Christmas in June? Yes, Christmas music was playing 24 hours a day at KRGQ (alias "KARGO," FM-107.9 and FM-92.1) for several days until June 19 when a new music format began in Salt Lake.
The new station has now abandoned its temporary Christmas and former variety music format in favor of a mainstream, pure rock format.Gary "Wooly" Waldron's company, Sundance Broadcasting, is purchasing KRGQ from KARGO Broadcasting Co. and Gene Guthrie. Until the deal gains FCC approval, Waldron has a local marketing agreement to manage the station.
"We wanted to see if people would like it," Waldron said of the Christmas music stunt.
He said it received only limited response from listeners, though.
"K-Rock 108" is the station's new nickname, and it is applying for the call letters KRKR.
Waldron stressed the station is playing only rock from the '80s and '90s without any grunge, punk or alternative music.
"No punk, no junk" is a station slogan.
Van Halen, Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, Metallica and Def Leppard are examples of the pure rock format. The station fills a musical gap between KBER and KRSP.
The new station is also playing a marathon of 10,000 consecutive songs in a row without any commercials. After that, the first listener to call and identify the first commercial to air on the station will win $10,000. (The sponsor of that first ad also wins $10,000 in free advertising on the station.)
"K-Rock" is geared toward listeners ages 18-34 and has new studios at 450 E. 1000 North in North Salt Lake. The FM-107.9 frequency is for Davis County north, while the 92.1 reaches the Salt Lake area better.
Waldron hopes to introduce some new DJs soon. He hasn't decided if he'll do much on-air work himself, other than weekends, yet. A legendary name in Utah radio, Waldron worked for KNAK, KCPX and, more recently, KISN-FM. He was also a part-owner of KUTQ, where he was general manager until last year.
- REGENT COMMUNICATIONS, owner of KKAT, KALL and KODJ, has announced it is purchasing two more Salt Lake radio stations - KUTQ (alias "Q99," FM) and KZHT (FM-94.9).
John Marks, general manager of the three Regent stations in Salt Lake City, confirmed that his company is purchasing the two stations from Starley D. Bush and his D&B Corp. and Bountiful Broadcasting Corp.
Marks said FCC approval is expected in about 90 days, which is when Regent will take control. He wouldn't confirm rumors of a $7 million price tag for the two stations.
He said the deal will provide the company with a stronger presence in the Salt Lake area and stronger advertising revenue. Mark didn't know if formats will change. It's also unclear if KUTQ and KZHT would move into Regent's Salt Lake headquarters on South Temple after the sale.
The new purchase will give Regent ownership of five Wasatch Front stations, tying it with Citadel Communications for the number of signals owned. The companies also have local marketing agreements with a sixth station. Both companies have leeway to buy one more FM station and two more AM stations in the Salt Lake market, according to FCC regulations.
The deal will give Regent, headquartered in Covington, Ky., at least 18 total U.S. radio stations.
- KALL AM-910) - Tom Bar-beri, the state's most veteran talk show host, will celebrate his 25th anniversary at the station on Friday, July 5. It is unusual for any radio host or DJ to spend 20 years, let alone a quarter-century, at any one station.
Barberi has renewed his contract with KALL for at least one more year.
- KISN-FM (97.1) has a new program director and afternoon host. Burke Allan begins his duties Monday, June 24, replacng Jim Morales as program director and as the 3-6 p.m. on-air host. Morales had been at KISN for almost three years.
"We needed new leadership," Patrick Reedy, station general manager, said of the change, explaining that KISN's format will remain the same.
Reedy said Allan has a tremendous track record. He comes to Salt Lake from Savannah, Ga., where he was program director for a station with a similar hot-adult contemporary format.
- LDS RADIO NETWORK continues to expand and is now available throughout Utah and Idaho on TCI Cablevision. It is also available on cable in Orange County, San Diego and Palo Alto, Calif.
Checking radio logs when I returned to Utah, I discovered that Portland has that state's only commercial radio station on FM-97.1
- 10 YEARS AGO - KSL promotion director A. Lee Pocock wins five awards at the International Broadcast Promotion and Marketing convention. KUTR, an LDS music station, prepares to celebrate its first birthday at Lagoon. KRSP hires Chuck Jackson as its evening DJ.
- RADIO HAPPENINGS - Tom Barberi on KALL discussed the church burnings in the South on Tuesday, among other topics . . . Len Allen and Arnie Wheeler on KLO talked about the high number of golf courses in the area Tuesday . . . "Dain and Peggy" on KSFI gave listeners another "Totally Useless Trivia" Tuesday - toothpicks are the most common thing Americans choke on . . .
Lee West provides traffic updates every 10 minutes during morning rush hour on KSOP with "Country Joe." The station has also a contest under way to send a family to the Summer Olympic Games . . . "Jon and Dan" on KUBL had "Mr. Twister" talking about sunburn this week . . . "Mick, Allen and Woody" on KUTQ talked with a man who recently had a lost wallet returned from out of state some 14 years later. "Chin-Wah" also made another appearance . . .
"Charlee and Brian" on KBER had a talent contest Tuesday requiring mouth noises. Bonneville Raceway tickets were the prize . . . "Kidd Cassidy" on KKAT quizzed listeners Tuesday on what should be done with the Micron plant site. The station is also promoting its Country Jam . . .
"Kerry, Bill and Gina" on KXRK conducted an "X-Poll" Tuesday asking listeners which actors could best portray the DJs. Answers included Kurt Russell for Kerry, Danny DeVito for Bill and Sandra Bullock, among many others . . .
"Fisher, Todd and Fraser" on KISN-FM had another "Outrageous Tales" segment Tuesday, with horseriding tickets as the prize. The station is also co-hosting a foot race Saturday.