Another year of Wasatch Front radio has come and is nearly gone. Here's a look back at some of the highlights of 1997:
January:KSRR, Utah County, modifies its show tunes format and leans heavily on an LDS pop music format. The station retains its special LDS programming on Sunday . . . Bonneville International Corporation sells seven radio stations in Kansas City and Seattle, in exchange for an FM station in Houston and $5 million. Ten days later, Bonneville sells its Phoenix FM station for $34 million . . . KPCW, Park City, receives the Utah Ski Association's 1997 Excellence in Journalism Award . . . KXRK is not for sale, despite some offers to purchase the station. It remains one of the few independent radio stations in the market. The station also teams up with the YWCA to help battered women . . . The "Space Elders" on KXRK land on the planet Endor, a timely visit to coincide with the release of the revamped "Star Wars" movie . . . KSFI leads the new Arbitron ratings in all three major age categories.
February:
KSL stages its 21st annual telethon to raise money for Primary Children's Medical Center . . . "Fisher and Todd" on KISN-FM celebrate their 11th anniversary and continue to be the Wasatch Front's longest surviving morning radio team. For the past three years, they've also had a third team member, Erin Fraser . . . KUMT alters its format from adult rock to a soft rock mix of more mainstream music . . . KTUR switches from Spanish programming to an all-news format . . . KUSU expands its translator system into Price, Panguitch and Emery County . . . "Fisher, Todd and Erin" of KISN-FM stage a special Valentine's Day wedding at Disneyland . . . KUBL sponsors a lineup of available bachelors and maids on Valentine's Day . . . KBER has a controversy with a billboard containing likenesses of LDS missionaries . . . Todd and Erin, of the "Fisher, Todd and Erin" morning show on KISN-FM, get married . . . Charlee Simons leaves the KBER morning show and is replaced by another Brian, creating a "Brian and Brian" show.
March:
KRSP begins a $20,000 rock 'n' roll cash giveaway contest . . . KENZ excels at playing exclusive alternative rock songs, found no where else in Utah, the likes of U2, Duran Duran, Erasure and INXS . . . KUMT gets a new morning team with "Doc and Diane" . . . KUER names Alice Storm as the station's director of development and Amber Rowland as the director of promotions, outreach and community relations . . . Howard Stern does a telephone interview with "Uncle Nasty" on KBER . . . "Fisher, Todd and Erin" on KISN-FM interview singer Tony Bennett . . . A new talk show, "Richard Tripp II, News and Commentary," premieres Tuesday evenings on KSRR . . . KKDS airs the 21st annual Deseret News Spelling Bee . . . Tom Barberi, morning host of KALL, is named one of America's 100 most important radio hosts by "Talkers" magazine . . . KUER begins a nine-part series on "Rural Poverty in Utah" . . . Dickie Shannon and Angel DeVille of the KODJ morning team get married.
April:
April Fool's Day on the radio features KISN-FM DJs giving the wrong time, special tributes on KURR to a rock singer who is still alive, and rock station KBER mimicks an adult contemporary station, KBEE . . . Radio stations gear up for extra traffic news reporting in light of I-15 reconstruction in Salt Lake County. Advertising on radio increases as businesses try to reach the captive audience that is stuck in traffic . . . Bonneville International buys three more FM radio stations in top 10 U.S. markets . . . "Uncle Nasty" moves to mornings on KBER to replace the "Brian Brothers" . . . Jon Carter returns to local radio on KRSP after a five-month absence . . . Radio stations have fun with special April 15 tax day contests and events . . . "The Wrecking Crew," a new morning show premieres on KRKR with Cory Draper and Mickey Foxx . . . KTUR adds some weekend talk shows to its all-news lineup . . . Jacor Communications purchases two more S.L. stations, KBKK for $4.5 million from Garcia Broadcasting and KFAM-AM from General Broadcasting for $1.2 million to expand its Wasatch Front holdings to seven stations.
May:
Jimmy Chunga of KENZ gets listeners to help him add a "2" to the "U" sign on the mountainside above the U. of U. to highlight the U2 concert in Rice Stadium . . . Paul Harvey broadcasts move from KDYL to KALL . . . KSL celebrates its 75th birthday . . . "Mick, Allen and Roxy" on KURR stage an adopt-a-thon at the S.L. County Animal Shelter . . . KSL radio turns 75 . . . U2 and Jazz playoff ticket giveaways dominate the radio dial . . . KSFI leads the Arbitron winter rating estimates for ages 12-plus and adults 25-54, while KENZ jumps from fifth to first in the young adult audience, ages 18-34. KZHT is the top choice for teenagers. For morning teams, "Fisher, Todd and Erin" of KISN-FM, KSL's "Grant and Chere" and "Dain and Peggy" of KSFI are the leaders for the three main age groups . . . KZHT hosts LifeSaver Saturday to promote summer safety with the American Red Cross . . . "Fisher, Todd and Erin" stage a "Care-A-Thon" for children's organizations, going 28 hours straight in a fund-raising mode . . . KTKK airs a special investigation into gulf war syndrome . . . "Fisher, Todd and Erin" of KISN-FM raise more than $100,000 in a radiothon to benefit children.
