KUAT Experience indicates the digital transition may not be so bad

KUAT EXPERIENCE INDICATES THE DIGITAL TRANSITION MAY NOT BE SO
BAD

KUAT Channel 6 prepared for the worst but got fairly pleasant
results when it turned off its analog television signal earlier this
month.

The concern, of course, was that many viewers would be without
programming, but once the switch actually took place, problems were
minimal.

“We set up for a much higher call volume than we got. It wasn’t a
high-water mark by any stretch,” said KUAT and Arizona Public
Media spokesperson Steve Delgado. “KUAT personnel fielded 25
calls the first all-digital day, and 28 the day after, and many of
those calls were not related to the abruptness of the switch. Most of
the questions were technical support, asking how to hook up their
converter, and not asking, ‘Why is the KUAT TV 6 signal gone?'”

The questioning included queries regarding where one can pick up
converter boxes, whether KUAT is giving them away (uh, no) and
performance issues related to the converter box.

It’s hard to gauge whether this is a good sign for the digital
transition as a whole, or just a good sign for KUAT. The PBS affiliate
has been a significant local player in the massive digital-switch media
blitz, and will continue to broadcast reminders up until the June 12
deadline for all stations to switch. KUAT has also been among the
easiest signals to retrieve for converter-box converts already immersed
in the transition process. However, other TV managers hope it’s a good
general omen for the day when the other stations come aboard and get
this process handled once and for all, in about six weeks.

“(The digital-switch messages have) been all over,” Delgado said.
“If you’ve been watching KUAT, you’ve seen spots pretty frequently.
It’s been in the papers. It’s been on every television channel. You’d
really have to be out of the loop altogether not to hear this message.
I take it as a testament to the preparedness of viewers who were
probably ready in February.”

SLONE MAY HAVE PLAYED HIS LAST RADIO SONG

Longtime Tucson radio owner Jim Slone might be finishing up
his final radio performance.

Once the sale of KCEE AM 1030 to Good News Radio
Broadcasting becomes official, the 72-year-old will be out of the
business, for the second time this decade.

“I have probably ridden my last horse down my last trail,” Slone
said in an e-mail. “I don’t have any serious plans at this point in
time. At this point, I simply want to get in better physical shape and
feel stronger physically in order to get back to playing racquetball. I
would like to feel free of any pressure at this point in my life.”

Few Tucsonans have had greater success in the business than Slone.
He arrived in Tucson in 1963 and had part-ownership of floundering
KCUB AM 1290 by the early-1970s. By 1976, KCUB was the city’s
top radio station, and at one point was named the No. 1 music station
in the world by Billboard Magazine.

Slone also saw the writing on the wall—an impending transition
from AM to FM dominance, thanks to the latter’s clearer signal,
especially for music. He purchased what would become KIIM FM
99.5 in 1983 for $2.65 million and parlayed that into a
five-station empire under the auspices of Slone Broadcasting. He
sold the group to Citadel Broadcasting in December 2000 for well
more than $60 million.

His first retirement came to an end a couple of years ago when he
bought KCEE, and Slone’s spin on the adult-standards format proved
successful. KCEE made steady progress up the ratings ladder and
regularly finished at or near the top when compared to other stations
in the adult-standards format on the AM band. The station’s online
streaming also garnered a fan base throughout the country.

“It will be nice leaving the station on a high note, knowing that a
lot of people really loved it,” Slone said.

KCEE will turn to a talk format in the near future, while a format
similar to Slone’s adult-standards mix will slide down the dial to KVOI
AM 690.

THE TRUTH IS COMING IN LOUD AND CLEAR

It didn’t long for FM talker KQTH FM 104.1 to pronounce
itself the No. 1 talk station in Tucson.

Those promos appeared almost instantly after an Arbitron winter-trend report moved the rapidly accelerating talk station to
fourth overall in the market, with a 4.4 12-and-older-listener share.
That bested KNST AM 790‘s 4.2 share for the same trend.

Actual Arbitron numbers for the whole winter-ratings period, or
book, will be released soon.

Nevertheless, it’s the first time in memory that KNST has been
challenged in the talk-format game—and by memory, we’re talking
at least 20 years.

Even with the slide, Clear Channel-owned KNST remains the
only AM station in the market ranked in the top 10. If the winter trend
rating holds, KNST will come in fifth. The next highest-rated AM is
Slone’s KCEE at 13th, nearly two ratings points below KNST.

More importantly, it shows that Journal Broadcasting‘s gamble
to give talk a shot on the FM dial appears to be among the better
recent radio-programming moves in the market. KQTH started off slow,
but has consistently moved up book to book. It’s gone from a rating of
1.5 to numbers higher than 4 in just three ratings periods.

KQTH aggressively pushed for high-profile conservative-talk
programming. Among its more noteworthy acquisitions, The Truth lifted
syndicated host Laura Ingraham from KVOI AM 690, Bill
O’Reilly from KJLL AM 1330 (O’Reilly has since discontinued
his radio show) and Michael Savage in his live afternoon slot
from KNST. Savage still runs on KNST, but in the evenings.

Local morning host Jon Justice has also delivered strong
numbers for KQTH.

This article appears in Apr 23-29, 2009.