from the Seattle post-Intelligencer
May 11, 2006
In most instances a lack of change in market position from one quarter to the next would be cause for neither celebration nor mourning.
At KISW-FM (99.9), however, little change in market position has people positively ecstatic.
KISW has been trumpeting the fact that in the most recent quarterly ratings book from The Arbitron Co., the station itself and its morning show hosted by BJ Shea not only showed virtually no change from fall to winter among all listeners, but both placed at or near the top in their target-demographic audience, primarily men 18 to 49.
Bragging about ratings is nothing new in radio, but KISW had more than most stations riding on this book, with the loss in December of Howard Stern's nationally syndicated show.
With Stern going to satellite radio, stations around the country that had carried his show were faced with the defection of listeners either to Sirius or to other morning shows in their markets, and tried to come up with replacements who would retain listeners.
The results in many cases weren't happy. Some tried a new show hosted by rock singer David Lee Roth, which already has been canceled. Ratings for most of Stern's former stations were down markedly from fall.
KISW was the exception, to the extent that it got attention in the national media with a mention from radio consultancy Jacobs Media. The strategy that parent Entercom came up with was to move the locally produced "BJ Shea Show" from middays at FM talk station KQBZ-FM (100.7) to mornings at KISW. (KQBZ, known as The Buzz, was converted to country).
"There was no question in my mind we were going local," said KISW manager Dave Richards. "The station had a history of great shows in the morning."
Richards thought Shea could continue that legacy and fit in with its operating mode of being "a broad-shouldered, loud station."
Shea said he was hoping for a good showing but wasn't at all certain it would happen. So far, though, the numbers suggest "we've been able to satisfy a good portion of the Stern audience."
What may have helped, he says, is that the show was already established in the market.
"We did have a little following because we had good ratings when we did middays" at The Buzz, he said.
"With BJ's show," Richards added, "(listeners) already feel like there are deeper roots."
The show hasn't changed much, Shea said, although access to celebrity guests has improved because mornings are considered the higher-profile time slot. One of the highlights of the quarter was an interview with Pearl Jam singer Eddie Vedder. Shea said he especially liked that interview, as apparently did Vedder, because it focused on his views on politics and spiritual issues rather than just the latest record.
Shea would like to see the show get out of the studio more, and not just locally. When the Seahawks are on the road, for example, he'd like to take the show to that city to give listeners a flavor of the locale.
Richards thinks the initial post-Stern success, not just for Shea but the station as a whole, can be sustained.
"I'm sure there will be tweaks, additions and deletions along the way," he said.
from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer
--snips--
A hot topic in radio has been what would happen to Howard Stern's audience once he departed to satellite radio service Sirius. In the 6-10 a.m. weekday segment, both KUBE-FM's "T-Man" show and KZOK-FM's Bob Rivers added audience share from fall to winter to finish first and second, respectively. But KISW-FM, which had the Stern show, largely held its own with the local BJ Shea show in Stern's place; the station was sixth in fall, seventh in winter, with only a tenth of a percentage point change.
--snips--
from The Seattle Post-Intelligencer
April 30, 2005
Country music station KMPS-FM continued its dominance of the Seattle-Tacoma radio market in the winter quarter, a period that saw a tightening of the competition in the crowded news-talk category.
KMPS increased its share of the radio market from the fall-quarter ratings book, according to data released yesterday by The Arbitron Co. Second place went to KUBE-FM, followed by two stations that had significant moves up from their positions in fall - smooth jazz station KWJZ-FM (tied for seventh in fall, third in winter) and oldies KBSG-FM (tied for 12th to fourth).
The Arbitron ratings represent listeners 12 and older tuned in 6 a.m. to midnight Monday through Sunday in the Seattle-Tacoma area. The overall rankings do not include non-commercial stations such as KUOW-FM and KPLU-FM, which command significant audiences.
Radio station managers and advertisers also say they focus more on audiences identified by specific demographic characteristics they're trying to reach (such as age and gender) rather than the overall rankings.
KIRO-AM, which traditionally has ranked at or near the top of the overall rankings, slipped from third in the fall book to sixth in winter. While it was still second in the critical weekday morning slot, it was down to seventh in the 10 a.m.-3 p.m. weekday segment. KIRO moved Dave Ross from mornings to afternoon drive, and in the 3-7 p.m. segment the station climbed back from seventh in fall to third in winter.
