Hannity and Limbaugh moving to FM. Will replace Smooth Jazz 100.3

[Oreo]

The station was hardly jazz... their format was all over the place but this is the worst possible thing that could replace it. 88 is much better for real Jazz.
It looks like KSTP wanted to drop Limbaugh and Hannity because of their respective 43% and 63% drop in ratings.
I would bet the coverage area is much less than the AM station.

http://www.startribune.com/stories/389/5585758.html
Limbaugh, Hannity moving to FM band; smooth jazz fades out on 100.3
Deborah Caulfield Rybak, Star Tribune
August 30, 2005 RADIO0830


Smooth jazz station KJZI, 100.3 FM, will disappear from Twin Cities FM airwaves next year when owner Clear Channel Communications replaces it with a new talk station featuring the political riffs of Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity, currently heard on KSTP, 1500 AM.

"Starting January 1, we will launch KTLK FM 100.3 that will feature Rush Limbaugh's live broadcast from 11 to 2 p.m. and, next August, Sean Hannity live from 2 to 5 p.m," Clear Channel's local vice president and general manager, Dan Seeman, said in an interview. KTLK will pick up Hannity's syndicated show when his contract with KSTP-AM expires next year. Limbaugh's contract with KSTP expires in December. Most other time slots -- including morning, midday and late afternoon shows -- will be filled with live, local, not-necessarily-political shows, Seeman said.

"We're going to go out and hire the best talk show talent we can find, not the best conservative talk show host, or the best liberal, or the best car talk show host," he said. "What their political leanings are will be secondary to good talk shows."

Clear Channel decided to launch the new station in KJZI's place because the smooth-jazz format "had not performed as well as we'd hoped" during its two years on the air, Seeman said. No staff reductions will be necessary because the new format will require even more personnel, he added.

Clear Channel's announcement comes two weeks after KSTP-AM executives said they were looking to redefine the station's relationships with both syndicated radio hosts. Over the past year, among listeners aged 25-54, Limbaugh's Arbitron ratings on KSTP had declined 43 percent; Hannity's 63 percent.

[rodeodance]

1. i only thing i am interested about regarding these 2 is that their ratings

have dropped. i have hope for america!!!!(some days).

[Demrock6]

2. Ed Schultz is on the same station at Rush....

In some cities. They run a Rush's crap then redeem themselves with the Big Eddie. Perhaps they will do that here.

[Oreo]

3. That'll only happen if 950 drops Schultz

I'm just wondering what's going to happen when Franken moves here.

[Eric J in MN]

11. Why would Al Franken moving here change anything? nt

nt

[Oreo]

12. I'm curious to see what his part will be in 950

Either he'll be completely separate and have nothing to do with them or he'll go there and want to make some changes.

[Eric J in MN]

14. Ed Schultz has been a guest on the Al Franken Show.

I don't think Franken has naything against him.

[bucknaked]

4. Was just going to post the same article.

The format was typical of clear channel's idea of contemporary "smooth" jazz... maybe 2-4 actual songs per hour of semi-decent contemporary jazz, with the rest being filled with older, low-tempo pop-tunes. Mariah Carey, Alicia Keys, Maroon 5, then maybe a Pat Metheney tune, if you were so lucky to be listening at the moment.

This is going to be another clear channel flop, just like their's and Infinity's saturation of "classic rock" stations a few years ago. They just can't seem to figure out this market. Believe the last "smooth jazz" channel (104.1) was sold to Infinity, and it's already gone through 3 different incarnations since then.

[Krupskaya]

5. My son will be devastated.

He loves the smooth jazz. Loves 100.3 And for talk BS! It's a crime.

[GAspnes]

7. Mine too

And me, to a lesser extent. But to put talk radio on FM? I wonder if the XM services are cutting into FM revenues?

[Krupskaya]

8. I'm not saying I love it, but...

I've definitely learned to deal with it, in a defensive way. How old is your son? (Mine's 6 1/2.)

[GAspnes]

9. He's the youngest, just turned 18.

But all my sons are musically eclectic.

[Krupskaya]

10. Hee, mine too.

After the 100.3 "sampler" CD comes out, then it's time for Jethro Tull's "Songs From the Woods," or perhaps some Allman Brothers.

And hell, the way I figure it, it all kicks ass over 99.9% of children's music they have out there. Mleh.

[dpbrown]

15. I don't listen to Clear Channel anything

Clear Channel is the devil.

There's plenty of great jazz on KBEM, and eclectic music on KFAI.

Then there's Radio K, and if you can get beyond Kling trying to kill IPR, you can listen to that Northfield station.

[Krupskaya]

18. Hey, I didn't say he liked great jazz.

It's the Kenny G he digs.

[dpbrown]

19. I went to Auschwitz two years ago

While there in the original camp, I stood by one of the buildings on the spot that every day, a group of Jewish musicians was forced to play while the workers went off to slave for the Nazis.

In my opinion, music is nice when it doesn't come from the oppressors. When it does, it's best to turn it off.

Clear Channel is one of the oppressors, as far as I'm concerned.

I also don't shop at Wal-Mart or Sam's Club.

[Krupskaya]

21. Edited for snark.

nt

[Krupskaya]

22. Seriously,

that's one of the stupidest comparisons I've ever heard.

[dpbrown]

23. Coming from a black-and-white on union issues

I'd think conscientious consumerism would make sense.

I'm sorry to learn that it doesn't.

DPB

[CatholicEdHead]

6. Poor ratings?

Here are the latest radio ratings for the Twin Cities.

http://www.radioandrecords.com/RRRatings/DetailsPage.aspx?MID=167&RY=2005&RQ=3&MP=1&OTHER=2&MN=Minneapolis-St.%20Paul&MS=MN&MR=16&12P=2606000&UP=8/25/2005&SU=CM&BPER=5.6&HPER=&OPER=&NSD=9/22/2005&CE=0

KJZI is down to an overall 2.3 this Summer from a 2.8 this spring, but it is still within their average.

KSTP-AM, has been at the top at times, but is new deep in the middle of the pack for ratings. Even KS95 (KSTP-FM) is beating KSTP-AM talk.

WCCO-AM leads the pack, and even K102 has passed KQRS for second place during the summer.

"The Patriot", WWTC is down to a 1.1 from a 1.6 in the past year. They will continue to be low in the ratings.

KTNF, Air America Minnesota is at a 0.9 and if it keeps going will surpass WWTC in the ratings with their 1.1.

[dodger501]

13. But I thought the Patriot was "Intelligent Radio"

This big-ass billboard I have to look at every day on the way to work says so. AM1280, The Fascist, with Medved's and Hewitt's smarmy mugs adorning the corners.

I say if AM950 can get their signal boosted somehow, that will help the ratings significantly.
I can barely get them on the radio in my kitchen.

[Demrock6]

16. Agreed

I would love to see that station do well.

[dpbrown]

17. 950 needs to boost its signal, and Robert needs to give a free hand

It's already doing well, and it'll do a lot better with less restrictive editorial control by the Executive Director of Democrats for Life.

[katinmn]

20. I agree. 950 is doing a lot to support the anti-war movement

now if they can just allow for open dialogue on the other issues.