Idaho Radio News Etc.

Peak Broadcasting GM Kevin Godwin issued a statement today on the loss of the rights to Boise State sports to Citadel and KBOI/KKGL.  Godwin says – in a nutshell – that there was no way to make money, and that picking up the rights would have cost jobs and more. He also says current play-by-play man Bob Behler is under contract to Peak until July – and “any mention of his future employment outside of Peak Broadcasting is premature.”

Read the rest of this entry »

Here’s the release on the story you read here first:

Read the rest of this entry »

Edit: The missing person has been found. I’ve removed the story to keep it out of the Google machine for the eons forthcoming.

Citadel might not have the rights to the Broncos any more, but that doesn’t mean its stations don’t have the right to have fun… with the Broncos.

KKGL/96.9 The Eagle has been cranking out parody songs this season – so far they’ve had one for each game, starting with “el Ducko,” (“quacking and flapping their wings and their jaws/Revenge for a cheap shot is driving their passion/helmet to helmet is against the law” and “they traveled to Boise to play on the blue turf, they’ll lose again and they won’t know why//the Ducks will fly over the blue turf of Boise, dive into the blue and the ducks, they will… die).

There’s another ditty about Miami of Ohio (“change the f to an r and it’d be much better”) that is kinda… lame.

But the third effort – titled “Rock ‘n’ roll Fu Manchu” knocks it out of the park (to mix sports metaphors).

Coach Pat Hill Can’t Win the WAC
Fresno fans need to cut him some slack
They play anyone any time anywhere
What really rocks is his facial hair

He’s got a… rock/and/roll Fu Mancu (rock and roll Fu Manchu)
Another loss to BSU (BSU)

Played the dogs last year and we blew them out
61-10’s what I’m talkin’ ’bout
Coach Hill’s job might go out with the trash
Pro-wrestlin’s next with that pro-wrestlin’ ’stache

He’s got a… rock/and/roll Fu Mancu (rock and roll Fu Manchu)
Another loss to BSU (BSU)

Can Coach Pete Shave it if they looooose?

Rock ‘n’ roll Fu Manchu

Earlier this week, more than 100 Idaho Radio News voters weighed in on the relaunch of KQLZ. In one poll, we asked what format everyone though WOULD launch – and country was the overwhelming answer.

Then for some reason we also asked what format you actually wanted to hear – and modern rock took the day. So I guess everyone gets some satisfaction.

After about three hours of “99.1 The Bronco,” Impact segued to The Virus – which surprised many, but in hindsight the group has a pattern of doing this… so maybe it should not have.

Let’s look at the potential impact of the move. The first and most obvious station in the cross-hairs is KQXR/100.3 The X – which is just up the dial and has similar (for now) call letters to The Virus. KQLZ is making noise about bringing alternative music “back” to the Treasure Valley. I could try and formulate a long in-depth look at the music – but KQLZ’s mix seems to be a bit less hard core. I’ll let you listen and decide for yourself beyond that.

The X has never really seen a serious threat – and with nearly 15 years playing some form of new rock, is the heritage player.

Impact also appears to be using The Virus to put pressure on other competitors to boost its other properties. While KQLZ has no overlap with KWYD/Wild 101 – it has quite a bit of overlap with KSAS/103.3 Kiss FM and KZMG/Magic 93.1. If The Virus can take even a small portion of audience from these stations, it could help increase Wild’s lead over the other pop stations.

The Virus also could take some listeners from KJOT and KKGL/96.9 The Eagle – and that might give KSRV/96.1 Bob FM better positioning among rock stations.

Will this work? Time will tell. The 99.1 frequency has been very unstable over the past decade and has seen very little success. The best number I have for 99.1 is fall 1998, when The Music Monster scored a 3.8 12+ rating, before quickly falling back to a 1.9. The frequency has not broken the 2.0 barrier since then.

The X has seen a general downward trend, with the days of 7.0+ ratings long gone. However, the latest series of moves on the station have moved the needle from a low of 3.1 back to a respectable 4.6 this spring.

Maybe it was Boise State Football’s undefeated regular season. Maybe it was some extra caffiene in Jeff Caves’ afternoon coffee… and maybe it was a fluke.

Whatever the reason, KTIK/ESPN Radio 1350 KTIK The Ticket saw a big drop in its spring numbers. Everywhere you look, KTIK saw massive drops from fall to spring — though it is basically right on the nose year-to-year.

And by massive, we’re talking about falling from a 4.1 to a 1.8 – more than two points (persons 12+).

Here’s the thing — this is the third book in a row where we’ve had a station jump from middle of the pack to top of the heap.  In spring 2008, it was KKGL – which saw the best Boise-market ratings of any station in more than four years at the time. It then fell back to its normal ratings range.

