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X ♦f*.'ON THE AIR—James Keith announces for KXLR-FM. With its mix of fringe classics and oldies, KXLR, a new station, hopes to lure primarily 25- to 49-year-olds.By INGRID MARTINStaff Writer“Good time rock n’ roll” slip ped into the FM lineup in Fairbanks this summer, with the arrival of KXLR radio. The new station, at 95.9 on the FM dial, plays hits from 1955-1975.That brings to 12 the number of stations here, eight of those on the FM band.Can all of them survive?Maybe. But this much is undisputed: Fairbanks isn't a big market. Yet a dozen stations are jockeying for listener quotas.Each has devised a scheme to lure the demographic group it considers most lucrative.More listeners translates into higher ratings, which in turn jus tify loftier advertising rates, which mean more revenues.In the end, the audience is broken into many segments and subsets. The competition is nev er-ending; tactics to build followings come and go.Augie Hiebert, chairman of Northern Television Inc., speak ing to a university class this spring, hinted at how crowded Fairbanks’ airwaves are.“If (Washington) D.C. had the same number of radio stations per capita that Fairbanks does, they would have 880 of them,” he said.Ironically, it is Northern Television that launched KXLR. It also owns KCBF-AM and KTVF TV here. Hiebert s company, at least, is optimistic Fairbanks can support 12 stations.Zeroing inWith its mix of fringe classics and oldies, KXLR hopes to lure primarily 25- to 49-year olds, according to station manager1TUNING INStationFrequency FormatStaffKAYY-FM101.1Adult contemporary,classic variety8 full-time 4 part-timeOwner: Interior Broadcasting CorpKCBF-AM820KXLR-FM95.9KFAR-FM660KWLF-FM98.1Cool gold oldies, 1955-64, news, infoPure gold classics, 1955-75Owner: Northern Television Inc.Middle-of-the-road music,news, talk, infoContemporary rockOwner: Borealis Broadcasting Inc.11 full-time 3 part-time19 full-time 3 part-timeKIAK-AM970KIAK-FM102.5Classic country, talk, special featuresContemporary country15 full-time 3 part-timeOwner: Olympia Broadcasting Corp.KJNP-AMKJNP-FM1170100.3Religious and gospel music Religious and light classics20 full-time5 pafit-tirheiAH Volunteers)Owner: Alaska Evangelistic Misssionary FellowshipKSUA-FM103.9Album-oriented classic rock,student stationOwner: Student Media Inc.1 full-time 15 part-timeKUAC-FM104.7 Educational, National Public Radio 6 full-timeNetwork, classical musicOwner: University of Alaska Fairbanks1 part-timeKUWL-FM91.5Contemporary Christian,non-profit3 full-time Plus volunteersOwner: Lighthouse Christian CenterStationTARGETING AD DOLLARSRates quoted Aug. 2, 1990Listeners*** Cost per Listeners*** Cost* ages 12 and up thousand ages 25-54Cost per thousandKAYY-FM$161,430$11.191,190$13.45KFAR-AM$171,480$11.491,010$16.83KWLF-FM$19$7.281,060$17.92KIAK-AM**$26840$12.26iSsi 790 iiii$13.60KIAK^IIII$26iiip t$12.26111 1lt;12° ill$13.60KCBF-AM$6810$7.41750$8.00KXLR-FM$6Not ratedHUHNot ratedllflfilllll;KJNP-FM$9190$47.39150$60.00KSUA-FM$201,420$14.08870$22.99Ratings based on information from Willhight Radio Research conducted betweenMarch 1, 1990 thru April 25,1990*Cost is for one 30-second prerecorded announcement, airing between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. on weekdays. Prices increase if a specific time is requested.** St at ions sell air time in combination for these periods.***The average number of people listening to this station for at least 5 minutes between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. on a weekday.MAKING IT COUNT—The calculated cost per thousand for radio ads varies widely, depending on who the sponsor wants to reach and when. And, rates are negotiable, such as when airtime is purchased in bulk, or for longer spots./aVOLUME^TREBLE/aimePOWERMark Byford. It blends cuts from groups like Crosby, Stills and Nash, the Who and Cree-dence Clearwater Revival, with earlier hits. It sidesteps what Byford calls “hard, head-banging rock.” It’s a calculated attempt to corner a particular portion of the market.Using their own formulas. Byford’s competitors have the same goals. Therein lies the quagmire.Bill Burrows, owner of Bill Burrows Advertising, calls today’s radio market “fragmented.”in my view, right now there are just too many stations in this market,” Burrows said.“It’s tough for the radio stations (but) great news for the listeners,” said Pete Van Nort, president of the Alaska Broadcasters Association “I think in the last five or six years it’s gotten a lot more competitive.-While Fairbanks isn’t big enough for its own Elvis station, all jazz radio or a big-band channel, stations here also strive to “target” audiences. For good reason.The broadcast industrynationwide experienced a growth spurt in the ’80s, largely due to deregulation by the Federal Communications Commission.In 10 years, the number of radio stations in the borough doubled. The population didn't. That number grew barely 20 percent, from an estimated 60,200 in 1980 to about 72,400 today.A couple of stations “went dark” during the recession, although one—now KXLR—has been resurrected a couple of times.(See RADIO, Page B-6)
Newspaper Details
Fairbanks Daily News Miner
Fairbanks, Alaska, US
Sun, Aug 19, 1990
Page 9
Full Page
Clipped by
Sammi B.
NA 10 May 2021
Other Publications Near Fairbanks, Alaska
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