BlatherWatch

KIRO Let a Good Thing Go and we open the Mail Bag.

Chris Chronic — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 21:44:59 -0700

Former KIRO News alum Heather Bosch has been kicking butt. Her latest coverage for CBS News of the Boston Bombings and subsequent manhunt follows on the announcement of several awards in news coverage.

This comes on the heels of a 2013 Gracie award (Women In Media Award), for her story Woman Warriors, about the role women have in combat in which she will be presented the award in Hollywood next month sharing the stage with an A-list of celebrities.

http://thegracies.org/

Heather has also earned CBS a national Edward R. Murrow award: Best Audio News Series, "9/11 -- Ten Years Later" and a 2012 National Headliner Award, Second Place, "9/11 -- Ten Years Later."

We have to wonder if KIRO had continued it's emphasis on news today like it did 10 years ago would it be struggling along as it has?

Our mail bag has a question... from the era of 1976-78 which host did a filler show on either KIRO or KING 1090

"Glad I found this site, brings back some great memories growing up in Seattle!

I have been looking for some radio segments that a local DJ had but unfortunately I can't remember his name and I'm not sure about the station - I am sure the station was on AM and I think it was either KING or KIRO.

These segments were called "A wonderful story". It played at the same time Mon-Fri, I think at 3:50pm. The guy would tell a short story that was the wind up to the most "atrocious" puns and the tag line when the story was over was the chorus, "O, what a wonderful story" said with OBVIOUS sarcasm. These were the best (worst) jokes you've ever heard and I LOVED them!

I used to record these on a cassette each day and had a collection, but sadly, I've lost track of the tapes (I believe they were destroyed in a house fire after I left my childhood home).

Do you know where I might find these?

Yours in days gone by,"

Jeanine

Fisher Investor claims $41.00-share offer too low: Files lawsuit to stop sale to Sinclair

Chris Chronic — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 18:13:14 -0700

As reported in Shareholders Foundation today, a professional loss-prevention, settlement recovery, portfolio monitoring service, an investor has filed suit regarding the sale of Seattle based Fisher Broadcasting (KOMO Radio/TV,KVI,KPLZ) to Sinclair, claiming the offer is undervalued.

If you purchased shares of Fisher Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSCI) prior to April 11, 2013, and currently hold any of those NASDAQ:FSCI shares, you have certain options and you should contact the Shareholders Foundation, Inc.

The plaintiff alleges that the defendants breached their fiduciary duties by agreeing to sell the company too cheaply via an unfair process to Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. On April 12, 2013, NASDAQ:FSCI shares traded as high as $41.20 per share.

Just days before the April 13th announcement of the acquisition, Sinclair Broadcast Group refinaced its credit loan terms. Sinclair raised $900.0 million of new term loans, which consisted of $500.0 million in new term A loans maturing April 2018 and priced at LIBOR plus 2.25% and $400.0 million in new term B loans maturing April 2020 and priced at LIBOR plus 2.25% with a LIBOR floor of 0.75%. In addition, Sinclair obtained a new $100.0 million revolving line of credit maturing April 2018 and priced at LIBOR plus 2.25%.

710 ESPN Announces Brock and Danny Show

Chris Chronic — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 19:33:07 -0700

Bonneville Seattle made the announcement Friday.

"We are extremely excited about teaming up Danny O'Neil with Brock Huard on 710 ESPN Seattle," said Dave Pridemore, the Vice President and General Manager of 710 ESPN Seattle. "I'm sure our listeners will appreciate the combination of an athlete's insight and analysis with a journalist's curiosity and straight forward perspective."

"Brock and Danny" will debut Monday. The show will remain in its previous timeslot of 9-noon.

"I am extremely grateful and honored to be working with Brock, who is a true professional behind the mic, and on-and-off the field," O'Neil said. "I look forward to this new challenge and officially being part of this 710 ESPN Seattle team."

O'Neil joins 710 ESPN Seattle and 710Sports.com on a full-time basis after working as a reporter for 11 years at The Seattle Times, covering high school sports and the Seahawks during three stints at the paper. O'Neil has also worked for ESPN at the company's headquarters in Bristol, Conn. and for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. While at the P-I, O'Neil was the Seahawks beat writer during their run to Super Bowl XL in 2005. He's covered the team for the past seven seasons for The Times.

O'Neil will cover the Seahawks for 710 ESPN Seattle and 710Sports.com com.

O'Neil and Huard both attended the University of Washington. They first met when O'Neil was assigned to write a story on Huard for the school's newspaper.

BREAKING: Fisher Sold To Sinclair.

Chris Chronic — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 22:34:43 -0700

TV News Check is reporting Fisher acquisition by Sinclair is all but a done deal, incuding 13 full-power and seven LPTV stations.

"Sinclair Broadcasting won a bidding war against LIN Media to buy Fisher in a deal finalized in the wee hours of Tuesday night, according to sources." The story continues: "A spokesman at Fisher’s public relations firm, Sard Verbinnen & Co., said the company had no comment on rumors and speculation."

No word yet on the state of Fisher owned KOMO AM/FM, KVI, KPLZ. It is likely they will be spun off after the sale. The deal was reportedly worth $371 million. Fisher also managed Classic King FM.

New line up at Olympia's KGY 1240 including Ed Shultz

Chris Chronic — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 07:59:02 -0700

The oldest station in the state is making changes once again to their line-up.

Gone is Michael Smerconish who announced plans to exit terrestrial radio for satellite this month. In his place former MSNBC daytime and waitin' for a weekend slot host Ed Shultz will take the 1p-4p spot. 10a-1p is Andrea Tartaros , a FOXer whose background includes fighting the so-called culture wars. Dennis Miller occupied the morning slot but his contract was not renewed with the station due to issues over content http://www.kgyradio.com/ The changes begin April 15th.

