Two Seattle Stations Go Country As KPNW and Star 101.5 Flip

This totally SUCKS! Everyone I know that I told about KPNW thought the station kicked ass! It was a good conversation piece and we were hearing cool music. Now it’s a bunch of repetitive crap. And some ego trip former morning host who talks down to listeners like they should be excited this garbage BS is back. Stupid.

What a loss, i guess no more radio listening for me again, back to Spotify. Sigh.

“Like a dog returns to his vomit, is a fool who repeats his foolishness”.

There ya go. That says it all.

Flipping back to a failed brand after a five year run is foolishness

Don’t see anyone happy the Bull is back.

Everyone I know flipped back to the open arms of KKWF KAYO and KXA when they got ditched last year. Why would they flip back to the one who hurt them? They’ve felt loved now by these stations and now Hank.

From what one can gather, last year or sometime before, they decided to conduct research and found there to be a viable format they could potentially profit from. The evidence of such must have been compelling and overwhelmingly convincing enough to pull the plug on the Bull format. It wasn’t a lane they wanted to be in, and after 5 plus years of running as the alternate to KKWF and the other country station, format and air staff changes, without results, they decided to give what research pointed to a chance. They did so, and after 14 months or so, they conducted more research and have decided that what they had in place before would be in demand again. However, another country station has signed on, probably with much of the same research indicating there is a demand for it again. Rather than wait, they wanted a piece of the country pie again. Like the dog that doesn’t want the bone until they see the other dog with it. They should have made further adjustments to the AAA format and add a morning show to the station. They didn’t give enough time to allow what last years research indicated to come to fruition. Now they have even more competition than the 5 years as country and betrayed country listeners to win back. They’ve literally angered everyone at this point. Those listeners felt burned, and now you want them back? You cheated on them with the AAA format, that relationship didn’t instantly work like you thought, now you’ve bailed on those passionate fans for the people you ditched last year. Someone could write a country song about it.

Progressive population that likes a nice mix and blend of newer, new, classic and older classic rock and progressive music. Country 🙂

Educated population that samples alternative music not found on other stations in the area. Country 🙂

Uniquely curated playlists. Country 🙂

On air hosts who are passionate about the music and community culture and have an ear for the locals. Country 🙂

Multiple other sources for country music already in existence in the market and surrounding areas. More Country 🙂

Station already failed with the country format and flipped to the aforementioned after the research they paid for and announced publicly said what they found last year was a demand for the aforementioned (KPNW) Let’s switch back to Country 🙂

The morning show host has run his course in the area and prior research showed it with evidence. Let’s bring him and his shtick back with Country 🙂

Another station flips to Country in the market. Let’s flip to Country too! 🙂

These people are out of touch.

You can’t bring it back.. CONTRACT….. 98.9 WAS THE BEST.. good station we wanted for ever … came and gone….. Crap.. Don’t Emil unless your bringing alternative formats are coming back!!!

Nielsen ratings are the only thing that matters to radio companies.

Not the : comments from station fans, listeners and supporters.

The literal hundreds and thousands of commenters on Marcos, Marty’s, Jon’s and everyone else’s Facebook, Instagram, X and other socials expressing disgust with the changes.

Not the artists represented by the station.
Not the new music discovery that took place.
Or the rest of the many other things the station stood for.

Only Nielsen.

All of us are just anecdotal evidence of listenership. Only Nielsen knows.

What’s wrong with this picture?

– KPNW listeners everywhere

Missing KPNW on my drive home. Someone mixed up the paperwork for Kentucky with Seattles again. Meanwhile in Seattle, the perfect station for the area just reverted back to what didn’t gain traction after 5 years of it before.

This is obviously a government psyop conspired with the communists to convert everyone into rednecks.

Time to bring KPNW AAA back. April fools! Now back to programs and music that fit the northwest. This isn’t Redneckistan, Nebrohoma. Already have a dial loaded full of right wing, religious and country stations. Where the heck are we? The south somewhere?

Another very sad listener here 😭

WORST IDEA EVER.

This is a horrible idea!!! Listen to all the comments! I can’t believe you did it again! First you take away the Mountain, and now you take KNPW’s Alternate Rock. Nobody asked us! I can’t tell you how many good tunes and artists I learned from listening to 98.9 on my drive home, with Marco at the helm. Nobody does it like he can. Bring it back!!!!!!! We don’t need more country twang bs, the dial is full of that crap. Give us something REAL. Are you listening?

