Idaho Radio News Etc.

Impact Radio Group has a lot to crow about after this book.  It has joined the ranks of “the big three” radio groups in Boise — which now can only be termed “the big four.”  Two of its stations pulled solid ratings and even went to #1 in some demos.  The cluster of stations has been trying to make a go of it in this market for more than a decade – starting with splashy studios in the Boise Spectrum – through to a failed co-ownership deal with the Boise Hawks – a “relaunch” of the stations and rebranding under Dave Tester – to the latest effort.

All along, the stations could never quite make it work. That just changed with the success of KWYD/Wild 101 and KSRV/96.1 Bob FM.

But Impact is still a long way from where it likely wants to be.  For now, it only has four stations in the Boise market — and two of them are essentially invsible.

KQLZ/99.1 Idaho’s True Oldies Channel tied with KGEM in among A25-54 in both mornings and total day. But even in the older demos – like A35-64, the station is not setting the world on fire. In fact, it gets beat by the very young-skewing KSAS/103.3 (among many others) in both mornings and total-day among older adults.

Then there is KPDA/La Poderosa 100.7.  The station isn’t in the book. Anywhere.  Just like KFXD last year, the station isn’t listed on the stations page, isn’t in any of the listings — nowhere to be found. It is not alone among Spanish-language stations. Bustos Media’s KDBI/La Gran D 101.9 is also missing — though both KQTA and KWEI are listed.

A former Boise radio operations manager once told me the story of a morning host who walked into a meeting, threw a fork down on the table and said “stick a fork in me, I’m done.”  That was his classy way of announcing his resignation.

In the days leading up to the spring book’s release, there had been lots of chatter about a station finally throwing down the fork and flipping formats.

The suspects: KAWO/Wow Country 104.3, KXLT/107.9 Lite FM, KZMG/Magic 93.1 and KJOT/J-105.

But all of those stations seemed to have done just well enough to earn them a reprieve.

KJOT pulled up its numbers substantially. It is still the #2 pure-play classic rock station (behind KKGL), but among adults 25-54, it is beating stablemate KQXR (to say nothing of KRVB).

KZMG continued to see audience erosion just about everywhere – but as I noted here, it looks like Citadel is giving the station one more shot before making a drastic change. Also of note – Citadel has not flipped one single station in the Boise market since it acquired these properties.  The most drastic “makeover” was the rebranding of KTIK to add “The Ticket” to its name upon acuisition, and some slight changes to KQFC’s branding.

KAWO/Wow Country 104.3 is still the #3 country station in the market – but saw improvement in all the timeslots and most key demos. While it is not the station’s best book (that was spring of 2008) – it did show signs of life after a very poor fall 2008 book).

KXLT/107.9 Lite FM may be the closest to the guilatine – its numbers fell from the fall book in many places.  When you take the 12+ view however, KXLT is tied with KCIX/Mix 106 at the moment.  But when you dig into the demos, Mix has a clear advantage.  The one upside at the moment for Lite: zero personell costs.  The station is now completely jock-free — and the only “talent” on the station right now is Delilah.  Peak’s running the frequency cheaply – and always sees a boost from its Christmas music stunt in the fall.

So what does that leave us? KRVB? KQLZ? Journal has indicated that it likes what is happening on KRVB/Idaho’s 94.9 The River – and the station seems to be able to deliver for advertisers, despite its continually low ratings. The station in its previous incarnation – as KFXJ/KF-95 had a similar problem – but The River has been at the bottom of the ratings heap for quite some time now.

KQLZ/99.1 Idaho’s True Oldies Channel is probably safe for now – since Impact has some success in KWYD and KSRV to talk about.

M-Su, 6am-7pm – A25-54
1) KSRV/96.1 Bob FM
2) KKGL/96.9 The Eagle
T3) KTHI/107.1 K-Hits
T3) KIZN/Kissin’ 92.3
4) KCIX/Mix 106
T5) KJOT/J-105
T5) KWYD/Wild 101

UPDATE: I wrote down the KTHI number wrong – as KJ Mac noted in comments. The corrected order of A25-54 with KTHI in second, not 4th – is reflected below. I regret the error.

Mornings – A25-54:
1) KKGL/96.9 The Eagle – Bob & Tom
2) KTH/107.1 K-Hits – Tracy & Margo
3) KCIX/Mix 106 – Mike & Kate
4) KIZN/Kissin’ 92.3 – Mee in the Morning
5) KSRV/96.1 Bob FM – none

Mornings – Men 18-49:
1) KKGL
Tie2) KCIX
Tie2) KQXR/100.3 The X Rocks – The Morning After
3) KBOI/670 – First Morning News
4) KSRV
Tie5) KJOT/J-105 – Todd ‘n’ Tyler
Tie5) KTHI

Mornings – Women 18-49:
1) KIZN
2) KCIX
3) KTHI
4) KSRV
5) KQFC/97.9 – Cory & Debi

