Bonneville buys KKFR 92.3 Glendale/Phoenix

[JamesAnderson]

Bonneville is going to buy KKFR 92.3 Glendale/Phoenix.

This heritage CHR has been owned by Emmis for around 14 years, has been a CHR since around 1985. Originally known as 'K-Fire', hence the calls, it has run the gamut of CHR formats over the years, currently is a CHR/Rhythmic.

Bonneville plans to start airing some of KTAR 620 Phoenix's programming on the FM once things are more final. That according to Russ Hill.

There should be an announcement on Bonneville's website, reports have filtered in they made the announcement on the air down there on KTAR.

Edit: Found more on radioandrecords.com:

www.radioandrecords.com/Newsroom/2006_05_08/bonnevilleto.asp

[MoundofSound]

I had hoped to be the first to bring this to the board. Had I the thread would have been "is Bonneville Insane?" Not because they bought another station for the Phoenix cluster, but to blow up a successful (arguably a more successful station than KQMB) format and station to do, yet again, another News / Talk simulcast. If KQMB made no sense, this one, to me makes even less. Bonneville says it's going to try to preserve the format on another frequency and another station. Here's an idea...why not leave ot alone. I know CHR / Rhythmic does not fit the "Bonneville Image" but blowin' this one up makes no sense at all. I know Bonneville has this "vision" of the next generation of news / talk listeners coming over to FM, but I think this is way too early. For cryin' out loud, Bonneville can run successful music stations, including their adult hits station in Phoenix! Do the market a favor, swap KKFR for a lesser performing FM station, and likely some cash, too, and put your News / Talk FM there!

[Always]

77.5 Million what a waste if you look at Phoenix Arbs I think if I were in charge the lowest radio station down is what I would have made a great offer to them 25 million pocket maybe 50 Million But I'm a nobody, But I'm glad to see the church using the money wise

KAHM-FM SW FM Broadcasting Co. B/EZ 0.4 0.6 0.4 0.4 0.7
KSWG-FM Circle S Country 0.6 0.5 0.5 0.7 0.4

I know the coverage areas might be a little of But come on they know how Millcreek and Simmons works around here , A Booster here there and everywhere

[JamesAnderson]

The price says it all.

KKFR has been in the top-5 in the ratings, and in the Winter 05 book they were tied for first with regional Mexican simulcaster KHOT/KHOV. KHOV is a NW Valley rimshot from Wickenburg, and KHOT is a Docket 80-90 class A drop-in with a booster to cover the shadow from Shaw Butte, mainly around from about Camelback to Cactus Roads from 19th Avenue west or so.

That's why Bonneville is looking for another operator to take the format, it's all too clear this CHR was a winner and has been for many years. I met a couple of the people that started KKFR as 'K-Fire' when they were still working at CHR/pop KRQQ 93.7 Tucson, nicknamed 'KRQ', with liners like 'Three letter radio', and promotions around not having the second Q in the nickname,, a station that was a huge market leader until recently down there as well.

The 'Power 92' nickname came after they dropped K-Fire for 'Hot Hits' and got in trouble with the people who owned the rights to that name in about 1988.

[x]

Well you've seen how well the KSL-FM experiment has paid off. It's only natural that they expand the idea to other markets. {sarcasm off}

Ok seriously. It sounds like a stupid idea. At least here Star 102.7 wasn't blowing the roof off the place in the ratings. KKFR is doing pretty well, and if you look back a year it was tied for #1 in 12+. But it's been trending down, so maybe the format's shot. I don't know. Heck, with it's retiree population Phoenix even supports an Easy Listening station. Go figure.

[JamesAnderson]

KAHM, the B/EZ station, would do much better if it were a full-market, but it is broadcasting from the same site that KRZS and KVIB are, a rimshot site near Prescott.

And unlike KRZS and several other forthcoming rimshots from that site, they are actually going to stay with the local Prescott market rather than target Phoenix. They don't even have a website yet, but I've heard them, great engineering, great sound, everything is good about KAHM's operation. They have been on 102.1 since the late 80s , they started as a class A in 1981. Sort of like KMXU was before Doug Barton sold it.

These Prescott rimshots only hit the NW Valley, they don't cover the southeast Valley (Mesa, Tempe) hardly at all, they also include a local religious NCE from Prescott as well and it's also local to Prescott.

[MoundofSound]

Latest trends from Phoenix show Bonneville's leading 12+ station actually PLAYS MUSIC! Who would've thought!??! Go KTAR-FM (sarcasm OUT!)

[JamesAnderson]

That one is KPKX 98.7, a station that flipped from AC about 18 months ago. They took up the 'jack' format, but calls itself 'The Peak', a reference to a local mountain the SR-51 freeway runs right along the base of.

You can hear that one online on the 'net. 987thepeak.com I think is the URL. They were also the first station to add an HD2 channel down there, and it's an 80s format that is said to be better than Sirius or XM has been runnikng.