I know this isn't Portland, but one has to wonder when and if this might happen in PDX. FM news/talk is doing well in Washington DC, Phoenix, and Salt Lake City. From AllAccess:

KIRO/Seattle To Simulcast On FM

Adding FM Signal
A long-rumored move becomes reality in SEATTLE, as BONNEVILLE announces that it will simulcast the Talk programming of KIRO-A on the 97.3 FM frequency presently occupied by Classic Hits KBSG (B97.3). The simulcast starts AUGUST 12th.

"PUGET SOUND residents have shown great support for the quality news and stimulating talk on 710 KIRO. This is why KIRO has been a perennial audience leader in the region," said KIRO and KTTH-A PD ROD ARQUETTE. "Due to the significant number of radio listeners who use FM on a daily basis we can best serve the local community by making KIRO’s product available to the broadest possible audience."

"We are grateful to those listeners and advertisers who have loyally supported KBSG through the years. We are especially grateful to the KBSG staff, and we’re proud of the fine work they have done for this community," added BONNEVILLE SEATTLE VP and Market Manager CARL GARDNER. "As the music radio landscape has become more and more fragmented, it’s clear that there will be a limited available audience for KBSG’s music programming. We believe we can best serve PUGET SOUND residents by offering KIRO's rich mix of news, local talk, public affairs, and community service on 97.3 FM."

BONNEVILLE has been aggressive in putting Talk and News formats on FM, with a Talk simulcast in SALT LAKE CITY (KSL-A-F) and moves of AM formats to FM in WASHINGTON (WTOP) and PHOENIX (KTAR-F).

Why not just simulcast KIRO on ALL the area Bonneville stations?

Before reading that last sentence, I was about to ask, "Isn't Bonneville virtually the only company that has been simulcasting its news/talk outlets on FM?" My question now is, how have ratings been impacted by these simulcasts? In other words, is the combined share of the AM and FM outlets greater than what the AM was pulling prior to simulcasting?

No surprise, but just got word that all the jocks on KBSG were let go including my friend, longtime Seattle jock and one of the nicest guys in the biz Randy Lundquist. We worked together in Las Vegas in the late 70's. Somebody, somewhere on this board put times like these this way: "Radio, the bitch that don't love you back."

Another oldies station bites the dust....

In Phoenix KTAR (620) moved its news/talk content to FM two years ago. The AM now carries all-sports and all the major play by play - Sun Devils, Cardinals, D'Backs, Suns. Combined the two stations they have a 5 share with adults. The CC news/talk, KFYI, has a 2.6. Bonneville spent about $80 million on its FM news frequency...probably the only company rich enough to do that anymore (and $130 million on a Triple A in L.A.!!??).
If 97.3 in Seattle's signal is good enough it's probably a smart move. Load 710 with sports and build the FM as another FM news place to be (other than NPR).
Here, it's interesting that the sports moved to the FM and the news stayed on AM.

It's a full Class C and as good as it gets on FM.

We all saw this move coming! What a waste of FM fidelity! (I'm predicting that Bonneville's Triple A format in Los Angeles, will eventually be replaced by New/Talk.) Look for 95.7 KJR-FM to pick up KBSG's audience!

>>Look for 95.7 KJR-FM to pick up KBSG's audience!<<

Especially since KBSG's website is telling people to listen to KJR. From http://www.mynorthwest.com/?sid=77899&nid=130:

"Q: Where else can I hear the music B97.3 played?
A: 95.7 KJR or 102.5 KZOK"

Perhaps now an FM translator in Vancouver broadcasting Washington State News/Talk from KIRO can happen.

Also, if sports doesn't work out for 95.5 maybe Paul Allen will simulcast KXL on FM.

I think only the big AMs that have a brand name to protect will venture into this but there should be a lot of it in the next 5 years or so. When they decide it's over for KQOL, KEX will probably simulcast but I wonder if they might use the stronger 100.3 frequency and move Z to 105.9. With 18-24 being a less saleable demo, it could happen. They won't mess with K103.

My wacky predictions:

KOMO, after losing the Mariners, loses its nerve and abandons all news to become just another synidcated dumping ground.

