January 17, 1994 Fall 1993 Arbitron Ratings: All I have of these now is what was in the Star Tribune, which wasn't much. 12+: WCCO 13.4; KQRS-FM/AM 9.7; KFAN 2.3 18-34: KQRS-FM/AM 18.5; KDWB 8.9; KSTP-FM 8.9 25-54: KQRS-FM/AM 12.1; WCCO 8.4; KQQL 8.4 Top 10 12+: 1) WCCO, 2) KQRS-FM/AM, 3) WLTE, 4) KDWB, 5) KSTP-FM, 6) KEEY, 7) KQQL, 8) KSTP(AM), 9) WBOB, 10) KTCZ Note that WCCO is down once again, KSTP(AM) is now in 8th place, Bob and Kenny have brought KFAN their highest ratings ever, KRXX-FM/AM isn't in the top 10, KTCZ has fallen to 10th place, and WBOB-FM has made the top 10. At KSTP/1500, Tommy Mischke has taken over the 9-11pm slot, replacing Tom Weyandt. Management had to find a new gig for him after Jessy Ventura began mornings. Tom Weyandt will be the official fill-in for all KSTP shows (I mistakenly said that Freddie Mertz would be doing that after Pat Milan took over mornings). For all you polka fans: Craig Ebel, of "It's Polka Time!," has found a new home at WDGY/630 after his old station (KBCW/1470) was sold. The show airs Sundays from 2-4pm. February 6, 1994 CAP CITIES/ABC BUYS KRXX: Cap Cities/ABC, the owner of KQRS-FM/AM (92.5/1440), has bought competitor KRXX-FM/AM (93.7/980) from Entercom, Inc. The deal was probably for $20 million, and was the highest ever paid in this market, according to KQRS/KRXX GM Mark Steinmetz. KQRS runs an AOR format (AM-FM) and KRXX ran a Hard Rock format (AM-FM). (info from Star Tribune and Pioneer Press) 93X's last day was Friday, the day that KQ took over. At 5:30pm that day, KRXX began playing "It's The End of The World" by R.E.M. over and over and over and over... Listeners flocked in droves to the KRXX studios on Cliff Road in Eagan Saturday to see what was going on. Some listeners thought the DJ's were being held hostage (actually, they were fired) and called 911 (seriously, more than 50 calls!) Finally, on Sunday at 8pm, 93.7 began simulcasting 92.5 with their Over the Edge program, leading the way for 93.7, The Edge, Minnesota's New Music Alternative (a mixture of Modern and Hard Rock). KQRS and KRXX will complement each other, playing different Rock playlists. What will this do to Cargill's plans for a Modern Rock Mini-Network?? CARGILL BUYS ANOTHER ONE: Cargill Communications, which recently purchased KLBB/1400, KBCW/1470, and WTCX/105.1, has bought WLOL/105.3 in Cambridge, according to an article in the Star Tribune. It says that Cargill's plans have changed: they are now planning to keep KLBB's current format (Nostalgia w/Personality) and simulcast it on KBCW, adding a FIFTH nostalgia outlet to this market. The Modern Rock will be broadcast on 105.1 and 105.3. Together, WTCX and WLOL go far to the North (as far as MORA) and South (almost to NORTHFIELD) with their PSA's alone, but their PSA's also skip more than half of the populated metro area. They will have to work on this if they expect to compete with The Edge for the small Modern Rock audience. Most likely, some technical changes will occur at one or both of the stations. Incidentally, WTCX signed off sometime during the day Monday, February 7. Upcoming schedule change at WCCO: They have hired Wes Minter to do the 9am to noon slot starting March 1. Ruth Koscielak will move to noon to 3, replacing John Williams, who will do weekend middays. Tim Russell, formerly of WCCO, is now the morning host at KJJO-FM/AM (104.1/950), commonly known as Thunder 104. His one year non-compete clause expired in January. The show is full-service with KJJO's wider variety of Country music. Russell replaces the team of Reverend and Church. Larry Fitzgerald, formerly of KFAN/1130, is now Sports Director at WDGY/630, adding another notch to their Nostalgia/Easy format. WTCX goes off the air: Donna Valentine, who did afternoon drive, moves to KDWB/101.3. Some of the people from the Extra Value Plus show are going to be doing a show called Value Plus on KMOM/1070 from Monticello and WIMN/1220 from Stilwater. (this is a discount show) Tom Liesky, who started WTCX and worked as it's morning host, is planning to start up another metro area station. Better hurry, there aren't many openings left! ARBITRON: I finally got my hot little hands on a complete copy of the Arbitron 12+ ratings from a Brian Lambert (Pioneer Press) article that I missed. Here they are: 12+ STATION FORMAT F93 SU93 F92 1 WCCO News/Talk 13.4 15.2 14.3 2 KQRS-FM/AM AOR 9.7 10.0 7.8 3 WLTE Light 7.2 6.7 8.6 4 KDWB Top 40 6.9 7.3 6.8 5 KSTP-FM AC 6.8 7.1 6.0 6 KEEY Mod Country 6.7 6.9 9.3 7 KQQL Oldies 6.2 4.5 5.8 8 KSTP(AM) Talk 5.4 4.3 4.3 9 KTCZ/KTCJ AOR, NAC 4.3 6.0 5.1 WBOB-FM Mod Country 4.3 3.9 --- 11 KRXX-FM/AM Hard Rock 3.6 5.6 6.4 12 KFAN Sports, Talk 