Comedian and actor Jay Mohr hasnt yet announced a comedy show this month in Boise, but you can bet his agent has considered organizing one.
Thats because Mohr will be in town the morning of Jan. 25 broadcasting his new, nationally syndicated sports show live from the studio of KFXD 630 AM The Fan.
While hes here, he might as well do a stand-up gig that night, right?
Mohrs promotional radio stop in Boise is just part of a tidal wave of jock-radio programming changes that have hit the Treasure Valley in the new year.
Four frequencies are now dedicated to sports: KTIK 93.1 FM The Ticket (simulcast at 1350 AM), 730 AM KINF ESPN Boise and, of course, The Fan.
More sports, Mohr sports, whatever heres the deal: When youre out in the garage sharpening that lawnmower blade, get used to putting down your tools and flipping among these stations. It will take a while to figure out what is airing where not to mention which stations offer the strongest signal day and night.
You can visit their websites for programming schedules. But heres a breakdown of the new spread offense on Boises airwaves:
93.1 FM The Ticket, www.ktik.com: Casual listeners wont immediately notice a dramatic change, even though the station has traded The Worldwide Leader in Sports for CBS Sports Radio programming in 2013. Thats because the backbone of the station remains intact: Syndicated host Jim Rome recently joined CBS, so hes still around during mornings. Idaho Sports Talk with Caves and Prater spearheads afternoons.
But ESPN programming? Gone.
730 AM ESPN Boise , www.espnboise.com: Want to follow Peyton Manning during the NFL playoffs (and, perhaps, Super Bowl?) Tune to 730 AM, home of the Denver Broncos. This station is the markets new ESPN affiliate, too, so youll hear the BCS bowl games here.
ESPN also offers a long list of NBA games including the playoffs and finals, and Major League Baseball. Lastly, this is where syndicated host Colin Cowherd has set up shop.
630 AM The Fan, www.630thefan.com: In addition to airing Mohrs new show from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. weekdays, 630 AM is home to syndicated host Dan Patrick from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. The Fan is the areas Fox Sports affiliate but also works with Dial Global. So the station will broadcast NFL playoff games, as well as March Madness and Final Four college hoops.
When River City Guitars opened in a 900-square-foot space at 574 W. Main St. in November 2010, owner Joe Cefalu was cautiously optimistic.
It could be great, he told me. Hopefully, if we do it right, and the service is right, and people support it, well be there for a little while.
Cefalu closed the shop last weekend, citing economic reasons in a December Wall Street Journal article about the slow pace of the United States economy: The first Christmas I had was pretty good, the second was disappointing, and this Christmas, its been severely, alarmingly slow, Cefalu told the Journal. (How did River Citys closure wind up in the Journal? A reporter had stopped by the shop during a tour of Western cities in late summer, Cefalu says, and phoned for an update.)
River City Guitars originally had hoped to fill the void left by the demise of Boise Guitar Co., which shuttered across the street in 2010 after 26 years of business.
A masterful player, Cefalu will keep teaching guitar lessons in The Pioneer Building at 106 N. 6th St.
Note to area musicians: If you dont think its worth making CDs anymore, think again. Albums from local acts continued to sell healthily at the Record Exchange in Boise.
I think what we saw this year were a lot of good-quality local albums, and that was reflected in the amount of sales they got, said marketing director Chad Dryden.
Lets Go Out Tonight from Boise singer Curtis Stigers wasnt just the biggest-selling album by a local act at the store. It was the biggest-selling album, period, moving nearly 600 copies. (Thats more than four times as many as his 2009 album, Lost in Dreams, has sold there.)
Rounding out the top 10 local best-sellers of 2012: IdaHo Ho Ho (2012), various artists; Cemetery Skyline Rose, Bill Coffey; Hillfolk Noir Radio Hour, Hillfolk Noir; The Year of Hibernation, Youth Lagoon; Disappearing Night, aka Belle; Benchwarmers, Finn Riggins; IdaHo Ho Ho (2011), various artists; Metaphoria, Workin On Fire; Bodies in the Sun, Atomic Mama.
Michael Deeds column runs Fridays in Scene and Sundays in Life.


Michael Deeds: Boise's all-ages Venue will skip town to Caldwell

