Park Concerts Didn’t Draw The Audiences
It all looked so promising back in May: Four outdoor concerts, four name acts, all in Riverfront Park’s Lilac Bowl this summer.
So much for promises. With the transfer of tonight’s Mavericks concert to the Masonic Temple, as announced Thursday, only one of the four concerts, Chris Isaak, actually will come off as planned.
Sheryl Crow’s Sept. 21 concert was canceled when her label delayed the release of her new album until October. The tour has to wait on the album.
Then the Aug. 11 Joan Baez concert was switched at the last minute to the Masonic Temple. And now the Mavericks show has been switched.
These latter two changes were for the same reason - not enough tickets sold. Because production costs are so much higher in the park - fencing, security, a stage, beefedup sound - the promoter decided to switch to the indoor venue.
“I need 3,000 people to break even outdoors,” said Carl Pennington of Promotional Consultants International, who promoted both shows. “That’s twice what I need inside.”
It makes sense financially, but it may disappoint those who purchased the tickets imagining a pleasant evening on a blanket.
It certainly disappoints the Riverfront Park management, although they are staying upbeat.
“We’re not giving up yet,” said Dale Larsen, events coordinator for Riverfront Park. “We’ll be looking for concerts for next year.”
Rating radio
In what appears to be a noble attempt to let every radio station be No. 1 at least once, the Arbitron ratings has crowned KZZU-FM as king this quarter.
In the last four quarters, four different stations have been No. 1. Last quarter, KZZU-FM was tied for fourth.
These ratings fluctuate so much quarter to quarter, the best way to look at them is to simply note which stations consistently finish near the top. Those are KDRK-FM, KKZX-FM, KZZU-FM and KISC-FM.
Here are the Arbitron ratings for the spring quarter (March 28-June 19), for all listeners 12 and over, quarter-hour shares, copyright 1996, The Arbitron Co. Due to popular demand, I am including format and dial location in parentheses:
1. KZZU-FM (contemporary hits, 92.9), 9.5 share.
2. KDRK-FM (country, 93.7) 8.0.
3. KKZX-FM (classic rock, 98.9) 7.7.
4. KISC-FM (adult contemporary, 98) 7.4.
5. KXLY-AM (news-talk, 920) 7.1.
6. KNFR-FM (country, 96.1) 6.8.
7. KEYF-FM/AM (oldies, 101.1/1050) 6.4.
8. KXLY-FM (soft hits, 99.9) 6.2.
9. KAQQ-AM (oldies, 590) 5.2.
10. KGA-AM (talk, 1510) 5.0.
11. KAEP-FM (adult alternative, 105.7) 4.7.
12. KNJY-FM (rock, 103.9) 4.2.
13. KCDA-FM (country, 103.1) 3.6.
14. KHTQ-FM (contemporary hits, 94.5) 2.3.
15. KTSL-FM (Christian, 101.9) 2.1.
16. KJRB-AM (talk, 790) 1.4.
17. KEZE-FM (rock, 96.9) 1.2.
18. KTRW-AM (sports, 970) 0.8.
19. (tie) KVNI-AM (adult contemporary, 1080) 0.5.
19. (tie) KSPO-FM (Christian, 106.5) ) 0.5.
Numerous other stations had audiences too low to accurately measure.
Talking about talk
The ratings also show that Rick Miller of KXLY-AM remains by far the most listened-to local talk radio host in Spokane. He averages about 9,200 listeners at any one time during his afternoon show (based on all listeners 12 and over). That’s far more than double the numbers of his afternoon rival on KGA-AM, whose name I can’t even bring myself to mention.
Miller, too, has his share of annoying characteristics. For one thing, he feels the obsessive need to inform us several times a day whether he thinks he’s having a good show or not.
But anybody who wasn’t listening last week when he had both David Elton, alleged FBI informant, and his target, Jimmy Marks, on the phone at the same time missed one vastly entertaining afternoon of radio. Among the questions debated: Was Elton “half-nekkid” when he came to the Marks home? (He was wearing running shorts). This was a hilarious two hours of radio, yet about a serious subject at the core.
KPBX piano party
On Monday at 11 a.m., KPBX-FM (91.1) will feature a dozen local pianists live in the studio playing a number of classical compositions.
The pianists are not the main attraction; the piano is.
This broadcast will be the formal inauguration of Spokane Public Radio’s new seven-foot Yamaha grand piano.
The piano was purchased during a three-day piano pledge drive. Except it didn’t last three days. The entire $18,000 was raised in five hours.
The piano will be featured in a new weekly show, The Piano Bench, Tuesdays at 11 a.m. Area pianists will drop in to play and talk about music.
‘This Morning’
CBS is allowing its affiliates the option to “blend” local news broadcasts into the new “This Morning” show. In some markets, local news takes over almost the entire first hour.
In Spokane, KREM-2 has chosen to forego the blended version and is simply doing local news updates at 7:56 a.m. and 8:25 a.m., plus numerous weather breaks.
Instead, KREM news director Ron Comings said his station is putting most of its energy into expanding its own 6 a.m. local news show by a half-hour.
Beginning Sept. 9, KREM’s morning news will begin at 5:30 a.m. and run for 90 minutes every weekday. KREM is the last of the three local news stations to go to a 5:30 a.m. start.
Sting’s duet partner
In my review of last weekend’s Sting concert at The Gorge, I mentioned that an audience member identified only as Nate came up on stage to sing an exuberant duet with the former Police-man.
Turns out, Nate was Nate Rudd, 27, of Spokane. His wife called up and identified him, seeing as how Nate is too shy to call (but not shy enough to stand up and sing in front of 18,000 or so people).
Nate’s four minutes of fame may last longer than that - he may end up in the concert video Sting was shooting at The Gorge.
, DataTimes