2.3 1.3 2.0 13 KLBB Nostalgia 1.9 1.6 1.8 14 KJJO-FM/AM Mod Country 1.8 2.6 3.4 15 WDGY Nost/Easy 1.1 0.8 0.1* 16 KCFE NAC 0.4 0.5 --- * In Fall 1992, WDGY was simulcasting KDWB. Comments: -WCCO is in serious trouble. Their ratings slipped for a third time in both 12+ and 25-54 over 1 quarter and 1 year. -WDGY continues to grow. They will probably go up a little more this quarter and then level off. -Bob and Kenny bring KFAN their best ratings ever. -KSTP sees it's highest ratings in at least 6 years, despite the morning confusion -KRXX ratings went down again, but it doesn't matter anymore -KTCZ is in trouble again -BOB goes up a little, K102 stays about the same -KJJO is down to Modern Rock levels, but this quarter they've got a different country format -KCFE will probably stay about the same in the future -KOOL 108 goes up nicely March 5, 1994 Not much going on here other than WCCO - it looks like Rand Gottlieb is finally doing something about WCCO's slipping ratings (probably involuntarily). There is a big lineup change happening: Wes Minter (formerly of WHIO Dayton) is now doing 9am to noon, Ruth Koscielak is doing noon to 3pm, and John Williams has moved to weekends. Mike Woodley has been fired as host of Sports Night, and Phil Hendrie (overnights) will be leaving for WIOD Miami on March 20. Also, Wally McCarthy has returned as an advertiser with Bill Diehl (they haven't abandoned KSTP, though). April 18, 1994 -WDGY/630 is now silent. They had been running a Nostalgia/Easy format. Apparently there was some kind of LMA between WDGY and WMIN/740 (Hudson, WI) that may have ended. Here's some background on WMIN: they moved from 1030 when the Central Baptist Theological Seminary bought the facilities to carry WCTS, which moved from 100.3 after Colfax bought it. WMIN runs an automated Nostalgia format that complemented the more Easy Listening-type format on WDGY. Both stations were called "Original Hits Radio" and had some of the same announcers, and both had "The Dollar Power Shopping Club." Calls to WDGY's business # are answered "WMIN-WDGY." The phone answerer says that WDGY is now "WMIN-740." I take this to mean that 630 isn't off by accident. Who knows what will pop up next on 630: they had Unistar's Oldies Channel until 1991 as KDWB, then when 1130 dropped the WDGY call 630 picked it up and ran a country format for a year (which did not meet up to their ratings expectations), and then from 9/1992 to 3/1993 630 simulcasted FM sister KDWB (Top 40). Then the Nostalgia format. The latter was the most succesful since '88. WMIN is still carrying their normal programming, not anything WDGY carried. -KRXX/980 is STILL OWNED BY ENTERCOM and is FOR SALE. Call the station at (612) 452-6202. I don't know if it's just the license or if it includes the studios on Cliff Road in Eagan. The FM is there too, but they could move to KQRS' studios in Golden Valley. KRXX runs 5kw directional (same pattern day and night, covering the metro area) and is stereo. The transmitter is at the studios. If someone buys this station, it might be a good idea to keep the call KRXX and run the Hard Rock format that KRXX-FM used to run. There's an established audience. You could even call it "98X" (like 93X). Anyway... -KJJO-FM/AM now has a Country of the 70s and 80s format. The new slogan is "Classic Country 104." The move is to better compete with Modern Country stations BOB FM and K102. -KBCW/1470 is still silent. As of a few weeks ago the sale still hadn't been approved. -WTCX/105.1 is still silent. I think this sale has been approved. April 28, 1994 WLOL/105.3 went silent on Sat. 4/24. 105.1-105.3 is supposed to come back on the air with the same format as The Edge on Fri or Sat (4/29 or 30.) If the format will be just like The Edge, it probably won't be long before there's another format change at 105. KBCW/1470 came back on Mon. 4/26 simulcasting KLBB/1400. They're new slogan is "Club 14" instead of "Club 1400" Guess why WDGY went off the air? They're transmitter blew up? Nope. They went off the air because they weren't making money? Nope. They sold the transmitter site in Woodbury to State Farm Insurance to build a new office building without having a plan on where to move the transmitter? Yep, you got it. They sure must really care about having an AM station in this market, huh? It will take 6-8 months minimum for them to return to the air. WDGY was leased to O.B. Borgen. Borgen was the owner of 1030 when it was running Nostalgia as WMIN. He'll probably look for a new outlet for WDGY's old format. Turi Ryder will leave KSTP/1500 on May 13. She started out doing afternoon drive in 4/1991, but in 5/1993 she was relagated to