Bill Virgin's Radio Beat - January 25, 2007

Includes archive of Bill Virgin's columns fromJ une 2006 - March 2009

Postby radiofan » Wed Jan 24, 2007 7:30 pm

Thursday, January 25, 2007

On Radio: All-Christmas format is a ratings gift for KRWM-FM, boosting it to first

By BILL VIRGIN
P-I REPORTER


Why do stations resort to stunts like playing nothing but Christmas music from Thanksgiving to the big day?

Because they often work.

Just ask KRWM-FM (106.9), which rode its all-Christmas format to first place in the fall quarter ratings book for Seattle-Tacoma, according to Arbitron Inc. It had been fourth in the summer-quarter book.

Interestingly, the all-Christmas format doesn't always pay off, as demonstrated by contemporary Christian station KCMS-FM (105.3), the other station in the market to try it. Its fall-quarter ranking and audience-share rating was down from summer.

KRWM was followed by KUBE-FM (93.3) and KIRO-AM (710). Reflecting the stiff competition between the market's two major country stations, longtime ratings leader KMPS-FM (94.1) and newcomer KKWF-FM (100.7) finished in a tie for fourth.

The ratings reflect listeners 12 and older tuned in 6 a.m. to midnight Monday through Sunday. They do not include non-commercial stations such as KUOW-FM (94.9) and KPLU-FM (88.5), which rank among the market's top stations. Arbitron had earlier said it planned to merge the commercial and non-commercial stations on one list but has delayed doing so.

Radio managers and advertisers also say they pay more attention to station performance in specific target audience rather than the overall market.

Aside from Christmas music, listeners apparently had a strong appetite for news, with KIRO-AM and KOMO-AM finishing first and second in the 6-10 a.m. weekday segment. KTTH-AM, with Rush Limbaugh and Michael Medved, placed first 10 a.m.-3 p.m., while KUBE-FM was first for 3-7 p.m. and 7 p.m.-midnight weekdays.

In other radio notes:

Some follow-up and fallout from the deal announced last week in which Bonneville International will take over KIRO-AM, KTTH-AM and KBSG-FM from Entercom.

One of Bonneville's operating characteristics is to simulcast its news-talk stations on AM and FM in Washington, D.C., Salt Lake City and Phoenix. That has raised speculation whether it might go the same route in Seattle, by putting KIRO on FM as well, perhaps where oldies station KBSG is.

Bonneville spokesman Craig Haslam says there are no plans to do that. "We like the stations with the formats as they are now," he says.

The return of Bonneville also raises the question of whether that might also mean a return to Seattle of "Music and the Spoken Word," the program featuring the Mormon Tabernacle Choir which may be the longest running program on radio; Bonneville is operated by the holding company for the for-profit businesses of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The program once was carried by KIRO-AM, but currently isn't on a Seattle station (prompting readers to ask about it). Says Haslam, "It's always a possibility."

KRKO-AM (1380) in Everett said it has cleared the final legal hurdles to begin construction that will allow it to boost its power to 50,000 watts, and to add a second channel on HD radio. KRKO said construction should be complete later this year.

Don Riggs' guests on "Introspect Northwest" at 7 a.m. Saturday on KPTK-AM and 7 a.m. Sunday on KMPS-FM include Barbara Taylor Bradford, author of "The Ravenscar Dynasty."

The Metropolitan Opera performs Puccini's "Madame Butterfly" at 10:30 a.m. Saturday on KING-FM.

Tami Kosch's guests on "Community Matters Weekend Edition" at 7 a.m. Sunday on KPTK-AM include Steve Hendricks, author of "The Unquiet Grave: The FBI and the Struggle for the Soul of Indian Country."

Jim Wilke's "Jazz Northwest" at 1 p.m. Sunday on KPLU-FM features a look at the life and musical career of Floyd Standifer, who died this week.

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.

RADIO RATINGS

1, KRWM-FM (106.9); 2, KUBE-FM (93.3); 3, KIRO-AM (710); 4 (tie), KMPS-FM (94.1) and KKWF-FM (100.7); 6, KTTH-AM (770); 7, KISW-FM (99.9); 8, KZOK-FM (102.5); 9, KOMO-AM (1000); 10, KBSG-FM (97.3); 11 (tie), KCMS-FM and KING-FM (98.1); 13, KBKS-FM (106.1); 14, KQMV-FM (92.5); 15 (tie), KMTT-FM (103.7) and KJAQ-FM (96.5); 17 (tie), KVI-AM (570) and KWJZ-FM (98.9); 19, KJR-FM (95.7); 20, KJR-AM (950); 21, KNDD-FM (107.7); 22, KPLZ-FM (101.5); 23 (tie), KPTK-FM (1090) and KIXI-AM (880); 25, KDDS-FM (99.3); 26, KFNK-FM (104.9); 27, KNBQ-FM (102.9); 28 (tie), KKMO-AM (1360), KFMY-FM (97.7) and KXXO-FM (96.1); 31, KGNW-AM (820).


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
Those who danced were thought to be quite insane by those who couldn't hear the music.
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