Arizona Sports 620. Why?

[abw2002]

So Bonneville International ponies up the big cash for KTAR, the heritage news/sports station in Phoenix, then decides to basically remove any reference to the call letters on the sports and news stations. Absolutely idiotic. Reminds me of when Channel 10 was purchased from the Chauncey's and the KOOL calls were just discarded. Ugh.

 

[KeithE4]

Given the recent personnel shakeup, they should just call it ESPN Radio 620 and be done with it.

 

[Ford]

Do heritage call letters matter in a PPM world?

My guess is that Bonneville has figured they don't, and I can't say I disagree with them. The diary system is dead. The need to have listeners recall call letters is a relic of a bygone era.

In a way, I'm kinda glad it's gone. The days of companies trying to spell words like "hits" or "rock" with four letters starting with W or K is over, and they're free to brand themselves without such restrictions.

 

[KOOL Listener Lauren]

Totally agree with you, Ford. I also think the KTAR calls are probably best known to the average listener as the FM news/talk station. No need for two KTARs. They've been building up the Arizona Sports website. Good move toward making it the ultimate local sports site (and station).

 

[KeithE4]

Totally agree with you, Ford. I also think the KTAR calls are probably best known to the average listener as the FM news/talk station. No need for two KTARs.

Since the FCC still requires call letters, TMISU should move KMVP from 860 to 620 and put some other callsign on 860. This would also be a help if/when (probably the latter, in time) they move to FM, since they'd have to some up with something new anyway.

They've been building up the Arizona Sports website. Good move toward making it the ultimate local sports site (and station).

Dumping a popular host, eliminating the morning show, and running ESPN Radio for 17 hours per weekday and 24 hours on weekends (not including play-by-play) isn't my idea of a "local" sports station. As amateurish as they sound at times, the closest thing Phoenix has to a local sports station is KDUS. KTAR just became another also-ran with network-filler programming most of the time.

 

[landtuna]

Lots of discussion on here about a sports station but.....does radio sports draw all that many listeners? It's been my personal experience that individuals (or businesses such as barber shops) tend to have sports on the TV, not radio.

 

[KeithE4]

Lots of discussion on here about a sports station but.....does radio sports draw all that many listeners? It's been my personal experience that individuals (or businesses such as barber shops) tend to have sports on the TV, not radio.

Only if they have a cable connection, which will happen only if it's good for the business. It's also kinda hard to have one of those in your car. ;D

If you are a fan of the local teams other than the Cardinals, don't have cable/satellite, and you want to catch a game, you are listening to the radio almost by definition. The only exceptions are the Cards, the occasional Suns or ASU game on ABC, and the even-rarer D'backs Saturday afternoon appearances on the Fox game of the week. IIRC, Channel 3 carried a couple of Coyotes' playoff games last season, but that's not a regular thing. Other than that, radio is it.

Sports talk and play-by-play on radio is apparently still a big money-maker, even if the ratings are 2.0 or less. Otherwise it would have gone away by now and not be moving to FM.

 

[DrAkbar]

Since the FCC still requires call letters, TMISU should move KMVP from 860 to 620 and put some other callsign on 860. This would also be a help if/when (probably the latter, in time) they move to FM, since they'd have to some up with something new anyway.

Sorry, but Los Buckeye Boyz can't second that emotion. KMVP is synonymous with a signal impaired Ancient Modulation station that caused nothing but consternation among Valley sports fans. Sports Parkinglot 8~Sixty's signal paled to 6~Twenty and listeners griped about it constantly to the embarrassment of Hearst-Argyle, Emmis & TMISU mgmt. Moving those calls to 6~Twenty brings back a lot of bad baggage. Sell the MVP calls to one of umpteen CBS FM Sports Parkinglots, then sell 8~Sixty and be done with it.

 

[KeithE4]

Since the FCC still requires call letters, TMISU should move KMVP from 860 to 620 and put some other callsign on 860. This would also be a help if/when (probably the latter, in time) they move to FM, since they'd have to some up with something new anyway.

Sorry, but Los Buckeye Boyz can't second that emotion. KMVP is synonymous with a signal impaired Ancient Modulation station that caused nothing but consternation among Valley sports fans. Sports Parkinglot 8~Sixty's signal paled to 6~Twenty and listeners griped about it constantly to the embarrassment of Hearst-Argyle, Emmis & TMISU mgmt. Moving those calls to 6~Twenty brings back a lot of bad baggage.