Tuesday thru Friday 6-9pm, except when there was Golden Gopher Play by Play hockey. She'll be doing a late-night talk show (something like 9-12?) on WLS AM-FM in Chicago (I hear that WLS is going for a younger audience). Jason Lewis from Charlotte, NC will take over Turi's old slot at KSTP. Arbitron 12+ Ratings W 1994 F 1993 W 1993 1 WCCO News/Talk 12.7 13.4 16.1 2 KQRS-FM* AOR 11.9 9.7 8.0 3 KDWB Top 40 7.2 6.9 6.9 4 WLTE Light 7.1 7.2 7.3 5 KSTP-FM AC 6.9 6.8 6.3 6 KEEY Mod. Country 5.8 6.7 9.2 7 WBOB-FM Mod. Country 5.4 4.3 --- 8 KSTP Talk 4.7 5.4 4.7 9 KQQL Oldies 4.5 6.2 5.3 10 KEGE* Alternative* 4.2 3.6 5.5 11 KTCZ* Adult Alt. 3.9 4.3 5.6 12 KLBB Nostalgia 1.9 1.9 2.7 13 KJJO-FM* Mod. Country 1.7 1.8 3.8 14 KFAN Sports 1.6 2.3 1.4 15 KCFE New AC/Jazz 0.9 0.4 --- Arbitron 25-54 Ratings W 1994 F 1993 W 1993 1 KQRS-FM* AOR 13.6 12.1 10.0 2 WLTE Light 9.5 8.2 8.9 3 WCCO News/Talk 9.0 8.4 12.1 4 KSTP-FM AC 8.3 7.8 7.5 5 KEEY Mod. Country 6.8 7.3 10.5 6 KQQL Oldies 6.3 8.4 7.3 7 KTCZ* Adult Alt. 6.0 6.3 7.9 8 WBOB-FM Mod. Country 4.9 5.0 --- 9 KDWB Top 40 4.6 3.9 4.1 10 KSTP Talk 4.4 5.5 4.8 11 KEGE* Alternative 3.6 2.7 3.7 12 KFAN Sports 2.1 3.0 1.9 13 KJJO-FM* Mod. Country 1.8 1.9 3.9 14 KCFE New AC/Jazz 1.5 0.6 --- 15 KTCJ KTCZ simul. 0.4 ??? 0.1 * KQRS-FM is simulcast on KQRS/1440. * KEGE is simulcast on KRXX/980. The format was Hard Rock until 2/1994. * KTCZ is simulcast on KTCJ/690. * KJJO-FM is simulcast on KJJO/950. Notice that WCCO is down once again - that makes one year of sliding - they will be second place soon if they don't do something drastic. Obviously "News/Talk" is not going to do it. The only good thing to say about their ratings is the rise of 7% over 1 quarter in 25-54, but they are down 25% over one year. KCFE has shown remarkable growth. They are up 150% since last quarter after slow growth last year. Country-type radio appears to be losing its popularity. Which station will change format next?? KQ is up again. KTCZ appears to be having problems, maybe KEGE? May 5, 1994 105 FM is now Rev 105 (KREV Lakeville, WREV Cambridge) with a Modern Rock format. KTCJ/KTCZ has been sold from National Radio Partners to MBD Broadcasting. National Radio Partners bought the two a few years ago from parker Communications. KMOJ/89.9 has been on and off the air. A former talk show host sued them over his firing, and he won, so the station owes him $25,000. When KMOJ didn't pay, $9,000 was garnished from their bank account and siezed their transmitter ($4,000). KMOJ is back on the air with a 100 watt transmitter on loan from MPR (they normally run 1kW). KMOJ is the only station in this market serving the black community. Their politics aren't exactly politically correct... June 12, 1994 Not much going on here lately, except that 980 has changed its call from KRXX to KEGE. Entercom and ABC probably have an agreeement to simulcast 93.7 on 980 until 980 is sold, which most likely won't be for a very long time. July 30, 1994 MPLS-ST PAUL ARBITRONS (FROM BILLBOARD) STATION FORMAT SP94 W94 SP93 WCCO News/Talk 12.9 12.7 15.9 KQRS-FM/AM AOR 10.5 12.2 9.8 KSTP-FM AC 7.7 6.9 6.2 KDWB Top 40 6.8 7.2 6.8 WLTE Light 6.4 7.1 7.2 KEEY Mod Country 5.5 5.8 9.2 KEGE-FM/AM Alternative 5.3 4.2* 9.8* KQQL Oldies 5.2 4.5 4.6 KSTP Talk 5.1 4.7 5.2 KTCZ/KTCJ Adult Alt 4.1 4.2 5.8 WBOB-FM Mod Country 4.1 5.4 1.5* KJJO-FM/AM Cls Country 3.5 1.7* 2.2* KLBB Nostalgia 1.9 1.9 2.1 KFAN Sports 1.5 1.6 0.9 *KEGE-FM was Hard Rock (as KRXX-FM) in SP93 and 2/3 of W94; WBOB-FM started up 1/2 way into SP93; KJJO-FM was Mod Country in SP93 and W94 % Changes: Year Quarter WCCO -18.9 +1.6 KQRS +7.1 -13.9 KSTP-FM +24.2 +11.6 KDWB 0 -5.6 WLTE -11.1 -9.9 KEEY -40.2 -5.2 KEGE* -8.6 +26.2 KQQL +13.0 +15.6 KSTP -1.9 +8.5 KTCZ/J -29.3 -2.4 WBOB-FM* +173.3 -24.1 KJJO* +59.1 +105.9 KLBB -10.5 0 KFAN +66.6 -6.3 % Changes (Formats): (for multi-station formats only) Year Quarter Stations Nws/Talk -11.4 +2.6 WCCO, KFAN, KSTP Rock -7.5 -3.5 KQRS-FM/AM, KEGE-FM/AM, KTCZ/KTCJ Country +1.6 +1.6 KEEY, KJJO-FM/AM, WBOB-FM AC +5.2 +0.7 KSTP-FM, WLTE Comments: WCCO- I think the only reason they went up is because of Twins baseball, otherwise they would have gone down (look at the huge drop over one year) The Country wars- KJJO's switch to Classic Country has boosted their ratings and taken down WBOB especially. If KJJO hadn't modified their format, WBOB might have beaten K102 this quarter. The Alternative wars- It appears the Keg, er, the Edge has taken the younger listeners from KTCZ (where KJ104ers turned after it changed). I doubt if REV will get get more than 1.0 (if that much) in the Summer quarter. KQRS- appears to have peaked The top five stations have been