I’m so disappointed! I too miss the Mountain. Kpnw filled that void. I had it on all the time. Now they have some awful twangy whining stuff. Bad bad idea. Read all the comments. Admit the mistake and bring back our music please.

I just “discovered” KPNW about two months ago through a friend and loved it. I was tired of flipping the dial between KZOK, KNDD, etc. to get a good variety of music. That’s what I loved about KPNW, such a varied mix that didn’t get boring, along with entertaining DJ’s too. There were technical difficulties with interruption of signal, etc. and I certainly didn’t see any promotion of the station anywhere, so is it really that surprising that they had difficulty finding an audience?! Now who do I talk to about getting the tickets I’d won to Daryl Hall & Elvis Costello?

Worst decision ever. Loved the alternative KPNW. Drove to the coast last week and sang all the way.We have plenty of country stations playing the same songs. Bring back the real Pacific Northwest’s music choice. Rock and roll baby.

I left TX in 2000 headed for Seattle WA somewhere with a rich variety of music and open minded conversation. I truly felt the change to country yesterdqy was a bad April Fools joke. I wish!!! This was a horrible decision. I doubt they asked many customers their preference!

WTF? Keep pushing the listeners to Pandora, Spotify, Sirius – local radio is dead and greed killed it – sad that the small joys of live radio DJ’s chatter and exposure to different genres is lost in the Seattle radio scene – not all residents can afford paying for music services just to get decent music choices – and we wonder why the upcoming generations are constantly on their smartphones searching for things they don’t know existed before 2010….damn Seattle fails again Yeehaw

This is a terrible decision. We have a surplus of country stations now. 101.5 was really the only one that played a family friendly mix of yesterday and today. I am disappointed and will not be listening to these new stations. I feel so bad for the people affected as well. This is the second time in the last couple of years that programming has changed. As a long time 101.5 listener, I just want my station back.

I absolutely HATE! this. WTF?? what about the demand for Adult Alternative? You guys lost so many listeners. WE demand that you give us some alternative, to effing Country, music choice in the Seattle market. DEMAND is strong for this country format to flip to something listenable.

What the… I had no idea of those DJs in the back on the air and tell her that today on the spike and Jack show! Perhaps with a little more advertising about it, ratings could have soared!!

And, No, we’re definitely not country music country, why do ya think the Country music stations around here went away in the first place…

Lame ! KPNW was great!

So sad to see KPNW assassinated! I too thought I had found one of the best stations I had ever heard (nod to WXRT as well) that covered many of the great varied aspects of rock n roll. It seemed so simple – just great songs new and old and inbetween, with some good shout outs to local bands. I told many people about KPNW as they werent reaching out so good I thought marketing wise out of the gate.. I too thought it was a April Fools Day joke. It’s right up there with blowing up the Kingdome or killing a real monorail system…I hope Marty, Marco, and John return somewhere soon…

What a huge disappointment! I loved this station, now I will not listen. What the heck. I can’t believe We had a station to finally listen to, and now it is this country crap. This is Seattle!! Country is definitely NOT Seattle!!

I am so disappointed that 101.5 is gone. That is only station I really liked. It had a variety of music. Bring it back, we do not need another country music station.

Too bad. I was pretty much listening exclusively to the new format since it is one of the few stations that play this music. Country? Plenty of that already. Time to readjust the presets again.

The KPNW alt format including new and old wasn’t overly narrow and I think that actually made it better. Now I’ll go back to flipping between KNDD and KEXP.

Disappointed was listening daily, to quote the late Tom Petty ‘ Country music is like a bad rock band with a fiddle’ back to Pandora for me.

This sounds like an amazing opportunity for Roy Otis to host his own radio show. If I must say so. Buckwheat cakes are an institution ‘round these here parts.

“The reddest necks you’ll see are in Seatttle”.

Now if we can manage that can of beer nuts and shift at the same time without wrecking we’re golden.

What a disappointment. KPNW was the best station Seattle has had for years. John, Marty, and Marco are legends and programmed a station with variety, intelligence and soul. Even my college aged daughter agreed that it was the best station out there particularly because it was the only place she could hear people like Maggie Rogers and Boy Genius. There is a whole lot of music out there people are listening to on Spotify that are not being heard on the radio and KPNW was able to find them and give them an outlet. There is nothing else like it in the area, now it just another corporate universal playlist country station. Its a tragedy for music lovers in the area.

