Tucson Talker Comes to KFYI

...and it aint Rich Rod!

James T Harris and his Conservative Circus (late of KQTH) starts on 5~Fifty Jan 15th. Unlike previous talkers on KFYI who had to learn social media and reach out to audiences not on terrestrial radio, Harris is fully plugged in: http://jamestharris.com So a tip of the fez to the carousel mgmt at KFYI for trying something new with cocoa conservatism!

DrAkbar said:

...and it aint Rich Rod!

James T Harris and his Conservative Circus (late of KQTH) starts on 5~Fifty Jan 15th. Unlike previous talkers on KFYI who had to learn social media and reach out to audiences not on terrestrial radio, Harris is fully plugged in: http://jamestharris.com So a tip of the fez to the carousel mgmt at KFYI for trying something new with cocoa conservatism!

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Sounds promising. Hoping........

KFYI needs to do something to try and get back some of it’s listeners. I still think an FM simulcast would help them out a lot. Don’t know if it necessarily needs to be a full-power South Mountain stick like 95.5, 96.9 or 102.5 FM, but using one of the translators like 93.7 K229DB FM might be an option. That translator has pretty good market coverage.

The signal limitations of all the Phoenix area AM stations really hurts their ratings. The old KOY-AM (now KFYI) really should have gone after that 50,000 watt upgrade back in the day when they had a chance.

Very interesting. Did not know that. Thanks David for the insight!

asugeorge1 said:

KFYI needs to do something to try and get back some of it’s listeners. I still think an FM simulcast would help them out a lot. Don’t know if it necessarily needs to be a full-power South Mountain stick like 95.5, 96.9 or 102.5 FM, but using one of the translators like 93.7 K229DB FM might be an option. That translator has pretty good market coverage.

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Not much listening after 6pm, so their 1kw night power is not that much of an issue. However, the Nurse and I agree that I ♥ Debt should put KFYI on a translator. 93~Seven makes more sense for KFYI than KOY 12~Treinta.

I agree Doc, 550 would be good on 93.7 FM. Even on daytime power, though, those AM stations have a hard time penetrating buildings. Where I work, KFYI-AM and KTAR-AM, arguably the two strongest stations in the market, all are difficult to listen to because of the fluorescent lights, computers, electronics, etc... in our office. So I can only have FM stations on in the background while I work and, whether I want to or not, I find myself listening to KTAR 92.3 FM more than KFYI. Another issue too is that there are more radios being made now with just the FM band. Also, if you are lucky enough to have an Android phone, you can use the FM radio chip (sorry no AM). Finally, for those that say, “well just listen to IHeart Radio via the smart phone app,” my cell phone has awful service inside my office building and has a hard time streaming anything. So for me, at least at work, it’s FM radio all the way!

asugeorge1 said:

KFYI needs to do something to try and get back some of it’s listeners. I still think an FM simulcast would help them out a lot. Don’t know if it necessarily needs to be a full-power South Mountain stick like 95.5, 96.9 or 102.5 FM, but using one of the translators like 93.7 K229DB FM might be an option. That translator has pretty good market coverage.

The signal limitations of all the Phoenix area AM stations really hurts their ratings. The old KOY-AM (now KFYI) really should have gone after that 50,000 watt upgrade back in the day when they had a chance.

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KFYI seems to cover everything you'd want to in the Phoenix area even at night...where is it that you think they have a signal problem?

asugeorge1 said:

So for me, at least at work, it’s FM radio all the way!

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Right. Except your average FM translator isn't going to get through all of that concrete, either. It's why KTAR-FM and KMVP-FM have the spoken word advantage in town. The programming is dialed into adults under 55, and they're on the band where the listeners are. Translators are okay for in-car listening, but they can't penetrate a building like 100kw on South Mountain can.

Now that 95.5 has been turned into a winner, there isn't a FM in the i <3 Debt portfolio you would sacrifice for KFYI, especially for You Kids Get Off My Lawn radio.

KFYI's problem is they're stuck in a political box at a time when men in the money demo would rather listen to anything but hardcore politics on radio and they're tied ideologically to a party that's toxic to people coming into the money demo. They're in the boat that KOOL was once in: they need to piss off the core to survive, but the way that press release reads, they're afraid to piss off the core. Then again, they're on Ancient Modulation. They might as well ride out the boomers until they all die off.

johndavis said:

Now that 95.5 has been turned into a winner, there isn't a FM in the i <3 Debt portfolio you would sacrifice for KFYI, especially for You Kids Get Off My Lawn radio.

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Even before 95~Five found something that worked, I ♥ Debt did not want to use that full coverage So Mtn frequency to simulcast 5~Fifty. At the time KFYI was doing OK, but more importantly, I ♥ Debt needed an FM cash cow to help them meet staggering debt obligations.

johndavis said:

They're in the boat that KOOL was once in: they need to piss off the core to survive, but the way that press release reads, they're afraid to piss off the core.

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Except KOOL is on FM, where you have a fighting chance to replace alienated core listeners. No chance of that happening at KFYI because......

johndavis said:

Then again, they're on Ancient Modulation. They might as well ride out the boomers until they all die off.

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Exactly. The new hire is conservative and brings his social media followers to KFYI. As Chairmen of The Board put it so well...."give me just a little more time"

Yes, true. PLEEEZE I ♥ can you get rid of Beck though!!!

After the first week, we're not sure there's anything there, there. Calling out sound bites by number over and over is not riveting radio. But then again, about the only thing riveting on talk radio in afternoons is Sports Parking Lot 98~Seven.

I-Heart can't use 93.7 for KFYI since its forever married to KOY-AM. Part of the new AM translator window rules. But I agree they should be trying to get on an FM signal with KFYI. They did it in Denver with KOA and its working pretty well for them.

TowersRus said:

I-Heart can't use 93.7 for KFYI since its forever married to KOY-AM. Part of the new AM translator window rules. But I agree they should be trying to get on an FM signal with KFYI. They did it in Denver with KOA and its working pretty well for them.

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Forgot about that...damned fumes from the Gremlin are doing a number on the grey cells under my fez. Given recent $1+m prices for translators, that could be an issue for KFYI. I ♥ Debt aint spending that kind of money.

DrAkbar said:

After the first week, we're not sure there's anything there, there. Calling out sound bites by number over and over is not riveting radio. But then again, about the only thing riveting on talk radio in afternoons is Sports Parking Lot 98~Seven.

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So “homer” sports talk radio is the best Phoenix can do? How about the dudes that do twice weekly remotes from a sleazy car dealership? Or whoever is paying Mother Hubbard to be on ten~sixty this week?

EricStein said:

So “homer” sports talk radio is the best Phoenix can do? How about the dudes that do twice weekly remotes from a sleazy car dealership? Or whoever is paying Mother Hubbard to be on ten~sixty this week?

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I think you just answered your own question there.