the top five since BOB shot down K102 last summer. August 3, 1994 I went to the library and dug through the Pioneer Press to find more ratings: 25-54 Arbs SP94 W94 SP93 KQRS-FM AOR 12.6 13.6 11.4 KSTP-FM AC 9.5 8.3 8.2 WCCO News/Talk 7.9 9.0 10.3 WLTE Light 7.7 9.5 8.0 KQQL Oldies 6.9 6.3 7.0 KSTP Talk 5.7 4.4 5.3 KTCZ Adult Alt 5.7 6.0 7.3 KEEY Mod Country 5.2 6.8 10.4 KEGE-FM Alternative 4.6 3.6* 4.6* WBOB-FM Mod Country 4.6 4.9 1.5* KJJO-FM Cls Country 4.0 1.8* 3.2* KDWB Top 40 3.8 4.6 4.8 KFAN Sports 2.1 2.1 1.0 KCFE NAC/Jazz 0.6 1.5 0.6 KREV Alternative 0.6* ---* ---* *KEGE-FM was Hard Rock in SP93 and 1/3 of W94; WBOB-FM began 1/2 way into SP93; KJJO-FM was Mod Country in W94 and SP93; KREV was Hot AC (WTCX) in SP93 and 1/3 of W94 (I don't have ratings) and began Alternative 1/2 way into SP94. 25-54 % Changes: Year Quarter WCCO -22.3 -12.2 KFAN +110.0 0.0 KSTP +7.5 +29.5 KQRS-FM +10.5 -7.4 KEGE-FM 0.0 +27.8 KSTP-FM +15.9 +14.5 KTCZ -21.9 -5.0 WBOB-FM +67.4 -6.1 KDWB -20.8 -17.4 KEEY -50.0 -23.5 WLTE -3.8 -18.9 KJJO-FM +25.0 +122.2 KCFE 0.0 -60.0 KQQL -1.4 +9.5 More 12+ SP94 W94 SP93 KREV Alternative 0.5 ---* ---* WIMN Nostalgia 0.5 0.4 ---* *see above for KREV; WIMN was silent in SP93 AM Simulcasters (12+):SP94 W94 SP93 KTCJ* KTCZ 0.1 0.3 0.1 KJJO KJJO-FM 0.2 ??? 0.5 KQRS KQRS-FM 0.1 0.3 0.1 *daytimer More comments: WCCO is down in 25-54, its target demo (the one they changed format to appeal to) but KSTP (same format) has gone up in the same demo. Bob and Kenny in the morning has helped KFAN. KCFE got up to 1.5, but then fell back to 0.6, where they started a year ago. KEEY has lost half of its audience over the past year. Does anybody have ratings for the smaller stations that I haven't listed or other demos?? August 16, 1994 WNCB, a non-commercial Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) station in Duluth has recieved a construction permit for a translator atop the IDS tower at 96.3. They need to raise $60,000 to get it on the air. You can call their answering machine at 472-9262 to leave your name for more info. They have raised $7,000 so far (according to the machine.) KTCZ is bringing in Lauren MacLeash as its new PD. Adult Alternative Cities '97 is suffering in the ratings since the startups of Alternatives The Edge and REV 105. She last worked for AC WKOC in Norfolk, VA. KTCZ was recently sold to MBD Broadcasting from National Radio Partners. Donna Valentine, who worked part time at KDWB since WTCX/105.1 was sold, has moved to the 12-3 slot at K102. KDWB will have some kind of celebration Sept 30-Oct 2 for their 35th year as a Top 40 station. In TV-- It's no rumor that Channel 2's antenna is falling down in peices off the 1400 foot tower. They just installed it last year (apparently the wrong way) and they're trying to cover it up. WCCO-TV and KLGT-TV are going to conduct an experiment with Ch 4's 10pm News on 3 Saturdays starting August 20. They call it "News of Your Choice" and is just that. The newscast will open the same way (on both channels), but after the first break, viewers can choose between "Your World" and weather on Ch 4 or more local news on Ch 23. Next you can choose Dimension on 4 or World News on 23. Finally, Sports on 4 and "News you can Use" (Lifestyle type news) on 23. August 24, 1994 Bob and Kenny got fired - again! KFAN has pulled the plug on the morning team, even though they tripled KFAN's morning drive numbers. Thor Tolo moves to mornings (permanently, or at least as permanent as the morning slot is at KFAN). One reason for the firing is because Bob and Kenny didn't talk about sports enough. It'll be a slow and painful death for all-sports all-day all-night KFAN. I suppose management looks at WFAN and says "if they can do it, we can do it," but WFAN has Don Imus! I suppose if they ran WFAN, they'd fire Imus because he doesn't fit the format. Where will B&K go now? (How's The Body doing?) August 26, 1994 MPR has added a third tier: all news. KNOW-1330 now carries AP ANR (AP All News Radio) 24 hours a day with local news inserts and many, many promos for NPR Talk programming on KNOW-FM. They must have decided that since they can't sell 1330, they might as well do something with it. KDWB is having a benefit concert for the Variety Club Children's Hospital on Oct 1. It will feature Luther Vandross; the Bee Gees; Tony, Toni, Tone (not necessarily in that order); Meat Loaf, and as many former KDWB DJ's as they can round up. The proceeds will be used to build the KDWB Family Home, which will allow parents to stay with their children while they are being treated. The emphasis for this is one time KDWB DJ Mark Rowdy, who died of a congenital heart disorder. Kool 108 