Entercom has flipped Country 94.1 KMPS Seattle to Soft AC “94.1 The Sound“.
Positioning as “Relaxing Favorites At Work”, the move positions the station against Hubbard’s “Warm 106.9” KRWM and Sinclair’s “Star 101.5” KPLZ while both are in Christmas music mode. KWRM was fourth in the Seattle market with a 5.3 share while KPLZ was thirteenth with a 3.4 share in the November 2017 Nielsen Audio ratings.
“The Sound” launched at 9:12am with Lionel Richie’s “Hello” followed by Adele “Hello”, Bangles “Manic Monday”, and Bee Gees “More Than A Woman”. Entercom has applied for new KSWD call letters for the station, which is launching with the usual 10,000 songs-in-a-row.
Former KMPS middayer Deanna Lee will slide to the same position at KKWF.
KMPS dropped its Country format for Christmas music the day that Entercom closed on its merger with CBS Radio despite most staffers being retained and publicly stating the format would return after the holidays. The move left Entercom’s “100.7 The Wolf” KKWF as the only Country outlet in the market, but Hubbard wasted zero time in launching “Country 98.9” KVRQ 90 minutes later.
Entercom Communications Corp. (NYSE: ETM) today announced the launch of The New 94.1 The Sound, Seattle’s new soft rock radio. The station will provide Seattle music fans with a unique and expertly curated mix of soft rock hits from the 1980’s, 1990’s and 2000’s. The launch of The New 94.1 FM comes shortly after Entercom’s transformational merger with CBS Radio and expands on the company’s position as the #1 creator of live, original local audio content in the United States.
“The New 94.1 The Sound will provide the Seattle audience with a unique and relaxing radio experience that is curated with the Puget Sound listener in mind,” said Pat Paxton, Entercom’s President of Programming. “We are excited to fill this void in radio in Seattle and offer avid music fans a fresh new sound they can enjoy at work or as they go about their day.”
The station is celebrating its launch by putting the music first and playing 10,000 songs commercial-free, which started at 9:00 a.m. PT today. The mix will include hits from beloved artists like Adele, Mariah Carey, Phil Collins, Elton John, Whitney Houston, Hall and Oates, among others. Listeners in the Seattle area can tune in to The New 94.1 FM, stream at http://www.941thesoundseattle.com and connect with the station online via social media as @941TheSoundSeattle, Facebook, Instagram and @941TheSoundSEA on Twitter
The New 94.1 The Sound replaces KMPS-FM Country Music Radio and as part of the change, host Deanna Lee will be joining 100.7 The Wolf, Seattle’s Fresh Country Radio.
“We recognize and respect all of the people who have been involved with KMPS station and its rich and long history in the country format,” continued Paxton. “We are committed to continuing to provide the very best country station with our entire team on 100.7 The Wolf. We are also excited to welcome back Deanna Lee to middays on 100.7 The Wolf”.
On November 17, Entercom announced that it completed its merger with CBS Radio Inc. to create a leading American media and entertainment company and one of the top two radio broadcasters in the country. Entercom is now the #1 creator of live, original, local audio content in the United States and the nation’s unrivaled leader in news and sports radio. With a nationwide footprint of 235 stations, Entercom will engage over 100 million people weekly with a premier collection of highly-rated, award-winning radio stations, digital platforms and live events.
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Might someone at KMPS have found out that KVRQ would go country and decided to change formats to something else??
I think it’s more likely that Hubbard was planning to flip only on the assumption that Entercom would flip KMPS (or possibly the Wolf). After all, Hubbard only pulled the trigger after Entercom officially killed the Country format on KMPS; if it had been Hubbard’s plan to go Country all along (i.e., regardless of what Entercom was planning), it could’ve done so earlier during the Christmas stunting, or possibly (but admittedly not likely) even earlier.
Joseph, How is it that your opinion is always the exact opposite of reality? You should change your name to NOTstradamus 🙂
KMPS flipped first. They created the opening for KVRQ to fill.
[quote]“We recognize and respect all of the people who have been involved with KMPS station and its rich and long history in the country format…”[/quote]
The above quote is such a load of GARBAGE, that I don’t even know where to begin.
Entercom lied to its staff, who in turn spread misinformation to KMPS’ audience regarding the station’s future. Entercom then proceeded to (apparently) fire the staff of the #1 Country station in the market – I guess to get “revenge” over the fact KMPS has been dominant over 100.7 The Wolf in ratings and probably revenue, too.
One service estimates that KMPS outbilled KKWF by a 2:1 margin in 2016!!!
Good luck replacing KMPS’ $8 million to $10 million in annual revenue with a sleepy AC station, Entercom!
I wonder how many former KMPS staffers are being paid not to work ?
BOTH stations should’ve been retained.
KMPS was owned by CBS Radio until 2 1/2 weeks ago. Before Entercom took control of CBS Radio, Entercom’s chief executive said CBS had been “flying blind” in recent years. That was reported here on Lance’s blog.
Consolidators like Entercom do not do major moves in a vacuum.
In agreement. TBH, when I lived in Seattle, I listened more to The Wolf, but KMPS was a freaking powerhouse for a long time. Changing it seems nuts to me.
Except isn’t that exactly what you suggested they were doing by flipping 104.3 in Chicago to rhythmic gold?