This just in:
http://ftp.media.radcity.com/ZMST/Bonneville1-18-07.pdf

Looks like KIRO-AM, KBSG-FM and KTTH-AM are heading over to Bonneville, leaving Entercom with The Wolf, The End and The Mountain.

It's a good pickup for Entercom for San Francisco as it gives them a top 5 market.

Funny thing is, Entercom successfully built up KTTH and KIRO after Bonneville sold it in '97. Mistake anyone?

In the "timing is everything" department, Entercom is trading stations in Seattle and Cinncinnati for KOIT and others in San Francisco.

Great...what a perfect time for Entercom to enter another Northern California market! (SF is 100 miles from Sacramento.)

Sorry drchaps, looks like we were posting simultaneously.

As to your question, probably a good move for Entercom despite the timing because they move into a Top5, but still keep a bunch of FM's in Seattle.

If people are looking for the actual release... It can be found at:

http://ftp.media.radcity.com/ZMST/Bonneville1-18-07.pdf

For some reason, because this has both http and ftp in the line, I can't make it clickable. You will need to copy and paste.

Bonneville Announces Station Exchange

some would argue that the Entercom legacy with KIRO was the opposite.

KIRO's ratings have been falling in recent years, but a lot of that was the Mariners moving to KOMO.

Bonneville has been a leader in moving AM talk formats to FM, so I would expect oldies KBSG to go away with this move.

Entercom's Bay Area acquisitions will be interesting to watch. Bonneville's cheap imitation Jack station, "Max-FM" has been a colossal failure and will definitely change. OTOH, I would hope they keep changes to a minimum at the highly successful soft rock KOIT, and classical KDFC. In an age of $650 mill radio stations, classical formats have often gone by the wayside and Bonneville has been one of the few companies dedicated to keep classical on the airwaves.

Yes, I expect Bonneville to blow up KBSG, and stick KIRO on it. What a complete waste of a class C FM powerhouse!

I would also be very surprised if Entercom keeps Classical on 102.1 KDFC.

Here in DC, WTOP's move from a highly directional 50kw 1500am to one of the three most powerful FMs in the city (103.5) has been genius. The new format on 1500 ('Washington Post Radio') is still looking for an audience, but WTOP is holding its own. And it's just easier to hear. I would expect, even with the high turnover all-news format, that TSL is up on 'TOP.
Bonneville is doing it again in Phoenix, moving KTAR to FM.
But the DC region is a lot flater than any market in the Northwest. AM is still a factor in Portland and Seattle. I wonder if a straight move to FM would be all that good for KIRO.

AM 1500+ seems to be the new territory for OLDIES/CLASSIC HITS. KIRO moving to FM is an intriguing idea though............

Yes, and remember Entercom, (or was it Bonneville?) tried to put talk on the old KIRO-FM, (KSEA, The Buzz, etc.) (100.7) and it never found a real audience. ,

The BUZZ.... was kind of odd... the talk really had no substance.....Like Seinfeld it was radio talk about nothing.

It didn't hold my interest, then it didn't really hold anyones interest............

Re:KSEA.... anyone else have the opportunity to babsit their BM format? 7 bucks an hour to read the Sunday paper and make sure the tapes triggered at the right time..... SO long ago 82/83. I never even put them on the resume...

I occasionally listen to KIRO. If it were to move to FM, I couldn't listen anymore because I live in Hillsboro (OR)....

My point is that dumping a 50kW signal at 710 kHz for FM would help the station to be heard in reinforced concrete buildings in the Seattle metro areas, but fringe-area coverage would be gone.

If the KIRO format went to FM, what would happen to 710? Would they sell it off or put something else on? If they sold it off, could we end up with Spanish or religious programming on 710?

Don't think so. That signal/frequency is valuable. Plus a strong heritage. Wait a minute... kind of sounds a little like 62 KGW!

I agree with Paulwalker. Sorry no Spanish on KIRO. Based on ratings and market revs,and it was probably an even trade up for the stations. Also If they are billing what these numbers show, it would be too expensive to lose billing for a format that may not bill the same amount.

And while on the subject of KIRO...nice bump up in the numbers released today. Seahawks probably helped.

KDFC is top rated! I don't see it going anywhere and am surprised that other stations haven't tried their "AC like" Classical format. I think the way to go for the big News/Talkers is simulcasting. That gives them the best of both worlds and they only have the expense of running one station. Incidentally, with their most recent ratings drop, I wouldn't be surprised to see KIJZ become the simulcast partner of KEX.

Dropping KBSG would be idiotic. They are continually top 10 and probably make more than KIRO after expenses.

KIRO has suffered from disasterous management for 10 years now, that is why things are worse, but could have been better...maybe with Bonneville they will be restored.

What I don't understand is ANYONE buying AM anymore. FM is the only thing there for the majority of listeners these days.

Top 10 means little when the majority of the audience is 55+ and advertisers are staying away in droves. Oldies stations unfortunately are dropping like flies across the nation. This topic has been well-covered on this board in the past. I'd link to the archives, but they are (temporarily?) unavailable.

Classical is another format that pulls respectable 12+ numbers but tends to skew older and bill lower.

>>...is ANYONE buying AM anymore. FM is the only thing there...

It's notable that the swap does not include KOIT AM 1260 (the former KYA). Bonneville will have to find another taker for that one. I can't imagine them keeping it as an AM stand-alone.

"KDFC is top rated! I don't see it going anywhere and am surprised that other stations haven't tried their "AC like" Classical format."

Entercom doesn't have a history of interest in the Classical format. Cox Radio wasn't interested in keeping Classical on Miami's 93.1 WTMI.

The last I heard, KDFC was doing well 25-54.

"KDFC is top rated!"

Remember, it's not about high ratings when age comes into play (Kisn-FM).

BONNEVILLE GETS OUT OF CLASSICAL MUSIC !

Inside Radio reports in so many words, the reason Bonneville is selling Classical KDFC to Entercom is because they don't want to take the rap for blowing up the format themselves! Bonneville would rather sell KDFC for that reason and let Entercom take the heat. Bonneville said: "a public radio station is more conducive to Classical music than commercial radio."

Meanwhile All Access reports in Washington D.C., Bonneville made a deal with public station WETA and moved its Classical format from WGMS last night. Bonneville fliped WGMS to Adult Hits.