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Editor's Corner

Subject: The Run-Down of the Dial: Good, Bad, and Goofy
Date: January 1, 2007

    Here's my (opinionated) run-down of the Salt Lake Valley's radio dial . . . the good, the bad, and the ugly . . .

92.5 KUUU: 

93.3 KUBL:

94.1 KODJ:

94.5 KVFX:

94.9 KHTB:  The Blaze plays rock songs I didn't even knew existed.  The Good:  The Blaze's existance

96.3 KXRK:  Sorry guys, I'm not a real alternative music fan.  The billboards are funny, though.

97.1 KZHT:  Can you believe ZHT is now stating it's fourth-year with it's stronger signal?  The Good:  For most of the valley (sorry Alpine-Highland) having a CHR on Farnsworth Peak has been a really smart move.  Ratings numbers look good.  Lately, ZHT has had two people running the night show, which creates interesting dialogue.  Imaging is supurb, which I haven't always been able to say about ZHT.  The Goofy:  What's up with the top of hour being "en espanol?"  The Bad:  At the moment, I can't see too much wrong with ZHT, but don't worry ... I'm sure I'll think of something soon!

97.5 KOAY:  The Oasis is still too new to get a good opinion of.  The Goofy:  The Oasis is a "refuage of safety" ... from one of the least risque radio dials on the planet.  Personally, I find this a good thing, but I so still find it goofy to imagine a computer running a sweeper bragging "Safe for the Whole Family," while X96 is in the next booth over.  The Good:  Props to Simmons Media for giving religious music a shot.  Certainly, LDS music has a large fan base, but I wonder if the model is going to work.  Typically, Mormons and Protestants don't .... well, appreciate each other's message and music.  The Oasis is trying to attract both sides.  The Bad:  In a worst case scenario, Protestants won't listen because the Oasis plays "cult" music, and Mormons won't listen because it will sound to "holy roller."  If this became the case, only the Oasis will come out loser.  Let's hope it doesn't happen.

97.9 KBZN:  The Breeze is a breath of fresh air to the radio dial.  The Good:  It appears that the commercial load is lighter, although I haven't actually taken a stopwatch to it.  Capital has excellent commitment to local air talent, with live disc jockies well into the evening hours.  Programming is supurb, especially for an independant operator.  I often wish Capital had the capital to run a second station, maybe a CHR or Hot AC.  The Bad:  I really can't find much wrong with the Breeze.  I'm sure some jingles couldn't hurt.

98.7 KBEE:  Like all Citadel stations, "the Bee" has been buzzing along with relatively the same format for over a decade (except for the horrendous Modern AC stint around 2001 where the Bee sounded exactly like 107.5 The End, but we'll forget all about that).  The Good:  The Bee has a nice selection of bouncy AC music that makes for a good "fall back" station, and gives a the station good mass-appeal.  They've also dropped the tag-line "the all new," which has been married to the station's name since 2002.  Disco weekends, "Studio 98.7," adds great flavor, as well as "One Hit Wonder," and "Awesome Eighties" weekends.   Once the weekend is over, the station's weekday programming is slowly morphing into an "FM 100"-like predictability.  At one point, I wondered if Dain and Peggy (FM 100) read the same script each day, word for word.  Thankfully the Bee's morning show, Todd and Erin, sound less programmed, with plenty of listener calls.  The Goofy:  As an imaging geek, I became really excited when I first heard the new Bee jingles air in Feburary 2002.  I had a buddy of mine call up poor Scott Simon and ask if that last jingle was new.  Scott's reply: "We just played a jingle?"  The imaging is now four years old.  If the Bee wants to prevent becoming the "elevator music station," they may want to avoid the same imaging rut that FM 100 ended up in, by updating their sound.

99.5 KJMY:  I'll admit it.  Both "My" and "Jack" are my two favorite "pet peeves" to harp.   The Bad: "My" is in the crosshairs because of the non-traditional (read "fully-automated") programming the station not only programs, but openly promotes.  The Good: However, I must now place my foot in my mouth, and actually give "My" some credit.  I have found myself tuning in much more frequently than I'd care to admit.  The music selection has been surprisingly wide.  Using genuine Salt Lake City listeners' voicemails mixed with well-placed drop-ins is downright genius!  I still don't believe that the voicemails alone are enough programming, but the concept would be refreshing addition to stations that are also fully programmed.  Imagine a top-rate station using voicemails instead of sweepers!  Mix that with a morning show, talented air staff throughout the day, and maybe Paul Harvey ... well, okay, forget Harvey ... the combination would be incredible.  Thanks for the idea, My 99-5.

100.3 KSFI:  I'm sure that FM 100's bump from number one in the ratings may be

- R Sanders                

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