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Post by David on Oct 29, 2019 15:17:53 GMT -6
103.3 KLGN-HD (or K277BD, Weston,ID if you prefer) is already branding itself as "The Christmas Station" on its web site, complete with a countdown clock to the date when 24/7 Christmas music starts. Right now it appears they'll be going all Xmas on November 4th, which likely means KLGN will be one of the first stations in Utah to flip. Having a countdown clock on their web page takes all the mystery out of guessing when the HO HO HO's will start.  Oh well. |
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Post by CAwasinNJ on Oct 30, 2019 6:53:36 GMT -6
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Post by CAwasinNJ on Oct 30, 2019 6:59:27 GMT -6
For those who can hear K277BD or the digital primary (KKEX I think) the mystery is solved. David, you said previously that you can't get the translator from where you are. Is that also true while you're out driving and not in the RF Bermuda Triangle? I doubt anyone in Weber County or south would have anything on 103.3 except 103.1 and 103.5 splatter. We might as well start the speculation. Anyone who thinks FM 100.3 isn't going to switch is completely nuts, so let's just mark that down in pen right now.  The religious network stations and KLO I'm sure will at some point as well. Easy 99.1 is probably a safe bet also for those that can hear it. For various reasons everyone other than FM 100.3 is a minor player. Will another major FM step in? I might take a chance with B98.7 if I'm Cumulus. Thoughts? |
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Post by amanuensis on Oct 30, 2019 15:03:16 GMT -6
I wonder if KSRR or KQMB will do all-Christmas, assuming that the new owner manages to get them back on the air before then. The old owner always did.
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Post by David on Oct 30, 2019 18:31:17 GMT -6
CA, I've never tried to hear 103.3 while mobile, but I'm guessing the reception with my Corolla's radio isn't going to be much different than at home unless I get inside of Box Elder county. Besides, 103.3 Lite FM is on a digital subchannel now, and my car's radio doesn't have HD capability. As for KSRR and KQMB, they both have authorizations to remain silent into 2020, and it's getting to be too cold to do much antenna work except to string up a long wire. KSRR is authorized to remain silent until June 11th, 2020, and KQMB is authorized to be off the air until August 8th, 2020. I doubt either will be back on the air within the next 30 days, but perhaps Frank will provide us with an update later.
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Post by CAwasinNJ on Oct 31, 2019 6:03:00 GMT -6
Just to be clear David, 103.3 is an analog only translator.
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Post by David on Oct 31, 2019 13:14:00 GMT -6
Just to be clear David, 103.3 is an analog only translator. Sorry, my bad. I got confused when I read that 103.3 is fed by an HD subchannel. |
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fmdj1
Bronze Level Member
Posts: 143
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Post by fmdj1 on Oct 31, 2019 22:25:15 GMT -6
CA, I've never tried to hear 103.3 while mobile, but I'm guessing the reception with my Corolla's radio isn't going to be much different than at home unless I get inside of Box Elder county. Besides, 103.3 Lite FM is on a digital subchannel now, and my car's radio doesn't have HD capability. As for KSRR and KQMB, they both have authorizations to remain silent into 2020, and it's getting to be too cold to do much antenna work except to string up a long wire. KSRR is authorized to remain silent until June 11th, 2020, and KQMB is authorized to be off the air until August 8th, 2020. I doubt either will be back on the air within the next 30 days, but perhaps Frank will provide us with an update later. Thank you! I'm sorry I haven't been on here much lately. We are actually working to get both on the air within the next 30-60 days, if possible, but there is a lot of work to be done to get there and some things are taking longer than I'd like. I do have Christmas music ready if it makes sense, but even if it doesn't happen with those, we'll be flipping to Christmas in the not too distant future on KWLO/K260DS |
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Post by CAwasinNJ on Nov 1, 2019 4:20:18 GMT -6
Thanks for the update Frank. And as I mentioned privately, congrats on the approval of KWLO/K260DS.
