Cumulus has put the news/talk programming on 96.3 which was formerly "Nash Icon" which had been head-to-head with the 165 watt translator on 98.1. So now 770 is simulcast on 96.3 but they are now promoting it as just "96-3 KKOB News Radio" no mention of 770. Of course the next question is what happens with the 94.5 translator? TJ Trout mentioned they were "shutting it down" but of course they are not really going to do that. There are two possibilities: either KNML moves there since Cumulus does not own the translator on 95.9 or they do something with KTBL. So does this move help better promote the news/talk format?
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96.3 is now KKOB-FM News Radio
- Thread starter AbqAnonymous
- Start date
They had been a Top 5 station with just the AM & translator, so perhaps they feel this will help with certain demos.
https://radioinsight.com/headlines/182993/kkob-adds-full-powered-fm-simulcast/
Here is the Announcement at KKOB
Here is the Announcement at KKOB
So this format does have potential with the under 55 demo? The people who often call in sound pretty old. Plus it still leans conservative in a more liberal area.
As far as I know the Cumulus stations don't broadcast in HD in this market. Just the iHeart and public stations do. Perhaps it is possible they could upgrade one of their FMs to HD to feed 94.5. They mentioned that KKOB will be on 94.5 for another month so whatever change they make will likely be in February. Just a question of what the source station will be.
Not really, but neither does Nash Icon. This could also be a statement on the Nash Icon format that has been replaced. That format also skews older, so perhaps they're hoping for a shifting of that audience to news/talk.
A 50 kW flamethrower reduced to feeding an FM. The wave of the future, I suspect. Next probably a downgrade in power to save on the electric bills. If the FCC changes the requirements to keep AM on to feed the translator, it is possible that ABQ may become the first city in the US to go all FM ?
The can't call themselves KKOB-FM due to the existing KKOB-FM at 93.3.
I'm not sure how they will handle it.
I'm not sure how they will handle it.
Probably the way WSB in Atlanta and WBBM in Chicago handle it.
Isn't that what this sentence is about?: New KKOB-FM call letters, which were previously used by what is now “93.3 The Q” KOBQ until its November rebranding are now in place.
Nash Icon is probably gone for good. Previous attempts at KABG have failed including one on 94.5 by Vanguard via KRKE 1550 as well as 104.7 and both went nowhere. Plus they already own KDRF which competes for much of the same audience. A rock format likely won't do much against heritage KZRR or KIOT. Hot AC would cut into KMGA. Going after KKSS likely won't go anywhere either after Power 106 and 100.9 had little impact, and would they really invest much in air talent. Alternative would not be a good move either and they likely won't do AAA since I'm not aware of any Cumulus stations that do that. They probably won't do any Spanish programming either. So what does that leave? That is not to say they won't do any of the things mentioned. But if they decide to do a music format on 94.5 what could be their best bet?
Cumulus does AAA in a few places, including one that once signed my paychecks. I don’t know how many of them are originals, though. Cumulus tried launching new AAA's a few years ago and didn’t have much success.
Any AAA in Albuquerque would likely have to rely on local direct to make its living. Then again, Albuquerque relies on local buys more than most markets its size.
The average metro ABQ household income is $47,000 and the US national average is $63,000. ABQ is not "upscale" as a drive around most of the city will show. It is also a very Hispanic market, making AAA a very unlikely format.
KOAZ has lasted because it has minimal expenses in one of the most over-radioed markets in the US with 36 commercial stations and only about $31 million in revenue: KOAZ bills less than 8% of what the market leader bills, and is the lowest billing commercial FM in the market.
Santa Fe and Taos are also very Hispanic and yet KBAC and KTAO have lasted a long time. They likely have some Hispanic listeners. Some ads on KBAC are from Albuquerque businesses so there are local companies who buy that format. So KOAZ must be some kind of labor of love then. I wonder if the other two stations make up the losses.
KBAC and KTAO have been around for a long time, but I once heard their profit margins weren’t particularly high.
Of course, speaking Spanish isn’t a precondition of being Hispanic. Albuquerque may have a large Hispanic population, but it’s unlikely to be as Spanish dominant as Denver or Dallas. Many Albuquerque residents' families didn’t cross the border; the border crossed them.
I have two nieces who are Hispanic. Both have a white mother, but one's father is Mexican while the other's is Honduran. Both speak Spanish, though the older one speaks it better and more often because her father is still in her life. Neither, however, listens to anything other than what you'd expect teen and pre-teen females anywhere else in this country to listen to.
Of course, speaking Spanish isn’t a precondition of being Hispanic. Albuquerque may have a large Hispanic population, but it’s unlikely to be as Spanish dominant as Denver or Dallas. Many Albuquerque residents' families didn’t cross the border; the border crossed them.
I have two nieces who are Hispanic. Both have a white mother, but one's father is Mexican while the other's is Honduran. Both speak Spanish, though the older one speaks it better and more often because her father is still in her life. Neither, however, listens to anything other than what you'd expect teen and pre-teen females anywhere else in this country to listen to.
I don’t think that it is a labor of love. They likely make money, just not enough for a big player to care about the format. The major cluster GMs likely make more a year in salary and incentives than KOAZ bills!
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According to radio insight it looks like KNML will be moving over to 94.5 and will be rebranding possibly as "The Pit" which is the name of the lobos basketball arena. Since KNML had a 0.6 in the last book a rebranding makes sense. Don't know if there will be a change in call letters but it may not be necessary because even if they drop the "Animal" moniker KNML could still spell out New Mexico Lobos! The radio name "lobo" might possibly be trademarked to KLVO. Also I found dead air on 95.9 tonight while 610 was still broadcasting. The last time that translator was vacated it was off the air for most of 2017 so it could be many months before we know what goes on there next.
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