KIRO AM and FM simulcast in AM drive. At 9a, the AM continues with all news while the FM becomes home to the current AM talk show lineup. The Mariners go to the AM, while the Seahawks are primarily on the FM (with an AM simulcast after baseball season).

But that's just me. No actual facts on which to base this prediction.

Like the man said..."grateful to the KBSG staff, and we’re proud of the fine work they have done for this community," added BONNEVILLE SEATTLE VP and Market Manager CARL GARDNER.

add...

So grateful and proud, that we can't find a place for their professionalism, skills and experience.

At least there is a part time morning show opening in Anacortes one of the staff could jump on.

Simulcasting seems such a waste of a frequency. Basically the same coverage same potential audience, just turn one off.

I think that Roger hit the nail on the head: the simulcast is an opportunity to blow up a station so that its staff can be taken off the company payroll!

If HD "catches on", in a few years the option of placing KIRO on KBSG HD-2 would be viable, and could serve the community well.

Right now, according to Ibiquity they are running HD-2:

"Seattle-Tacoma, WA 97.3-2 KBSG-HD2 FM Urban AC Bonneville International Corp."

Will they change that programming also?

Or,is this an even bigger deal than it seems...Might it be the start of a partial abandonment of AM altogether? I've never been in The Biz,but I don't see the logic behind a simulcast

To be honest, I don't know what the strategy is behind the simulcasts. Perhaps, these are just experiments.

This is the part of the strategy that I can't wrap my mind around: in most mid-sized and large markets, there is one or maybe there are two AM stations in the top-10. If a company has a top-10 rated AM station, and they are successful in getting most of the audience to move to the FM simulcast, there is very little chance that a replacement format for the AM could rate in the top-10. Wouldn't this greatly bring down the market value of that AM station? Why would a group owner want to intentionally knock the value out of one of its broadcast properties like that?

Alfredo, I believe a lot of the thought with these changes is that as the demos age, overall use of the am band diminishes. The market value of AM's would probably diminish even without the simulcasts. I truely believe we will see a bunch more of these, because 1) we tend to be a copycat industry, 2) the diminished use of the AM band by younger listeners, and 3) cost-cutting. (Sadly, I understand 19 staffers were cut at KBSG)

As more people reach the age of 55, there are fewer under 55, who are willing to listen to ANYTHING on AM. Before this natural evolution cuts into saleable demographics too much, it makes sense that still viable stations with a well known brand name(like KEX)move their programming over to FM, where people under 55 are more likely to sample it and return.

Re Simulcasting, In the Pissburgh area there is a group that simulcasts 4FMs with country, and three AM oldies, of course they were move ins abandoning their COLs as well as their staffs.

This same group simulcasts in other W.PA areas as well.

The frequency's calls are now officially
'KIRO-FM' (as of 8-2-08):

http://boomp3.com/listen/bznhn36uk_l

This is just a mere simple/temporary top-of-hour ID
until they go simulcast with 710 KIRO-AM on Aug 12th and call it the 'AM/FM'

They're still playing some 'B97-three...KBSG' jingles
during their wall-to-wall music hours now,
without any live jocks, commercials or PSAs!

Check the live stream at:
http://lc2.sc.liquidcompass.cc:9046/listen.pls
(put URL in your WMP)

I agree with Paul Walker's lament ! Last time I heard 'B 97.3 ' they sounded very competitive the quality was almost Satellite in nature.

Its the mostly about 'band use'issues, IMO. The big signal on 710 isnt big anymore if no one goes there to listen to it !

If it's there, then the question is WHY no one would go there to listen.

Do people really say AM huh? Gee, if you were on FM I would tune in. My biggest complaint in years gone by with KIRO was how rigidly segmented they were. Guests were alotted a set amount of time and rarely were callers permitted. Too heavy on interviews without listener input. Much of AM talk is set up that way. I much prefer local call in and discussion of local topics, or interesting national topics on a local level. Interviewing the newest book author in a 15 minute segment with the 8th caller getting a chance to get a copy free AFTER the interview is over, is kinda boring.