KLAY airs Stephanie Miller live: Seattle Times Covers Movement to Bring Progressive Talk Back to Seattle

Chris Chronic — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 08:38:55 -0700

Steph and the Mooks - KLAY AM 1180 has changed its schedule and is now airing Stephanie Miller "live" 6:00 - 9:00 AM. According to Bruce of KLAY, Stephanie prefers to air during the live show time slot because they get listeners calling into her show.

Thom Hartmann is still airing on KLAY AM 1180, 4:00-7:00 PM, and KBCS 91.3 FM, Noon-3:00 PM

Dr Joy Browne has returned to her old slot at KLAY from 9-Noon.

From the Times article yeterday :

Carolyn Tamler and a small group of talk-radio fans are trying to bring progressive talk radio back to Seattle. She told me she is doing this “because there is nowhere else to get news.” Ouch.

The station that Tamler, an independent marketing consultant who lives on Whidbey Island, used to listen to, AM 1090, switched from progressive talk to sports in January. The CBS-owned station is betting the deep blue Seattle area audience is more passionate about sports than liberal ideology.

So Tamler and a few like-minded listeners (Julia Chase, Phil Harrison, Matt Carson, Larisa Wanserski, Rennie Sawade and RoseAnn Alspektor) are trying to find a way to return their programing to the air.

Last December, before the format changed, Tamler placed a petition online that reads, “Don’t let Seattle lose progressive radio! As a local radio listener, I pledge to support with my dollars any advertiser on any station that chooses to broadcast progressive programming.”

Tamler is a coordinator for the Whidbey Island council of MoveOn, and said the political organizing group helped get the word out so that 5,000 people had signed up by the second day. There are 9,600 signatures now.

FOX News going soft?

Chris Chronic — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 21:43:09 -0700

That is what the Tea Party is claiming in light of the Benghazi accusations going nowhere in an article from the Daily Beast:

“Particularly after the election, Fox keeps turning to the left,” said Stan Hjerlied, 75, of Fort Collins, Colo., and a participant in the boycott. He pointed to an interview Fox News CEO Roger Ailes gave after the election in which he said that the Republican Party and Fox News need to modernize, especially around immigration. “So we are really losing our only conservative network.”

Evidently, there is a boycott of FOX News but no one noticed, it supposedly ends Sunday. Kathy Amidon, leader of the boycott based in Nashville (where else?) said a previous boycott resulted in a 20% loss in viewers. The Daily Beast has found no data to support her claims. Amidon has directed the rest of the press to her website but has declined a formal interview.

If all else fails, there is also the announcement made at the not-so-big-tent CPAC conference last week in which a new conservative news channel will be launched soon.

The One America News Network according to the Daily Beast "is a production of Herring Broadcasting, the San Diego-based company behind Wealth TV, a channel dedicated to appealing to and documenting the lifestyles of the rich and famous."

Their mission:
"provding opinion-free straight news reporting and right-leaning talk shows."

Lewis County TeaBagger known only as "Uncle/Dad"

Sez Charles Herring, president of Herring Broadcasting:

"With only one outlet, if you happen to be an independent or a libertarian, or you are on the outside, you only have one platform right now, which is Fox,” he said. “There just isn’t enough time in the day to have those voices heard. I see us as opening up another front, another platform.”

What Herring and others are saying is, FOX is not ugly enough even with Ted Nugent's soiled britches stinking up the studios along with Bill O'Reilly's bile infested rants.

Uh huh...

Adam Carolla's last job as Bill's Butt-Boy

Feburary Book Is Out, KFNQ de-listed; KIRO FM,KOMO stuck in 3rd gear

Chris Chronic — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 00:34:06 -0700

From Radio-online and Arbitron.

The winners and losers from the latest PPM's showing what we already know, most stations gained or lost a tenth of a percentage point or so. What was interesting is the total drop out of former progressive talker , now Sports Talk KFNQ, rating worse than the last month before they pulled the lefty format ; it never got a bump after it's start-up.

Now it's true with the exception of March Madness and possibly any breaking news on the NBA moving back to Seattle, sports talk is a big snooze-fest around here. We've also reported on the validity of Personal People Meters too.

But c'mon, did CBS really think it was going to do any better flipping progressive talk to sports just because they owned the network?

The boom that went bust

Seattle has 3 or so AM sports talkers, along with FM simulcast and suburban stations.

Can it sustain more outlets to talk Norts Spews until Mariner's and Seahawk seasons return, or Sacramento gives up the Kings?

The 2 other sportsters, KIRO 710 and KJR 95 both lost nearly a point from Dec to Feb.

The usual winners or those that play in the top 5 were mostly music KRWM, KQMV, KUOW,KBKS (Kiss 106) and KCMS. Danny Bounaduce is evidently giving #6 KZOK a better share than the Dec book. KUOW got a slight bump from December, KJR FM went from 3.5 in Dec to February' 4.2, probably due to speakers in warehouses being turned back on after the Holiday music blitzkrieg.

KIRO FM did slightly better with it's 3 share going to 3.6, KOMO stayed relatively flat during the 3 months, almost tied with the Too Beautiful To Die, Bonneville station. Fisher's KVI remained flat the entire time with 0.7 share. Another Bonne-ville talker, KTTH dropped from 3.3 Dec. to 2.6 last month. Classic KING FM fell from a 3 to a 2, KMTT went from 2.5 to a 3.0 despite the change-up in long time hosts and management.