Other news-talk stations also saw a drop in market share from the fall book although in some cases they actually climbed in the rankings. KOMO-AM, for example, climbed from 14th in fall to a tie for 10th in winter in the overall rankings, even though it had no lift from Mariners games; it tied with talk station KTTH-AM, while talk station KVI-AM was right behind.
Liberal talk station KPTK-AM showed some improvement, including a move from 26th in fall to 23rd in winter, and a surge from a tie for 25th in fall to a tie for 12th in winter for the 10 a.m.-3 p.m. segment, which includes parts of the nationally syndicated Al Franken and Ed Schultz shows.
Management at KRQI-FM last week pulled the plug on the classic alternative format in favor of "Jack," which includes music from multiple genres and decades. One reason for the move can be found in the winter ratings; KRQI ranked 25th in the market.
KMPS was not just the top-rated station overall but also won in the weekday segments of 6-10 a.m., 10 a.m.-3 p.m., and 3-7 p.m. segments; KUBE-FM won in the 7 p.m.-midnight slot.
Spanish-language radio also showed some strength in winter quarter, with KKMO-AM and KDDS-FM (converted from business station KNWX-AM) both registering in the overall ratings.
WINTER RATINGS RESULTS
Top 10 stations, 6-10 a.m. weekdays:
1. KMPS-FM 2. KIRO-AM 3. (tie) KBSG-FM 3. (tie) KUBE-FM 5. KWJZ-FM 6. KZOK-FM 7. KRWM-FM 8. (tie) KOMO-AM 8. (tie) KCMS-FM 10. KISW-FM (99.9) -- Stern
from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer
January 25, 2005
Country music station KMPS-FM continued a run of first-place finishes in the fall-quarter ratings released yesterday by The Arbitron Co. for the Seattle-Tacoma radio market.
It was followed by soft-rock station KRWM-FM, which aired all Christmas music during part of the quarter, and KIRO-AM, which improved audience share and ranking even with one of its best-known hosts gone for half of the quarter to run for Congress.
The ratings cover listeners age 12 and older tuned in between 6 a.m. and midnight Monday through Sunday. They don't include non-commercial stations, such as KUOW-FM and KPLU-FM, although separate data reports indicate both would rank in or near the top 10 of the market.
Although Arbitron releases broad ratings numbers, station operators and advertisers say they pay more attention to detailed demographic information, such as age and gender, since stations tend to target specific audiences.
Other notable movers in the overall ratings included KING-FM (up seven places), KBKS-FM (up six) and KOMO-AM (down 11 places).
In the 6-10 a.m. weekday segment, KISW-FM with Howard Stern vaulted from fifth in summer to a tie with KIRO-AM for first. Although that's good short-term news for KISW, it also highlights the challenge stations face in replacing the nationally syndicated host when Stern jumps to satellite radio service Sirius. KBKS-FM also made a strong showing in the morning, jumping from 13th in summer to sixth in the fall.
KMPS-FM stayed at first in the 10 a.m.-3 p.m. and 3-7 p.m. segments. KRWM-FM was first in 7 p.m.-midnight.
The conclusion of the Mariners' season took its toll on KOMO-AM. In the 3-7 p.m. segment, it fell from fourth in the summer book to a tie for 11th, and in the 7-11 p.m. segment, it fell from first to 13th in fall.
The newest entrant in the crowded talk market -- KPTK-AM, featuring Air America and other liberal programming -- got off to a slow start. Converted from a classic country format in late October, KPTK ranked just 26th overall, with an audience share about what its predecessor recorded.
Aside from seeing whether KPTK can build an audience, a major story will be how KIRO-AM does after a dramatic shake-up. Early this month, KIRO shifted morning host Dave Ross, who returned in November after losing a bid for Congress, to afternoon drive time, replacing its news show; it also named new midmorning and evening hosts. THE RANKINGS
Rank Station 1. KMPS-FM (94.1) 2. KRWM-FM (106.9) 3. KIRO-AM (710) 4. KUBE-FM (93.3) 5. KBKS-FM (106.1) 6. KCMS-FM (105.3) 7. KWJZ-FM (98.9) 7. KISW-FM (99.9) 9. KTTH-AM (770) 9. KZOK-FM (102.5) --snips--
from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer
April 30, 2004
Country music station KMPS-FM won the overall winter-quarter ratings race in the Seattle-Tacoma radio market, but the biggest story may have been the precipitous plunge of Rush Limbaugh-less talk station KVI-AM.