Roger,

AM doesnt exist for people under 35 years old, for the most part. And even people 35 to say 50 dont listen in the numbers they used to.

My kids have spaced off the AM band entirely. And I was in the biz' and they listened to AM stations when they were little kids on 'dads radio', but they listened to FM on their radios because music is what they wanted, young people's music and that is where it WAS on FM.

They are now 24 and 20 years old ! They havent a clue what the AM broadcast radio band IS now, and dont care !

And I will tell you what...they dont listen a whole lot to FM either, now. My 24 yr old daughter listens to our local Top 40 FMer for the morning show, mostly, which is syndicated..she does this in the car on the way to work in the AM...and that is it...other times it is her MP3 player on long trips or in the evenings bar hopping with her buddies.

I will tell you what that AM band is to people like my kids: It is the button you push when the snow is falling hard at milepost 59 on I-90 at Snoqualmie pass for emergency information or road delays or closures...That is all AM radio is to anyone under 35 !

In a given week in Seattle only 33% of the 12+ audience listens to AM. And the HUGE majority of that listening is in the "big three", KIRO, KOMO and KJR.

While I agree with Rich Johnson on the possibility of losing the all-news KOMO 1000, I sure hope not. Dennis Kelly, Brian Calvert and the staff up here have really built a great product on a shoestring.

TRY THIS:

http://lc2.sc.liquidcompass.cc:9046

Has links to KBSG/KIRO-FM stream and song history

I picked up "B97.3" KIRO-FM in Junction City, Thursday night.

Good catch! It is difficult to receive in the Portland area because of 97.1 IBOC sidebands! I have been trying to log the new call letters... no luck so far.

I don't understand this whole "IBOC first adjacent" thing: I've never received a first adjacency in my life! By the time the signal is weak enough, it's outside of the 60dbu contour and no longer protected so what's the problem?

All I am saying is that it makes Dxing the new call letters a little more difficult... this is not a problem, but offers a little more challenge.

"When the going gets tough, the tough get better tuners."

The Sony XDR-F1HD has amazing first adjacent rejection.

For years, I have been a regular listener, and contributer to, two of my favorite stations that happen to be first adjacents- KBPS (89.9) & KLCC (89.7). KLCC puts a substantial signal into the Hillsboro area.

When I lived in Newberg, I worked some amateur magic using cheap consumer antennas to pull in then-"95-3 The Q" under KXL-FM. This was back in 97 and 98 when 95.5 was the AAA format.

Anyone else remember the power outage 10 years ago that knocked several stations (including KNRQ and KZEL) off the air for about 45 minutes or more/less right around 10 PM IIRC? I remember Jennie O coming back on the air after quite a while of dead carrier on 95.3, saying something like the power was out on 11th all the way from Garfield to Seneca or where ever.

All of this ended when KXL-FM flipped to KXJM, as the bass from the rap and hip-hop drowned out everything else.

Power outages on Blanton Heights happen almost every time it snows, but this particular outage was thunder related and left most of west Eugene in the dark, including the KZEL/KNRQ studios on W. 11th where they were located at the time.

I think I'd like to rescind my entire previous post! It isn't that under certain circumstances, you can't hear a first adjacency. It's that most people won't bother with that weak a signal, for it to be much of a factor. Now I know there are situations where something might break through, like where the northern west hills block out the local stations and for instance, 99.3 will come in or when KNRK was on Mt Scott, its null to the northwest made it possible to hear 94.5 from Longview. I still think it's a non-issue for the vast majority.

It's mostly just an issue for us DX-ers. For instance, since 99.5 KWJJ turned on the IBOC, I haven't been able to hear 99.3 (KDDS) around the Portland area.

Semoochie said:

"I still think it's a non-issue for the vast majority."

I 100% agree with this, In fact as a Dxer, I have to weigh the trade-offs... I enjoy several of the Portland HD-2 stations. I like having title and artist info on more stations. HD has eliminated the small amount of multipath distortion that I could hear on KBPS-FM. This is all good stuff!

After "Mist Covered Mountain" on KLCC is over, I will check again for KIRO-FM... but this dial ain't moving until 12:00!

