I’m into a good tease as much as the next guy – especially when a happy ending is involved…
If you’re stuck in traffic on I-35 and in desperate need of a laugh, there’s a new radio station in town.
For the past several days, translator station K273BZ-FM, Bonner Springs had been filling its airwaves with hysterical laughter interupted only with teaser liners like "What’s so funny about 102.5," etc.
Finally, on Valentine’s Day at 10:25 a.m. they officially signed on with continuous comedy bits as in "All Comedy-All The Time!
In radio, this promotional process is called "stunting."
Obviously K273BZ-FM / KCMO-FM, HD2 didn’t work very hard to veil the new format, although some insiders incorrectly predicted Kansas City’s newest FM signal would simulcast sister station KCMO-AM’s talk radio programming.
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Side bar: The best radio stunting I’ve ever heard went down in K.C. years back when a local station was about to flip formats.
After the last song had played, all we heard for the next week were construction noises; hammers; saws; drills – the sounds of building a new station.
And every so often you’d hear some construction guy making derogatory comments about one of the old format’s songs he’d just stumbled upon.
A pretty effective stunt campaign – my only regret is I can’t recall the station that pulled it!
Uh. if you do it, please clue me in.
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I digress…
How can 102.5-FM hope to succeed with "All Comedy-All The Time" when a previous AM station here during the late 90s couldn’t?
Well, for starters, 102.5-FM pretty much runs itself and doesn’t require additional staffing with the programming fed by the 24/7 Comedy Radio network.
It probably requires less staffing than last year’s addition of 103.7-THE DAM to Cumulus Radio’s Kansas City holdings and may provide a new and/or additional revenue stream for the media conglom.
So the laugh’s on YOU!
At least that’s what the management of 102.5-FM is hoping for.
good luck ..
A new comedy station? That
Good Idea
My first thought echoed @markx…
Sometimes..I do listen to uncensored comedy via satellite and really enjoy it.
I’m sure there is good content that is not blue. 50’s 60’s 70’s the great years.
Jack, good to see you blogging more.
CAN SHE COOK? Only thing my girl can make is reservations..
I could use a laugh these days, maybe a lot of people can. Back in the 90s things did not suck as bad a s today. It might be funny if the format really picks up and other stations try to follow suit, can you imagine, 4 comedy stations all playing trhe same routines….sound familiar?.
RADIO WAS RUINED….. DAMN THE CLEAR CHANNEL COMMUNICATIONS ACT… DAMN IT ALL TO HELL
It was………
B-95 emerged from those construction noises, lasted through the first book, got it’s ass handed to it by Q 104, so B95 went urban until Oldies came about in the early 90s
B-95?
Thanks kansas karl—but refresh my memory. When B-95 emerged from the construction noises, what had they been? Were they ‘The Wave?’–and what format did they go to which, as you say, lasted only one book? Was it top 40?
For some reason I’ve lost the continuity of it all.
thanks.
HIRE CRAIG GLAZER TO BE ON AIR HOST
Heres your shot 102, hire Glazer from Stanfords to be the host of your shows, he is funny and already gets all the comics who come here. I don’t know if he would do it though cause of Johnny Dare, he does them in the mornings, but maybe.
That’s a solid idea….
Craig would be a perfect alignment for that station, if Cumulus is sincere in their effort to build a comedy station. There’s already a built-in audience, considering the solid regional and national reputation of Stanford’s. Just thinking outside the box, but I could see a scenario, ideally, that if Craig were involved, and there is some sort of a business arrangement there, that snippets (like 5 minutes worth) could be pulled from comedy acts that play locally at Stanford’s, and replayed on the comedy station. No whole act is used…because that would be bad business. But to pull comedy snippets that occur in KC, rotate them in a mix on a KC station, with the bulk of the content provided by a national network…..well, then you’d have enough of a local vibe to it that it could work.
b-95 the rythmn of the city
B95 came out as a top 40 station, every 86 minutes Jefferson Starship was on building that damn city on rock and roll.
The only thing worse…
… than all-comedy broadcast radio will be all-comedy broadcast radio with commercials.
Hire the Glazer
If they used Glazer as the host, it would be a hit show right off, but they won’t he’s too controversial.
Use Glazer?
That probably wouldn’t work for the comedy station. They’d have to actually use a person to do the production. Remember this station is pretty well running ITSELF with programming being fed from the network.
This station can be successful one way and one way only
if they hire me and if I choose to do it. I have a history with all the comics from Lewis Black to Tommy Chong. Secondly I wouldn’t want to jeopardize my relationship with Johnny Dare. Dare would have to give his OK. But you can’t launch these things without a celebrity and I’m the only comedy celebrity here that matters, that would give them automatic ratings.
Geeez Glazer
You’ve got to be the most egotistical sob this side of Raytown
I think B95 begat P95, for Power 95
Unfortunately, Dene Hallam, who was PD for both, died two years ago.
And Jack, I disagree on the most clever transition format. I forget who it was, but their one week interim format was POLKA music! And you know, it was toe-tapping good fun. I think management was afraid if they went longer than a week, they’d actually get some ratings and have to stick with it.
I just tried to tune in 102.5 –I have 3 radios in my kitchen, and the signal sucked on all 3. Now I understand this kind of repeater radio may come in on your car, so it could be useful in rush hour. And it’s online 1025.com. The old 1480 comedy stn. ten years ago played comic bits that were around 9 minutes long. Too long. And not funny, which was a drawback, duh! This new format is like 4 minute bits. But if it’s scratchy, who cares to stick around for the punchlines? Not I.
As for other format flips, Bob Zuroweste is back in town, as SM for 101 the Fox, and he has a steeltrap mind, so ask him for more stories.
I think B95 begat P95, for Power 95
Unfortunately, Dene Hallam, who was PD for both, died two years ago.
And Jack, I disagree on the most clever transition format. I forget who it was, but their one week interim format was POLKA music! And you know, it was toe-tapping good fun. I think management was afraid if they went longer than a week, they’d actually get some ratings and have to stick with it.
I just tried to tune in 102.5 –I have 3 radios in my kitchen, and the signal sucked on all 3. Now I understand this kind of repeater radio may come in on your car, so it could be useful in rush hour. And it’s online 1025.com. The old 1480 comedy stn. ten years ago played comic bits that were around 9 minutes long. Too long. And not funny, which was a drawback, duh! This new format is like 4 minute bits. But if it’s scratchy, who cares to stick around for the punchlines? Not I.
As for other format flips, Bob Zuroweste is back in town, as SM for 101 the Fox, and he has a steeltrap mind, so ask him for more stories.
Hi Tracy….
….you make good points! Hope all’s well. If not… buy a bottle and a new hat 🙂
Wasn’t Trying To Be An Egomaniac
Ok that came off a bit strong, you are right. The truth is what Jack said, its likely piped in stuff, no real on air person, just tape…don’t know if they will even have local comics, meaning stars who are in town for Stanfords, Improv,Midland, etc….maybe not. In that case nobody will matter from here. I thought it was a good idea to have an inside guy doing the show who knows all these comics, has built in stories with them or about them. Thats all. However Jack knows more about it than I do so it may not be an option. Hey I’m happy doing Dare and Mix and Q and NBC and the other stations we do from time to time, its been fun and works for everyone. Hard to beat 98.9 and Mix and Q…Dare is great with comics and now knows most of them as well.