Bill Virgin's Radio Beat November 6, 2008

[radiofan]

On Radio: KKOL-AM tries business news format
By BILL VIRGIN
P-I REPORTER

Having decided there's not much future in being the third conservative-talk radio station in town, Salem Communications has shifted one of its Seattle AM outlets to a format others have tried and abandoned -- business news.

KKOL-AM/1300 this week unveiled its new identity as "Business Radio" and a lineup including nationally syndicated talk host Ray Lucia at 9 a.m. weekdays, "Phil's Gang," hosted by Phil Grande, at noon, and "Market Wrap with Moe Ansari" at 5 p.m. The current lineup also includes programming from Bloomberg Radio and hourly updates from CNBC.

Business news as a full-time format was last heard in this market in 2004, when Entercom sold what was then KNWX-AM/1210 to Bustos Media, which in turn converted the station to a Spanish-language music format. KNWX had started as a business-news station in 1998 when it was at 770 on the AM band. That same year, KKNW-AM/1150 dropped business and investing talk for a format featuring soul and R&B music. Several industry experts said the format appeared to be too narrow a niche to generate a large audience or sustained listening.

But Tim Harper, Salem's general manager in Seattle, believes there's a market for a full-time business news station "with the U.S. in the position it's in." He said Salem has had success with a recently launched business news station in the Bay Area, and the new format is drawing advertisers to KKOL.

Michael Reichert, Salem operational vice president, said the plan is to add more programming, including a local show to focus on stocks and companies in this region. Added Harper, "It's not going to be filled with a bunch of gold infomercials."

In making the switch, Salem gives up the fight to carve out a niche for conservative talk against Fisher's KVI-AM/570 and Bonneville's KTTH-AM/770. Those stations have had local hosts and top-tier national conservative-talk hosts including Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity. KKOL recently lost Laura Ingraham to KVI. At the time of the format flip its daytime lineup included Dennis Miller, Hugh Hewitt and Mike Gallagher.

Salem is making changes at its other AM outlets in Seattle. KKMO-AM/1360 continues as a Spanish-language station, but with a regional Mexican music format marketed as El Rey. Harper said KKMO, which had been marketed as Radio Sol, has the national syndicated host Eddie "Piolin" Sotelo in the mornings, but the rest of the day will have local hosts.

A spokeswoman for Salem at its corporate headquarters in California said a previously announced pending sale of the station has been canceled. KKMO competes with Bustos' KTBK-AM/1210, which runs the Ke Buena regional-Mexican music format.

KNTS-AM/1680 now features a Spanish-language Christian talk format. That, too, is a format that three AM stations in the region had been following until they were converted earlier this year to ESPN's Spanish-language service.

In other radio notes:


Jazz vocalist Diane Schuur is the interview guest of "Evening Jazz" host Abe Beeson at 8 p.m. Thursday on KPLU-FM/88.5.


Author Ivan Doig is the guest on "Weekday" at 9 a.m. Friday on KUOW-FM/94.9.


Jim Wilke's "Jazz Northwest" at 1 p.m. Sunday on KPLU-FM features a recent performance by saxophonist James Moody with the Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra.


The Sunday edition of Jim French's "Imagination Theatre," heard at 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday on KIXI-AM/880, includes a new episode in the "Kerides the Thinker" mystery series.


Ray LaMontagne performs in the "Mountain Music Lounge" on KMTT-FM/103.7 at 3:15 p.m. Monday.

P-I reporter Bill Virgin can be reached at 206-448-8319 or billvirgin@seattlepi.com.

Bill Virgin's Radio Beat, Thursdays in the Seattle P-I