Nailed a KIRO ID... they just said: "mix is 97-3, KIRO, Tacoma - Seattle". They are still playing music, but not for long, I guess

I used 2 antennas, and a small phase network/attenuator between them to cancel out the IBOC signal from 97.1, and allow reception of the weaker KIRO signal.

>> They are still playing music, but not for long, I guess <<

Simulcast begins at 5a Tuesday morning. If the ol' timer recorder does its thing - I should have the flip on tape (or hard drive, as the case may be).

Oh so for a couple weeks they went from B 97.3 to mix 97.3..how nice ! Probably because they are no longer KBSG and now KIRO FM...mmm YA>>ok..

And more useless trivia, the original KIRO-FM at 100.7 was KWMX (100.7 The Mix, or Mix 100.7, I can't exactly recall) in the early 90's. I remember they cross promoted on KIRO TV constantly, but still couldn't garner ratings.

As of right now, it's still "B97.3"...

Perhaps Jr. Tech heard "this" instead of "mix"???

What year did 100.7 become KSEA? I only know that it was KWMX from '91 to '92, before becoming KIRO-FM.

If memory serves, KSEA dates back to the early 70's. I'm surprised nobody used those calls before that in Seattle, maybe they were not available.

So this will be the third time around for KIRO-FM, two times on 100.7, once on 97.3.

I have no memory of KIRO-FM being a rock station in the late 60's, (too young!), but they must have been killed by KOL-FM.

Perhaps Jr. Tech heard "this" instead of "mix"???

Quite possibly... It is quite weak and some "airplane fade/flutter" was occuring. I will listen again.

>>Nailed a KIRO ID... they just said: "mix is 97-3, KIRO, Tacoma - Seattle". They are still playing music, but not for long, I guess :-(

I used 2 antennas, and a small phase network/attenuator between them to cancel out the IBOC signal from 97.1, and allow reception of the weaker KIRO signal.<,

If you want to do it the easy way - just dial up their stream. It's a 100% simulcast of the on air feed - including the legal ID.

Here's the link: mms://wmc1.liquidviewer.net/KBSG

By the way - the legal is "This is 97 point 3, K-I-R-O FM, Tacoma-Seattle". You did think "this" was "mix"

"just dial up their stream"

That's cheating

'SO LONG' SEATTLE RADIO OLDIES - ('sniff)

*[at 5am Tuesday morning]

http://i38.tinypic.com/332c5qu.jpg

KSEA dates back to circa 1974-75.

When I confused the ID on KIRO-FM as "mix", I tried to tune in "mix 104.5" in The Dalles to see if the programming was the same... 104.5 is finally gone from The Dalles:

http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/cdbsmenu.hts?contex t=25&appn=101260904&formid=910&fac_num=41861

So is it (104.5) on the air in the Seattle area (Covington) yet?

This from All Access:

--------------------KIRO Simulcast Starts Tuesday--------------------

As previously announced, TOMORROW (8/12) is the day that BONNEVILLE Talk KIRO-A/SEATTLE begins simulcasting on the former Classic Hits KBSG (B97.3), now KIRO-F. The FM flip will take place at 5a PT with the 710 KIRO MORNING NEWS WITH GREGG HERSHOLT AND JANE SHANNON.

"NEWS TALK 710 KIRO will now broadcast on the strongest FM signal in the market," said PD ROD ARQUETTE. "PUGET SOUND residents will immediately notice a better, cleaner sound on FM."

"We believe we can best serve PUGET SOUND residents by offering KIRO's rich mix of news, local talk, public affairs, and community service on 97.3 FM," added VP/Market Manager CARL GARDNER.

Well it looks like Bonneville decided to pull the streaming - all the links in this thread are dead. So no "cheating" allowed!

Thanks for the info Jr_tech!

This explains why I didn't hear anything on 104.5, while traveling through the northern valley, over the weekend.

"HAL A ROSE"

This must be the guy chose the KHAL calls for Condon's 93.5!

There goes our chance to listen to the switch of 97.3!

KASY was in the market. Perhaps, they thought the calls were too similar at first. By the way, I was interviewed by that station right after Mt Saint Helens blew.

