Bill Virgin's Radio Beat November 13, 2008

[radiofan]

On Radio: Switch to all-sports format looks likely for KIRO-AM
By BILL VIRGIN
P-I REPORTER
Bonneville International appears poised to make its long-waited announcement about the fate of KIRO-AM/710 Thursday, a decision that will have implications for other stations in the market if the decision is to switch the longtime news-talk station to an all-sports format.

Bonneville, the Salt Lake City-based company whose other local properties include KIRO- FM/97.3 (the former oldies station KBSG-FM) and conservative talker KTTH-AM/770, scheduled a news conference for Thursday afternoon. Set to attend the news conference are Tod Leiweke, chief executive of the Seahawks and Sounders FC, and Seattle Mariners President Chuck Armstrong. KIRO-AM currently carries Seahawks games, and starting next year it will resume Mariners broadcasts after a six-year absence.

Bonneville already has shifted its news and talk programming over to 97.3 in a simulcast with the AM station; its current announcements and promotions make no mention of 710. It's expected to announce a shift of the AM station to an all-sports station in April, coinciding with the start of the Mariners' regular season.

What's not known yet is whether Bonneville plans to supplement the game broadcasts with other sports talk such as from ESPN or local hosts.

One station that's particularly interested in that aspect is Everett-based KRKO-AM/1380, which carries programming from ESPN in addition to local sports teams and a local sports-talk host.

KRKO general manager Andrew Skotdal said his station has shared ESPN in this market with sports-talk station KJR-AM/950 for several years, and he hasn't received a letter yet from ESPN telling him that it's dropping its affiliation with his station in favor of linking up with KIRO-AM.

But if that's the way things work out, Skotdal says he'll be prepared. "We're getting calls from syndicators we haven't been able to speak with in the past," he said. "It's going to be an opportunity for us to launch the new 50,000-watt signal with a brand that's entirely ours."

Skotdal said he's looking at two formats "we're pretty excited about," but wouldn't say what those are or whether they'd be an extension of its sports-talk format or a complete departure.

KJR-AM, meanwhile, has been emphasizing its "live and local" sports talk in its promotional announcements (it has local hosts from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. weekdays, local programming on weekends and extensive programming built around Seahawks games; it's also the flagship for University of Washington football and men's basketball). Program director Rich Moore said he expects to make further additions to KJR's programming, although he's not ready to say what those will be.

He also expects KIRO-AM will have one or two local shows, likely in the afternoons.

In other radio notes:

The layoff wave sweeping over the radio business has hit Bonneville International, which this week let go seven full- and part-timers at KIRO-AM/FM. Among those laid off were Jim Valley, Jeff Pohjola, Eric Kirchner and Mike Brown. KIRO has also dropped "The Big Story@ 6," although host Tony Miner remains with the station as afternoon news anchor. The "Ron & Don Show" has been extended by one hour to fill the slot.

KNHC-FM/89.5, the student-run station at Nathan Hale High School, has launched its first capital campaign to raise money for new studios that are part of the school's remodeling. The campaign hopes to raise $1 million for the digital equipment that will go into three on-air and six production studios.

Tony Benton interviews Bill Cosby on "StreetBeat" at 8 a.m. Sunday on KUBE-FM/93.3.

The Sunday edition of Jim French's "Imagination Theatre," heard at 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday on KIXI-AM/880, includes a new Harry Nile mystery.

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