Bill Virgin's Radio Beat December 28, 2006

[radiofan]

Thursday, December 28, 2006

On Radio: What's not on the air often was the big story for listeners this year

By BILL VIRGIN
P-I REPORTER


For radio listeners in the Seattle market in 2006, the biggest topics of conversation had more to do with what they weren't hearing than what was actually on the air.

Listeners of KMTT-FM (103.7), for example, weren't hearing longtime Seattle radio veteran and morning co-host Mike West, who departed The Mountain as the station shuffled its lineup.

Fellow Entercom station KBSG-FM (97.3), meanwhile, announced that the morning team of Fastlane Phillips and Scott Burns had been signed up for another stint. Then, a few weeks later, the station dropped Burns from the morning team.

And listeners continued to inquire as to if or when Robin and Maynard, who disappeared from the air more than a year ago when "The Buzz" became country station "The Wolf" (KKWF-FM, 100.7), might make a return locally.

Death claimed the host of one of region's longest-running programs -- Robert Baron, who as "Madman Moskowitz" had presented musical comedy and novelty records on a half-dozen stations in the region in his career, most recently KSER-FM (90.7).

But no move prompted nearly as much reaction -- and outrage -- among local listeners as the decision by Sandusky Radio to replace local hosts on adult-standards station KIXI-AM (880) with the syndicated service "Music of Your Life." Between the loss of local hosts -- particularly the morning show of Jim Dai, Jim Kampmann and Bonnie Brown -- and the somnambulant style of the syndicated service's hosts, listeners are still writing in to this paper to complain. (Dai did land as the morning host of Sandusky's smooth-jazz station, replacing Nick Morrison.)

Sandusky made one other move that proved less controversial and potentially more popular. Seeing no future with an adult-contemporary format on KLSY-FM (92.5), Sandusky installed new call letters (KQMV) and a new format called Movin', a mixture of hip-hop, dance and rhythmic music that is being tried at other stations around the country as well. The new approach improved the station's ratings performance in the early going, but KQMV has yet to add a morning show or demonstrate sustained ability to keep listeners.

Among other highlights of the year in radio locally:

KUOW-FM (94.9) took over the programming of KXOT-FM (91.7) in Tacoma.

Pat Cashman made a return to radio in the form of a once-a-week show on Everett's KRKO-AM (1380).

Dave Ross reclaimed his morning slot on KIRO (710), while KOMO-AM (1000) paired John Carlson and Ken Schram in "The Commentators"; the show later moved to KVI-AM (570).

Sports station KJR-AM (950) lost the Sonics to KTTH-AM (770), but kept University of Washington football and men's basketball.

Air America filed for bankruptcy as it looked for new financing.

A group of radio executives with Seattle connections started a syndicated service of talk shows aimed at women (as yet it hasn't picked up a Seattle affiliate).

Mercer Island High School station KMIH-FM (104.5) may have reached resolution of a long-running dispute over an Oregon station that plans to move into this market and onto its existing frequency.

For 2007, the stories to watch will include the continuing tussle between conservative talk stations KVI, KTTH and KKOL-AM (1300), especially since the third now has a more powerful signal; the continuing rivalry between KIRO and KOMO in the news arena; the continuing competition among Spanish-language stations; the continuing ratings wrestling match between country stations KKWF-FM and KMPS-FM (94.1); what sort of staying power Movin' and "we play what we want" KJAQ-FM (96.5) have; and, of course, the over-arching issue of whether conventional radio can make new technologies work for instead of against it in keeping listeners tuned in.

In other radio notes:

King County Executive Ron Sims takes listener calls on "Weekday" at 10 a.m. today on KUOW-FM.

Washington State Patrol Chief John Batiste is the guest on "Cop Talk" at 6 p.m. Saturday on KVI-AM.

The Bang Kung Association performs on "Sonarchy" at midnight Saturday on KEXP-FM (90.3).

Jim Wilke's "Jazz Northwest" at 1 p.m. Sunday on KPLU-FM (88.5) presents a recent performance by Trialogue.

The Sunday edition of Jim French's "Imagination Theatre," heard at 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday on KIXI-AM, includes a new Sherlock Holmes adventure.

P-I reporter Bill Virgin can be reached at 206-448-8319 or billvirgin@seattlepi.com.

Bill Virgin's Radio Beat, Thursdays In The Seattle P-I