Got up to record the flip... They had already flipped by 4:30...

97.3 appears to be running 7-8 seconds behind 710 (normal IBOC delay).

>>Got up to record the flip... They had already flipped by 4:30...:-( <<

Thanks to modern technology (the computer) I managed to capture the flip and the first simulcast legal ID.

If you want to get a copy send an e-mail to 1lossir (at) myrealbox.com and I'll send you the link. Note: replace the (at) with the @ symbol.

CLICK HERE:

http://boomp3.com/listen/bzxudub6i_7
(hit the little play button on there)

Last three songs:
Frank Sinatra - That's life, Eagles - Already Gone, Rolling Stones - Start Me Up...

...which was cut short at 4:23am when the simulcast joined Wall Street Journal Radio --

Jane Shannon wast first to mention the Simulcast of 97.3 during the 4:30am local newscast.

Added note:
They're still broadcasting in MONO on the FM

KIRO HD-2 is broadcasting an urban AC format with no imaging on air and no data scroll.

>I have no memory of KIRO-FM being a rock station in the late 60's, (too young!), but they must have been killed by KOL-FM.

In response to Paul's comment here, since I am a little older than he is, I distinctly remember when KIRO-FM 100.7 had a rock format in the mid to late 1960s under its previous ownership by Bonneville. But I think it was more of a contemporary Top-40 type of format rather than what I recall as the "underground" format then on KOL-FM. I remember KIRO-FM being promoted on Channel 7 TV commercials as "The Young Sound."

Then in 1969, KIRO-FM switched to the new "Hit Parade 69" format developed by Drake-Chenault, and carried that for a year or two until KFKF-FM 92.5 FM in Bellevue grabbed Hit Parade '71. There was a legal squabble between the two stations, as I recall, and for a brief time both carried Hit Parade.

Then Bonneville made an abrupt change, switching KIRO-FM to the very listenable beautiful music format that Bonneville was becoming known for nationally. I remember that their promotional spots went something like, "Goodbye, Three Dog Night. Hello Mantovani -- the new KIRO-FM." (They would substitute other artists' names in other commercials).

Then a few years later the beautiful music format continued but with the call letters KSEA. I almost half-expected Bonneville to change the TV station's call letters to KSEA-TV, because, for Seattle, that would have mimicked the company's KSL-TV call letters in Salt Lake City. But they didn't do that.

All this trivia stuck in my head that probably isn't very interesting except to a Baby Boomer-aged radio buff who happened to grow up in Seattle..:-)

There are atleast two of us on here, John.

If what you are saying about KIRO-FM in the late 60's is true, we may have to re-write the history of FM top40 in Seattle! Was the presentation uptempo, did they have jingles, did they talkover? To me, those three items really defined the format.

I doubt there is much audio of that format out there, if any. Obviously, the format didn't last and beautiful music saved the day.

"Last three songs:
Frank Sinatra - That's life, Eagles - Already Gone, Rolling Stones - Start Me Up...

...which was cut short at 4:23am when the simulcast joined Wall Street Journal Radio -- "

Ahhhh! that pretty much explains what I heard... When I got up, I heard the Eagles & Stones, I plugged in a MD recorder, fiddled with it a bit, when I put on the headphones, I heard the Wall St. program. I thought I had bumped the tuner off station when I plugged in the MD, but that was the flip! I did catch the ID at 4:30.

KIRO-FM also had, for awhile in the mid-to-late '60's a syndicated format called "The Young Sound." I remember it as being rather bad, to my taste anyway, a lot of instrumental versions of recent hits. There was a lot of experimentation going on then on FM. I remember another station, KETO-FM at 101.5 (now KPLZ) that had a soft hits/easy listening format for awhile called "Music Only for a Woman." KETO-AM (1590) in the '60's was classical.

Brade says, "there was a lot of experimentation going on then on FM".

Very true, and not much revenue was coming from the FM band at the time.

"instrumental versions of recent hits"...that sounds almost like the beautiful music format that KIRO-FM started in the early 70's.

