Bill Virgin's Radio Beat September 14, 2006

[radiofan]

Thursday, September 14, 2006

On Radio: Tiny station turns to 'classic alternative'

By BILL VIRGIN
P-I REPORTER

"Classic alternative" didn't work as a music format for a Seattle-area commercial station a few years back, but a small non-commercial station plans to give it another try.

KENU-AM (1330), an Enumclaw-area station licensed to the Green River Foundation, has been doing stunting this week, preparatory to the launch of its new format Friday.

The new format essentially will be classic KGRG, a reference to KENU's sister FM station that is licensed to Green River Community College (the foundation is the school's fundraising arm). The playlist will feature artists such as Mudhoney and Green River, "all the stuff that put KGRG on the map" at the dawn of alternative music when it adopted the format in the late 1980s, said KGRG general manager Tom Evans Krause. "It's basically KGRG gold."

In fact, KENU will reach further back than that, to 1970s acts such as the Ramones and the Sex Pistols, and 1980s acts such as The Cure.

KGRG-FM (89.9), meanwhile, will continue "looking for the next thing" for a target audience of teens to people in their 30s, "the stuff you can't hear on commercial radio," Krause said. Both stations are staffed by Green River Community College students.

KENU had been formatted with techno/electronic music and marketed as The Pulse for the past four years. "We felt it had run its course," he said.

KRQI-FM (96.5) tried a classic alternative format, but dropped it in 2005 after less than two years, switching to the "play what we want" Jack format as KJAQ-FM.

In other radio notes:


Continuing upheaval at Air America means more changes in the lineup of KPTK-AM (1090).



The new weekday lineup includes The Young Turks (who had been on weekends) 3-6 a.m., Stephanie Miller 6-9 a.m., Portland-based Thom Hartmann 9 a.m.-noon, Ed Schultz noon-3 p.m., Rachel Maddow 3-5 p.m., Al Franken 5-8 p.m. and Randi Rhodes 8-11 p.m.

Dave McDonald, senior vice president and market manager for CBS Radio's Seattle stations, said he's pleased to be able to add Maddow's show to the lineup. The new lineup also helps KPTK shift more of its programming to live, he added.

Listeners have expressed their disappointment over the loss of Mike Malloy, whose show was dropped by Air America, McDonald said.

Meanwhile, reports circulated Wednesday on both conservative and liberal Web sites and blogs that Air America is financially ailing and may be up for sale and/or poised for a bankruptcy filing. Reports of Air America's financial difficulties aren't new for the network. A number of shows on KPTK's lineup, including Miller and Schultz, come from syndicators other than Air America.


KPLU-FM (88.5) said it has received a $1 million donation for a new building for the station on Pacific Lutheran University's campus. The donation was made in honor of KPLU's longtime general manager Martin Neeb, who retired from that job this year, by his brother Larry Neeb, president of a publishing company and a PLU regent. KPLU said it has raised $3.5 million of the $5 million cost of the building; construction is expected to begin next year and be done in early 2008.


KPLU-FM has also announced that former midday host and music director Nick Morrison has returned to the station as a fill-in host. His first stint will be "All Blues" on Sept. 23. He left KPLU to be the morning host on KWJZ-FM but was dropped after less than a year. He's been doing commentaries the plast three months for KPLU.


Pocket Changer performs on "Sonarchy" at midnight Saturday on KEXP-FM (90.3)


Lizz Sommars' guests on "Conversations" at 6 a.m. Sunday on KBSG-FM (97.3), KISW-FM (99.9) and KKWF-FM (100.7) include Christopher Cook, author of "Diet for a Dead Planet."


The Sunday edition of Jim French's "Imagination Theatre," at 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday on KIXI-AM (880), includes a new Harry Nile mystery.



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 News/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.

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