The listener survey results, released yesterday by The Arbitron Co., showed KMPS moving up from second in the fall book to first in winter, followed by soft-rock station KRWM-FM and news-talk station KIRO-AM tied for second. KIRO was first in the fall book.
Arbitron's overall rankings measure listeners 12 and older tuned in Monday through Sunday 6 a.m.-midnight. Radio station managers often say they look more at their performance within specific target demographic slices (such as by age and gender) than at overall rankings; Arbitron sells the demographic data breakdowns to its clients.
The numbers do not include non-commercial stations, although Arbitron does compile survey data on them. Based on fall survey numbers, KUOW-FM would have ranked among the top four stations in the market while KPLU-FM would have been in the top 10.
A major confrontation in the conservative talk market was set up when Entercom converted one of its local stations to KTTH-AM, then last year snagged Limbaugh's nationally syndicated show from Fisher Communications' KVI-AM, which had carried the Limbaugh program for 12 years.
The impact of that switch is now showing up in KVI's ratings. KVI was the fifth-ranked station in the market in the spring 2003 Arbitron book; it fell from a tie for ninth in fall 2003 to a tie for 22nd in the latest survey. In the 10 a.m.-3 p.m. weekday time segment for which Arbitron releases data, a daypart that includes two hours of Limbaugh's program, KTTH has moved up to fourth in the market.
KIRO won the 6-10 a.m. weekday segment, with the nationally syndicated Howard Stern, a central figure in the national controversy over indecent material on radio broadcasts, pushing KISW-FM to second. KRWM-FM won for 10 a.m.-3 p.m. KMPS-FM won in the 3-7 p.m. segment while KUBE-FM took the top spot in 7 p.m.-midnight.
The spring and summer ratings books are usually dominated by whatever station carries the Seattle Mariners. That will be good news for KOMO-AM and its parent Fisher, whose executives told the annual shareholders meeting yesterday that revenue for Mariner broadcasts this year is running 9 percent ahead of last year's total, with additional ad time and sponsorships still available.
Fisher said last year's revenue total was 16 percent of its projections when it made the bid for the Mariners.
Fisher is hoping that the additional listeners brought to KOMO by the Mariners will, over time, build audiences for the station's broadcasts in other parts of the day.
--snips--
from fmqb.com
April 29, 2004
FMQB reporterd earlier on dramatic increases for Stern stations in New York, L.A., Chicago, Boston, and Cleveland. Other stations experiencing the Stern affect* include:
FM Talker KLLI/Dallas: 2.7 (13T) - 3.9 (7)
Active Rock KISW/Seattle: 4.1 (5) - 5.7 (2T)
FM Talk WXYV/Baltimore: 3.1 (10) - 4.5 (8)
Active Rock WBZX/Columbus: 5.9 (7) - 7.2 (4)
Rock WBUF/Buffalo: 6.8 (4T) - 7.2 (4)
* Ratings cited above are 12+ morning drive, Fall to Winter.
But not all of Stern's stations trended up in the Winter. Modern Rock KITS/San Francisco slipped from fourth (4.2) to fifth (3.6) in mornings. Ditto WAQZ/Cincinnati: 3.6 (12) - 2.9 (13T).
from the NY Daily News
November 13, 2002
Ever wondered how many other people in America are actually listening to, say, Howard Stern at the same time you are?
Tony Sanders, who crunches national numbers for the trade publication Inside Radio, says it's around 1,490,000.
Standard radio ratings, designed for advertisers, use a figure called "cume," which is the cumulative number of persons who tune to a given show or station at some time during an average week.
That's obviously a much higher figure. The national weekly "cume" for Stern has been estimated by the trade mag Talkers at "8 million-plus."
By comparison, Rush Limbaugh is rated at 14.5 million-plus per week, Sean Hannity at 10 million-plus and Dr. Joy Browne and Imus at 5 million-plus.
