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New Format at KRKO

We see more and more AM stations that had been doing an AM-style format (Talk, Sports, Standards) flipping to a more FM-style format when an FM translator is involved.

Often that also means the AM station is only mentioned for the legal I.D. The station starts identifying itself only as an FM station, such as "Rock 104" or "B 94.3."
 
Gregg. said:
We see more and more AM stations that had been doing an AM-style format (Talk, Sports, Standards) flipping to a more FM-style format when an FM translator is involved.

Often that also means the AM station is only mentioned for the legal I.D. The station starts identifying itself only as an FM station, such as "Rock 104" or "B 94.3."
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With FM as congested and noisy as it's becoming out here, AM itself may have new life yet at this rate....
 
Found it interesting that when sampling both translators (while passing through Everett), I got the programming audio ... but the station identified on RDS as their Canadian signal counterparts (CFMI, etc.).
 
bobdavcav said:
Are 101.1 and 95.3 currently co-located? I can get KRKO's translator over CKZZ, but CFMI dominates 101.1, with KKXA barely audible in CFMI null here in Edmonds on the G8.
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Hey Bob- the issue may not be with the translators. CKZZ and CFMI broadcast from a common antenna on Mt. Seymour, but CFMI has about double the ERP of CKZZ. Which may be why you are having a better time with 95.3.
 
Jeff "The Fish" Aaron did a retrospective show Thursday afternoon. Said a couple times that he would still be associated with the station, just that Thursday was the last day of the current iteration of his show. I am hearing AquaSox baseball tonight, but have to figure we might know something more about the new musical direction tomorrow perhaps. He DID mention that they were ending their Fox Sport affiliation at the end of June, but Sundays are NASCAR all day anyway so we wouldn't have heard Fox or rock or whatever today anyhow.

Figure he will do a live AM show on 1380 and they will automate the rest. Sister station does the same with Stitch Mitchell. Fish always included a LOT more non-sports talk than any other guy in his position, anyway, so it shouldn't be too much of a change for him. Just doesn't have to talk as much!
 
The New Chico said:
Jeff "The Fish" Aaron did a retrospective show Thursday afternoon. Said a couple times that he would still be associated with the station, just that Thursday was the last day of the current iteration of his show. I am hearing AquaSox baseball tonight, but have to figure we might know something more about the new musical direction tomorrow perhaps. He DID mention that they were ending their Fox Sport affiliation at the end of June, but Sundays are NASCAR all day anyway so we wouldn't have heard Fox or rock or whatever today anyhow.

Figure he will do a live AM show on 1380 and they will automate the rest. Sister station does the same with Stitch Mitchell. Fish always included a LOT more non-sports talk than any other guy in his position, anyway, so it shouldn't be too much of a change for him. Just doesn't have to talk as much!
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I can't speak for KRKO, specifically. However, there is a trend among other small market radio stations to hire former sports guys who want to run a sports talk format where they court their own sponsors, sharing their profits with the sponsoring station. In some cases, these guys are pretty good...they take calls and act like a real sports talk show host, but at the end of the day, they are just peddling their advertisers. I'm not sure what is going on at KRKO, but if they are following the trend, they are usually independent contractors selling certain products disguised as a sports talk show. Some do it better than others, but it certainly exists, and I don't think there is anything wrong with it as long as the station presents a disclaimer at the beginning and end of the programming as a paid broadcast.
 
seatownmedia said:
I can't speak for KRKO, specifically. However, there is a trend among other small market radio stations to hire former sports guys who want to run a sports talk format where they court their own sponsors, sharing their profits with the sponsoring station. In some cases, these guys are pretty good...they take calls and act like a real sports talk show host, but at the end of the day, they are just peddling their advertisers. I'm not sure what is going on at KRKO, but if they are following the trend, they are usually independent contractors selling certain products disguised as a sports talk show. Some do it better than others, but it certainly exists, and I don't think there is anything wrong with it as long as the station presents a disclaimer at the beginning and end of the programming as a paid broadcast.
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Aaron has been there for a very long time, not sure how he would be poaching clients from another station. Or, conversely, which Seattle station would hire Aaron again strictly based on grabbing a Snohomish County buy?
 
There are several stations around that’ll take Aaron’s money (or mine, or yours, or basically anyone’s $$) in exchange for on-air time. Heck, last time I was bothered to check, KIRO-FM and/or KOMO Radio runs paid programming... Obviously, you’re responsible for any advertising you choose to run during that period you purchased.

It’s a tough road to hoe, but there are folks who make a paid programming show their primary income. It usually seems to work best as a M-F show on a full-time paid programming station (where time is fairly cheap), but if enough money is thrown towards it, you could have your pick of AM (and probably a commercial FM or three) who’d be willing to sell you some time.
 
