Bill Virgin's Radio Beat - March 1, 2007

[radiofan]

Thursday, March 1, 2007

On Radio: Bumper and window stickers always play well with listeners

By BILL VIRGIN
P-I REPORTER


For all the high-tech advertising channels they have for promoting themselves, radio stations still make use of a long-popular but decidedly low-tech advertising medium: bumper and car-window stickers.

KVI-AM (570) has unveiled a new window sticker -- technically called a window cling -- featuring the station's logo in white letters on a clear background.

Its counterpart on the other end of the political spectrum, KPTK-AM (1090), has lots of stickers on bumpers around town. So do various music stations. Even non-commercial stations such as KEXP-FM (90.3) get into the act.

"People still like to display things they feel included in," says Travis Box, assistant program director and executive producer at KVI, whether that's a college, a political campaign or a truck brand. "Does it reinforce certain brands? You bet it does."

The bumper sticker is also a favored giveaway freebie at fair booths, and it's a cost-effective advertising medium -- after all, the customer provides the space for the message. KVI program director Dennis Kelly says window and bumper stickers may be even more effective now since "we spend hours stuck in traffic compared to what we spent 30 years ago."

The radio station bumper sticker has been around long enough that there are now collectors of such items, complete with Web pages displaying their collections.

In Seattle, perhaps the best-known radio bumper sticker was KJR-AM's yellow-sun sticker, from its heyday as a music station.

But there were plenty of others. Feliks Banel, a radio-history buff who is now communications manager for Seattle Channel, remembers a baseball-themed sticker for KVI when it was the Mariners' station, a fox character for KKFX and a sticker with pilot wings for KJET.

Seattle radio veteran Mike West recalls from his youth the KOL bumper sticker -- red with white letters -- that also had a serial number that the station might read over the air to announce a contest winner.



He's proud of KISW-FM's Rock sticker, because "we all kind of came up with that one," and it's still widely imitated "every time a new classic-rock station comes on."

KXRX-FM, where West also worked, is long gone, but the bumper sticker remains. "I still see those stickers around," he says. "People don't want to take them off." And they may not be able to; West wonders if some super-adhesive glue was used on them.

"Those will never biodegrade, unfortunately."

West wonders if "it's cool to put (bumper stickers) on a car any more." Box says interest, at least among his station's listeners, remains strong.

"At any of the events we go to, the one thing they ask is, 'Do you have a bumper sticker or window cling?' "

In other radio notes:

Bonneville International on Monday officially took over operation of KIRO-AM (710), KTTH-AM (770) and KBSG-FM (97.3) from Entercom in a local marketing agreement pending closing of a deal in which the two companies swap stations. Scott Sutherland, sales director for Bonneville stations in Phoenix, has been named market manager for the Seattle stations. Bonneville spokesman Craig Haslam said no changes are planned for the stations or their formats.

Amaury Pi-Gonzalez, who had handled play-by-play for Spanish-language broadcasts of Mariner home games, has been named to a similar position with the Los Angeles Angels for the 2007 season. The Mariners say they are still working on arrangements for Spanish-language broadcasts of their games.

Two management changes to pass along. Joe Heslet has been named market manager for Salem Communications' five Seattle AM radio stations. Joe Gonzalez will continue as station manager for two of those stations, KGNW-AM (820) and KLFE-AM (1590). And Leonard Barokas, known to KPLZ-FM (101.5) listeners as the producer for the "Kent & Alan" show, has been named the station's assistant program director.

Host Ira Glass and his program "This American Life," heard locally on both KUOW-FM (94.9) and KPLU-FM (88.5), will be at The Paramount Theatre at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday for a live performance of the show and a premiere of its television adaptation for Showtime.

Christopher West, author of "Good News About Sex and Marriage: Answers to Your Honest Questions about Catholic Teaching," is the guest on "Conversations With Father Bob" at 8 a.m. Saturday on KKNW-AM (1150) and 5 p.m. Tuesday on KBLE-AM (1050).

The Metropolitan Opera performs Verdi's "Simon Boccanegra" at 10:30 a.m. Saturday on KING-FM (98.1).

Tami Kosch interviews William Pitt, author of "House of Ill Repute: Reflections on War, Lies and America's Ravaged Reputation," on "Community Matters Weekend Edition" at 7 a.m. Sunday on KPTK-AM (1090).

Jim Wilke's "Jazz Northwest" at 1 p.m. Sunday on KPLU-FM features a recent concert by Australian trumpet and trombone player James Morrison.


RADIO STATIONS

AM STATIONS
Freq. Format
KVI 570 Talk
KCIS 630 Christian
KIRO 710 News/Talk
KTTH 770 Talk
KGNW 820 Christian
KIXI 880 Nostalgic pop hits
KJR 950 Sports/Talk
KOMO 1000 News
KBLE 1050 Religious
KPTK 1090 Air America
KKNW 1150 News/Talk
KWMG 1210 Spanish
KKDZ 1250 Radio Disney
KKOL 1300 Talk
KKMO 1360 Spanish
KRKO 1380 Sports/Talk
KRIZ 1420 Classic soul/R&B
KXPA 1540 Spanish
KLFE 1590 Christian
KYIZ 1620 Urban contemporary
KDOW 1680 Spanish

FM STATIONS
KPLU 88.5 Jazz/News
KNHC 89.5 Top 40/Dance
KGRG 89.9 Alternative rock
KEXP 90.3 Alternative/ World music
KSER 90.7 Public affairs/Music
KBCS 91.3 Jazz/Folk/World
KQMV 92.5 Rhythmic hits
KUBE 93.3 Urban contemporary
KMPS 94.1 Country
KUOW 94.9 News/NPR
KJR 95.7 Classic rock hits
KJAQ 96.5 Rock/pop hits
KBSG 97.3 Oldies
KING 98.1 Classical
KWJZ 98.9 Smooth jazz
KISW 99.9 Rock
KKWF 100.7 Country
KPLZ 101.5 Adult contemporary
KZOK 102.5 Classic rock
KMTT 103.7 Adult alternative
KMIH 104.5 Contemporary hits
KFNK 104.9 Rock
KCMS 105.3 Contemporary Christian
KBKS 106.1 Contemporary hits
KRWM 106.9 Soft rock
KNDD 107.7 Alternative

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

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