We loved KPNW! What! Where do we find such a great mix? FYI- our granddaughter (18) turned us onto the alternative rock station. I can’t find a replacement, we are really sad!

If you see someone trying to attach a set of boot spurs to a pair of Birkenstocks, you might be in Seattle.

I could not believe it when I tuned in yesterday to KPNW. I, too, thought it was an April Fools Day joke. This leaves such a hole in the marketplace–I feel mystified as to why they would switch? The demographics are there for KPNW–I don’t get why they didn’t lean into it.

Although I will not miss those awful clogged drain commercials!

It’s now considered chic’ to own a hot water heater with some bullet holes in it. Bonus points if it’s accompanied by a washer and dryer combo that hasn’t worked since the mid nineties.

So bummed. Loved KPNW, great Dj’s and music that you could actually listen all day and not hear many repeats. I like country music but we don’t need three stations.

What the he**! Why did you change back to country!!! I finally found a great station that was meant for me. I get sick of the repetiveness from another alternative station. This was such a great mix for middle aged adults. Seattle needs a station like this. Really, three country stations here?? I might as well move to Texas. Very disappointed!

Yes, where did the good music go? It played such a great mix!

Guess I should haul my couch out into the front yard and leave it there.

And suddenly, just like that, everyone in the Puget Sound has a gun rack in their back window and a paranoia about tornadoes.

Soccer moms having an empty Starbucks cup in the middle as spitter now. Chew can ring in the back pocket. Yeehaw. Cow milkn time. A tumble weed blew through downtown Seattle. A cactus just sprouted up in Renton. I-5 has a cattle guard now in Des Moines. They tore down Costco to put in a hog farm.

History has shown that the Seattle/Tacoma market will only support no more than two Country stations at a time. Now you have three. History also has shown that forms of ‘Classic Country’ is a tough sell because the listener demographics just aren’t appealing to advertisers. Good luck to all three, but likely 101.5 is going to have a tough time gaining any traction in Seattle.

BRING BACK KPNW!

There’s a void in the area for that station now… Just like there was before it came along!

It takes longer than a year for a station to catch on. It was growing.

1: AAA listeners are generally better educated and have discovered other options to listen to the format that isn’t radio.
2: The same demographic that listens to the AAA format doesn’t as readily participate in surveys like Nielsen or Numeris.
3: Country listeners are generally non-college educated, high school or less educated, listening to the radio for music, as opposed to other sources.
4: Country listeners still stream from other sources, but radio is the main source.
5: Country listeners participate in surveys more frequently.

Fact is, people who listened to the KPNW brand also streamed other sources or downloaded the songs they liked on KPNW so they wouldn’t have to sit through commercial breaks.

Also, with the mix of music, classic rock songs drove away new music fans, new music drove away classic rock fans. They had the right mix some people loved, but managed to drive away the masses by trying to be all things to both of those groups. For example, a Billy Eilish song is going to make a Classic Rock fan vomit. Just as a Classic Rock song is going to make a Billy Eilish fan barf chunks. It’s not that complicated.

This is disappointing. KPLZ-FM was a landmark for the Greater Seattle Area and had a good variety of playlists of music from the past and present. I think we already have enough country music stations and need more CHR or AC formats instead.

What about all the research last year that said the Seattle and Puget Sound area absolutely had a void and needed a station like KPNW? Didn’t they have consultants and a separate company that put together the package that was KPNW? Was all that research wrong?

How about the new research and information that says there’s now a void for a second and third country station? Is that research suddenly correct? Why was it wrong last year, to have a second country station and now right to have 3 of them? How is this version of the Bull going to be different than the version that was shut down after research indicated it wasn’t gaining traction after 5 years?

If KPNW had succeeded, would Hubbard still have shut it down and apologized for removing the Bull, being sorry to upset the Bull fans?

None of this makes any sense. Did the market suddenly shift from one group to another in the span of a year? Or did the research just change its study group? Where are the consultants that convinced Hubbard to switch to KPNW? Did they head down the road with a brief case full of money? Is the research company in favor of the Bull loading their brief case full of money now?

This is all insanity.

Apparently there’s not enough music lovers in the Seattle area that haven’t slept with a cousin or two. Seattle, home of the closet hillbilly inbred population. The Bull, music you can cook meth to in the back of your upside down k-car.

