Intrigue and Change in Reno Radio: Part II
KOH is not the only station that appears to be looking for the right rhythm. 99.1 FM Talk has also been making a lot of changes. In April, the station upgraded to 50,000 watts and also added Sean Patrick to the lineup. Recently, the station dropped Glenn Beck and put Laura Ingraham on in his place. Time will tell whether these changes will help or hurt the station.
Regardless of what you think about the programs on 99.1 FM Talk, there is an overarching problem that I believe plagues the station: No one is really surprised when things change anymore. You just never know what programs will be on from day to day. And you never know whether the change is permanent or temporary. For example, the station was apparently flirting with Laura Ingraham when Glenn Beck was still on. It would be Glenn Beck one day, Laura Ingraham the next and then back to Beck again. And then it’s Laura Ingraham and it never goes back.
It’s too early for me to know what to think about Sean Patrick. It generally takes 3 to 6 months of listening before you can fairly judge a host. I rode my bike to work almost every day from April through September, so my exposure to The Sean Patrick Show is minimal. I will say that his show has improved since it started. He is definitely becoming more comfortable.
So, why does any of this matter? KOH seems to be struggling and the other talkers have an opportunity to grab listeners who are looking for an alternative. People who are disenchanted regarding the firing of Bill Manders will find the change to 99.1 quite comfortable. Probably more comfortable than listening to someone they perceive as being responsible for Manders’ departure, regardless of whether or not that is a fair perception.
While KKFT seems poised to win in the afternoon slot, I’m not sure why they dropped Beck. Laura Ingraham is good, but Glenn Beck is HUGE right now. He dominates the media in a way few others can. This was driven home a few days ago when I heard my mom complain that Glenn Beck was no longer on the air. She isn’t big on radio or politics, but she was discussing the change with her friends. My mom was talking about Glenn Beck.
I enjoy reading comments and blogs that mock KKFT. They always use current ratings to discount the station – they never look at the change over an extended period. Bob Hastings over at BATTLE BORN POLITICS made the following comment: “The closest News/Talk station in the Reno ratings is KKFT with paltry 3.3 rating.” Keep in mind that KOH has scored below their average in 7 of the last 9 ratings periods. KKFT is almost double their own average. And that’s even if you include the spectacular current rating in the average.
KKFT has a chance to kick KOH while they’re down. Consider that when I started tracking the stations KOH had more than 10 times the share that KKFT had. In the current period KOH has less than 3 times the share. You can call me clueless and mock KKFT’s “paltry” ratings, but the Reno radio landscape is changing.