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Post by amanuensis on Nov 1, 2019 9:36:53 GMT -6
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Post by amanuensis on Nov 1, 2019 9:41:39 GMT -6
The thing I don't like about how most stations play Christmas is how they program everything from evergreen 40s songs to now -- over 70 years. Also, there seems to be no attempt to program songs in a way that results in a smooth transition. While I like hearing Mannheim Steamroller, and I like hearing the Tabernacle Choir, I don't really like hearing them back to back. In other words, most stations program Christmas way too broad. I wish the stations who feel that they have to do Christmas would just pick a subgenre to program and and stick with it.
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Post by David on Nov 1, 2019 16:56:34 GMT -6
I think one of the reasons most radio stations program such a wide variety of Christmas music is because they've got a lot of air time to fill. If a station flips to 24/7 Christmas music the first or second week in November, then they have at least six weeks to program. If a station plays the same two or three hundred Xmas tunes over and over during those six weeks, most listeners will get bored and tune out after the first couple of weeks. I personally enjoy hearing a mix of different genres and eras of Christmas music, because it seems like November and December is the only time of the year that everything isn't pigeonholed into specific formats and eras on the radio.
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Post by amanuensis on Nov 1, 2019 19:30:09 GMT -6
I think one of the reasons most radio stations program such a wide variety of Christmas music is because they've got a lot of air time to fill. If a station flips to 24/7 Christmas music the first or second week in November, then they have at least six weeks to program. If a station plays the same two or three hundred Xmas tunes over and over during those six weeks, most listeners will get bored and tune out after the first couple of weeks. I personally enjoy hearing a mix of different genres and eras of Christmas music, because it seems like November and December is the only time of the year that everything isn't pigeonholed into specific formats and eras on the radio. But you do hear the same songs from the same artists over and over despite having 70 years of recordings to draw from. You hear Bing Crosby sing White Cristmas. You hear Gene Autry sing Rudolph. You hear Andy Williams sing It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year. You hear Jimmy Durante sing Frosty the Snowman. Many other people have covered the songs that they are famous for. But you rarely hear those versions. I think stations should make a pledge to not play any particular Christmas recording by a particular artist more than once per day.
I think with 70 years of music, you can go narrow and go deep at the same time. For example, I wouldn't mind have an all-Instrumental Christmas feed to listen to while working. Spotify manages to do that. So why couldn't a Smooth Jazz station flip to a format like that for a month or so?
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Post by David on Nov 1, 2019 22:12:05 GMT -6
I guess it depends on which station you listen to. When KLO changed formats last December, I heard several songs that weren't played on the other Salt Lake stations plus the usual Christmas classics. KANN 1120 also had a good variety of contemporary Christian Christmas songs and traditional favorites. But most people don't listen to AM radio anymore, so that puts stations like KLO and KANN at a disadvantage over the 800 pound gorilla KSFI during the holidays.
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Post by CAwasinNJ on Nov 2, 2019 7:52:23 GMT -6
I agree with David that a broad mix of different eras of Christmas music is a good idea. It might even be necessary given the low actual number of Christmas songs. If you're listening to a Christmas station it's pretty much a foregone conclusion that Jingle Bells is going to come up A LOT. The saving grace (so to speak) is that there are an infinite number of ways to perform it. THe flip side of that is when a listener hears 4 or 5 songs in a row that they don't know they're liable to flip the station to find something they're familiar with and like. It's a balancing act, and not one limited to Christmas music. Listen for a while to a classic rock station and you're going to hear Stairway to Heaven. Listen to an oldies station and Hey Jude is going to come on, etc. I see the logic in the No Repeat Day pledge, but you'd still have to figure out the time spent listening problem. If the listener is only tuned in 3 hours a day at various times, it would be easy to miss the favorites that they might want to hear. I do think there's always room for improvement in segues. Any decent automation software can make those transitions much more smooth if the PD/MD is willing to invest some time. (Example: www.stationplaylist.com/creator.html ) On a side note, Christmas stations should sprinkle in a fair number of Bob Rivers parodies. Some of them are hysterical and poking fun at the five millionth time you've heard Here Comes Santa Claus has to be at least a little cathartic. |
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Oh well. 