The best Alt music radio station in the country and you slashed it for ANOTHER pop saturated country station! WTH are you people thinking! Deleted app, changed presets, and me and all my friends give you the big 🖕

Maybe 107.7 The End could expand it’s scope and fill in some of the gaps of the loss of KPNW. KZOK could look to branch out a bit from their tired old format and take on some KPNW music! I can hope, can’t I?

First off, The Bull brand sucks. It lacks creativity. How many Bull stations are there in the country? Can’t they think of something unique to Seattle/Tacoma?

Also, the company operates a 50KW AM station that’s basically a waste of electricity. It has no ratings whatsoever, and yet they keep it going. It’s also increasing the carbon footprint of the operation. They just added Tacoma Rainiers baseball to it. Newsflash, the signal doesn’t reach Tacoma or that area at night and barely does during the day because there’s another station a few slots away that splashes over it. They could sell or shut the power off to this stupid station and use the budget to fortify the advertisement of the company’s FM stations, like promote KPNW with some billboards, TV and other methods. Too late, they’re going the insane route and expecting different results from the same process. Bull.

So sorry to see KPNW go. It was the go-to station for my car and fitness routines. It’s eclectic catalog of old, new and local music was truly unique! I have deleted the app. Can anyone tell me where I can find a station with the same format?

Already missing KPNW. I found and connected with other people in conversation when they mentioned they used to be Mountain listeners. Told them about KPNW and then it was our “thing”. The station was one of the best to come along in a long time. So how many country stations are audible in the Puget Sound region now?

Just scanned both AM/FM

93.7 JR FM (Vancouver BC)
96.9 KAYO South Sound
98.9 Bull
100.7 Wolf
101.1 KXA Everett
101.5 Hank
104.3 KMNT South

AM
660 KAPS Mount Vernon
1520 KXA Everett Snohomish

Looks like we really needed two more.

I am so sad. We finally found a station we liked. We had it on in the kitchen all day and in the car. We’ve deleted the app. The bit we heard today is like every other country station.

I agree with all of these people….. NO ONE ASKED US….. KPNW was… is a great station. The Dj’s were also great. It was unique. It is very sad that this happened and I truly hope that the company that runs it’s figures out how to add it beck without taking away the older country station. There is room on the radio…. MAKE ANOTHER STATION!!

WTF! Maybe if Hubbard would have spent some money on advertising, people would have known KPNW existed. I stumbled across it about 6 months ago and LOVED IT. So sad to see it go.
Wishing you all the best Marco, Marty, and John.

I turned in this afternoon expecting to hear Marco, instead hear new country format. I was disappointed but then remembered it was April fools day and thought it was a joke. I kept returning still expecting Marco, but it didn’t happen. I was going to give him props for being so committed to the joke. Guess its back to Spotify for me.

This totally bites. What a horrible mistake! I will never listen to this and I can’t think of anyone who would. Just awful

Caught me completely off guard. KPNW was fresh, lots of local music and a significant welcome from terrible country music. I will be removing my app and will continue my search for alternative music once again.
Huge mistake – goodbye forever !

What the HELL???? I, too, was a big XRT listener in Chicago and the Mountain when I first moved here. The radio music scene in the last several years has been BEYOND disappointing! I switched to NPR and sports radio because I couldn’t find anything that wasn’t repetitive pop songs mostly from auto tune artists and NO variety. When I found KPNW’s new alternative format I was over the moon and proud of Seattle. I am crushed. There can’t be that many country fans here to warrant this; what about those of us who love and miss new alternative mixed with old, and just plain interesting and GREAT music? Removing my app; Seattle is once again out of touch.

The PPM encoder for KPNW was malfunctioning for a lot of its run. You could see it on a spectrum, constant drops and other technical issues with it. Also, low bit rate, poor quality audio with certain tracks. Harvey Danger, Flagpole Sitta comes to mind. Sounded like programming downloaded it off of Napster. Not to mention the multiple occasions when both the BACKUP AUXIlliary transmitter and Main Transmitter ran simultaneously for hours on end, causing interference and multipath, as well as other audio distortion. You could hear both signals flipping back and forth as you drove around depending on terrain between main and aux from where your receiver was located. The station went dead air for several hours. Multiple occasions. Then when they did run on the AUX transmitter, its processing was so bad and weak, the audio was quieter under the terrible multi-path from the lower elevation site. The launch was botched with multiple un-edited tracks played, f bombs etc. NO social media presence after launch, no promotions, only a couple of TV spots, aired sparsely, mentions of artists in the initial launch promotion that never actually were ever played on the station and endless other maladies that worked against KPNW. Most people I spoke to had no idea it even existed, and when they found it they loved it. This is the common theme, when people found the station, they loved it. Should’ve done a better job, but the budget, short staffed departments etc…

Bad move very bad move

I was stunned. I thought it was an April fools joke. Not cool!