The numbers of people listening to those hosts at any one time presumably are proportionate to Stern's numbers.
Stern's numbers also mean more than 10 times as many people are listening to him at any given time than are, say, watching cable news channels on television.
Sanders has also tracked Stern's ranking in all of his markets for summer 2002 - though this is just based on his share of the total audience. Like most hosts, Stern scores higher among his specific target audiences, which for him includes younger men.
Overall, Stern is No. 1 in New York, Orlando, Phoenix, Syracuse and York, Pa.
In other cities, it goes like this: Philadelphia, second; Washington, D.C., fourth; Los Angeles, seventh; Baltimore, 16th; Cleveland, second; Buffalo, fourth; Chicago, 10th; Dallas, 11th; Detroit, ninth; Hartford, sixth; Las Vegas, second; Boston, second; San Diego, third; Pittsburgh, third; Seattle, fourth; Rochester, seventh; Miami, fourth; San Francisco, fifth.
--snips--
from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer
July 27, 2002
--snips--
In the morning duel between KZOK-FM's Bob Rivers and his former station, KISW-FM, where the nationally syndicated Howard Stern show airs, KISW finished ahead of KZOK in the 6-10 a.m. weekday survey in spring; KZOK had topped KISW in the winter book in that time slot.
from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer
January 24, 2002
KIRO-AM's share of the Seattle-Tacoma market slipped slightly from the summer to the fall quarter, but the news/talk/sports station still held a commanding lead over its rivals, according to the latest numbers from The Arbitron Co.
Among all listeners ages 12 and older, listening from 6 a.m. to midnight Monday through Sunday, KIRO had a 9.1 percent share of the market, down from its 11.5 share in the summer at the height of the Mariners season but still three ratings points better than country station KMPS-FM, which maintained its second-place finish from summer.
They were followed by KRWM-FM, KUBE-FM, KVI-AM, KBSG-FM, KWJZ-FM and KZOK-FM (tied for seventh), KBKS-FM, KNDD-FM, KOMO-AM, KIXI-AM and KISW-FM (tied for 12th), KMTT-FM and KING-FM (tied for 14th), KLSY-FM, KQBZ-FM and KPLZ-FM (tied for 17th), KCMS-FM, KJR-AM, KYPT-FM, KBTB-FM, KNWX-AM, KFNK-FM and KXPA-AM.
KIRO-AM won three of the four major weekday time segments that Arbitron publicly releases -- 6-10 a.m., 10 a.m.-3 p.m. and 3-7 p.m. With the end of the Mariners season, KIRO slipped to second in the 7 p.m.-midnight segment, and KUBE grabbed the top spot.
In the morning show battle, Bob Rivers and Twisted Radio's move to KZOK in October (the program had been on KISW until a year ago) gave that station a boost from a tie for 11th in the summer book to fifth in the fall book for the 6-10 a.m. weekday segment. Rivers' successor at KISW, meanwhile, the nationally syndicated Howard Stern program, remained in sixth place for that time slot.
The overall ratings do not include non-commercial stations, including KUOW-FM and KPLU-FM, which have significant listenership in the market. Stations and advertisers also say that for many stations the overall ratings and rankings are less important than a station's performance with its target audience.
One trend to track in coming books will be the performance of Spanish language stations. KKMO-AM recently switched its entire format to Spanish-language from religious, while KXPA-AM already has most of its format in Spanish. KXPA reported a 1.1 percent share in the autumn book; it didn't show up in the overall ratings for summer.
--snips--
from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer
October 20, 2001
Boy is KIRO-AM going to miss the Seattle Mariners when their season ends.
Not only did the Mariners' flagship station extend its lead in the Seattle-Tacoma radio market from the spring quarter to summer, according to the latest ratings from The Arbitron Co., it racked up an amazing 22 percent share of the market in 7 p.m.-midnight segment Monday to Friday. That was more than three times the audience share of its next-closest competitor in that time slot.
In the overall ratings, covering listeners 12 and older Monday through Sunday 6 a.m. to midnight, KIRO held 11.5 percent of the market, nearly double the share of the second-place finisher, KMPS-FM.
