KLove in Grand Rapids?

[LongIsland]

Recently posited was the query of who might buy 107.3 or 105.3 if either should ever hit the market. KLove was suggested as a possible buyer, as was Family Life (which has 4-5 signals in Lansing, Detroit, and Midland areas.

Both are strong considerations, with the likely winner being KLove, esp given they recently picked up Salem's CCM music stations in Chicago, Dallas, Nashville, and other major markets. In my opinion, it's only a matter of time. They used to say they'd never go into a market where CCM already had a strong presence; those days are gone - just look at St Paul, Houston, Dallas...

Given WCSG's and JOY99's presence, KLove (or their other brand of Air1) will put a minimal dent in the listenership of those two stations, largely because both stations do a good job of localization. The other CCM stations that hit the area (including Smile FM) won't be impacted much at all as they don't have much presence in the first place.

I'd rather not see another CCM station in the market, which is why I believe if KLove did buy in, they'd likely do their Air1 (praise & worship) format. The variety of music formats in Grand Rapids is sadly lacking, as is any good localization. It's what happens when the bottom line is revenue over relationship, cash over community.

[MWmetalhead]

Good points. Northern MI could be a reasonable comparable. Up north, where Smile FM is well entrenched, EMF chose to put Air1 programming on the big 100 kW stick it acquired in the Petoskey area.

Contemporary worship music in West MI is currently found only on the dinky 96.5 & 98.9 translators in the Zeeland and Holland areas, I believe.

I was hoping EMF would scoop up the now former WFUR-FM but instead Bible Broadcasting Network acquired it (and now airs dreadfully boring programming 24/7).

[weathernut]

I grew up in West Michigan, Northwest Muskegon County to be precise. I currently live in Rockford, Illinois and these are the list of K-LOVE or Air-1 stations that I can get locally, whether it’s a city grade signal or a fringe signal.
You actually can’t go anywhere in northern Illinois and not have a city grade signal of K-LOVE, from Kankakee West to the Iowa border and north to Galena and then over to Lake Michigan.
Here in Rockford, I have
91.1 and 103.5 with their tower in Rockford and then 91.7 out of Woodstock, and 92.5 DeKalb that I get a city grade signal. Furthermore, I get distance or fringe signals on 97.9 out of Chicago and 98.9 out of the Quad cities.
As far as air one goes, 100.9 is my city grade signal out of Rockford, 105.3 out of DeKalb is fringe as is 103.9 out of West Dundee.
So I have six K-LOVE stations and three A1 stations that I can actually get locally on my car stereo.

Useless information, I know, but just posting for the heck of it.

[MWmetalhead]

I remember when 92.5 in DeKalb was a pretty good Adult CHR. That was a very, very long time ago! Mid 1990s.

[weathernut]

Was that nine FM 92.5 DeKalb 92.7 Arlington Heights and 99.9 Kankakee?

[ChrisWL1980]

Recently posited was the query of who might buy 107.3 or 105.3 if either should ever hit the market. KLove was suggested as a possible buyer, as was Family Life (which has 4-5 signals in Lansing, Detroit, and Midland areas.

Both are strong considerations, with the likely winner being KLove, esp given they recently picked up Salem's CCM music stations in Chicago, Dallas, Nashville, and other major markets. In my opinion, it's only a matter of time. They used to say they'd never go into a market where CCM already had a strong presence; those days are gone - just look at St Paul, Houston, Dallas...

Given WCSG's and JOY99's presence, KLove (or their other brand of Air1) will put a minimal dent in the listenership of those two stations, largely because both stations do a good job of localization. The other CCM stations that hit the area (including Smile FM) won't be impacted much at all as they don't have much presence in the first place.

I'd rather not see another CCM station in the market, which is why I believe if KLove did buy in, they'd likely do their Air1 (praise & worship) format. The variety of music formats in Grand Rapids is sadly lacking, as is any good localization. It's what happens when the bottom line is revenue over relationship, cash over community.

When you typed Chicago, you were probably thinking of the former 95.5 The Fish in Cleveland. When K-Love got a full-market signal in Chicago, they got the former WLUP (97.9).
Good points, though!

Lansing is another market (in addition to northern MI) where K-Love does Air 1 (WITL-HD3 + the 95.9 translator) but not the main K-Love format. The 90.9 translator, which used to air K-Love 2000s, is now the Christian Hip-Hop/Rhythmic Boost Radio format, which is at least something different in the Sea of Tomlin that is Christian radio in mid-Michigan (Smile, Family Life, Air1 and Shine). I can't see K-Love doing that on 105.3 or 107.3 if they were to buy one of those signals, but perhaps if they were to purchase a smaller station like the 1340/106.1 translator combo they might see that as an option. K-Love doesn't own Boost though they do have a partnership with it in several markets.

[weathernut]

I remember the fish on 106.7 in Chicago in the early 2000s.

[MWmetalhead]

Was that nine FM 92.5 DeKalb 92.7 Arlington Heights and 99.9 Kankakee?

I forgot about them; that was more recent. Nine FM was Variety Hits for most or all of its run, if I remember correctly.

For most of the 90s, the station was locally programmed and simply known as 92.5 WDEK.

[hankrotten]

Fun fact. The Program Director of the K-LOVE Network used to be the Program Director of JOY99.

[CurlyHoward]

Was that nine FM 92.5 DeKalb 92.7 Arlington Heights and 99.9 Kankakee?

I forgot about them; that was more recent. Nine FM was Variety Hits for most or all of its run, if I remember correctly.

For most of the 90s, the station was locally programmed and simply known as 92.5 WDEK.

It then went on to have a hell of a saga, I had to look at its Wikipedia entry to have everything straight. It became "Kiss FM" still as a CHR in the late 90s. NOT ClearChannel's branding, a separate one under Big City. Big City then felt the pressure from CC wanting to flip WUBT to its "Kiss" branding a couple of years later and flipped it to dance as "Energy 92.5" which had a hell of a cult following, but Big City went broke and sold it to SBS which flipped it Spanish as "Onda 92". Nine FM came a few years after that, then progressive talk and then Polish language before it finally landed as K-Love. All of this was simulcast with various other suburban Chicago rimshot stations.

[craigrussell100]

Remember how long it took Walmart to infiltrate West Michigan? (Meijer stronghold) Wonder if the already very strong CCM presence here has something to do with that....

[ftballfan]

Good points. Northern MI could be a reasonable comparable. Up north, where Smile FM is well entrenched, EMF chose to put Air1 programming on the big 100 kW stick it acquired in the Petoskey area.

Contemporary worship music in West MI is currently found only on the dinky 96.5 & 98.9 translators in the Zeeland and Holland areas, I believe.

I was hoping EMF would scoop up the now former WFUR-FM but instead Bible Broadcasting Network acquired it (and now airs dreadfully boring programming 24/7).

Don't forget about The Promise FM having a large presence in northern Michigan, despite not having a good signal in Traverse City itself until it bought the WLJN stations and flipped 105.5 to The Promise FM.

The 96.5 and 98.9 translators do get out decently well. 96.5 can be heard somewhat in most of Grand Rapids.

[Notwhoyouthinkiam]

K-love has two former WJQK talents on staff. Both Troy West & Mandy Prussia, who were once the morning show at what is now branded Joy 99, work for K-love/Air1.