So if we all make enough noise can we get kpnw back????

Been listening for 20 years since I was first stationed here in 2004. Just lost a listener. What survey told them this was a good idea?

Very disappointed in this BULL$$$$. KPNW was a breath of fresh air after the dark day when KMTT The Mountain disappeared. KPNW brought good music back to the Seattle airwaves, but sadly it’s gone. 😞

Nope, absolutely not. Been listening to 101.5 for more than 20 years. Huge mistake shifting to country. Guess I’m heading back to 106.9. Good luck, I think you just signed off on the beginning of the end for your station.

Seriously, DISCO would be better.

I am STUNNED! I loved 101.5 and the new 98.9 music. MORE Country??? What a disservice and disappointment for Seattle.

I came from Chicago 30 yrs ago, and the station for Adult Alternative was WXRT. I missed it a lot. The a few weeks ago I found 98.9 and thought it was folks coming from XRT to enlighten Seattle! I really do hope this is an April fool’s joke. A year on a new format isn’t enough to establish an audience, and just when I thought I found a cool station again. Bad choice Hubbard.

Horrible choice to add more country stations to Seattle market!

As a former, long time, Mountain listener, I was very happy to find KPNW, with the familiar onair talent. Very sorry to see them go away so soon…one Seattle country station was more than enough.

This is not a funny joke. There is not enough good music variety on the air and you chose to go back to a Country format. Boo. Time to rearrange the presets in my truck. Delete 98.9.

So sad, I thought I’d finally found a replacement for The Mountain. Not just better music but also local flavor from the dj’s. I even downloaded the app to enter a contest. Welly, you’re off my playlist now, I don’t like pop country.

This absolutely SUCKS!!! They had the best radio station in the Seattle area by far!!! And you dump them for fricking Country!!! OMG! Country music is the absolute worst. My only hope is that this is a very elaborate April fools day joke. If not, my condolences to Marty, John Marco and the rest. I’m ok be looking for you out there somewhere.

KPNW Alternative was one of the best things to come along in Northwest music.

Not good! Alternative format media impressions not big but had most passionate fan base of any station….in advertising world not all ad impressions are equal, and this bad move for local advertisers who seek actual business results imho.

Such BullShit.. Country is fine for drinking in the woods, but this canned country crap is a joke.. It’s all about the Almighty F’ing $$$ Right?

The group put together a great mix of new and old alternative music and not a bunch of red dirt road crap.. They will be sorely missed…

Terrible news. Everyone go listen to 90.3 kexp. (kexp.org). They have different themes but always represent the PNW – especially on Saturdays 6-10p.

Damn, that was a short run KPNW. Best wishes to John Marty and Marco, they worked their tail off to make it right with Seattle over air Alternative music. ugh now this happens.

So disappointed. Just thought it was a joke. This totally sucks.

This is bull alright, BULLSHIT! I thought that this was a cruel joke. Damn I found a station that totally rocked. Only to wake up this morning to hear this shit. Ya, the first country song I was like okay cool they are playing a variety of music but then a second and third. It was like, what the hell. Killing me. Haven’t you figured out country music yet? It’s all my dog, my girl and my friends all hate me cause I drink too much while driving around in my beat up piece of shit pick up. Go away with the country bs, bring back the real music.

This sucks, hoping John, Marco, and Marty can find a new home to continue the alternative music.

Is this an April Fool’s prank?

Removing the app from my phone now. There are other stations playing country music. I was stunned when I was listening this morning and the format changed over.

So disappointed. There are plenty of country stations. But no Alternative stations. I had really enjoyed listening to the alternative format. Where can I find another station that does that? Definitely won’t be listening to another country station.

KPNW played the best mix of music ever. Really hate to see it go. Best wishes to John Marty and Marco. Can’t understand why we need another MAGA country hick station.

So where can we find KPNW? There’s already enough country music around here- and Seattle is the home of alternative music!