They were followed by KUBE-FM, KWJZ-FM, KBSG-FM, KVI-AM and KRWM-FM (tied for sixth), KNDD-FM, KBKS-FM, KIXI-AM and KING-FM (tied for 10th), KLSY-FM, KCMS-FM, KZOK-FM and KPLZ-FM (three tied at 13th), KISW-FM, KMTT-FM, KOMO-AM, KYPT-FM, KQBZ-FM, KBTB-FM, KJR-AM, KFNK-FM and KNWX-AM (tied at 23rd) and KYCW-AM.
KIRO won each of the four weekday time segments for which Arbitron releases data: 6-10 a.m., 10 a.m.-3 p.m., 3-7 p.m., and 7 p.m.-midnight.
There were relatively few sharp moves up or down in the summer book. Smooth jazz station KWJZ climbed from ninth in spring to fourth in summer, and Christian music station KCMS-FM rose from a tie for 20th to a tie for 13th, while KZOK-FM went from sixth to a tie for 13th. KBKS-FM went from fifth to ninth and KBTB-FM dropped from a tie for 16th to 21st.
The summer book was the first full quarter to gauge the strength of Howard Stern's nationally syndicated show on KISW-FM. In the 6-10 a.m. weekday segment, KISW-FM went from 15th in the spring book to sixth in the summer book.
The autumn book likely will be influenced by the Mariners, as well as the Sept. 11 attacks that could boost news/talk stations. It also will provide a read on the market strength of Bob Rivers, who earlier this month started on KZOK in the mornings after leaving KISW last year.
The overall ratings released by Arbitron do not include non-commercial stations such as KUOW-FM and KPLU-FM, which draw significant shares of the audience. The spring and fall books are considered the most significant in influencing programming decisions and advertiser choices.
from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer
July 28, 2001
A runaway season for the Seattle Mariners meant a runaway win in the spring ratings book for its flagship radio station, KIRO-AM.
The Arbitron Co. said yesterday KIRO was the overwhelming leader in the Seattle-Tacoma market among listeners 12 and older tuning in Monday through Sunday 6 a.m.-midnight. Its audience share, 9.7 percent, was not only nearly 3.5 percentage points higher than the second highest finisher but nearly 2 percentage points better than KIRO's rating in the same quarter a year ago, and more than a point higher than last summer.
Trailing KIRO were country station KMPS-FM, urban contemporary KUBE-FM and oldies KBSG-FM, each with a share of more than 5 percent.
Following those stations were KZOK-FM and KVI-AM (tied for seventh), KRWM-FM, KWJZ-FM, KING-FM, KNDD-FM , KLSY-FM and KPLZ-FM (tied for 12th), KIXI-AM, KMTT-FM, KOMO-AM and KBTB-FM (tied for 16th), KISW-FM, KYPT-FM, KQBZ-FM and KCMS-FM (tied for 20th), KJR-AM, KYCW-AM and KNWX-AM.
KIRO has always done well with the Mariners; this year, though, in the 7 p.m.-midnight time segment Monday through Friday KIRO drew a 20 share in the spring book.
One of the big radio events of the quarter was nationally syndicated Howard Stern's morning program, which debuted in the Seattle market on KISW-FM, filling a void left by the loss of the long-running and well-drawing Bob Rivers and Twisted Radio.
Since Stern started May 14 the latest book doesn't indicate how well Stern will do over a full ratings period; still, KISW did reverse a two-quarter slide in which the station's share fell from 3.7 last summer to 2.1 in winter 2001; it was 2.4 in the latest book. In the 6-10 a.m. segment KISW did boost its audience share, although the full-quarter number wasn't as high as when Rivers had the show.
Other moves include KING-FM, jumping from a tie for 19th in the winter book to 10th in the spring book, and KNDD-FM, falling from fifth in winter to 11th in spring.
The ratings do not include non-commercial stations such as KPLU-FM and KUOW-FM.
from Seattle Weekly
May 17 - 23, 2001
--snips--
...Also: KISW wants you to welcome schlock-jock Howard Stern to the airwaves.
Stern, the New York-based radio personality known for exalting augmented strippers and making heroes out of stuttering interns, made a decidedly unheralded "arrival" in Seattle on Monday morning when he fielded some lame questions from one or two local television reporters and a couple of future newshounds from the local junior colleges via satellite.
