Some more thoughts on local broadcasting

So, finally I am able to think, be slightly creative, then sit down at the keyboard.

Even though I referred to it in a recent post, a picture is still worth a thousand bits and bytes.

While I work to clear the cobwebs off this site, I want to reflect on an article I read in this morning's paper.

My opinion: Not smart.

I think I know why the guys in secret underwear (a term used for the decision-makers at Bonneville that was coined by a contributor for Radio-Info.com) are dumping a profitable format for a simulcast. To create an increase in ratings for the beleagured KTAR.

For those of you unfamiliar with Phoenix radio history, KTAR was, for many years, the undisputed news/information leader in The Valley, and for a good chunk of Arizona to boot. They had a large news-gathering organization and a very good radio signal that was heard by most of the state with little interference.

However, times changed, and KTAR was slow to adapt to the changes. Even to this day they still run Paul Harvey and just re-hired Pat McMahon. McMahon is an institution in The Valley, but his time is just about past. While other stations were running political-oriented talk shows, KTAR was content to run talk shows that in 2006 could be considered pure fluff. (Another joke that makes an occasional appearance on the Radio-Info Phoenix board is KTAR devoting an hour to the question: "Is it raining in your neighborhood? If so, give us a call.")

Since about 2000, KFYI, the closest news/talk/information competitor to KTAR, has steadily risen in the ratings, thanks to a frequency change and savvy hiring/programming decisions. I cannot recall exactly when they eclipsed KTAR in the ratings but it had to have been around 2 -3 years ago. Ever since, KTAR's ratings have been steadily declining.

This ratings slide has nothing to do with signal strength, or even the fact that KTAR broadcasts on the AM frequency. It's about content. Times have changed, listener tastes have changed, and simulcasting on the FM dial will not change that.

Not to mention dumping the hip-hop format that is profitable for KKFR. Granted, I don't like rap, hip-hop, or whatever else you want to call it. But if I were a station owner or an executive in a broadcasting group, I would want to devote at least one FM station to this format, as it is extremely popular with young listeners, who have plenty of money to spend....