got knocked off the air on Weds 8/25 during afternoon drive when a thunderstorm knocked the power out at the transmitter site near Nowthen. September 5, 1994 Mark Otto takes over morning drive at KS95 after first Knapp and then Donutts quit over recent changes, including the More Music/Less Talk/Keep It Cheap format. Otto grew up in Hopkins, graduated from Brown and last worked in Denver. KS95 ran another All-70's weekend. Will KS95 become All-70's every weekend (or even more than that?) When they got the new jingle package, they began it on weekends and gradually phased it in to weekdays. Anyway, this market is sure to get an ARROW type station soon. The only question is will Drew Durigan work there? CJ is already rumoring that Thor Tolo will be fired. Stations that broadcasted from the State Fair are: KARE, KDWB, K102, KFAN, KJJO, KLBB/WLOL, KMSP, KSTP, KS95, KSTP-TV, KTIS, WCCO, WCCO-TV, and MPR. The Edge, KQRS, KTCZ, and BOB sold things. And occasionally the REV 105 promotions van parked in front of sister KLBB. WLTE and KOOL 108 were nonexistent. September 11, 1994 Legal Notice: On August 20, 1994, North Central Christian Broadcasting filed with the Federal Communications Commission for a modification of its construction permit for a translator station to serve Minneapolis, Minnesota, to operate on output channel 249, with an effective radiated power of 39 watts, from 80 S. 8th Street, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The station is proposed to rebroadcast the programming of WNCB, Channel 207, Duluth, Minnesota. Channel 249 is 97.7, not 96.3 as they had earlier planned. 80 S 8th is the IDS Building. KKCM-1530 (Shakopee) has been sold from American Sunrise Communications to North Star Brodcasting. Currently KKCM is Christian Talk, quite a niche format. (Bob Larson, etc.) 1530 uses 8.6kw Day directional with a 144w pre-sunrise authority (0600-Sunrise). [info from Broadcasting and Cable Magazine, 9/5] KFAN has applied to change its nighttime pattern. On the right night up here in the NW suburbs, Sports Radio fans can choose from KFAN or Detroit's WDFN (also owned by Shamrock). KFAN's transmitter is south of Prior Lake and is highly directional because of WISN Milwaukee and KBMR Bismarck mostly. They have the most towers in the state, 9 or 11 (I can't remember which). MPR is facing problems from people who live near the CP site by the MN River in Savage. They're concerned about blinking lights, RF interference, the loss of flood plains, and birds crashing into the towers. (!?) The towers will/would be 395 feet tall. September 17, 1994 WILL FOX GO TO KSTP-TV? On Friday, Channel 29 changed its call letters to WFTC, for "We're Fox Twin Cities." They're kissing up to Fox because Robert Murdoch is coming to the Cities on Tuesday to beg KSTP-TV to switching from ABC to Fox. WFTC GM Rip Riordan says that their affiliation contract with Fox says that Fox must buy majority interest in another station in this market in order to change affiliation. Stanley Hubbard says his stations are not for sale, but they are willing to talk with Fox. Fox could probably get out of contract with WFTC if Channel 5 agrees to switch. Where would ABC go? Ch 9 has better coverage, but they are very successful as an Independent. 29 would probably die without network affiliation (but they'd have to change the calls again!) September 25, 1994 "It's been two months. Time for another schedule change" was undoubtedly heard around WCCO's offices lately. Here are the latest changes: 6-6:30pm News, 6:30-10 John Williams, 10-11 SportsNight with Dark Star, 11-2 NightTalk with Dark Star. KFAN has a personality shortage. They fired Bob & Kenny, Randy Shaver became Lead Sports Anchor at KARE 11 and had to cut back at KFAN, Michele Tafoya now has a job at CBS Sports that cuts into her KFAN air time, and I think there's one more person I'm missing. KFAN has put on The Fabulous Sports Babe via ESPN Radio from 9am-12. KFAI is planning to have their translator at 106.7 in West St. Paul to be on the air around November 1. WCCO-TV News Director Jahn Lansing (who brought us Your News, Your Family Sensitive News At Five, News of Your Choice, Four News Online, etc.) is leaving for WBBM-TV on Oct 3. WBBM is in 3rd place. October 15, 1994 ARBITRON SUMMER 1994 RATINGS: STATION FORMAT 12+ 18-34 25-54 35-64 KQRS-FM/AM AOR 13.1 23.4 16.3 8.0 WCCO News/Talk 12.6 2.6 8.6 15.7 KEGE-FM Alternat 6.5 13.2 5.3 1.1 KDWB CHR 6.2 8.8 4.4 2.4 WLTE Light 5.7 4.6 6.6 7.7 KSTP-FM AC 5.5 6.9 6.8 5.8 KQQL Oldies 5.4 3.2 7.7 9.0 KEEY Mod Ctry 5.0 6.0 5.3 5.3 WBOB-FM Mod Ctry 4.6 6.6 4.4 3.2 KSTP Talk 4.6 2.6 4.0 6.1 KTCZ Adlt Alt 3.9 3.6 6.0 5.6 KJJO-FM/AM Clsc