That's the title of a new piece in The Stranger. A good read IMO.
http://www.seattleweekly.com/news/the-maddening-allure-of-kiro-radio/
http://www.seattleweekly.com/news/the-maddening-allure-of-kiro-radio/
That's the title of a new piece in The Stranger. A good read IMO.
http://www.seattleweekly.com/news/the-maddening-allure-of-kiro-radio/
KIRO-FM does well in this market, simply because the product is excellent, and the ratings prove it. KOMO on the other hand is slow and dull, just like is was in the Larry Nelson era. I really liked KOMO’s all-news approach when they started out in 2002. Fisher let the product slide, and when Sinclair bought them, the product quality is about zero, and the rating prove it. Sinclair should sell the radio side…they don’t care about radio anyway, and anyone with half a brain can tell from 15 minutes of listening to KOMO.
The only way KOMO can get back up on its feet, in my opinion is for someone to buy the station from Sinclair, put a compelling news-talk format on, and get a full market FM signal. FM is the future for talk, because AM is dying overall and because the younger generation listens to their MP3’s, and doesn’t really give a darn about radio (and as a Gen-X’r, I only listen to talk on the radio…I have my MP3’s too).
OK…the experts on this board can now shoot at me for having an opinion.
Granted, I rarely listen outside the 2-5 am hour, so my opinion may be skewed.
Your average Seattle listener will be listening to KUOW (while complaining voraciously about how it's not nearly as good of a NPR station as it should be for its size population) or podcasts.
I know this is probably a drop in the bucket, but KOMO really needs to improve some of their imaging if they want to be taken with the same authority as KIRO. The current imaging is really milquetoast, and doesn't command any real authority (compared to KIRO, which is much more authoritative).
It is really an "attitude" more than staffing. An all-news station needs to be clear, direct, and authoritative. Doesn't matter how many anchors there are. But what does matter is the station sounds like it really knows what is going on. Yes, that takes support staff, but not necessarily a lot of voices on air. Traffic is important, and KOMO tends to keep it very light. They should follow KNX's example of pointing out ALL problems, not just a quick summary. This is where all-news stations can shine, that, and with weather. KOMO repeats the weather over and over, and don't update it when needed. I would like to see KOMO continue with the format, but IMO they need to blow it up and bring in someone who can direct it to greatness. BTW, KOMO-AM has perhaps the strongest signal in Washington State, easily picked up from Longview to Bellingham, and over into Eastern Washington into Ellensburg and beyond. Heck, I can hear it in the Tri-Cities for gawd sakes! What a waste of a great signal, IMO.
Above all, stations like KOMO need consistency and credibility. They inherit some credibility by virtue of sharing the name with television. Consistency not so much, as everything but mornings seems to change regularly for whatever reason. But even the morning show hasn't been immune to change with Paul Tosch being let go after 25 years last year.
It seems like quite awhile since KIRO made a change in mornings, middays or afternoons.
I would blame Sinclair for not putting an effort at KOMO-AM in place. But they have made it clear that radio is secondary in their business plan. So either sell it off, or make it work. Those are the two options. Please choose one.
I agree, consistency is important. KOMO doesn't seem to be trying too hard to make their station standout, IMO. I would blame Sinclair for not putting an effort at KOMO-AM in place. But they have made it clear that radio is secondary in their business plan. So either sell it off, or make it work. Those are the two options. Please choose one.
Obviously if the station is profitable, why would they sell it? Or is it purely because you don't care for their imaging or promotion?
To me, none of the arguments here seem to be worthy of Sinclair doing something as drastic as divesting itself of a station.
I'm not particularly a fan of KIRO-FM. They're just too conservative for my taste (I used to listen to 1090 for progressive talk and I've had to find refuge via WCPT's online stream.) But what the writer indirectly acknowledged is that like most Seattle stations, KIRO-FM doesn't program for Seattle proper, but more for the outlying suburbs like Lynnwood and Bellevue, which are more conservative leaning than Seattle proper. And also where the big box store advertisers are.
But I still give them props for being live and local most of the time when most talk stations aren't.
And now, back to Nor-MAN Gold-MAN on 'CPT.....