Post by MoundofSound on Nov 4, 2008 0:21:04 GMT -5
I really don't understand the reasoning of some of the marketing efforts being done by Bonneville in some places. When KSL added the 102.7 simulcast it seemed that they were making a great effort to build 102.7 at the expense of 1160. Their marketing was meant to push people to the FM, but 1160 at least got a place in the advertising. Now it seems that the FM - AM frequencies have an equal prominence in their marketing. I think that is wise because I believe that while 102.7 is growing, the bulk of the KSL audience still belongs to 1160. I have not seen a break out if the latest numbers, so that is pure speculation. However, the last time I did see a breakout, the AM had a considerable lead over the FM. Now go to mynorthwest.com which is Bonneville's site for their Seattle cluster. I know they are trying to move the audience to KIRO-FM, but it seems to me that they are trying to completely kill off 710 AM. There is, essentially, no mention of it (710) other that make the switch from it to 97.3 and win money. KIRO-AM is a strong facility with a great signal, and has, in my opinion a lot of shelf life left. Now if they are planning a separate format for 710 (like...ooh all sports?) why not just do like they did in Phoenix where one day KTAR was 620, a brief simulcast with 92.3 and then sports debuted on 620. Now that I think of it was there even a simulcast? I get it that Bonneville has a vision of the future of News/Talk on FM....and having great success with that in Washington on WTOP-FM. But in that market they had a high dial position AM with market coverage issues. I don't believe that to be the case in either Seattle or Salt Lake for that matter and that their AM facilities there still have a long way to go. Although to give credence to their moves, if receiver manufactures continue to make more and more crappy AM sections it won't make a difference how big an AM signal is you won't be able to hear it anyway. So maybe Bonneville is correctly thinking ahead in this situation. Thoughts?