In June KSND, Salem's only FM station, will switch to Spanish and move to Woodburn.

Do you think any of the FMs from Albany, Lebanon, Corvallis and Sweet Home would move to Salem after KSND leaves?

Doubt it.

The new ownership says they'll maintain a presence in Salem as far as selling advertising. From what I've seen, Ernie made a pretty nice office and studio in Liberty Plaza. I doubt the new owners would keep that overhead while making the station a satellite operation of the Woodburn one.

As far as another FM locating in Salem? (KSND actually transmits from Monmouth.) Doubtful right now. The last FM I remember in Salem prior to KSND was KSKD, "Cascade 105," which has since moved to PDX and is now The Buzz.

(I was a bit confused when I saw the call sign KSND because I remember K-sound, a CHR station from Eugene/Springfield before it flipped to "New Country 93," KKNU.)

Ernie and others say the Salem community never really got behind them. I, for one, wasn't even aware of their presence until just a few months ago. They didn't have a promotional budget to speak of, so that may have been part of the problem. It seems a bit ironic that they've been out in the community doing remotes the past several weeks since the sale was announced. Many have probably seen "Big Blue" now, the blue motorhome they use for those remotes. It's been to Silverton for Blooms and Brews, to Woodburn for the opening of a new Dutch Bros., and just last weekend at the Wal-Mart SuperCenter on Turner Road in Salem as part of an MDA event.

Salem isn't considered its own market, but part of the Portland market. The Cherry City seems content living in the shadow of the Rose City. They may both be red, but each community definitely has its own flavor. Personally, I'd like to see the Capitol City exercise a bit more of its own identity.

The problem that KSND had in the community was not being seen, it was trying to sell spots for waaaaay out of range for what Salem businesses are used to paying, in the name of "it's FM".
A stubborn refusal to come down on those rates coupled with an inability to embrace Salem itself, while maintaining a home on the Coast, was the real culprit.

KLVU in Sweet Home is an example of how FM radio can come back to Salem.

Here is a coverage map of KLVU.

http://radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/pat?call=KLVU&service=FM&status=L&hours=U

The 60 dpu contour covers all of Salem. The station doesn’t need to change its city of license or its signal. All the station would have to do is move its broadcasting studios to Salem and market itself as a Salem station.

The trend today is to move small city FM stations to larger cities. Why doesn’t the small city FMs near Salem move their broadcasting studios to Salem?

EMF would sell off 107.1, if the price was right.

The reason stations don't move to Salem are: (as Fm87 pointed out) Salem is a bedroom community to Portland. Most people in Salem listen to Portland radio stations, and aren't going to switch.

AND (as Dodger pointed out) the rates Salem businesses are used to paying for radio advertising are very low -- $1 to $5/spot. That's what the Salem AM's charge. You can't run a 24/7 live and local and well promoted with beautiful studios and great talent radio station when you're only making a dollar a hollar.

That's why.

And yes, EMF would sell off 107.1 for the right price. Entercom would sell 105.1 for the right price, too. But who has that kind of money to spend on a radio station in a town that doesn't want one?

Dodger is spot-on on this one ... the business model is just different now, and an FM in Salem has the same bills to pay as an FM in Portland, and has to compete on the same playing field as the FMs in Portland. So it's just about impossible to survive with clients who want to pay "a-dollar-per-holler."

The last time I checked, KLVU's signal wasn't all that great in Salem or snywhere else for that matter!

Semoochie, where's the Love? (I haven't noticed any reception issues around the mid-valley, including Salem.)

Today we say goodbye to "the new sound of Salem," 95.1, KSND. As a relatively new listener I have to admit missing out on a few things in the station's "history."

It must be terribly frustrating to do exactly what some on this board have suggested they do, only to be foiled. As I have since learned, KSND did get out into the community. They have promoted numerous charity events and raised hundreds of thousands of dollars. Just last night they had a 9-year-old guest DJ on the air from 7-9. (He was actually pretty good!) That bit was the result of a recent charity auction. The "Big Blue" motorhome they've used for remotes certainly doesn't present a low budget operation. It costs money to put live talent on the air.

Yes, their ad rates were higher than the competition, but they also had higher ratings than most realized - even in a crowded market and competing with PDX - and a larger footprint than the local AMs. But the local business community did not embrace them. And early on some within the operation may have undermined the management's vision.

There's only so much one can do.

Meanwhile, I must compliment Scott Forrest, Geno Romo, Frank Rippey, Charlie Foxx, Ernie Hopseker et al for the loyalty they've shown to their listeners, sponsors and to each other through all of this. A lot of people are going to miss you.

We know most of you will be back ... somewhere on our dial.

I may have caught them on a bad day.

And then there are days when the transmitter goes silent.

A bit OT, but with all the posts on here about format changes, going Spanish, etc., I remember one of my favorite "flips": the first airing of WKRP in Cincinnati when "Dr. Johnny Fever" woke up after being told of the station's new format. Remember?

Fever: (with a kind of sinister grin behind his shades): "Awllll right! Goodbye elevator music..." (while breaking the LP on the turntable in half)

Fm87, maybe you shouldn't put Ernie Hopseker on you compliment list.

He was the owner of KSND who sold the station.

He is the one who screwed many people, including the two great fellas who are on the air right now taking the train wreck to mexico.
ya, don't compliment.

It's sad to know that Salem is (once again) without an FM voice.

What? You mean an FM voice for only English speakers??

Why do me marginalize spanish formats?

KSND (along with KWBY) will be in based in Woodburn, not Salem. KSND's signal doesn't even cover Woodburn very well.

Goodbye Stranger...interesting song to play...why do I think we are going Spanish in a few minutes....