In fall 2008 we saw KTIK jump up – and now fall.

This time it is KSRV/96.1 Bob FM, which popped from a 2.9 to a 4.9 — and notched even greater demo growth.

In all three cases, the stations did not make any massive alterations – no staff changes, no major music changes – just a ratings period of staying the course. Will this be a pattern of for Bob – or will it hold on to the numbers?

KKGL/96.9 The Eagle is lining up a float trip for 50 listeners later this month. The station will load up a party bus, hit the Payette River for an afternoon of rapid jumping… nosh on some barbecue, then hit up the Dutch Goose for a party. The station is qualifying people now for the day o’ fun.

PS: Kevoian is Bob from Bob & Tom’s last name. Kevorkian is the suicide doctor’s last name. I’ll forgive you for assuming that was a typo…

Two of Boise’s rock stations are holding bracket contests…. but neither deal with basketball.

KKGL/96.9 The Eagle is doing its annual rock band bracket contest. Last year AC/DC won it all — and so far the band is still in the game — but number one seed Led Zeppelin got knocked off by #16 Jackyl in the first round. Wowza! Check out the bracket here.

KJOT/J-105 is holding the “babe bracket” with the Pete & Joe Show.

These ladies have adorned the walls of pre-teen bedrooms, high school locker rooms, college dorm rooms and have finally been sent to the garage – courtesy of our wives.

We’ve progressed to the “Flirtatious Four” with Raquel Welch representing the 1970s, Heather Locklear from the 1980s, Claudia Schiffer from the 1990s and Kate Becinksale from the 2000s. Get in your votes here.

Here’s our annual roundup of some of the great things stations are doing for the community.

• KTSY’s Christmas Wish program is underway. From home repair to a new pair of glasses, the station is looking to find people who need a hand – and will connect as many of them as possible to help.
• KIZN/Kissin 92.3 rolls into another year of the outstanding Keep Kids Warm.  The program started 12 years ago with a call to “Rivers and Valley” – the station’s morning show at the time. A young girl called and asked if there was any way her family could get some heating oil for the holiday – because the wanted to be warm for Christmas.  That year, listeners chipped in $17,000 for that girl and many others – and overall the program has racked up a stunning $650,000. This year’s on-air auction will be held December 15-19.
• KRVB/94.9 The River will hold its previously mentioned Concert for Cause later this month, and is also helping collect items for Toys for Tots.
• KSRV/96.1 Bob FM is directing people to the Boise Rescue Mission to make donations for the season.
• KKGL/96.9 The Eagle is also running a Christmas Wish program, this time in connection with the Idaho Youth Ranch. The station is helping collect a wide range of items for teens who are staying at the ranch – everything from cowboy boots to the Twilight book series.
• Starting Monday, the KQFC/Idaho Country 98 will travel the Treasure Valley stopping at five different Walmart locations – each day focusing on a different family that listeners can adopt. Each family has a different story and a different set of needs – and morning hosts Cory and Debi will introduce listeners to the family in need, and provide them with ways to help.
• KQLZ/99.1 Idaho’s True Oldies Channel just wrapped up a turkey drive – and raised $1380 in cash, plus 118 turkeys for the Idaho Food Bank. They are also pointing people to the Boise Rescue Mission.
• KQXR/100.3 The X is collecting toys for Toys for Tots.
• KAWO/Wow Country 104.3 is collecting toys for Toys for Tots.
• KJOT/J-105 is collecting toys for Toys for Tots.
• KCIX/Mix 106 is stuffing the semi for the Idaho Foodbank
• KTHI/107.1 K-Hits is collecting toys for Toys for Tots.
• KXLT/107.9 Lite FM continues its long Christmas Wish program with Home Federal – which has granted hundreds of wishes over the years and continues to find creative ways to help pepole out. You can nominate someone deserving at liteonline.com.
• KBOI/News Talk 670 is giving a boost to the Make a Wish Stories of Light campaign – helping fund wishes for several local kids with severe medical conditions.

KKGL/96.9 The Eagle is Boise’s #1 radio station. Anchored by Bob & Tom in the morning and local jocks in the midday and afternoon, the station jumped to its best number since spring 1998 with a whopping 7.4. That mark is also the best rating for a commercial FM since KIZN/Kissin’ 92.3 scored a 7.5 in 2005. The Eagle also leads its nearest competitor (again KIZN) by 7/10s of a point and dominated direct competitor KJOT/J-105 by a 4.1 rating. Wow.

We polled the IRN audience just after the start of the book – and again toward the end, and in both cases, voters picked KSAS/103.3 Kiss FM to make the biggest gains.