Why the disappointing turnout? Maybe it's because Stern and his fart jokes are way past their prime. Or maybe because the press conference was held at 5 a.m. so that it could be broadcast with Stern's usual morning chatter.
Funny, we thought there was always a market for bare breasts, scatological humor, and abject humiliation. Why else would we have a column?
from Radio Ink
May 15, 2001
Tepper decided to play the "old man" card in reacting to Stern's entering his turf. He told the Seattle Times that Stern is past his prime. "He's lost his wife, he's lost his ratings, and now he's in the process of losing his dignity. He should have retired when he had a chance a few months ago."
Tepper can only win by getting into a battle with Stern. He enters the fight as a relative unknown in the Radio industry. A war of words with someone who's been in the business for more than 20 years and has made a lot of money for Mel Karmazin can only bring Tepper more recognition.
The argument Tepper makes - that Stern should have retired - hardly holds water though, considering that, after all the years Stern has been in the business, he is still, and has consistently been, one of Radio's biggest stars. And if Mel Karmazin thought Stern should have retired, you could probably bet the farm he wouldn't have entered the Stern negotiations himself to get the deal done.
Tepper went on to say that he has inked a deal with Premiere Radio networks to syndicate his morning show. "We'll be in 25 cities by this time next year," Tepper said. No official announcement has been made by Premiere.
We'll keep you posted on this battle as soon as the Seattle ratings come out.
from the Seattle News Tribune
May 15, 2001
Howard Stern - the self-proclaimed "king of all media" - brought his raunchy radio program to classic rock station KISW 99.9 FM Monday.
"I better say something dirty on this show," he declared shortly after 5 a.m. "There's always some article that comes out the day after (debuting in a new market) that says Howard didn't say anything dirty. ... It's just getting harder and harder to shock people."
Well, this won't be one of those articles.
Stern - who broadcasts from New York and whose show airs live on KISW from 3 to 6 a.m. and repeats from 6 to 10 a.m. - definitely didn't sanitize his presentation for Puget Sound listeners.
Monday's edition of "The Howard Stern Show" was pretty typical of what Puget Sound viewers have already seen on the TV version of the program, which runs 11 p.m. nightly on E! There was a gay parody of the Backstreet Boys' hit "Everybody" sung by Stern's fictitious Backside Boys. There were references to limbless rappers, sex changes, a woman's virginity being auctioned on E-bay and a lengthy interview with a pair of women who claimed to be sisters and occasional lovers.
"The whole show isn't usually like that," Stern joked during an on-air news conference with Seattle journalists. "It's usually a lot more mature."
Stern welcomed the possibility of backlash from Puget Sound, whose residents have a reputation for "political correctness." "It is actually more titillating and exciting to me to go into a crowd that is pure," he said. "The show isn't really about being dirty or being politically correct or not being politically correct. It's about having fun.
"As long as it's funny, that's what we care about. And not everyone's going to find it funny."
Prodded by his questioners, Stern also took a few digs at his morning drive-time competition, particularly Mark and Brian, whose LA-based show is picked up on KBZZ (FM 100.7 - The Buzz), and T-Man, whose Seattle-based show on KUBE (FM 93) will be syndicated beginning next month. All in all, it was a typical production for Stern, whose employer, Infinity Broacasting, was fined $600,000 in 1992 after show segments during which Stern talked about having violent sex with actress Michelle Pfeiffer.
In 1994, Stern added to his notoriety by running for governor of New York on a dual platform that pushed the death penalty ("a volt for every vote") and the end of daytime traffic construction. He quit the race, but, in 1995, Gov. George Pataki signed "The Howard Stern Bill," which restricted construction on Long Island and New York City roads to nighttime.
Stern replaced Rob, Arnie and Dawn on KISW's morning rotation, and general manager Clark Ryan is optimistic about the impact the shock jock will have on the station's ratings for that time slot, which he concedes were "pretty poor."
The Rob, Arnie and Dawn won fans slowly in the first six months of their show, Ryan said. It ranked about eighth in the target 18-to-34 age group.
"We decided we needed something that was going to have a quick impact," Ryan said. In wake of Stern's debut, he added, calls and e-mails are up dramatically.
