expects KBOI to take home the rights yet again. Perhaps. People think Peak is the number two choice. Don’t count out TB.
Frank Zang, Boise State spokesman, said the university is not forced to accept just any bid. The selection criteria will take into consideration things like the company’s history in the area, experience in sports broadcasting, creativity of proposal and opportunities for promotions, as well as financial terms and benefits.
Let’s break those things down, by bidder.
Company History
Peak – Brand new. Has established stations. Not locally owned.
Tester – New-ish (a rework of the FM Idaho group, same owners). Has new stations. Locally owned.
Citadel – Established. Established stations. Not locally owned.
Experience in sports broadcasting
Peak – As a company, none. Has some staff members with experience.
Tester – Some. Owns a sports station. Has a nightly sports show. Produced a slew of HS football games last fall
Citadel – Lots. Current BSU rightsholder. Paul J. on staff. Has a sports station.
Creativity of proposal
…we’ll see…
Opportunities for Promotion
Peak – Has a stable of stations with female appeal. Showed commitment to the school with efforts last fall. Tried to attach their brands to BSU without the actual rights – so I would expect this would only continue with the deal in hand.
Tester – Still a small group without a big ratings draw. Would probably have to look for partners and outside media
Citadel – They’d probably have to do better than what they currently offer, but they have experience
Financial Terms
Peak – Just spent a ton of money to just buy the stations – and has to keep them running.
Tester – FM Idaho’s Wendell Starke made a killing when he sold the stations and then bought them at the Horizon Broadcast Group fire sale. He’s been using that capital to add stations, build transmitters and acquire licenses.
Citadel – Just spent a fortune on ABC Radio. Pulled out of Spokane. Boise performs well, but paying up could be hard. The “rest” of the proposal may have to carry them.
I’ve teased the possibility that the school could take the rights in house. It’s still possible. Deana took the speculation around here and pitched it to Curt Apsey”: We’re considering everything and, at the end of the day, going a direction that’s best for all involved.”
Sounds cagey, doesn’t it?
By the way, I have a trick up my sleeve on this story – I should have more tomorrow.
Comments rssThe Boise TB group needs a chief engineer. Full posting after the jump.
Comments rssWith Dan Patrick no longer part of the ESPN Radio lineup — he landed a job with an indepndent syndication company last fall — airing mostly on Clear Channel stations nationwide. Now Tester Broadcasting’s KTMB/99.1 The Man picked up the show — and slotted it in from 10am – 1pm weekdays. Patrick’s show used to air from 1pm – 4pm on KTIK. Now the program will take on Jim Rome head to head. DP replaces Fox Sports programming.
Comments rssI threw out the “10 questions” poll the other day not having any idea if anyone would take the time to vote. To my delight, about 90 of you took a few moments.
You think KIZN/Kissin’ 92.3 had the strongest performance in the fall – and will wind up on top of the country roost yet again in the results later this month. Quite a few of you think KAWO/Wow Country 104.3 will not make it to the end of the year as a country station – but a plurality think KTMB/99.1 The Man is the most likely station to flip formats.
The conventional wisdom also seems to indicate KBOI & Citadel will again keep the Boise State Athletics radio contract – in fact, a majority think the station will hang on.
The chattering class overwhelmingly thinks Bob FM will be a niche player.
The smart money appears to be on Peak and Citadel settling their lawsuit out of court.
A whopping 93% of voters say Spanish-language radio will stay at its current level or grow. Almost no one thinks it will shrink.
Even with strong support for Citadel’s position in many questions – many of you think Citadel is most likely to leave the market this year. Most of the questions I asked will have a definitive answer by the end of the year – however it’s entirely possible no group will sell out this year. In hindsight, I should have provide that voting option.
A large majority thinks the Boise Community Radio Project will continue to have trouble getting a broadcast license.
And finally, a plurality thinks KDJQ will be reclaimed by the bank. More on that point soon.
Comments rssBrundage Mountain Air is out of the radio business after selling KMCL-AM. The buyer is is Holly Larsen, operating as “Mountain Air.” Larsen lives here in Boise – due to the holiday I haven’t tried to make contact. The new company will not only run the low-power AM via a time brokerage agreement, it will run KMCL-FM as well.
You’ll remember that KMCL-FM has been purchased by FM Idaho – and will be moved to Parma on 101.1 FM with 100 Kw of power – giving it a decent Boise-area signal pattern. Tester Broadcasting operates FM Idaho’s Boise-area properties. It appears Larsen’s company will operate KMCL via a time brokerage agreement with FM Idaho until the station is moved to Parma
Oldtimer, our resident FCC expert notes that Larsen may not have a tough time replacing KMCL in the McCall area if she chooses to. OT notes that there are four FM frequencies allocated to the area awaiting auction.
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