The biggest winner depends on if you are looking at year over year gains or book-to-book improvement.

KDBI takes the book to book crown, up 77%, but the station actually LOST ground y2y – down 58%.

Citadel classic rocker KKGL/96.9 The Eagle didn’t need a photo finish to determine its first place victory. KKGL not only topped the 12+ numbers with a 7.4, but jumped 64% from last fall and 54% from spring 2007.

KSRV/96.9 Bob FM saw strong improvement in the year-to-year category – up 140% to land at a 3.6. The station was up 20% from fall.

KSAS saw strong improvement in both categories – but didn’t win the race.

KKGL/96.9 The Eagle is running a liner that bills itself as “Boise’s only classic rock station.”

While the station does play classic rock, and covers Boise – so does KJOT/J-105. Heck, both are even licensed to the City of Trees.  When I heard the liner, I thought perhaps KKGL is basing the claim on not playing currents.  Turns out, KKGL played six currents in the past week (including a KT Tunstall song… ?) according to MediaBase.  KJOT also played a couple currents – and by “a couple” I mean exactly two.

- KIZN/Kissin 92.3 is doing a flyaway to Chicago to see Rascal Flatts
- KRVB/Idaho’s 94.9 The River is putting two folks on a plane to Denver to see the Mile High Music Festival with Tom Petty, DMB, Jason Mraz and a bunch of others
- KKGL/96.9 The Eagle is giving away a “Tricked Out Truck” – a 2001 Silverado with all sorts of bells and whistles
- KQFC/98 FM will send two people to see Brooks & Dunn in Seattle
- KQXR/100.3 The X has another free show lined up with Safety Suit
- KJOT/J-105 is loading up a bus with listeners for a Mötley Crüe show in SLC.
- KCIX/Mix 106 is doing a $25,000 home makeover contest. 106 people qualify for a whole list of home-related stuff. Yes, one person will actually win.

Someone at Citadel Boise must have been inspired by a game of Bunco. Not only is KZMG/Magic 93.1 doing an insurance contest with sky high odds – so is KKGL/96.9 The Eagle. The rules are basically the same. 96 folks will be qualified on the air – then asked to show up at a station event, where they will be given six dice. They roll the dice, and if they turn up “BADASS,” the listener wins a $20,000 bike and $96,000 in cash.

Like the KZMG house contest, odds for the dice rollers are estimated at 1:46,656. A sharp commenter noted that those odds are better than winning the lottery – but the actual odds are much higher. You have to qualify, which carries its own set of odds – which makes the overall chance of winning even lower. You have much better odds of becoming a pro athlete (one in about 22,000). On the other hand – the odds are worse that you’ll date a supermodel (one in 88,000). Of course, your individual chances may vary.

An annual Eagle tradition is coming. KKGL/96.9 The Eagle is helping promote a raffle for a brand new motorcycle. But really this is all about finding a reason to embed this YouTube classic from ‘06:

KKGL/96.9 The Eagle isn’t just “the rock station” — but “thee rock station” — so says its website.

Remember the KKGL/96.9 The Eagle March Madness tournament of bands? AC/DC won…

KKGL/96.9 The Eagle is holding a tournament of its own this month – trying to determine the national champion of rock bands. The station has set up brackets on its website (well… on theticketchicks.com I guess) — and listeners are invited to vote.

We’re still in the second round – with a few upsets. 12-seed Queensryche beat #5 Rush, and #10 REO Speedwagon topped #7 U2. But who exactly set up the brackets and made The Eagles a #4 seed…. on THE EAGLE?

Vote early and vote often right here.

96-9theeagle.com and KTIK.com are now on the Mediaspan platform, after launches by KQFC, KIZN, KZMG and KBOI.

The KTIK site might actually be the best of the bunch – with the national sports feeds — and the daily, very topical Scott Slant (which KTIK shares with KTVB.COM). J Bates also has a blog

KJOT/J-105 dropped to its worst performance since 2002 – with a 3.2 overall rating, while KKGL/96.9 The Eagle slipped to a 4.5. Mix in KQXR, which also fell from a 4.6 to a 3.7, and you have three rock stations with mediocre ratings (not to mention KRVB, which was up this book – but is also in the 3 point range).

Time to try something new with one of these frequencies?

The radio dial is sounding quite festive this Christmas eve. As I headed to services this evening – I was pleasantly surprised at the number of stations that dropped their normal formats to get in the spirit – with 100% Christmas music:

KTSY/89.5 FM
KIZN/Kissin’ 92.3
KZMG/Magic 93.1
KRVB/Idaho’s 94.9 The River
KAYN/Boomer 100.7
KAWO/WOW Country 104.3
KBOI/News-Talk 670
KTHI/107.1 K-Hits

These stations join KXLT/107.9 Lite FM which went all-Holiday on Thanksgiving, and KDJQ-AM which went all Christmas last week.