Ctry 3.6 3.0 3.5 4.6 KLBB/WLOL Nostalgia 2.3 0.5 1.5 KFAN Sports 1.7 2.5 2.0 1.4 KREV/WREV Alternat 1.2 2.2 1.3 0.5 KCFE New Jazz 0.7 0.4 0.9 1.2 WMIN Nostalgia 0.6 0.1 0.3 KNXR EZL 0.4 0.5 WIXK-FM/AM Country 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.3 WWJO Country 0.3 0.1 0.3 0.5 WCTS Christian 0.3 0.3 Top 5 18-34: Top 5 25-54: Top 5 35-64: 1) KQRS-FM/AM 1) KQRS-FM/AM 1) WCCO 2) KEGE-FM 2) WCCO 2) KQQL 3) KDWB 3) KQQL 3) KQRS-FM/AM 4) KSTP-FM 4) KSTP-FM 4) WLTE 5) WBOB-FM 5) WLTE 5) KSTP CHANGES OVER A YEAR: STATION FORMAT 12+ 18-34 25-54 35-64 KQRS-FM/AM AOR +31.0 +30.0 +38.1 +45.5 WCCO News/Talk -17.1 -21.2 - 9.5 -16.9 KEGE-FM Alternative +16.1 +21.1 +60.6 +120.0 KDWB CHR -15.1 - 9.3 - 6.4 - 7.7 WLTE Light -14.9 -19.3 -30.9 -17.2 KSTP-FM AC -22.5 -33.0 -21.8 -21.6 KQQL Oldies +20.0 +33.3 +16.7 +16.9 KEEY Mod Ctry -27.5 - 7.7 -32.1 -34.6 WBOB-FM Mod Ctry +17.9 +32.0 - 8.3 -20.0 KSTP Talk + 7.0 -27.8 -12.5 +15.1 KTCZ Adlt Alt -35.0 -66.7 -27.7 +40.0 KJJO-FM/AM Clsc Ctry +36.0 +14.7 + 9.4 +91.7 KLBB/WLOL* Nostalgia +43.8 -66.7 +400.0 +55.6 KFAN Sports +30.8 +127.3 +17.6 -17.6 KCFE New Jazz +40.0 +12.5 +50.0 KNXR EZL 0.0 -100.0 Down in all categories: WCCO, KDWB, WLTE, KSTP-FM, KEEY Up in all categories: KQRS-FM/AM, KEGE-FM, KQQL, KJJO-FM/AM RATINGS BY OWNER: 12+ 18-34 25-54 35-64 Cap Cit/ABC KQRS-FM/AM, KEGE-FM 19.6 36.6 21.6 9.1 CBS WCCO, WLTE 18.3 7.2 15.2 23.4 Hubbard KSTP, KSTP-FM 10.1 9.5 10.8 11.9 Colfax WBOB-FM, KQQL 10.0 9.8 12.1 12.2 Cargill KLBB/WLOL, KREV/WREV 3.5 2.3 1.8 2.0 FORMAT CHANGES OVER A YEAR: 12+ 18-34 25-54 35-64 Rock KQRS,KTCZ,KEGE,REV +14.5 + 6.8 +23.5 +52.0 (Alternat) KEGE, REV, KTCZ +93.3 +75.9 +51.8 +80.0 AC KSTP-FM, WLTE -18.8 -20.7 -20.2 -19.2 EZL/Jazz KCFE, KNXR -22.2 -42.9 0.0 +112.5 Country WBOB, KEEY, KJJO, + 3.7 - 6.9 -12.0 - 4.1 WIXK, WWJO CHR KDWB -15.1 - 9.3 - 6.4 - 7.7 Oldies KQQL +20.0 +33.3 +16.7 +16.9 Nostalgia KLBB/WLOL, WMIN* +20.8 -300.0 -14.3 +88.8 News/Talk WCCO, KSTP, KFAN - 9.1 - 3.8 -26.6 -10.4 *Nostalgia's SU93 rating in 12+, 18-34, and 25-54 includes WDGY but not WMIN. The 35-64 rating for SU93 includes only KLBB. The biggest thing about this book is WCCO being #2 in 12+ for the first time ever. Management has blamed the drop on the baseball strike but obviously this isn't the case. Note that the audience for Alternative music is huge. KEGE-FM is supposedly the highest rated Alternative station anywhere, with competition from REV, KTCZ, and non-commercial Radio K. REV did better than I thought they ever would, getting a 1.2 in 12+. KTCZ is the loser among the Alternative stations. They have improved in 35-64, though, after adjusting the format so as not to be so "young." Also note the dwindling popularity of KS95 and Lite 103, while KQQL's continues to grow. Still a good time for a new Oldies station, even better for an ARROW type station. More comments or additional demos? November 6, 1994 Park Communications, owner of KJJO AM-FM has been sold "to a private investment concern headed by Donald R. Tomlin and Dr. Gary B. Knapp." See Drew Durigan's note under PARK SALE IS FINAL for more info. Will the name change? KTCJ/KTCZ is now officially owned by MBD Broadcasting/ Chancellor Broadcasting Co. KTCJ holds a CP for 24 hour operation (1.5kw/500w U4) from Rosemount. KFAI's new translator ar 106.7 from West St. Paul should be on the air very soon. KDXL/106.7 from St. Louis Park High School is bumped off the air by the KFAI translator (KDXL is only 10w). They have applied to move to 106.5, probably with the same power. WNCB-Duluth has raised $24,000 of the $60,000 needed to put a translator on the air at 97.7. They have a CP for 96.3 but have applied to move to 97.7 from the IDS tower. You can hear their recorded message by calling 472-9262. WNCB runs a non-commercial CCM format. KSTP has dumped Lee Mirabol in the 11pm-2am slot. The new late night sked is: Dr. Edell 11pm, Rush repeat 12mid, Al Malmberg 3am. KLGT-TV is now using the slogan "WB 23," promoting the upstart of the WB (Warner Bros) Network beginning sometime in December. If WB is a success, it will probably make 23 more succussful than ever. If it is a failure, it'll be another chapter in 23's unsuccessful history. KMSP will be an affiliate of the Paramount network when it starts in January. November 8, 1994 Awards, Awards, Awards... KQRS received the Marconi Award for Best Rock Station of the Year at the NAB Radio Show. Poor old `CCO didn't win any (aww). KUOO in Spirit Lake, IA was Small Market Station of the Year. Garrison Keillor was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame Sunday for A Prairie Home Companion. KQQL's antenna fell down on Sunday night. They were off the air