People 12+, M-Su 6am-Midnight
KBOI-AM 6.9
KIZN-FM 5.7
KSRV-FM 4.9
KTHI-FM 4.9
KKGL-FM 4.8
KWYD-FM 4.8
KQXR-FM 4.6
KSAS-FM 4.4
KQFC-FM 4.2
KCIX-FM 3.7
KXLT-FM 3.7
KAWO-FM 3.5
KIDO-AM 3.1
KJOT-FM 3.1
KZMG-FM 3.1
KRVB-FM 2.6
KTIK-AM 1.8
KCID-AM 1.6
KQLZ-FM 1.5
KFXD-AM 0.7
KWEI-FM 0.7
KBXL-FM 0.5
KGEM-AM 0.5
KNJY-AM 0.5
KQTA-FM 0.5

Data Copyright 2009, Arbitron

Twin Falls/Sun Valley market

People 12+, M-Su 6am-Midnight
KEZJ-FM 9.3
KKMV-FM 7.1
KLIX-AM 7.1
KYUN-FM 6.6
KIRQ-FM 6
KPDA-FM 6
KZDX-FM 5.5
KLIX-FM 4.9
KSNQ-FM 3.8
KTPZ-FM 3.8
KIKX-FM 3.3
KMVX-FM 3.3
KQLZ-FM 2.7
KBAR-AM 1.6
KFTA-AM 1.6
KART-AM 1.1
KECH-FM 1.1
KRXR-AM 1.1
KTFI-AM 1.1
KSKI-FM 0.5
KSL-AM 0.5

Data copyright 2009, Arbitron.

After 90 days of well… a lot of Taylor Swift promotions… the spring 2009 Arbitron book will wrap up tomorrow in the Boise and TF/SV survey areas.

Anyone want to make a wager on the big winners? You can pick THREE answers below. We’ll let this run for a few days, then take the top 5 and vote again (since I know you’ll all just vote for your own station).

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1T – KIDO (up more than 2 points from fall 07)
1T – KIZN (down from fall 07)
1T – KSAS (up from fall 07)
2T – KQXR
2T – KTIK

A couple of interesting notes here – there’s a three way tie at the top, with KIDO seeing a big number, likely partially fueled by BSU football – though the station’s last book with Rush Limbaugh drew a very large share.  Some salce for KIDO: Glenn Beck outrated even Rush.  KSAS shows continued strong results – though the station was down a bit from spring. Lucky has a double-digit share at night, and Keke Luv’s afternoon show grew as well  KIZN is still strong despite falling from last year and last spring.

KQXR saw an improvement though it’s still well of the spring 2007 numbers.  The big surprise is KTIK – which saw very very strong numbers – especially in the afternoon, home to Idaho Sports Talk with Caves and Prater.

Analysis later. Got demos or more? E-mail them here – anonymity guaranteed.

KIDO-AM  7.8
KSAS-FM 5.6
KBOI-AM  5.4
KIZN-FM 5.4
KTHI-FM 5.1
KQFC-FM  4.7
KXLT-FM 4.5
KTIK-AM 4.1
KCIX-FM 3.9
KQXR-FM 3.9
KKGL-FM 3.7
KZMG-FM 3.7
KSRV-FM 2.9
KRVB-FM 2.7
KAWO-FM 2.1
KJOT-FM 2.1
KPDA-FM 1.9
KQLZ-FM 1.8
KDBI-FM 1.6
KCID-AM 1.2
KQTA-FM 1.2
KWYD-FM 1.0
KGEM-AM 0.8
KWEI-FM 0.8
KFXD-AM 0.6

Because Arbitron gets prickly when we quote book numbers that aren’t 12+… we’ll take a judicious approach:

Persons 12+ mornings (change from spring 07):
1) KKGL (down)
2) KBOI (up)
3) KTHI (down)
4) KIZN (down)
5) KQFC (up)
6) KAWO (up)
7) KSAS (up)
8) KCIX (up)

Other notes: the KZMG morning show fell by half, while KSAS doubled.

Persons 18-49 mornings (change from spring 07):
1) KKGL (down)
2) KQFC (up)
3T) KCIX (down)
3T) KIZN (down)
5) KSAS (up)
6T) KAWO (up)
6T) KJOT (up)

Other notes: KAWO up nearly 600%. KKGL down more than 3 share points, but still smoked #2 KQFC. KZMG lost 60%+ of its audience. KQXR also down 60%+.

Men 18-49 mornings:
1) KKGL
2) KQFC
3) KIZN
4) KJOT
5) KAWO

Women 18-49 mornings:
1) KSAS
2) KCIX
3) KTHI
4) KQFC
5) KIZN

Idaho Radio News has learned that KFXD is not listed on the stations page at the front of the Arbitron book.

Why?

In the 90s, this same station (in)famously wasn’t in the book because the program director at the time neglected to properly submit the station. One wonders…

Yeah yeah… no one sells 12+ numbers. Sadly, it’s the only way to put everyone on an even playing field with the same yard stick.

That yard stick is dripping with red ink – with ten stations falling from the fall. One more station (KJOT) saw a modest 3% gain, and three other stations (KTMB, KFXD, KQTA) disappeared, notching a zero. That’s 14 stations that didn’t fare strongly.

