May 25

Airwaves: May 25, 2007

The Big ... Um, 106.9?

San Francisco had some weird things happening on the airwaves last week. Seems that The City's Free-FM (KIFR, 106.9 FM) talk station wasn't doing well, so owner CBS decided to switch gears to an oldies format and bring back the legendary KFRC call-letters.

Only one problem: the KFRC calls belonged to another CBS station at 99.7 FM, which is now running a version of the Movin' format (heard in L. A. at 93.9 FM).

Which means through the end of last week, San Francisco listeners could tune into KIFR to hear KFRC, but if they tuned into KFRC, they would hear Movin'. Got it?

Everything's fixed by now, by the way. KFRC is officially assigned at its new home at 106.9, and Movin' 99.7 has become KMVQ. What I still don't get is that KFRC is legendary as a top-40 station. Why they want the calls tied to oldies is, well, sad.

Life's Music

Bad things are happening at the syndicated Music of Your Life standards format heard throughout much of the country and available on the internet. Gone are programmer Chuck Southcott as well as personalities Wink Martindale, Johnny Magnus and Pete Smith. Money -- lack of it -- appears to be the problem.

Clear Texting

Clear Channel has launched a new way for listeners to contact their favorite Clear Channel stations: text messaging.

Available now in New York but going nationwide in the next year or so, listeners can text song requests from their cell phones as well as receive information such as traffic reports.

This isn't an entirely new idea for the company. Before it was sold, Clear Channel's Mix 95.9 FM (now KFSH) personalities often used online internet chats to stay in touch with listeners. Too bad the company didn't know what a gem it had when it sold the Mix and let programmer Craig Carpenter and the rest of the staff go years ago.

Honor

KFI (640 AM) newsman Eric Leonard was honored by the Society of Professional Journalists. The Los Angeles area chapter of the organization named him the Distinguished Journalist of the Year; at only 30, Leonard is the youngest reporter to ever receive the award.

Border Blasters

Ibiquity has announced that Mexico is about ready to allow digital HD Radio broadcasts by stations along country's Northern border. The Mexican equivalent of the FCC is expected to approve the plan shortly, and will allow stations within 200 miles of the US border to broadcast HD.

If this HD catches on, maybe we'll get Michael Boss back on The Mighty 690.

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