It seems that nothing ever stays the same for long in the ever changing world of Utah radio, and the sale Tuesday of the state's top-rated radio station for an unprecedented amount of cash confirms that reality once again.
KKAT (FM-101.9) has been sold by Brown Broadcasting Co. for $12 million in cash to Apollo Radio Ltd. of New York City. The selling price of KKAT is believed to be, by far, the highest ever for any single Utah radio station, or combo stations. (By contrast, Utah's KISN/KLUB were sold in 1985 for a combined price of only $4.6 million, and the average selling price of a U.S. FM radio station in 1989 was only $3.9 million.)Not only is the huge selling price of KKAT a surprise, but it's highly unexpected that Utah's No. 1 radio property would be sold in the first place.
Paul Leonard, Americom broker for the new owners, said it is indeed very rare when one of Utah's top five radio stations is ever sold. He said that since Utah has so many radio stations, sales are quite common but mostly for stations of the "also-ran" variety. (KISN/KLUB was Utah's last big radio sale five years ago. The recent KDAB sale to KBER is still pending official approval.)
KKAT's country music fans can put to rest any fears that there will be any format changes made in the state's most-listened-to radio station. Leonard said that no changes in format or personnel are planned. He said the new owners strongly recognize that it is KKAT's staff and format that has made it No. 1 and they aren't going to mess with a proven formula, period.
KKAT listeners can also rest assured that the new owners are not any fly-by-night operation. In fact, the president of Apollo Ltd. is none other than William Stakelin, also president of the Radio Advertising Bureau (RAB).
Apollo also owns two other radio stations, KEZE-AM (oldies format) and KJRB-FM (album rock), both in Spokane, Wash. The company plans on using KKAT as a stable springboard to expand its ownership of radio stations. In fact, following the acquisition of KKAT earlier this week, Apollo was finalizing its purchase of another country music station, this one in South Carolina from John Price Broadcasting Co. (also the owner of Utah's KUTR/KCPX).
KKAT's former owner, Brown Broadcasting, still owns seven other radio stations, all in California.
KKAT has steadily risen to the top of the radio ratings since Brown bought it in August of 1985 when the station was known as KQPD. (It had just switched from an easy-listening format to country music just one year earlier.)
KKAT is licensed in Ogden, but has its studio at 455 E. 400 South in Salt Lake City, and its 100,000-watt transmitter is on Farnsworth Peak. KKAT's target audience is adults ages 22-49.
-UTAH'S RADIO VETERAN - Gene Pack is probably the current "Methuselah" in Utah radio broadcasting. This KUER disc jockey celebrated his 30th anniversary with the University of Utah Public Radio station (FM-90.1), and there's likely no other Utah deejay that can claim that kind of longevity with the same radio station.
This is especially true since KUER doesn't even celebrate its own 30th anniversary until this June! How then, can Pack have spent more than three decades at KUER when it's not even that old yet?
Pack started at KUER on Jan. 15, 1960, as one of the University of Utah students who spent some preparation time in getting the radio station ready to go on the air about five months later. (In fact, Pack spent some time before that, and even after, serving as a cameraman for the university's TV station, KUED.)
In June of 1960, Pack was there at KUER for its first on-air day.
For the first decade of its life, KUER was an "educational radio station" since it was not until 1970 that National Public Radio was born. (KUER started out with NPR from its inception with the flagship program, "All Things Considered," which KUER still airs today).
"Radio is such a regular recurring thing." Pack said that he was not able to out any one single highlight that has happened during his 30-year career at KUER.
However, Pack did tell the story of what he considers to be the worst thing that has happened to him during his three decades at KUER:
Pack said that on the day after Thanksgiving, sometime in the early 1970s, he was at home listening to KUER when he heard a record stick. He said that a student was playing taped music at the station at that time and so he quickly called the studio to offer some instructions after the record was stuck for more than a minute.
But there was no answer. Since he lived fairly close to KUER, Pack rushed over there, only to find the student racing frantically about the halls of Kingsbury. He had left the studio for the restroom, only to become accidentally locked out. The record was stuck for 20 minutes before it was fixed.
(Pack is on the air at KUER weekdays from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m.)
-KSL (AM-1160) is bringing the "golden oldies" back to life with the new program, "When Radio Was," weekdays at 8 p.m.
"When Radio Was" includes classical old vintage programs such "The Shadow," "The Strange Dr. Weird," "Amos 'n' Andy" and "Fibber McGee & Molly."
The show replaces "Mystery Theatre." KSL news director Rod Arquette said that the station is sad about the loss of "Mystery Theatre," but that its production company discontinued it and started "When Radio Was" instead.
- Deseret News TV editor Joseph Walker will be Chris Tunis' guest on "Sportscentral" Tuesday, Jan. 23, at 6:30 p.m.
- Here are other highlights of KSL's programming for next week:
Monday, Jan. 22 - 11:06 a.m. Author Joseph Sharlitt.
Tuesday, Jan. 23 - 11:06 a.m., Bob Proctor discusses his "You Were Born Rich" program with Doug Wright. At 2 p.m., Bill Kurtis discusses PBS-TV's "Miracle Planet" series.
Wednesday Jan. 24 - 2:30 p.m., Bob Lee interviews participants in the upcoming U.S. Figure Skating Championships, to be staged at Salt Lake.
Thursday, Jan. 25 - Doug Wright broadcasts live from Elko's annual cowboy poetry gathering. Bob Lee will broadcast live from the U.S. Film Festival at Park City from noon until 3 p.m.
Friday Jan. 26, Doug Wright will broadcast live from the Film Festival at Park City (9 a.m. until noon). Bob Lee will broadcast live from the Business Expo at the Salt Palace from noon until 3 p.m.
- The Utah at BYU game will air Thursday, Jan. 25, at 7 p.m. on KSL.
-KBYU (FM-89.1) will rebroadcast the radio drama, "Bastille: The French Revolution of Radio" Friday, Jan. 19, at 9 p.m. This six-part series will continue each Friday evening through Feb. 23. Actor William Shatner of "Star Trek" fame stars as one of the main characters in the series, "Robespierre."
-KALL (AM-910) will air the Utah at Colorado State basketball game Saturday, Jan. 20, at 7:30 p.m.
- Here's Saturday's, Jan. 20, lineup for do-it-yourselfers:
At 7 a.m. is "Grow-It" with guest Genevine Fulson, garden editor for Salt Lake Tribune, discussing, "1990 All-American Selections."
From 8-10 a.m. is "Hometalk" with Eugenia Chapman, a housecleaning book author, explaining "Do-It Yourself Housecleaning."
At 10 a.m. will be the "Auto-Medic" show with Larry Barlige of the Salt Lake Community College explaining "Car Owner Protection."
-KMGR (AM-1230) will be broadcasting live play-by-play coverage of selected boys high school basketball games starting Friday, Jan. 19, with Highland at Cottonwood (7:30).
Chris Maathuis will be the voice of the prep games. One contest will be broadcast on Friday and another on Tuesday through the remainder of the season.
Tuesday's, Jan. 23, game will be Alta at Brighton (6 p.m.).