until somewhere between 7:30 and 9am Monday morning. They've got a CP to go nondirectional but that's not what they were doing. Their tower is near Nowthen, north of Anoka. November 12, 1994 WCCO PD JIM ASHBERY FIRED: WCCO PD Jim Ashbery was fired/resigned on Tuesday 11/8 ("It was a mutual decision"). Ashbery was the one who changed WCCO to a completely News/Talk format and juggled the schedule constantly. Tim Russell quit and Joe McFarlin was retired at first. Since then, talk hosts such as Phil Hendrie and Mike Miller have come and gone. Most recently, Ruth Koscielak's and Steve Cannon's shows were combined. The goal in changing the format was to get some listeners in the younger crowd, but only succeeded in alienating WCCO's old audience while maintaining the perception among the young `ens that WCCO is boring (which I think it is!) More drastic changes are sure to come soon. November 23, 1994 Public Notice: (11/21) On November 2, 1994, Children's Radio Group, Inc. filed with the Federal Communications Commission an application for modification of license of KYCR-AM, 1570 kHz, Golden Valley, Minnesota, to change community of license to Saint Louis Park, Minnesota, and to change its transmitter location to Cedar Lake Road and Blackstone Avenue, Saint Louis Park, with 3.8KW nondirectional daytime, and .230KW directional nighttime... Children's Radio Group, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Children's Broadcasting Corporation. A copy of the application, any amendments and related materials are on file for public inspection at KYCR-AM, 5730 Duluth Street, Minneapolis, Minnesota. Actually, 5730 Duluth St is in Golden Valley near Lilac Drive (and KQ). The tower is across the street behind a shopping center. They are currently 2.5kw/230w U1 (nondirectional 24 hours.) The new tower site must be the same as sister WWTC's current one, and that's why they'd be directional at night. That reminds me that WMIN-740 recently applied to increase daytime power to 850w (from 500w). Their night power is 7.7w. KDWB has a new jingle package. Anybody heard any hot rumors? There are the ones about KDWB being sold and KQ starting up a sports station (which is a stupid idea!) Will one of these AM-FM simulcasts break up to make way for formats such as 70's, Urban, Hard Rock, Ethnic, or Easy Listening? December 10, 1994 Following complaints from environmentalists and other group, the FCC is ordering MPR to evaluate how much constructing KNOW's new towers in the Minnesota River valley will affect the flood plain. MPR must also explain why they chose the Savage site over other sites. MPR had expected to begin construction last summer after receiving the CP, but their plans were put on hold when nearby residents and environmental groups objected. Bob Yates and Kenny Olsen's non-compete clause in their KFAN contract ends Monday. Since they have no radio job lined up, they've started the "Bob & Kenny Tape Club." For only $25 a month, you can get "fresh material" mailed to you. WCCO-TV and KLGT-TV have announced plans for "News of Your Choice." After successful testing in August in September, they decided to do it regularly starting Jan 16. WCCO-TV buys the time from KLGT-TV (WB23) and lets KLGT sell one minute of advertising during the newscast. WCCO has been supplying KLGT with news updates during prime time for a few years (I don't know if that is bought time too.) WCCO-TV got bashed after interrupting the annual broadcast of "Frosty the Snowman" Nov 30 with a five-minute news update about Timothy Baugh being convicted of rape. They rescheduled the show to be aired this weekend. Another classic holiday scandal erupted at KARE Friday. Angry fans of "It's a Wonderful Life" called to complain about the movie being interrupted for basketball. NBC has exclusive rights to the movie this year. KARE worked out a deal with KXLI (TV Heaven) to air the movie when it would have aired on KARE (Saturday at 7pm) If somebody's looking for a very cheap buyout in this market, KTCJ-690 is the way to go. The station is simulcasting KTCZ-97.1 currently. 