Keeping the attention of students in ele-men-tary school classes is a real challenge for teachers because students spend 60 percent of time in class listening. To help develop the listening skills of students, KKDS radio (alias "The Imagination Station," AM-1060) broadcasts 15 minutes of "Listening Skills" exercises each weekday morning at 9:30 a.m.
This new program was coordinated by Annette Verhaal, teacher leader for elementary services in the Granite School District. Four teachers write outlines for the program's curriculum. It was tested at Harry S Truman Elementary last year and is now used in all Granite schools, kindergarten through third grade.Subjects such as following directions, remembering things in order and facts vs. fiction are all related to topics such as seasonal change, numbers, holidays, music, weather and money.
"Teachers just don't turn on the radio and sit back," Verhaal said. "They are listening and evaluating student responses to the program's questions."
Teachers receive advance outlines of the content of each program, as well as a list of extension activities to further the discussion.
"The program not only teaches kids how to listen; it also teaches them how to recall and remember what they've just heard," said Sue Chamberlain, producer of the show at KKDS.
In addition to the Granite district, the program is also used in Murray, Tooele and Nebo school districts, with the permission of Granite.
- PAUL HARVEY UPDATE - The "Rest of Story" broadcaster is now heard on only one Wasatch Front radio station - KSOS (AM-800) out of Weber County. Air times are weekdays at approximately 8 a.m., noon and 4 p.m.
I'm not sure how well KSOS's AM signal reaches Salt Lake County, but at this time it's the only choice since KSL dropped the ABC Radio Network earlier this week and Harvey went with it.
Harvey used to be also heard on Ogden's KLO (AM-130) and Utah County's KSRR (AM-1400/1230), but both stations had to drop their broadcasts when KSL renewed its contract in 1992 after the temporary lapse in Harvey shows.
KLO and KSRR are both very interested in getting Harvey back and are trying to negotiate with the ABC Network. Since KSRR reaches much of the Salt Lake area with its simulcast on KMGR, it would be a natural for Harvey broadcasts.
- NEW RATINGS COMING - The newest Arbitron radio ratings for last fall are due out next week. According to one advance report, KDYL (AM-1280) will be the big news because it more than doubled its listening audience.
- KKBE (FM-95.5/AM-1490 and several other frequencies) - This all-gospel radio station from Ogden is involved in a Chapter 7 ("liquidation") bankruptcy and is now in the process of being purchased.
According to Lamont Robison of Salt Lake City's Robison Hill and Co. and a trustee for the bankruptcy sale, unlike most Chapter 7 procedures, KKBE is broadcasting as usual while the court completes a tentative sale from Garret Haston's Abacus Broadcasting Co. to the Bible Broadcasting Network.
According to other sources, the purchase price of KKBE is $465,000 - the highest bid received. The tentative owners, from North Carolina, are expected to continue a religious format.
Haston could not be reached for comment in Abilene, Texas.
KKBE was originally KJQN (modern music) and then became "The Killer Be," with pop music from October 1982 until May 1993, when it switched to an all-gospel format.
- KQOL (FM-106.5) is in the process of being purchased by Ba-ja-mir Broadcasting, a new limited liability company. Bill Garcia of Scopes Garcia Carlisle Advertising heads the new company. Some of the other partners include Greg Carlisle from Scopes Garcia Carlisle; Rick Murphy of Mad Dog Radio in northern Arizona and Cliff Snyder, formerly of KSL radio.
"We put an offer to the station. Nothing's guaranteed," he said, explaining the FCC approval and license request can take three or more months.
Garcia also said this was a distress sale.
Street Stryder of New York is the current owner and KQOL is currently broadcasting a simulcast of KRGO, following its demise last year as an all-sports radio station.
- MORNING RADIO HAPPENINGS - I'm not sure how it's done, but if you know how, you can send messages to "Fisher and Todd" of KISN-FM by computer. They even read some of them on the air. Also, to complement their "Battle of the Sexes" contest on Tuesdays, the DJs have a battle of the generation gap contest on Thursday. This pits teens against listeners 40 or older. The DJs took calls Tuesday on what listeners think of the new George Carlin TV show . . .
After the Los Angeles area earthquake Monday morning, several FM stations offered in-depth coverage and even aired telephone calls from California. The "Jon and Dan" show on KLZX sounded a lot like KSL on a small scale with its lengthy coverage. "Fisher and Todd" on KISN-FM and even "Ron and Allen" on KBER had a lot more quake coverage than you might expect. Of course KSL was far ahead of the pack locally in its earthquake coverage, using its own resources plus the CBS Radio Network . . .
"Ron and Allen" on KBER had a special feature Monday for Martin Luther King Day, with a three-person panel and a guess at who Mr. King was supposed to be. As a correction to an incorrect "Ron and Allen" show segment title in last week's "Radio Dial," it's actually "Makin' Whoopi," not "Naked Whoopi" for the title of the DJs' newlywed game. The DJs also said they never "picked nose hairs" on the air in 1993, a feat the Jan. 1 "Radio Dial" incorrectly assigned to them under the heading of one of the grossest stunts in Utah radio last year . . .
Tom Barberi on KALL-AM said Tuesday he hopes a TV movie won't be made of the Southern California quake. He did say, though, that the Nancy Kerrigan attack seems to have all the required ingredients for a good TV movie . . . KODJ, formerly KALL-FM, is not only in the process of hiring new on-air personalities, but is also constructing new studios . . .
A Tuesday follow up for "Jon and Dan" on KLZX on the California quake was asking listeners what one structure would be the first to go in a big Wasatch Front quake. On Wednesday, their sidekick - Clyde Lewis - was sitting in the show's driver's seat, while Jon and Dan remained temporary secondary personalities . . .
"Kerry and Bill" on KXRK have their "Utah Word of the Day" installments each weekday about 7 a.m. New studios for "X-96" are now being constructed in Salt Lake City . . . If you want firsthand radio coverage of the aftermath of the Southern California quake, KFWB (AM-980) is a Los Angeles all-news station that can be picked up in northern Utah during night-timne hours . . .
Len Allen, morning personality on KLO, is the master of ceremonies for the annual Ogden Hof Winter Carnival that begins Friday, Jan. 21 . . . KKAT morning personality Ken Simmons pleaded guilty Wednesday to lewdness and will probably be sentenced to 36 months' probation. Simmons is currently on a leave of absence from KKAT and station officials have not yet determined the future of its morning show.
- KBZN (alias "The Breeze," FM-97.9) - Motohiko Hamase of "Technodrome" album fame will be the guest on the Sunday, Jan. 23, "Musical Starstreams," 8-10 a.m. Later in the day, Michael Franks will be featured on "Jazz Trax," 7 p.m.-midnight.
- Here's a schedule of the station's "10 O'Clock CD" feature in the coming week:
Monday, Jan. 24: "Culture," by Spheeris.
Tuesday, Jan. 25: "Nightsongs and Lullabies," by Jim Chappell.
Wednesday, Jan. 26: "Curves Ahead," by the Rippingtons.
Thursday, Jan. 27: "Love Remembers," by George Benson.
Friday, Jan. 28: "Olympus," by Mars Lasar.