KOSY Goes Christmas

Earliest ever! Clear Channel's KOSY 106.5 has gone ALL CHRISTMAS! The station's site is in full Christmas cheer. It's logo is now covered in wrapping bows decked with the new slogan "Utah's Holiday Music Station." KOSY has always been first in recent years to make the switch to all Christmas, generally on November 1st. This is the first time the station has flipped on Halloween! The last song played under it's adult contemporary format was Sixpense None the Richer, "There She Goes."

ZHT Targeting Hispanic Listeners, KXOL For Sale

12:30 AM - Viva La 97.1 ZHT? . . . . Pagamos Tus Cuentas: "We Pay Your Bills!" It appears that Salt Lake's oldest CHR (pop music) station is doing whatever it takes to target the next generation of listeners. This billboard caught my eye as I drove south out of Provo. It is located at approximately 600 South State Street. The station seems to be reaching out to the strong Hispanic community south of Provo's city center. The station has added air talent "Boy Loco" to the line-up. Sweepers between songs often read in Spanish-language only form. The station has even gone so far as to have their top of hour jingle resung as "Noventa siete uno ... ninety-seven one, Z-H-T." Last year the 97.1 ZHT web site also began offering both Spanish and English versions of it's site. It has since pulled that option.
Although there has been no comment from the station itself, ZHT's bilingual approach could be as a result of two factors: There is now stiff competition from new FM Spanish-language competitors. Last year, "La Magia" came on the air with a Spanish-language CHR (pop music) station, and it's sister station "La Gran D" in 2004. Another possible reason could be the loss of younger audiences to iPod and other MP3 player devices. As the traditional youth audience dwindles away, the station may be looking to expand into a larger demographic.
In the meanwhile, it's been neat to hear a sweeper in two languages!

1:30 PM - Simmons Media is in the works of selling longtime oldies KXOL (AM 1660). The buyer is Inca Communications, All Access reports, who will pay one-million dollars for the station. Currently the station is airing a Spanish-language contemporary music format. Inca will operate the station through a leased management agreement (LMA) before the sale closes.

A.J. Maguire Exits Eagle, Grizzlies to KKAT-AM

10:45 PM - Morning show host A.J. Maguire "has left the station," All Access reports. Meanwhile co-hosts Peggy Ijams, formerly of FM 100, and "Stubbs" will continue to pilot the Eagle (101.5 FM) mornings.

10:50 PM - Sports magazine Our Sports Central reports that West Valley City's Utah Grizzlies hockey team is back on the radio. Citadel communications has picked up the team and will air it on KKAT (860 AM). KKAT is a simulcast of it's FM sister station "The Country Legends" (107.5 FM).

Helen Powers To Retire, KNRS Gets New PD

This is a bit late but it's worth mentioning the following airstaff changes -- long time KBER (101.1 FM) mid-day air talent Helen Powers is planning to leave the station Wednesday. She had been with KBER ten years.

Former WGY Albany program director Greg Foster has been named as replacement for former KNRS program director Jason Wilmot. According to All Access, Wilmot is headed to KFYI Phoenix, according to. This is quite interesting, because former KSL (102.7 FM) anchor Russ Hill is program director at crosstown KTAR Phoenix. And finally, Todd "Nuke 'Em" Noker of X96 (96.3 FM) has been named program director of sister station KJQN "Jack FM" (103.1 FM).

Dream Doctor Diagnosed With Disease

Today's New York Times reports that radio host Charles McPhee has Lou Gehrig's disease. The former "Dream Doctor" heard on KBEE-FM "B98.7" and KUTR until this past summer was initially diagnosed with the disease in June after listeners began to hear noticeable slurring. "His presentation was suffering and no one knew why," Patrick Fant, of affiliate KFNC-FM, told the Times. McPhee and Cumulus Media tried to continue to show using text-to-speech technology from Model Talker, but canceled the idea when the outcome sounded too "robotic and zombie-like." The show will end October 21. Read the article in it's entirety from The New York Times.