KIVI/KNIN owner switch latest in sea of Boise media changes

The media world is rapidly changing, and Boise viewers, readers and listeners are getting a front row seat.

Just ten years ago, the big players in local media were Gannett (Idaho Statesman), Clear Channel (radio cluster), Citadel (radio cluster), Journal Broadcast Group (KIVI and radio cluster), Belo (KTVB) and Fisher (KBCI – now KBOI).

OYSNow, with the announcement that KIVI, KNIN and Journal’s four Boise radio stations will be folded into EW Scripps, we’ve seen a complete rollover of the distant corporate owners for the Boise airwaves and newspaper. (There is one caveat – Gannett exited the market in 2005 when it sold the Statesman to Knight Ridder, and came back with the purchase of KTVB late last year).

The Journal sale (a merger in technicality, but the Scripps family will be in charge) cleaves the company’s newspapers from its television and radio assets. It follows a path first implemented by Belo oddly enough – and sets up the new newspaper group as a debt-free company which gives them room to experiment without cash flow issues. Television stations earn some of the best margins in business and can easily help service legacy debt (in the case of Scripps & Journal, much of that debt is from legacy pension obligations).

Do Boise viewers and listeners really see a difference in quality or presentation? Perhaps. Small things like new graphics for TV newscasts and group contests for radio stations can be a benefit. Overall it can boil down to how much a corporate owner is willing to invest in a market like Boise. KIVI & KNIN will likely benefit from Scripps which is known as one of the better television station operators.

On the radio front, Scripps does not currently own any radio stations, so the company will be even more heavily weighted toward the television space. It’s not hard to see that Scripps will take some inquiry on buying those stations, but what it’s strategy will be – hold or sell – is anyone’s guess.

Don Day is the Digital Sales & Product Manager for KTVB and wrote & edited IdahoRadioNews.com for five years. He also tweets a lot

Job Opening: Brand Manager – Contract Position

Drake Cooper in Boise has as opening for a Brand Manager, to be working on a contract basis.

From their job description:

Drake Cooper Brand Managers help clients grow their brand. They lead marketing campaigns, manage teams and deliverables. They love it.

RESPONSIBILITIES

  • Guides brand marketing ideas
  • Creates and recommends marketing plans to build consumer awareness and engage audience.
  • Researches target audience insights for strategic planning purposes
  • Manages multiple campaign elements including theme development, advertising and packaging.
  • Ensures client deliverables and goals are achieved
  • Coordinates client contracts and agreements
  • Manages campaign benchmarks and KPIs
  • Creates documentation – estimates, proposals, purchase orders
  • Occasional content production

Full details about the position and how to apply can be found here.

Job openings at Davies Moore

Our friends at DaviesMoore let us about two new job openings at their shop:

Media Buyer

DaviesMoore, a full-service marketing firm in Boise, is looking for a media buyer to work in a fast-paced, results oriented atmosphere. This individual will be detail oriented, possess strong communication and negotiation skills, working knowledge of excel and ideally have previous experience in a media related field. Experience with Strata Media buying software and Marketing Research a plus.

Learn more about this position here. Note that applications are only being accepted through Friday, July 18th.

Digital Marketing Specialist

We are a full-service Marketing and Design Agency in Boise, Idaho looking for a Digital Marketing Specialist to join our growing Digital team.

Responsibilities

  • Working together with our designers and developers as well as our digital and offline marketing teams to bring to life digital marketing strategies for our clients and for DaviesMoore
  • Build and manage Search Engine Marketing strategies and campaigns
  • Develop and implement SEO strategies for clients across many industries
  • Monitor and track analytics for different social media, web and digital campaigns

Learn more about this position here. Applications for this one are being accepted through Friday, July 25th.

IdahoRadioNews: Eagle looks to soar by taking the low road

kkgl-logoKKGL/96.9 The Eagle used to be one of the Boise market’s top-rated radio stations. Its mix of syndicated show Bob & Tom and classic rock from the 70s and 80s scored top marks with adult men – and even many women.

But along the way, the station faltered. It cut back, retrenched and saw its ratings fade like a pair of stone-washed jeans. Wave upon wave of corporate consolidation seemed to diminish the station even further as it passed from Citadel to Cumulus.

Ratings were so bad that during the 2012 fall ratings period, the station got beat in the morning drive by Mix 106 — among adult men. Mike & Kate are a popular show to be sure, but drop-kicking the Eagle among men with a very female-driven show was nearly unthinkable just a few years ago. (Back in 2008 I noted how the station was the dominant number one).

These days, the station still clings to Bob & Tom. It also features longtime Boise radio vet Scott Cruise. But oddly, Cruise appears on the Eagle and sister station Nash FM at the same time. Not much of a trick in the day of pre-recorded radio, but perhaps a sad sign of corporate consolidation.

In recent months, changes have come to the airwaves of The Eagle. New afternoon host “Forrest” arrived, followed shortly thereafter by a new after-7 talent.

Perhaps those seem like mundane changes. But station management appears to be adding “sex and drugs” to the rock & roll.

In May, the station posted this teaser:

KKGL new jock teaser

The image linked to a larger, um… fuller image.

When the new jock “Lindsey Marie” debuted, she got the requisite bio on the station’s website, written in first-person voice. The first line, stretched across the top in large font uses a word many find increasingly repugnant:

Hi. I’m Lyndsey. I have a mild case of social retardation, but luckily, I also have a microphone so it all gets captured for you 7p-Midnight

Everyone from the Special Olympics to Michelle Malkin to the state of Michigan have spoken out against the word. Maybe it isn’t a hot button for you personally – but it is for many.

Beyond objectification of women and disregard for those with mental disabilities, the station is in full-on “drugs are cool, man” mode in advance of a Cheech & Chong concert this summer.

The aforementioned afternoon jock Forrest posted this photo to Twitter this week:

With a sign touting the station’s relationship with Boise State in the background and an extra “tobacco pipe” in the foreground, the announcer makes it appear he’s taking a bong hit while in the middle of his shift. One local rival snarked “my guy would be fired for posting a public photo like this.” When I ruminated on Twitter that maybe a blog post was due, Forrest seemed to think that was a great idea, giving his stamp of approval with a retweet:

These are just a few disparate items but they seem to add up to a strategy shift: let’s appeal to men’s more primal instincts. Sex. Drugs. Careless language.

It’s a tactic that works in many markets across the country. But is Boise one of them? The area is stocked with conservatives, and I find even the self-identified liberals are generally pretty moderate in many ways. Maybe the audience will grow, but will blue chip advertisers want spots next to the drugs and the sex?

Time, and the constant pressure of the Nielsen ratings book, will tell.

UPDATE: Forrest pulled the tweet and corresponding image from Twitter. But he left a similar shot in Instagram:

bong2

Forrest also un-re-tweeted the tweets and basically seemed to retrench.

Also, the out-of-market night talent, Lyndsey from Atlanta, dialed me up on Twitter with a response:

Don Day is the Digital Sales & Product Manager for KTVB, and wrote & edited the now-defunct IdahoRadioNews.com for five years.

New hire at Publicis Boise

Bobby KasperWhile we don’t hear much out of the Publicis Boise office, we did get word recently that they’ve added Bobby Kasper as Art Director.

From their release about the new hire:

At Publicis Boise, Bobby provides graphic design, concept development and file preparation/production for assigned accounts while supporting new business activities. His responsibilities also include assisting the Production Director in fulfillment of sales and marketing kits and materials.

Prior to joining Publicis Boise, he worked at local design agencies and Boise State University Campus Services providing graphic design and production support of marketing materials.

Congratulations Bobby.