iHeartMedia stuck first as Classic Country “92.5/93.3 K-BUC” KRPT Devine/K227BH San Antonio rebranded as “The Bull” this morning. No changes in content at the station, which runs the Premium Choice Classic Country feed around the clock.
Original Report 10/28: Alpha Media and iHeartMedia are both seeking to stake a claim to the “Bull” brand in the San Antonio market.
Earlier this month we reported on Alpha’s registration of TheBullSA.com with a mostly completed site for what is now “ESPN Deportes 103.1” KHHL Karnes City, which serves the rural area southeast of the city. Last week iHeart registered TheBullCountry.com which now redirects to the site of Classic Country “92.5/93.3 K-BUC” KRPT Devine/K227BH San Antonio.
Both companies utilize The Bull moniker for Country stations in multiple markets. iHeart and Cox are the dominant Country players in San Antonio. Cox’s “Y100” 100,3 KCYY is currently second in the market overall, while iHeart’s “KJ97” 97.3 KAJA is third. Cox’s 680 KKYX/104.9 K285EU dominates over KRPT/K227BH for the Classic Country audience.
One thing I noticed is that the audio quality of 104.9 is much better than 92.5, and even a little better than 93.3. Is this one of the reasons it’s doing better?
Just a very general comment on this: I am not a fan of these simplistic, rather undistinguished brands for radio stations. The Bull, The Eagle, The Wolf, The Game, they all sound so contrived and generic that you can’t tell whether you’re listening in San Antonio, Boston or a small town in Iowa. I wish programmers would have a little of the kind of branding originality that radio was once known for.
Call letters are for geeks. Ordinary people want a name that’s easy to recognize. Doesn’t matter if you’re in San Antonio, Saskatoon or Sri Lanka.
So, understanding that just using the call letters doesn’t work anymore, what would you suggest?
Or is this just another way to bitch that OH MY GOD RADIO SUCKS SO BAD NOW?