The biggest loser? KTIK/ESPN Radio 1350 KTIK The Ticket. After two straight books with a 2.6, the station slumped to a puny 1.4, its worst number since fall 2001. The station fell 47% book to book.

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.

KZMG/Magic 93.1 is on the skids. As I’ve noted the past year, it has been incredibly inconsistent, has a mis-matched morning show, unfocused imaging, sloppy playlist and has been without a consistent night jock for quite some time.

That may be just my opinion – but the station’s audience is leaving in droves. The station plunged 35% from spring 2007, and 12% from the fall. Its 2.9 number is the worst in a decade since spring 1998. I don’t have historic date before that time, but I think it is safe to say this is KZMG’s worst book ever. Only KRVB/Idaho’s 94.9 The River has a lower number amongst FM stations from the big three.

Chart time: (blue is KSAS, red is KZMG):

Several stations did not register in the publicly released Arbitron numbers: KFXD, KTMB and KQTA.

All Talk 63 has a popular morning duo in place, so its absence is puzzling. KTMB and KQTA don’t have much to brag about – not to mention that KTMB/99.1 The Man… doesn’t even exit anymore.

KAWO/Wow Country 104.3 is one of Boise’s top five radio stations – and beat long-time heritage station KQFC to take the silver medal in the country race. Despite all the good news, the station is still behind KIZN/Kissin’ 92.3 The station jumped 170% year-to-year – nearly tripling its audience from the final book as My Country 104.3.

The 5.4 number is also better than KLTB/Kool Oldies 104.3’s best number since 2003. There’s a funny paradox here: this validates Clear Channel’s decision to switch out oldies for country – but the formula the company and its manager came up with didn’t work… but Peak’s attempt certainly is.

The usual “Up in the fall, down in the spring” trend continues to hold true for KBOI, with a 4.7, on par with the last several spring books.

KIDO also generally sees a stronger fall book, but the swings aren’t as great – and the station almost always beats KBOI in the spring, with KBOI taking the fall race. But this next book could be key. Though the station will still produce pre and post game shows for Boise State University football with Paul J. Schneider, it is losing the actual game telecasts and the prestige that goes along with them.

Journal Broadcast Group’s stations had a tough book. The group has one station in the top 10 – perennial winner 107.1 K-Hits with a strong 6.7.

The rest of the stations are in the doldrums.

- KJOT/J-105 down 12% from last year to 3.3
- KQXR/100.3 The X lost a third of its audience for a 3.1
- KRVB/Idaho’s 94.9 The River went up slightly from spring ‘07, but only notched at 2.6

And as a commenter noted, Impact’s automated, unstaffed KSRV/96.1 Bob FM outranked those three stations – despite management upheaval and a fairly weak overall presentation.

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-FM 7.4
KTHI-FM 6.7
KIZN-FM 6.2
KAWO-FM 5.4
KIDO-AM 5.4
KQFC-FM 5.0
KSAS-FM 5.0
KXLT-FM 4.8
KBOI-AM 4.7
KCIX-FM 4.5
KSRV-FM 3.6
KJOT-FM 3.3
KQXR-FM 3.1
KZMG-FM 2.9
KRVB-FM 2.6
KDBI-FM 1.6
KQLZ-FM 1.6
KTIK-AM 1.4
KCID-AM 1.2
KGEM-AM 0.9
KWEI-FM 0.9
KBXL-FM/KDZY-FM 0.7
KBGN-AM 0.5
KNJY-AM 0.5

Eastlan has pushed out its E. Idaho ratings.  The book is based on Bonneville, Bingham and Bannock Counties.  Here are the 25-54 AQH share numbers

• KLCE (AC) – 15.2
• KFTZ (CHR) – 8.3
• KMGI (Classic Rock) – 8.0
• KCVI (Active Rock) – 7.8
• KPKY (Classic Rock) – 6.9
• KUPI (Country) – 5.3
• KQEO (Classic Hits) – 4.6
• KTHK (Country) – 4.3
• KWIK (News/Talk) – 3.6
• KID-AM (News/Talk) – 3.2

By group:

• Riverbend – 4FM & 1AM – 37.6
• 2.GAP West – 4 FM & 2AM – 19.5
• Sand Hill – 4 FM – 12.6
• 4Pacific Empire – 3 FM & 1AM – 11.6
• Idaho Wireless – 2FM – 3.5

The spring ratings period in B-town and Twin Falls starts April 3rd… and lasts 84 long days — wrapping up on June 25th.

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?

KBOI/News-Talk 670 has long had a problem. In the fall, ratings spike — during its broadcasts of Boise State football.

Fall 07 – 6.9
Fall 06 – 7.0
Fall 05 – 7.1
Fall 04 – 6.4

You look at those numbers and see a strong, top of the pile station. But when you examine the spring numbers, the picture changes.

Spring 07 – 4.6
Spring 06 – 4.4
Spring 05 – 4.3
Spring 04 – 5.2

Still decent numbers – but not as strong as those fall ratings. If KBOI were to lose the Boise State athletics rights, the picture for this Boise radio stalwart could change dramatically.

KCIX/Mix 106 fell back to earth after a string of strong books. The station scored a 3.5 12+ rating, its worst book since fall 2003.