"The Wakeup Club" on KVRI (alias "Variety 98.7," FM) is Utah's newest morning radio team. The show premiered Wednesday.
Gary Zane has left KVRI after one year of being teamed with Mick Mackay in the morning. Whether he'll stay in this market is not yet known.Mackay forms the core of the new KVRI team. He was originally a traffic reporter for the station but moved up to become a morning co-host known for his ingenious, clean jokes and pranks. He is joined on the new radio team by Rebecca Marshall, Brian Casey and Robert Lund.
The show, with one of the largest morning teams in Utah, also has expanded, Mackay says. It will be noisier than the old program but will include many of the same popular features, such as the "Polka Monster."
- Here's a capsule look at the history of KVRI's morning teams (formerly known as KCPX-FM):
1993: "Wakeup Club."
1992: Gary Zane and Mick Mackay.
1991: Jay Kelly and Mick Mackay.
1990: Jay Kelly and Tami Sanders.
1989: Andy Barber and Shiela Balistreri.
1987: (approximate) Jack Sunday and Peggy Ijams.
1985: Phil Conrad, Stan Main and Peggy Ijams.
Earlier KCPX morning teams included "Straight Arrow."
- KTKK (alias "K-Talk," AM-630) is continuing to go in the direction of an investigative reporting/talk station, while KCNR is news/talk.
Chris Smart, a former reporter for the Salt Lake Tribune, has taken Martin Davies' place with a 2:30-5 p.m. KTKK weekday on-air show. John Harrington precedes Smart from noon-3 p.m., and the pair do a combined show from 2:30-3 p.m.
John Prince will return from vacation next week to do the 5-6 p.m. time slot.
Starley Bush, general manager of KTTK, said the station is concentrating more on issues.
"That's what the market needs," he said, stressing the station's hosts have the time to do in-depth reporting.
Bush also said his station's new crossover alliance with KSTU Ch. 13's Fox News staff is also working well. He said he was sorry to see Davies go to KCNR, especially because he initially liked his new KTKK contract.
- KUER (FM-90.1) - Bob Edwards, the host of National Public Radio's news magazine, "Morning Edition," will visit Salt Lake City on Thursday, Sept. 30.
He will be a guest of KUER and TWA for a special "Breakfast with Bob" event that will allow listeners to meet the man behind the deep, warm voice. The breakfast will begin at 7:30 a.m. at the Salt Lake Marriott Hotel. Tickets are $24 and reservations can be made until Sept. 24 by calling 581-6625.
"Morning Edition" can be heard each weekday from 5-9 a.m. Edwards has been the host since the show's inception in 1979.
- THE SALT LAKE GOLDEN EAGLES have named John Ahlers as their new broadcaster. His previous experience includes hockey play-by-play for Colorado College on KXRE and KRDO in Colorado Springs.
He'll do radio and TV play-by-play for the Eagles on KJZZ, Ch. 14, and with a local radio station, yet to be announced. Ahlers will also be involved with community relations and sales for the Eagles.
- STATE FAIR RADIO - The annual Utah State Fair runs through Sept. 18 and, as always, it will offer plenty of radio stations broadcasting live from the event. Look for KKAT and the booths of many other stations at the event.
- KSOP (FM-104.3/AM-1370) - Sawyer Brown, Clint Black, Wynonna, McBride and the Ride, Pam Tillis, Hal Ketchum, Joe Diffie and Michael Martin Murphey are just a few of the country stars KSOP will bring to town this fall.
- COUNTRY MUSIC POPULARITY - Based on the latest Arbitron radio estimates, country music now attracts almost 25 percent of all listeners, ages 12 and up along the Wasatch Front.
- MORNING RADIO HAPPENINGS - "Kevin" sat in for "Ron and Allen" on KBER earlier this week as the two DJs were recovering from their weekend sleep-a-thon to benefit MDA. They have raised $5,400 for MDA this year and say they will have other events in order to reach their goal of $10,000. The KBER morning DJs also aired their final episode of "Mr. Beaver" for 1993 on Wednesday, with the outdoor expert winning a date with a woman and a $10 million contest. But he also suffered an apparent heart attack . . .
"The Morning Guys" (Cano and Simmons) on KKAT kept joking Tuesday that they'd give Lagoon and football tickets to whomever showed up at the studio in their underwear. When no one showed, the DJs switched to a more conventional prize-awarding system over the telephone. On Wednesday, the KKAT personalities had Jackie Nokes, fair director, live on their show, to discuss the Utah State Fair and they also had "Star Trek" trivia questions . . .
"Fisher and Todd' on KISN-FM took listener calls Tuesday on people who belong to your family tree you don't like to brag about. One caller was related to Lady Di and another to John Baptise, infamous Salt Lake grave robber during the 1860s. On Wednesday they took listener calls trying to arrange an aventurous road trip as a summer of 1993 finale . . . KRSP has a classic car contest under way. The prize is a 1966 Mustang . . .
"The Breakfast Bunch" (McCormick and Scotty") of KUTQ took calls from listeners Tuesday who are fed up with the Barney the Dinosaur craze. One caller had a clever parody song. Later, "Q-99" switched to big band music in an April Fools'-type stunt; they played several songs that would have had any station-hoppers confused about where they were . . .
"Artie" filled-in for "Bill" on the Project X "Dom and Bill" show on KXRK several days this week . . . Tom Barberi on KALL-AM read several letters from listeners Wednesday who are concerned about health-care reform. Barberi pointed out a strange federal tax on vaccinations . . .
"Jon and Dan" of KLZX popped up on KSTU, Ch. 13, at 11 p.m. Tuesday following the premiere of the new Chevy Chase show. They had a drawing and selected Christy Gallo as the winner for a trip to visit Chase's show. (They reportedly became friends of Chase during their trip to Hollywood last month for the "Pat" movie.) Less than seven hours later, Jon and Dan were back on the radio Wednesday with "Star Trek" trivia and "Captain Picard" on helium. On Thursday, they arranged a prom date for a 16-year-old student from Alta High at 5:45 a.m. . . .
"Mark and Danny" on KDYL Wednesday renamed the "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" movie and characters using more politically correct titles.