KGO: Big Announcement Coming?

[DavidKaye]

Do they need an FM or is this just a "keeping up with the Jones's"?

Your thoughts?

They desperately need an FM.  David Eduardo says that the ad agencies won't touch them anymore because their audience is too old.  So, this means that they have to beat the pavement and hope that their national rep can bring in business.  Notice how few national advertisers are on KGO.  

[BossRadioDJ]

Radio-Locator.com's list of FM signals and their strength in San Jose and the Southbay is here:

http://Radio-Info.com/sjradio

...if you'd like to guess along with us at home.

[BossRadioDJ]

They desperately need an FM.  David Eduardo says that the ad agencies won't touch them anymore because their audience is too old.

Would the mere fact that they would simulcast KGO on FM (or... hmmm, launch a younger-skewing FM talk station) (nahhhh...) (hmmm...) necessarily change the demographic of their audience?

Are younger listeners going to tune in Dr. Dean or Gil Gross simply because they're on FM?

[Lkeller]

They desperately need an FM.  David Eduardo says that the ad agencies won't touch them anymore because their audience is too old.

Would the mere fact that they would simulcast KGO on FM (or... hmmm, launch a younger-skewing FM talk station) (nahhhh...) (hmmm...) necessarily change the demographic of their audience?

Are younger listeners going to tune in Dr. Dean or Gil Gross simply because they're on FM?

Mr. Eduardo can (and has) given examples of stations in other markets that saw significant increases in their ratings in the 25-54 demographic by simulcasting, or just moving to the FM dial, and abandoning AM entirely.

[RadioStarOne]

KGO might also be ready to name the new 10P to 1AM show host. The possibility of an FM signal is good news indeed but after we have an FM dial full of News/Talk stations along with all the AM News/Talk stations who wins the prize? I suspect none of them. The market will be even more diluted than ever. Don't cha think? News/Talk on FM may make the owner a bit more cash but its not going to save the ship. Or will it? Time will tell. BTW, KGO's signal in the stockton area could use a lift. What about 107.3? Think they bought it from the group back east?

[BossRadioDJ]

KGO might also be ready to name the new 10P to 1AM show host. ... BTW, KGO's signal in the stockton area could use a lift. What about 107.3? Think they bought it from the group back east?

This was mentioned in some blog written by someone earlier today...

The future of KSTN-FM is interesting, regardless of who's hands it ends up in. Check out its coverage map:

www.sfradiocity.com/kstn/images/kstn-fm_coverage_2007.png

Note the immense area its signal blankets. Note that the majority of the Bay Area is greyed out ... and marked "Bay Area coverage not claimed by KSTN-FM."

They ain't claimin' it, but it's still being covered.

...And that could be quite a station to have in your stable.

[newsperson]

Newsperson responds:

Has the sale of KSTN 107.3 been consumated? If so that could be a possibility.

Bill Watenburg always blabs about KGO covering the West except it's not true.  The signal severly cuts back towards Sacramento and certainly
does not cover the rockies as he blabs about.

KSTN-FM does not have a good signal in S.F.  The site (or city of license) can be moved say to Berkley and then that would make sense.

However once you have a full-service FM in this market it sure sounds like a waste of a facility to simulcast an AM station.

Your thoughts?

Newsperson

[DaveBayArea]

KSTN doesn't cover the Bay Area at all in terms of building penetration, and I'm pretty sure that a move to the west would place them way too close geographically to 106.9 and 107.7.  Besides - that grandfathered site on Mt. Diablo is something that pretty much everyone envies.  They might be able to add a booster shooting somewhere out of the East Bay Hills tho.  But there's all sorts of mutual interference problems with that idea.

It's hard to keep up with all of the announcements, but didn't Clear Channel say sometime back that they were going to divest their small-market stations?  It seems to me that 92.3, 98.5 or 104.9 might fit into that category.  Maybe it's one of those.

Dave B.

[sfradio]

kgo might go to 98.5, 92.3 or 104.9

[Lkeller]

kgo might go to 98.5, 92.3 or 104.9

For a potential simulcast, wouldn't KGO want a strong FM signal into San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley, etc?  98.5 may be strong enough, but the other 2 are pretty weak.