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KGA adds Hip-Hop to sports

Looks like they have dropped Fox Sports Radio in favor of hip-hop music, while keeping their play-by-play contracts. The only thing missing from a full format change is keeping "The Game" moniker.
 
They still have Gonzaga and whatnot. I'm guessing the hip hop is designed for younger listeners, Gonzaga and EWU students. And for a lot of sports players. I often see college football and basketball players listening to nothing but rap and hip-hop...to them it's 'pump up' music.
 
It's all about the translator. Many AM stations that get FM translators end their spoken word programming, be it sports or talk, and become FM music stations. Of course, KGA's translator is only 99 watts, while the AM station pumps out 50,000 watts in the daytime. According to Radio-Locator.com, the translator barely covers Spokane, Opportunity and some other adjacent neighborhoods.

But I guess that part of the city has potential listeners who want to hear hip hop music. And since there are probably built in advertisers for the sports play-by-play, those games are staying on the station.

AM 790 KJRB in Spokane did the same thing a year or two ago. It had a talk format, then got an FM translator and it flipped to Classic Rock. Spokane already has a 100,000 watt Classic Rock station, KKZX 98.9, which is often #1. But KJRB sees a chance to take some of those listeners with its own 99 watt translator. NOT 99,000 watts, just 99 watts.
 
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Gregg. said:
It's all about the translator. Many AM stations that get FM translators end their spoken word programming, be it sports or talk, and become FM music stations. Of course, KGA's translator is only 99 watts, while the AM station pumps out 50,000 watts in the daytime. According to Radio-Locator.com, the translator barely covers Spokane, Opportunity and some other adjacent neighborhoods.

But I guess that part of the city has potential listeners who want to hear hip hop music. And since there are probably built in advertisers for the sports play-by-play, those games are staying on the station.

AM 790 KJRB in Spokane did the same thing a year or two ago. It had a talk format, then got an FM translator and it flipped to Classic Rock. Spokane already has a 100,000 watt Classic Rock station, KKZX 98.9, which is often #1. But KJRB sees a chance to take some of those listeners with its own 99 watt translator. NOT 99,000 watts, just 99 watts.
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Wasn't KGA once 50K at night also? I am having a hard time remembering. I do remember they were an AM powerhouse. I guess this approach makes sense as branding the entire station toward college students, translator and all. But another sad reminder of a great signal going by the wayside. Welcome to 2019. EDIT: I see that KGA went from Class A 50K to Class B 15K at night in 2008. I could see how they maintain Gonzaga, but the rest of the sports will likely be going away.
 
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Yes, they used to be 50KW all the time. First as country for decades, then as 'The Big Talker' prior to sports. And they used to have a pattern that could be heard all over the west coast at night, but nulling WLAC.
 
As I recall, Mapleton bought a station also at 1510 in the San Francisco Bay area and lowered the nighttime power of KGA to upgrade the SF area station.
 
Looks like KGA went up in the ratings some time around the format adjustment -- at least in the latest beauty numbers. Perhaps a positive sign?
 
Yes and more notably, KGA downgraded to a Class B facility.

If I recall correctly just in the last year or so, Mapleton filed to downgrade KGA's night signal further. It's just a numbers game. Program to jackrabbits or actual population with revenue potential.

There was some local discussion about that in Spokane at the time. The passing of the only Class A AM station in Eastern Washington.

Kent said:
As I recall, Mapleton bought a station also at 1510 in the San Francisco Bay area and lowered the nighttime power of KGA to upgrade the SF area station.
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Stephanie_S said:
Yes and more notably, KGA downgraded to a Class B facility.

If I recall correctly just in the last year or so, Mapleton filed to downgrade KGA's night signal further. It's just a numbers game. Program to jackrabbits or actual population with revenue potential.

There was some local discussion about that in Spokane at the time. The passing of the only Class A AM station in Eastern Washington.
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I wonder if the other sports programming are contracted in. If that is the case, they will get rid of it when they can. Gonzaga may be the exception. A very interesting and unique balance of formats, IMO. But as a guy who grew up with big AM's, sorry to see the great KGA neutered. Hopefully we may be able to keep The "World's Largest Store" in the midwest. If you don't understand that reference then you probably don't care about this thread!
 
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