"I think (the Stern show is) going to be giant," Ryan said. "I think there's going to be a lot of attention brought to the radio station because he is the preeminent radio personality in the nation. ... A lot of people try to copy what he does, but he is the original."
from Eastsidejournal.com
May 14, 2001
KISW FM's morning radio listeners have been trying to figure out for months what's going on at the popular Seattle rock station.
KISW lost a longtime morning icon last fall, then abruptly put an end to a fledgling show featuring a trio who moved here from Sacramento for their shot at Seattle radio fame.
But the management at KISW -- namely general manager Clark Ryan -- is banking on one man to return some stability and a slew of listeners to KISW. The guy they're counting on is a potty mouthed shock jock from New York. Ryan and the staff at KISW are sure that Howard Stern's morning show will revive the station's share of the morning market.
Stern's show -- which is broadcast from New York -- began airing this morning on KISW 99.9 FM. His show will air weekdays from 6-10 a.m.
Says Ryan, "I think it's going to be the best thing to happen to Seattle in a long long time. People talk about Seattle being such a provincial market -- they won't accept new or different voices. I think Stern is going to be so new and refreshing to this area. I think people are going to be blown away."
Listeners weren't blown away by Stern's predecessors, Rob, Arnie and Dawn, who moved to Seattle from their hometown market of Sacramento.
"After six months, we had seen, frankly, little growth in the show and everybody just decided it was in their best interest that they go back to Sacramento. Rather than put this on the longer-term growth plan, we were better off making a dramatic move with Howard Stern," Ryan said.
Some listeners are still stinging from the abrupt departure of longtime morning radio personality Bob Rivers and the rest of his morning crew. Ryan says Rivers and company "pulled an A-Rod on us and went to the highest bidder."
Rivers couldn't be reached for comment. According to his Web site, www.twistedtunes.com, Rivers and company have resumed broadcasting through the Internet at www.twistedradio.com and also can be heard on a radio station in Reno. Rivers says on his Web site, "We are broadcasting from Seattle, we are not A-Rod, or Boeing execs. When we can return to the air here, we will!"
Ryan believes the addition of Stern will add some stability to the morning block at KISW. "He'll be here for a long time. ... He is the preeminent morning personality in the country. ... He'll have an immediate impact on Seattle morning radio. There aren't many people you can say that about in Seattle radio."
Stern has been broadcasting from New York since 1986 across the United States and Canada. According to "Talkers" magazine (a radio trade magazine), Stern has more than 8.5 million listeners.
from the Seattle Times
May 14, 2001
Bring on the drunken dwarves. At long last, syndicated shock jock Howard Stern's show will be heard in Seattle, starting today.
KISW-FM (99.9) will carry Stern on weekdays from 3 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. - the first three hours live from New York, where the show originates.
No one from his show responded to inquiries. But KISW general manager Clark Ryan said, "I'm excited. Howard Stern is without a doubt the pre-eminent morning radio personality in America."
Stern, aka "The King of All Media," is heard nationwide on 46 radio stations, and highlights from the show appear on his E! Entertainment Television cable show.
Stern has also written two best-selling books and starred in the hit screen adaptation of one of them, "Private Parts," as well as controversial network TV shows and pay-per-view specials.
He'll fill the spot on KISW that popular talk-host Bob Rivers occupied for more than a decade before leaving recently for a syndication deal of his own.
Ryan said Rivers' replacements, Rob, Arnie and Dawn, "just didn't kick in very quickly. We felt like it's time to pull out the heavy artillery."
What took so long? Radio insiders had long speculated that Stern's asking price was too high. Ryan wouldn't disclose the sum.
And the notion that Seattle is too politically correct for Stern seems to have been dispelled by the success of shock jock Tom Leykis on 100.7-FM "The Buzz." (Both stations are owned by Pennsylvania-based Entercom Communications.)
The jock generally considered Stern's main local competition in the mornings, "T-Man" Rob Tepper from KUBE 93-FM, will announce his own syndication deal today with Premiere Radio Networks.
"We'll be in 25 cities by this time next year," Tepper said.
Tepper launched the first salvo: "He's an old man. He's past his prime. He's lost his wife, he's lost his ratings, and now he's in the process of losing his dignity.
"He should have retired when he had a chance a few months ago."
[Ed. - Howard won't be in these ratings, but I placed this here for background data.]
from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer
May 3, 2001
No Mariners, no top rating for KIRO-AM.