I am guessing Jeff was (and is) a regular employee as the same ads ran during his show as the rest of the day. So it's not like he was picking up his own sponsors. Plus he mentioned he will be a part of the new programming, which will be classic rock and/or classic hits it seems. Plus his show ran (almost) continuously for 17 years, which would be one tough road if you were trying to be your own combo guy.
 
Given the format, I can appreciate at “50,000 watt flamethrower” reference...though yeah, 90% of the listeners will be on the translator.
 
seattlesarchiebunker said:
Given the format, I can appreciate at “50,000 watt flamethrower” reference...though yeah, 90% of the listeners will be on the translator.
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The main voice-over is the same guy who did KBSG's VOs in the '90s. A logical choice. Musically, it stays true to the familiar '60s/'70s/'80s classic hits formula and core artists and you definitely know what you're getting with KRKO. With news/traffic updates and spots completely for Snohomish County businesses at about :20 and :50.

The title and artist voice tags at the end of each song are strange. It's hard to find anyone who DOESN'T know these songs when they hear them (including Millennials.) It's really just unnecessary clutter for classic hits.

But still, I have to give props - I've heard classic hits stations launched in much larger markets with uber corporate ownership that don't sound as well polished out of the gate as this does. Good job Andy.
 
Bongwater said:
The title and artist voice tags at the end of each song are strange. It's hard to find anyone who DOESN'T know these songs when they hear them (including Millennials.) It's really just unnecessary clutter for classic hits.

But still, I have to give props - I've heard classic hits stations launched in much larger markets with uber corporate ownership that don't sound as well polished out of the gate as this does. Good job Andy.
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Those song tags are popular with AC stations. Jerry Lee started doing it in Philly at WBEB when research told him that the audience hated not knowing what the song was and who did it. It makes sense for AC because they play currents and when you hear a new song and you like it, you want to know the title and artist.

When you're playing the greatest hits (and honestly, they are - I haven't heard a clunker yet), is someone really going to punch into the Beach Boys and wonder who did that song?

That being said, the jingles sound great and the music library is well balanced.
 
I finally called the GM up there yesterday, and I told him it reminded me of KBSG. Not a total surprise since he worked there for a few years prior to 1996. He told me the programming consultant he's using now is the same one who consulted that station at times, that's who's doing the song tags. About those, how well do they really work? Every station I've heard them on with the exception of WBEB has eventually dropped them. Click had them for several years but dropped them before the end of the format, KCDA had them around the same time but dropped them a couple years ago at least, and KDBZ in Anchorage actually had them a year or so before WBEB. Also KKOB had them but has since dropped them. Now, the only station I know besides Andy's stations and WBEB is KMGE in Eugene, and the last time I heard that station was a couple years ago. I'm guessing KJMY has also dropped them, since I heard they have an airstaff these days, although looks to be mostly tracked.
 
bobdavcav said:
I finally called the GM up there yesterday, and I told him it reminded me of KBSG. Not a total surprise since he worked there for a few years prior to 1996. He told me the programming consultant he's using now is the same one who consulted that station at times, that's who's doing the song tags. About those, how well do they really work? Every station I've heard them on with the exception of WBEB has eventually dropped them. Click had them for several years but dropped them before the end of the format, KCDA had them around the same time but dropped them a couple years ago at least, and KDBZ in Anchorage actually had them a year or so before WBEB. Also KKOB had them but has since dropped them. Now, the only station I know besides Andy's stations and WBEB is KMGE in Eugene, and the last time I heard that station was a couple years ago. I'm guessing KJMY has also dropped them, since I heard they have an airstaff these days, although looks to be mostly tracked.
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It seems to me less stations are using RDS today than just a few years ago. Could just be my local market, but I sense most don't really care about it anymore. In my market there are several jockless stations and the RDS is indeed helpful to me as I'm not up on every new artist. The song tags are a headache for the production staff, but then again, it is part of their job. It also is hard to stay up to date if you play a lot of new music. You need a song tag service that can instantly get them to you. If you use a local voice, you are at risk of delays, obviously. I think this tech is still important, especially for stations that don't use traditional announcers. Too bad many can't or won't do it.
 
seatownmedia said:
In my market there are several jockless stations and the RDS is indeed helpful to me as I'm not up on every new artist. The song tags are a headache for the production staff, but then again, it is part of their job.
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Typically the song tags are embedded with the music. Obviously it depends on your music service, but most of the majors provide the tags as embeds, and they also include the licensing data for royalty payments. That's part of the pitch to sell the service: That it saves time and money. Sometimes the music isn't coming from the local station server. In that case, the tags might not translate.
 
TheBigA said:
Sometimes the music isn't coming from the local station server. In that case, the tags might not translate.
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Hopefully on corporate intranets that are off the main internet.
 
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