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Wanted: An audience for KKBY-FM

Thursday, August 12, 1999

By BILL VIRGIN Mail Author
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER

So they've got a format and what they hope is a catchy moniker for their station.

Now what the operators (and eventual owners) of KKBY-FM (104.9) need is an audience.

Tacoma station KKBY-FM dumped its urban contemporary format a few weeks ago. It now calls itself "Funky Monkey" (as in FM), and its musical format is what it describes as "rhythmic rock." The sample list of artists includes Limp Bizkit, Korn, Kid Rock, Rage Against the Machine, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Eminem and the Beastie Boys.

If those names mean something to you, then you're probably already listening to KNDD-FM (107.7), the alternative/modern/post-grunge rock station that in the spring Arbitron ratings book was fifth overall and first in the 18-34 age demographic.

Why go up against The End? "There's a pretty significant hole being unserved in this market," says Bob Case, a partner and senior vice president with Bedrock & Associates, the Bellevue company that is buying KBBY-FM. Yes, The End plays some of the same artists, but "they wait until nighttime, they don't play them as often and they don't play as many tracks" off those artists' albums, Case says.

Phil Manning, The End's program director, sees flattery in imitation. "It's a testament to The End's strong ratings and the popularity of the music we play," he says. His take on KKBY-FM's format is that it's much more limited musically speaking than The End's. He also plans no response to the new entrant in his market. "We're a No. 1 station, why would I change?"

Manning raises one other point that may make KKBY-FM's challenge even greater -- its relatively weak signal in Seattle. But Case believes there's enough of a listenership in the South Sound region to sustain the station.

KKBY-FM currently is using prerecorded announcements; Case said the station will take its time adding on-air personalities. The station also is starting commercial-free. Case says once commercials start KKBY-FM can play fewer than others because of cost-cutting measures such as computers and remote operation from Bellevue. "There are a lot of ways for us to not have the large staffs other stations have," he says.

In other radio notes:

  • The series "Just Plain Folks" with folklorist Lorraine Johnson-Coleman continues at 9:30 p.m. weekdays on KUOW-FM (94.9).

  • On National Public Radio's series "Lost and Found Sound," which airs Fridays on "All Things Considered" on KUOW-FM and KPLU-FM (88.5), the son of TV newswoman Nancy Dickerson remembers her attempts to break into broadcast news.

  • On "Music With Moskowitz" at noon Saturday on KSER-FM (90.7), it's killer love songs (Spike Jones' "You Always Hurt the One You Love," for example).

  • Dance Party Internationale performs on "The Live Room" at 8 p.m. Saturday on KCMU-FM (90.3).

  • Ichabod Caine talks to country stars about the forgiveness on "Honky Tonk Sundays" at 7 a.m. Sunday on KMPS-FM (94.1).

  • The Turtle Island String Quartet performs on "St. Paul Sunday Morning" at 10 a.m. Sunday on KUOW-FM.

  • Jim Wilke has a performance by the Nick Brignola-Bobby Shew Quintet with New Stories, from the recent Jazz Port Townsend festival, on "Jazz Northwest" at 2 p.m. Sunday on KPLU-FM.

  • Mike Siegel now has a regular show 5-8 p.m. Sundays (unless pre-empted by the Mariners) on KIRO-AM (710).

  • State Sen. Pam Roach will be filling in for Dave Ross 9 a.m.-noon Monday and Tuesday on KIRO-AM.

  • "If I Get Out of This Alive," a documentary about kids in adult prisons, narrated by Diane Keaton, will air at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday on KSER-FM.

  • KING-FM presents a performance from the Olympic Music Festival at 8 p.m. Wednesday.

  • Steve Knight has been named news director for KIRO-AM, KNWX-AM (770) and KQBZ-FM (100.7).

    P-I reporter Bill Virgin can be reached at 206-448-8319 or billvirgin@seattle-pi.com

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