Completely unrelated, but Brad you were in talk radio in Seattle, right? Do I remember you on the old KING-AM? Or was it KTW? I remember eventual KIRO TV personalities Wayne Cody and Aaron Brown on KTW. I think.

I thought KIRO-FM was simulcasting KIRO when I visited my sister in Seattle in 1969 and both were Beautiful Music. I remember KOL-FM simulcasting KOL after midnight or maybe the other way around. I was thinking the Progressive format was only after midnight.

I hosted talk shows on KAYO in the early 80's and KING-AM in the late '80's. KTW was before my time in talk radio but I've heard many cool stories about those days. I think Aaron Brown went by the name Skip Brown on KTW.

(If you weren't from Seattle, you may want to skip all the following)

Yes, indeed. Aaron "Skip" Brown and Wayne Cody were among the personalities on "KTW Two-Way Talk Radio" 1250 in the early 1970s after the station was bought by Sterling Broadcasting. The station also featured a very good all-news block in the mornings. I was disappointed when Sterling suddenly pulled the plug on the format. The company was in the process of purchasing KUUU 1590 AM and supposedly was going to move KTW to that frequency because, back then, 1250 had to sign off at sunset and return to the air at 11:15 p.m. after KWSU 1250 in Pullman had left the air. But instead, if my memory is correct, Sterling continued a revised KUUU for a while as "K-YOU 16" before making 1590 simply a simulcast of their KZOK-FM 102.5.

I see that Brad also remembered KIRO-FM's "The Young Sound" from the mid to late 1960s. But I never heard the format myself, because we didn't have a decently working FM radio in our home until about 1969! I just know about it from seeing it promoted on KIRO-TV.

In response to Semoochie, I thinkk you are correct that KIRO-AM was briefly simulcasting KIRO-FM's beautiful music format, but I think it was only during the late-night early morning hours. KIRO-AM back then had a personality-driven middle of the road music format that at one point -- I think in the early 70s -- was promoted as "Radio Northwest." They featured a number of original orchestrated tunes -- some serious, some funny-- called "The Northwest Suite" that KIRO had commissioned someone to write.

I also remember in the mid to late 60s when KIRO-AM overnight carried a Holiday Inn-sponsored syndicated instrumental music program hosted by a "Dolly Holiday." (I think I'm probably safe in assuming that wasn't her real name).

Then in the early 1970s, KIRO overnight carried the nationally syndicated Herb Jepko phone-in show, in which Herb, from Salt Lake City, chatted with older folks about just about ANYTHING except politics and religion. He had a VERY dedicated following.

Ahhh, memories....

http://boomp3.com/listen/bzy4abgr0_2

Better version

KIRO HD-2 is broadcasting an urban AC format with no imaging on air and no data scroll.

It's satellite Urban A/C branded as "Love Train on Digital Radio".

I remember hearing Herb Jepko on KIRO! That's where I learned what a prostate was!

I was such a lonely child...

Haha...probably an old geezer complaining about his. That is what that show was...conversation about nothing! Sure helped get you to sleep though, which may have been the point!

And Johnf, and Brade, I too enjoyed KTW. Real, local talk radio. 1250 AM!

I would like to personally apologize for starting this thread on a Portland board. It's become a Seattle thread, although I did wonder if anyone thought an FM in Portland might adopt news/talk.

It is also a testament to Dan Packard 'cause there is no board even resembling this in Seattle! Thanks Dan!

.....beautiful music format continued but with the call letters KSEA......

That one used to be on my resume! Of course 25+ years after the fact, 6 months of babysitting beautiful music automation and reading the Sunday Times doesn't really count except for memories.

RE: KAYO in the early 80s. I remember them with Ryan and Ryan. Wonder if Bobby every took his christmas tree down?

RE: KUUU If anyone remembers David Cool (real name too) wickedly funny guy....... but you had to like your humor DRY!

>>Sterling continued a revised KUUU for a while as "K-YOU 16"

KUUU was oldies, then soft rock before becoming KZOK (AM), then new wave as KJET.