KKGL, KCIX, KJOT, KQFC, KWEI, KDBI, KSAS are all playing some Christmas cuts along with their normal format. That’s 17 total stations from ‘AWO to ‘ZMG. They should all conspire to play Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer at the same time. Now THAT would be funny.

About the only stations I could find that hadn’t adjusted formats were KSRV/96.1 Bob FM and The X.

Citadel has let go two of its on air staff in recent days. KKGL night guy Jason Drew and KZMG morning host Valentine are no longer with the company. Val was the longest serving member of the Magic staff – and will be replaced by Dan Tooker in early 2008. Valentine shifted to AM drive after Citadel let Brad and Tara go earlier this fall.

It’ll be interesting to see if the change at KKGL signals less of a commitment by Citadel to have jocks live in the evening.

Here’s a look at what Boise-area stations are doing to help the community this year. The Idaho State Broadcasters Association notes that in 2005 (the most recent year available), Idaho radio stations took in $2.1 in fundraising donations (along with $20 million in PSA value).

KTSY – The station is holding a Christmas concert at the Nampa Civic Center on December 19th, featuring local artists. Admission is a new, unwrapped toy which will go to Nampa’s Salvation Army. Details

KIZN – The annual Keep Kids Warm event is taking several approaches to help pay for heating costs for area families. Schools are competing to raise funds – with the school that raises the most getting a concert with American Idol star Bucky Covington. The station is also teaming with Intermountain Gas, to make it easy for folks to add money to their bill to donate to those in need. The station will also host an on-air auction that will start December 17th. Last year, Keep Kids Warm raised $50,000. Details

KZMG – Magic 93.1 is taking part in Christmas in the Nighttime Sky (see KBOI)

KRVB – The River’s annual Concert for Cause was held Wednesday night, and featured an all-local bill headed by Curtis Stigers. The event moved to the Morrison Center and benefited the new Interfaith Sanctuary. Details. KRVB is also joining other Journal stations, KIVI, KTVB, KBCI and others in collecting toys for Toys for Tots.

KKGL – 96.9 The Eagle is helping collect gifts for children at the Idaho Youth Ranch. Details

KQFC – All this week, 97.9 KQFC’s Q Wakin’ Crew is helping collect donations for five families. Morning co-host Debi is on location at Wal-Mart and Albertsons locations around the Valley helping collect items for the families selected. Details

KWEI – The Spanish AM/FM combo is helping collect needed items for the Ronald McDonald House. The House – located near St. Luke’s Children’s Hospital – gives families of sick kids a place to stay. Details

KQXR – The X is helping collect Toys for Tots.

KSAS – Hooker in the Morning is taking Christmas wishes during the morning show and helping to fill the needs for a variety of listeners.

KAWO – WOW Country 104.3 is taking suggestions for folks who should get a free Christmas tree this holiday. Details. Also, the station is in the midst of its St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital drive.

KJOT – J-105 is helping collect Toys for Tots.

KCIX – Mix 106 is featuring twelve cute puppies and 12 kittens in need of a home for its “12 Strays of Christmas” promotion. Each of the animals is from the Canyon County Animal Shelter – and two of the ten animals featured so far have found a new home. Details

KTHI – 107.1 K-Hits is helping collect Toys for Tots.

KXLT – 107.9 Lite FM continues a tradition started long ago by KCIX/K-106 with the Home Federal Christmas Wish. Folks can stop into any Home Federal location, nominate a deserving family for a variety of needs – and Home Federal and KXLT will work to fill wishes each day through the holidays. Details

KBOI – KBOI is teaming up with several other Citadel stations for Christmas in the Nighttime Sky. The station is taking toy donations for Toys for Tots during the event this Saturday night at Memorial Stadium in Garden City. The event will feature a fireworks show, hot foods for sale and more. Santa Claus will be on hand – and donations will go to the American Heart Association.

KTIK – KTIK is taking part in Christmas in the Nighttime Sky (see KBOI).

Others? Let me know…

It used to be the Citadel Broadcasting Boise websites were the best in the market. Now? Fat chance. Peak Broadcasting hired Stationality to put together a suite of sweet websites, and the Journal Broadcast Group got with the program as well. But the Citadel sties sites have pretty much stood still and now seem increasingly cluttered and stale. Both KBOI and KQFC have put together new logos (appearing on billboards around town), but the websites don’t have them. KZMG.com still has pics of its outsted morning team online. KKGL’s site has its own 3+ year-old logo in spots as well. KIZN.com is up-to-date and packed with content… but its hard to find anything.