Country music station KMPS-FM grabbed the top spot in the winter quarterly ratings released by The Arbitron Co., for listeners 12 and older tuning in from 6 a.m. to midnight Monday through Sunday.
KIRO, which during baseball season dominates the ratings, was tied for second with KUBE-FM, followed by KVI-AM, KNDD-FM, KRWM-FM and KBSG-FM (tied for sixth), KWJZ-FM and KZOK-FM (tied for eighth) and KMTT-FM, KOMO-AM and KBKS-FM (three tied for 10th).
KIRO won the 6-10 a.m. weekday segment, but in an indication of baseball's appeal, it slipped to 12th in the 7 p.m.-midnight slot, which it usually wins handily when the Mariners are playing.
Among the notable moves in the quarter, KMTT continued a climb from 19th last summer to 16th in the fall to a tie for 10th in the latest book. KBTB-FM, which went through three sets of calls letters and at least as many formats in a year, was 14th in the latest book, up from 24th in fall when it was KMBX-FM. Slipping from the fall book was KING-FM (sixth to a tie for 19th).
The latest ratings are also a testament to the popularity of Art Bell, who returned to his "Coast to Coast" program on the paranormal and conspiracies in February. KOMO, which carries the program locally, shot to second in the 7 p.m.-midnight segment.
The spring book is considered a significant ratings period anywhere, but the book will likely get even more scrutiny to gauge the impact of nationally syndicated radio star Howard Stern's arrival in this market. Stern has been a ratings winner in other markets, although radio industry executives have wondered how the shock radio program will do in Seattle against local offerings and whether Stern can still pull big numbers.
KISW-FM is hoping he can. The station has slumped from 10th last summer to 21st in the most recent book, a dive that followed the departure of Bob Rivers in the mornings. The station currently ranks 22nd in the 6-10 a.m. segment.
The ratings do not include non-commercial stations such as KUOW-FM and KPLU-FM, which draw significant shares in this market.
--snips--
from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer
May 1, 2001
Now both are about to find out.
Stern, the New York-based shock jock and self-proclaimed "king of all media," will be heard on KISW-FM (99.9) 6-10 a.m. weekdays starting May 14.
Stern has "the most successful morning show" in radio, said KISW general manager Clark Ryan. KISW has been looking for a replacement for the long-running and high-rated Bob Rivers and Twisted Radio program, which left the station for a syndication deal last fall.
from fmqb.com
April 30, 2001
Entercom Classic Rock KISW/Seattle has inked the syndicated Howard Stern Show for mornings, beginning May 14. "Seattle morning radio will never be the same," VP/Station Manager Clark Ryan said. "Howard Stern has proven to be the most compelling morning personality in the history of radio and we're excited to have him here to rattle Seattle's collective cage." Stern replaces Rob, Arnie & Dawn, who have relocated back to Active Rock sister KRXQ/Sacramento. (The trio can also be heard on KRZQ/Reno.) Ryan tells fmqb that the Stern show, "is a great investment on the part of Entercom for our Seattle cluster." Rob, Arnie & Dawn joined KISW six months ago, filling the slot formerly occupied by Bob Rivers and his Twisted Radio crew. Rivers left the station after 11 years for a syndication deal with Infinity that recently debuted on its first affiliate KSFN-AM/Las Vegas (fmqb 4/13) and is expected to surface on Infinity's Seattle Classic Rocker KZOK. Ryan admitted that KISW has had "some tough times since losing our former show six months ago. We took a shot with Rob, Arnie & Dawn but it didn't take off in a short period of time. I think Howard will have an immediate impact in this city and it will be big." Ryan doesn't believe selling the Stern show will be an issue for Entercom in Seattle. For years, the company has successfully sold Tom Leykis on "The Buzz" (Hot Talk KQBZ), so they have experience when it comes to marketing a controversial personality show.
from the NYRMB
April 28, 2001
According to posts at ALL ACCESS, Howard will be on KISW/Seattle starting on Monday. KISW's website has removed references to the current morning show (Rob, Arnie & Dawn). This "show" (a term used very loosely) was brought in after KISW lost Bob Rivers last August.
It'll be interesting to see how Howard does this time in Seattle. He barely made a dent in his last appearance in Jet City......
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