I recall reading on the old Airwaves website the story of how "The Young Sound," created by CBS, came to be. Legend has it that William Paley and his wife were out for a Sunday drive listening to an easy listening station and lamenting the fact young people never listen to "good music." The thought occurred to them that most of the songs they were hearing were instrumental versions of songs from their high school/college days. Mrs. Paley supposedly suggested that maybe young people would like easy listening more if the songs were instrumental versions of the hit songs young people were accustomed to hearing. Some Googling shows "The Young Sound" was first tried on CBS's O & O FMs starting in 1966. Needless to say, the format was not a huge success and it later evolved into chicken rock, then to some variation of automated top 40.

During a 1974 road trip I heard a couple of stations that I believe were "Young Sound" stations near the end of the format's existence. The music was adult-leaning top 40, but was surrounded with automated easy listening formatics, soft jingles, subdued voice tracks, etc.

To Johnf: That program hosted by "Dolly Holiday" was an all-night sponsorship that Holiday Inn bought on several "Beautiful Music" formatted stations. It was called "Nighttime" or something very close to that. Holiday Inn commercials ran about every 15 minutes, Holiday Inn liners mentioned features and amenities of the hotels (kind of like 10 second commercials), and an occasional back-announce of a selection that was played, generally artist only.

KYXI carried it in the Portland area. (How's THAT for bringing the Portland connection back?)

Interesting discussion!

...so this "Young Sound" was basically comprised of the Hollyridge Strings and the like?

KIRO's evening programming sounds like it is evolving into some kind of a hot-talk format. The TBTL show that they run before Phil Hendrie almost sounds like a cross between Rick Emerson and NPR.

The way that they are handling the simulcast is interesting: they are having contests to reward former listeners of the 710 AM broadcast for switching to the 97.3 FM simulcast. One the one hand, this serves to maintain the existing KIRO image and listenership while "re-branding" it as a FM station. However, could their encouraging of listeners to leave the AM behind mean that they have plans in the works for either a sale of or a format flip on the AM?

As I live in Hillsboro, nighttime reception of KIRO-AM is mediocre, due to the station's nighttime directional pattern, and reception of KIRO-FM is virtually impossible due to distance and KYCH. I will lose out if KIRO-AM goes away.

>>However, could their encouraging of listeners to leave the AM behind mean that they have plans in the works for either a sale of or a format flip on the AM? <<

The rumor is that the AM will go all-sports in January. Bonneville just won back the Mariners rights and that along with the Seahawks and Storm provides a good foundation for a competitor to KJR-AM.

True. All indications are KIRO-AM will be sports. Which begs the question, what happens to KJR? Do they stay with the format? (The 0-5 Huskies are not helping).

KJR-AM (950) 'might' switch to oldies if that happens we're told

The FM KJR (95.7) isn't doing any much better in format up there!

..and re KJR - (the ol' Channel 95):

http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2008/oct/04/northwest-rock-legend-pat-oday-comes-h ome/

This from R&R:

--------------------It's Sports For Bonneville/Seattle--------------------

By Mike Stern

After beginning a simulcast of talk KIRO-AM on KBSG at 97.3 FM, which had been a classic hits station, on Aug. 12 Bonneville/Seattle appears to have selected April 1 as the launch date for a new sports station on the 710 KIRO-AM frequency. An official press conference to announce the details is scheduled for Thurday (Nov. 13). While not likely, if this turns out to be an April Fool's Day joke, kudos for long-term planning will be given.

The Seattle Mariners return to KIRO with the flip for the 2009 season, joining the Seahawks who are already heard on the frequency.

The new station will compete with Clear Channel sports KJR, which notched a 2.0 share in the most recent ratings. The Seattle Times reports rumors of the ESPN Radio Network leaving KJR for the new station. That would follow the pattern set in St. Louis where Bonneville is launching an FM sports station on January 1 and was able to take ESPN affiliation away from a competitor.

Earlier this week, Bonneville/Seattle laid off seven people from KIRO in a budget move not connected to the announcement of the new station. There may, however, be new opportunities for those people and others with the sports station.

I may be in the minority in saying that I am glad that 710 won't be going to sports until April. This way, I can continue listening to TBTL and Phil Hendrie on 710.