KEZF 1230 Becomes KJJC "The Place"

[David]

This should be good news for disgruntled former KLO listeners. The conservative Salem Radio talk show hosts will soon be returning to the Salt Lake AM dial as KJJC 1230, "The Place". The station will be operated by KJJC Media, which is also LMA'ing KNIT 1320. No mention of Jim Rome in the programming line-up, though.

radioinsight.com/headlines/177347/new-conservative-talker-to-launch-in-salt-lake-city/

[CAwasinNJ]

All Access has the story too. (https://www.allaccess.com/net-news/archive/story/186813/kjjc-salt-lake-city-goes-talk-with-salem-lineup-as)

The first thing that jumps out at me is whether Fox 13 is going to have a problem with the name. They already have a well established brand in "The Place" and that could cause a problem. Putting the branding aside, I have to question the quote from Phil Boyce. Boyce has a very long and respected track record in the talk radio field, so he knows what he's talking about. The quote seems to completely ignore the years of history the Salem properties had on KLO. His statement seems to me to imply that Salem wasn't in this market before. Maybe he wants to forget about the failure? The coverage area that KJJC has is much less than KLO, though it's centered in Salt Lake County as opposed to Davis County. Overall, it's a poorer signal. The mention of the translator is almost completely irrelevant unless some major upgrades take place, which doesn't seem likely. Neither of Kona's translators (K233DV and K260DR) cover much more than the immediate area around Bluffdale.

I have to wonder if this is really all about Salem being able to say they're on the air here so they can sell national ads. It's pretty much the same thing that's going on over at Cumulus' KKAT 860. I don't see this going much better than KLO did, but maybe they'll surprise me. The next part you all know I"m going to say and is probably the subject of a drinking game by now; they'll need to promote.

[David]

I wouldn't necessarily call the Salem talk format on KLO a failure. They certainly gave it a good run--I think it was on 1430 for close to 10 years. For whatever reason, Capital decided to go in a different direction with their AM property, and as a fan of their current format, I'm glad they did. I still don't understand why KBJA 1640 has Mike Gallagher and Dennis Prager listed on their "hosts" page when their shows aren't even listed on KBJA's schedule. Anyone have any insight on this anomaly?

With competition from KSL, KNRS, and KKAT-AM, I think KJJC is at a distinct disadvantage in the news/talk race, especially with a 500 watt signal on a graveyard frequency. You could also add KBJA and KVNU to the list of talk radio competition, but I digress. Suffice it to say the new operators of 1230 are fighting an uphill battle in this market. It's interesting to note that the header on the KJJC web site is "This Is The Place", which as most of us know were Brigham Young's words upon entering the Salt Lake Valley with the LDS pioneers.

[David]

Sounds like the launch of the new format on 1230 has been delayed. According to the RadioInsight article, Salem talk was scheduled to start today (June 3rd). As of this posting, I'm still hearing the KRKY simulcast on KJJC. Maybe they're going to wait until Midnight tonight to premiere the new format.

[amanuensis]

Anyone caught a station ID? Wondering if Kona went to the trouble of cutting a new ID recording that would just be used for a few days. I listened frequently on Saturday, but never heard one.

[radiowyoming]

1320 is on, and they have a picture of it on their website

www.ynop.org/index.html

[David]

It sounds like the new format has finally debuted on 1230 as of Tuesday, although the signals of both 1230 and 1320 have been weaker in the Ogden area for the past week or so. That could be due to recent changes in our weather, however. In any event, I think the target audience for KJJC and KNIT is Davis and Salt Lake counties, with Weber County and Ogden as an afterthought. If Kona Coast ever gets the informal objection crap resolved and boosts power to 730 watts, 1230 & 1320 might have a listenable signal north of Davis County.

[CAwasinNJ]

I'm curious David, given that KLO was at the bottom of the ratings for many years, by what criteria do you judge it to not be a failure? I think it's an important question. If there just isn't an audience for these shows then all the other questions become irrelevant. (If someone put throat singing on KSL(AM)'s blowtorch signal I'd be very confident it would get zero ratings, unless it was being programmed by Max Bialystock.)

[David]

I didn't choose my words very well for that post, CA. In terms of ratings, there's no doubt that the Salem talk format on KLO wasn't very successful. In terms of longevity, however, the talk format on KLO lasted a lot longer than I would have expected. I think most of us were surprised when KLO flipped back in December, as it seemed like the Salem talk format would last forever on 1430. And there's no denying that the talk format did show up in the local ratings occasionally, minuscule though they were. As much as I like KLO's new format, I'm troubled by its failure to show in the ratings since the flip, and the lack of promotion other than a web presence and a Facebook page. But I'm digressing again.

IMO, the issue with the Salem talk format is more of a content problem than a ratings problem. When it comes to talk formats, there's the "schedule A" stations like KSL and KNRS, and "schedule B" stations like KKAT. At the bottom are stations like KJJC and KBJA, which has never showed in the ratings going back to the days of KTKK on 630. Salem and some of the other talk "networks" have content with a very narrow focus and almost no tolerance for opposing viewpoints. In fact, I've read that the reason Michael Medved was dismissed by Salem is because he was too critical of the Trump administration. You could put what's on KJJC on KSL or KNRS, and it still wouldn't pull more than a 0.5 rating. By that measure, Salem's talk format is a failure, and it will never have the appeal of schedule A talkers like KSL or KNRS.

[CAwasinNJ]

Ah, I think I see what you mean. I wouldn't be surprised if the longevity at KLO was more a lack of alternatives than anything else.

KTKK actually did make a regular showing in the ratings back in the 2010-2012 time period. I believe that was also the time when the public numbers included stations that didn't subscribe. The numbers were about the same as KLO's. The big problem with talk is that it's in major decline across the country. Even the really big names like Limbaugh and Hannity have watched their ratings crater. If the giants are in big trouble the second tier is in big big trouble.

[kenglish]

I would normally check them out...new station and all...but my landlord won't let me.