Good point. Then they should call it something else. But it's not really KTAR anymore, other than the four letters required to keep the Friendly Candy Company happy once an hour.

The radio station known as KTAR has been identified with news/toaster talk for many years and is now on FM. 620 has been all-sports for a few years now, and needs new call letters that reflect that. I just call it "620" or "ESPN Radio" since most folks I know think of KTAR as being on 92.3 now. Most of us (read: 99.9%) don't have Purple People Meters and still identify AM stations by callsign.

Sell the MVP calls to one of umpteen CBS FM Sports Parkinglots, then sell 8~Sixty and be done with it.

Or just shut it down and be done with it. Few will care or even notice they're gone - other than expatriates from Colorado who will finally be able to hear KOA again.

 

[EricStein]

Dumping a popular host, eliminating the morning show, and running ESPN Radio for 17 hours per weekday and 24 hours on weekends (not including play-by-play) isn't my idea of a "local" sports station. As amateurish as they sound at times, the closest thing Phoenix has to a local sports station is KDUS. KTAR just became another also-ran with network-filler programming most of the time.

My thoughts exactly. They broke up the show that gave them some credibility as a station that doesn't kiss up to the local teams, and what do they do? Promote someone who is an employee of the Cardinals organization and his straight man to afternoons. I'm a passionate supporter of the local sports teams, but Phoenix is a town full of transplants that want some fair coverage of their favorite sports.

 

[KeithE4]

Reminds me of when Channel 10 was purchased from the Chauncey's and the KOOL calls were just discarded. Ugh.

Blame the FCC for that one. Back then, stations that had been co-owned but were sold couldn't keep the same call letters. Channel 12 had changed from KTAR-TV to KPNX a few years earlier, for the same reason. KOOL AM & FM kept the original call letters (I think Chauncey had kept the radio stations), so Channel 10 was forced to change to KTSP-TV.

The rule was changed a few years later, when Westinghouse bought WMAQ radio from NBC. They paid a lot of money to keep the call letters that had been that station since Day One in 1922, while NBC kept the WMAQ-TV calls at the same time.

Today, it wouldn't matter. There are plenty of unrelated stations with related callsigns, the closest being KSAZ-TV Channel 10 and KSAZ radio in Tucson. Also, there's KJZZ Phoenix & KJZZ-TV SLC, and KASA Phoenix & KASA-TV Albuquerque.

 

[desertv]

Actually KOOL-AM got its original call letters back (it was called KARZ)

 

[oldiesfan6479]

Actually KOOL-AM got its original call letters back (it was called KARZ)

IIRC, the KARZ calls were when 960 was owned by Stauffer Communications
(KRNT Des Moines, et al)--it was then re-acquired by Tom Chauncey, or
whatver company owned KOOL-FM at the time, and got the KOOL calls back.

 

[flashman1]

I'd just be happy if a station with real power would pick up UA football and basketball. 1100 is unreachable here in the southeast Valley--and crappy in a lot of other places, too!

 

[KeithE4]

I'd just be happy if a station with real power would pick up UA football and basketball. 1100 is unreachable here in the southeast Valley--and crappy in a lot of other places, too!

Agreed. I was trying to listen to the game in the car last night in eastern Ahwatukee. KFNX was barely audible with another station (Grand Junction?) bleeding through at least half the time. No chance of picking it up at home, even on a good radio away from all the PC noise.

1000 watts from 42nd St. & Carefree Hwy. just doesn't cut it, I don't care what RadioLocator shows for its night pattern. I don't know if they could run 5 or 10 kW at night without major changes to their towers, having to protect San Francisco, Grand Junction, and possibly 1090 in San Diego/Rosarito as well.

Given their non-UofA programming, it probably isn't worth the expense. UofA would probably be better off moving - KDUS or XTRA would be an improvement despite their own flaky night signals.

 

[futballfan]

This is all very sad..no wonder why Phx sports fan take so much abuse. We don't even have a real sports station anymore. All the good hosts have been run out of town or off the air. Remember the good old days when KGME and K TAR pits went at each other...that was entertaining!!!

 

[catfish]

you should get an HD radio and listen to KDUS on the HD2 of KDKB, WOW!!! Get's into east tucson all the time.

 

[topcat]

I talked to someone(who I promised not to name) at KTAR. He said that the AM station was going to all ESPN except the Games they carry if the ratings don't improve with Doug and Wolf; Burnes and Gambo. The games on the station make money, the other local programs lose money. You can look for more changes at KTAR after the first of the year.