690 is licensed for 500w day with a 40w PSRA. It's got a CP for 24 hour operation from Rosemount with 1500w/500w U4. Since KUSD-690 in Vermillion, SD is going to turn in its license, better facilities may be possible. Comments? December 16, 1994 KTCZ is apparently not going to change their format anytime soon. Last week, they ran a "Get to know our playlist" promotion in which they played all of the songs they currently play. They've also started "The Cities 97 [discount] Card." You can get a registration form at the Cities 97 display at Target. WFTC (you know, KITN) is now operating from its new studios in Minneapolis. The Brooklyn Park facility is deserted. Expect them to start building a news department soon. KLBB/WLOL adds CNN News on the hour. KFAI's new translator from West St. Paul at 106.7 is now on the air. I can pick it up here in Maple Grove. Speaking of translators, WNCB Duluth has raised $33K of the $60K needed to constuct a translator at 97.7 from the IDS building. KNOW-FM hasn't given a legal ID since August. Why? They are announcing "KNOW-FM Minneapolis-St. Paul" but their city of license is St. Paul, so St. Paul should come first. "Minneapolis-St. Paul" was OK when it was preceded by "KNOW AM and FM" since AM is licensed to Minneapolis. AM stopped simulcasting in August but the ID hasn't changed. MPR also screws up WSCN Cloquet's ID as "WSCN Duluth-Superior-Cloquet." Also boos to MPR for using the slogan "Classical 99" over its entire classical network. January 1, 1995 Here's a chronological list of things that happened in 1994: January 3- Jesse "The Body" Ventura takes over the morning slot at KSTP/1500. January 3- Tommy Mischke replaces Tom Weyandt in the 9-11pm slot at KSTP January 7- Cargill Communications purchases WLOL/105.3 (Cambridge) for $1.2 million. January 31- Tim Russell begins doing mornings at KJJO-FM/AM February 1- Capital Cities/ABC purhases KRXX-FM for $20 million, the most ever spent for a Twin Cities radio station February 4- Capital Cities/ABC takes over KRXX-FM/AM through an LMA, ending the format at 5:30pm by repeating REM's "It's the End of the World" February 6- At 8pm, KRXX-FM/AM begins simulcasting KQRS's "Over The Edge" alternative show, introducing the format to 93.7/980 as "The Edge." February 7- WTCX/105.1 signs off March 1- Lineup change at WCCO: Wes Minter, 9am to noon; Ruth Koscielak, noon to 3pm; John Williams moves to weekend middays March- Mike Woodley is fired from WCCO and Phil Hendrie leaves for WIOD Miami Mid March- KRXX-FM becomes KEGE March- WIXK-FM/AM affiliates with SMN Real Country April- KJJO-FM/AM changes to "Classic Country 104" April 15- WDGY/630 goes silent when it's Woodbury transmitter site is sold to State Farm Insurance to build a new office building April 23- WLOL goes silent April 25- KBCW/1470 returns to the air simulcasting KLBB/ 1400 with the slogan "Club 14" April 25- KTCA/2 begins a nightly "news" broadcast April 29- WTCX becomes KREV and WLOL becomes WREV-FM, and they sign on at noon as "Rev 105" with an Alternative format run by Brian Turner and Kevin Cole, formerly of KJJO-FM in its Modern Rock days May- KBCW becomes WLOL May- KTCJ/KTCZ is sold to MBD Broadcasting May- KMOJ/89.9's transmitter is seized when they can't pay a $25,000 court award May 17- Jason Lewis takes over the 6-9pm slot at KSTP after Turi Ryder leaves for WLS-FM Chicago June- KRXX/980 becomes KEGE, KEGE becomes KEGE-FM June 17- Good Company's last day on KSTP-TV/5 July- Chuck Knapp quits from KS95, followed by Micheal "Donutts" Douglas a few weeks later July- KVBM/45 signs on to take up the Home Shopping Club affiliation in the market so former affiliate KXLI/41 can return to its "TV Heaven 41" format, this time supplied by various satellite services August- KTCZ brings in Lauren MacLeash as PD to fine tune its format August- KKCM/1530 is sold from American Sunrise Communications to North Star Broadcasting (sale has yet to be approved) Late August- Bob and Kenny are fired 11 months after starting at KFAN August 26- KNOW/1330 drops a simulcast of KNOW-FM for AP's new All News format August 26- MPR's Classical network begins using the slogan "Classical 99" September- Mark Otto takes becomes morning DJ at KS95 September 16- KITN/29 becomes WFTC ("We're Fox Twin Cities") Late September- WCCO schedule change: 6-6:30pm News, 6:30-10 John Williams, 10-11 SportsNight with Dark Star, 11-2 NightTalk with Dark Star. Late September- KFAN adds "The Fabulous Sports Babe" from 9am-noon October 3- WCCO-TV news director John Lansing leaves for WBBM-TV October 25- Park Communications, owner of KJJO AM-FM, is sold November- KSTP schedule change: 11pm Dean Edell, 12mid Rush repeat, 3am Al Malmberg November- KQRS is named major market rock station of the year November- WCCO PD Jim Ashbery is fired November 30- WCCO-TV interrupts the annual broadcast of "Frosty the Snowman" for the verdict in a rape trial December- MPR is ordered to evaluate the impact of constructing a three-tower array in the MN River Valley and explain why they didn't chose another site for KNOW's transmitter December- WFTC moves to new studios December- KFAI's translator in St. Paul on 106.7 signs on December- KLBB/WLOL affiliates with CNN news December- Tom Tucker exits from KJJO GM position