A throng attends KIFM’s

 Anniversary party

Memorial Day weekend in downtown San Diego

The Straight Skinny

 

KIFM, Top of the Pack in Smooth Jazz under PPM

"Not a Smooth Jazz station; but a radio station that happens to

play Smooth Jazz"

 

By Carol Archer

 

 

 

 

 

3. Another major – no, pivotal -- difference between KIFM and some other Smooth Jazz stations is a deeply passionate GM and market manager, Darrel Goodin, who genuinely loves and gets the format; and a sales team that believe so deeply in the product they sell it with genuine conviction. They're strong closers, so you seldom hear a seller at KIFM whine about getting beaten by another format on, say, a beer buy (or most others, for that matter.) Radio ad revenues may be down in general, but KIFM's ratings performance allows the station to

capture the lion's share of 25-54 time-buys. And because under PPM, KIFM's strong showing among younger age cells, which didn't register under the former diary books, it is likely that the station will get in on the

primary 18-49-year-old time-buy action, starting now.

 

4. Connection to community cannot be overestimated at KIFM, and it shows (you can hear it too). Listeners are passionate and devoted -- gonzo partisans. Nearly 10,000 turned out again for the station's legendary annual Gaslamp Festival (see photo of legions of revelers, below) over the Memorial Day weekend. Clients get

mega-bang for their sponsorship dollars because KIFM delivers results – that is, drives business.

 

 

"I’ve remained most concerned about creating a great

sounding radio station that the audience can be excited about. Now that we have some initial PPM data, we’ve identified our 'hot spots' in the market and will take the

necessary steps to maximize our opportunities."

– Mike Vasquez

Vasquez asserts: "Last week we gave our listeners the opportunity to use their points to 'buy' family four-packs of tickets to our premiere of 'G-Force' [the G-rated family film about gophers]. It not only creates immediate listener satisfaction, but it also keeps a lot of clutter off the air. 

 

 "When giving away any prize, we make it a point to mention that 'it's our way of thanking you for making us your favorite San Diego radio station.' From an imaging standpoint, we feel that it's extremely important to include a sincere sentiment so that our giveaways are genuinely tokens of our appreciation, as opposed to a coupon."

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