Magic Answer For The KRAB Question

February 17, 1985
Whatever happened to KRAB? Sunbelt Communications, the company that purchased the 107.7 mHz. frequency, took the station off the air in April and has been hiding ever since.
“I’m not talking,” Ralph Heyward, general manager of the still-anonymous station, said. “Our format plans and our strategy are top-secret. No one will know until we are on the air.”

He said sources for radio rumors have been plugged and the network of “Seattle, regional and national rumormongers” doesn’t know anything.

The last time I talked with Heyward, he conceded he was “moving ahead … I’m ordering stationery.”

Since that momentous announcement, Heyward has avoided further communication.

Well, since Heyward won’t talk, here’s what the “Seattle, regional and national rumormongers” report.

The station will be called KMGI, which through a dyslexic interpretation will be pronounced “Magic.” “Magic Radio” is the slogan developed in 1975 for a group of adult-contemporary radio stations owned by Greater Media Broadcasting, including “Magic” stations in Philadelphia and Detroit. But this magic has no connection with its creators. And there are other “Magic” call letters, including a top-40 station in Portland and an urban-contemporary station in Houston. (Such phrases as eyewitness news, color radio, solid gold, love songs, news you can use _ every market has had one, no matter who thought them up.)

Most of its life so far, the new KMGI has been a one-man operation; the general manager holds forth in borrowed offices of an affiliated research company in Bellevue. The station will move to offices in the Metropolitan Park Building, just off Interstate 5, in downtown Seattle.

Rob Conrad, you’re program director and morning man. Scott Mitchell, you’ve got a job. Greg Cook, you, too, Rick Scott. You’re on salary as of Feb. 27. Pay period, every two weeks. You’ll practice jocking the Sunbelt way until March 15, when you go on the air _ using the dinky old KRAB tower on Cougar Mountain.

Heyward most recently was affiliated with Blair W, a radio-advertising sales firm, Heyward previously was sales man, then sales manager at KING-AM. Why is he as shy as a groundhog facing the TV cameras of Larry Sturholm?

Because when you are searching for a “hole in the marketplace” for a multimillion-dollar investment, things change fast.

Heyward commissioned two major format surveys. And again two weeks ago, an anonymous party had been testing musical preferences of people 35-44. The test traced back to Sunbelt. That eliminates top-40.

While Heyward’s station was off the air, several stations changed formats. KKMI, in fact, stole a format from another Sunbelt company. Transtar Radio, a music-distributing firm, offers formats for small-market radio stations, including a country format, adult contemporary and something for middle-age folks called “Format 41.” At least Pat O’Day, KKMI manager, didn’t appropriate the format’s name also. But KKMI’s success with the borrowed format certainly builds no confidence for importing the ready-made format.

The Sunbelt plan was to build a complete new station, including tower and transmitter, and knock the sox off Seattle. Sunbelt planned a tower big enough to house other radio-station signals and a UHF-TV signal. But one more tower on Cougar Mountain is hard to come by. So, KMGI will begin, at least, on the modest old KRAB tower.

Another Sunbelt company is The Research Group, based in Bellevue, which does nationwide surveys and studies for radio stations and newspapers. It has also conducted station management seminars. One seminar charged that winning in radio is a battle, so plan it like a war with secret plans, surprise attacks, flanking movements.

So, KMGI’s competitors are genuinely confused, right? Take Michael O’Shea, general manager of KUBE. Does he know what KGMI will do?

“Hey, opinions are like belly buttons. Everybody has one.

“In my opinion, KMGI will be right in between KUBE and KLSY.

Not as up-tempo as us,” said O’Shea, “not as soft as KLSY.”