June:
KRCL stages its annual "Day in the Park" event at Sugarhouse Park, with lots of music, food and fun . . . Kevin Stanfield leaves KALL and moves to KSL radio as a midday news anchor and producer . . . Chicago DJ Johnny B of WLUP pulls some stunts that bother Utah Jazz players and fans during the NBA championship series. Ironically, Utah-based Bonneville International had purchased the station and takes control in less than a month . . . Bonneville International Corp. sells its two Dallas-Fort Worth radio stations - KZPS-FM and KDGE-FM - to Evergreen Media . . . KSFI stages its second annual Light Parade.
July:
KWUN, an all-talk format station, is set to premiere with Mills Crenshaw, Martin Davies and Ken Sansom. However, a legal battle with the operators of the frequency's former Spanish format stalls the station . . . "Religion on the Line" on KTKK moves to Sunday nights from 5-7 p.m. . . . KUMT adds three new members - Kelly McMurray, Greg Dodd and Mike Chase - to its sales team . . . Karen Boren begins a new religious program, "Times of the Signs," on KTKK . . . KRCL airs its 11th annual "Woman Aloud" weekend of special programming for women . . . The "Art Bell" show moves to KALL . . . KURR offers a $1 million reward for anyone who brings the station an alien from outer space or an alien spacecraft in its "New World Bounty Contest" . . . "K-Rock" (KRKR) vanishes and his replaced by "Sunny 107.9." KTLE also disappears and is replaced by KTKL, "Magic 92" . . . KSFI leads the spring book adult listener ratings for Arbitron. KSL and KSFI have the top morning shows for listeners of all ages and also the adult listener category . . . "Kidd Cassidy" is fired from KKAT for allegedly making derogatory remarks and is temporarily replaced by "Welch and Woody" for a week, then "Jim, Dawn and Rick" take over.
August:
KISN-AM, all-sports station, goes off the air and is replaced by a simulcast of "timeless music" from sister station KRKR. The AM-570 frequency awaits a trade by Trumper Communications to Jacor Communications. Trumper will get FM-106.5 in return . . . KTUR begins a new program on handling road rage . . . Bonneville International continues its consolidation in various cities and trades three radio stations for three other stations . . . Paul James retires as KSL radio basketball announcer. He's replaced by Greg Wrubell, but will continue to do football play-by-play . . . KXRK is a finalist in the Silver Microphone Awards and the morning team of "Kenny, Bill and Gina" stage a contest to predict the sex of Gina's baby . . . KSL fires one its morning show co-hosts, Chere Wood. Letters to the editor abound in the Deseret News protesting the dismissal.
September:
Don Gomes, morning voice on Park City's KPCW/KCPW, sings at a special humorous concert near Capitol Reef National Park to benefit the Entrada Institute . . . Len Allen of KLO is honored in many special events for his upcoming 50th anniversary with the Ogden radio station . . . KLO starts the process of moving its transmitter from Roy to west of Kaysville, so it can better reach the Salt Lake market . . . Rumors prove true and Amanda Dickson returns to the KSL morning show with Grant Nielsen . . . Jon Carter or KRSP is official host of the Fish Fest at the Gallivan Center . . . Ellis B. Feaster of the KBEE "Wakeup Club" proposes to his girlfriend on the air and she accepts . . . KISN-FM sponsors a scavenger hunt and gives away a new jeep . . . "Johnson and Johnson" premiere as the new KUBL morning team . . . "The Wakeup Club" on KBEE simply becomes the "Mick and Ellis" show as Teri Landreth goes off the air . . . Mark Van Wagoner, Danny Kramer and Steve Carlson begin doing double duty as DJs on two stations at the same time (one live, one on tape).
October:
KBEE hosts the fall career and job fair at the Fashion Place Mall . . . "Johnson and Johnson" on KUBL complete their quest for a million radio listener pledges . . . Kerry Jackson and Bill Allred of KXRK do their 10th annual trip to Europe, with some live broadcasts and interviews . . . KWUN, an all-talk station, finally goes on the air after settling a lawsuit that delayed its premiere by more than three months . . . The former pure rock station, KRKR, returns after an agreement is reached with classic rock KLZX to broadcast its format now . . . Jim Dabakis leaves KALL to join the new KWUN, an all-talk station . . . The latest Arbitron ratings show KSFI once again leads the adult and all-age rankings. KENZ is the young adult, age 18-34 leader. For morning shows, "Dain and Peggy" of KSFI is tops among adults and all ages and "Kerry, Bill and Gina" on KXRK are first in the age 18-34 category . . . KALL hires sportscaster Chris Tunis to be its new afternoon host . . . Tom Kelly joins Dawn Kennedy and Rick Shane on the KKAT morning show.
November:
KBER and KZHT DJs serve as crossing guards in light of all the recent pedestrian accidents at various Salt Lake intersections . . . KKDS drops its children's radio programming, in favor of an adult contemporary, "All-American Classics" format . . . "Fisher, Todd and Erin" on KISN-FM give away $3,500 worth of carpet in a special contest to improve the home that deserves new turf the most . . . KZHT solicits donations of turkeys and hams to the Utah Food Bank . . . KUBL airs a one-hour special on LeAnn Rimes. Morning DJs "Johnson and Johnson" ask listeners to "pig out" for concert tickets, in contrast to the other stations asking listeners to lose or hold their weight during the holidays . . . KBZN has a $1,000 shopping spree giveaway each Thursday.
December:
"Rabbit Ears Radio" airs its last-ever broadcast . . . KSOP and KXRK have entries in the annual West Valley City Santa Claus Parade . . . "Tom, Dawn and Rick" of KKAT go to Disneyland for a White Christmas promotion . . . "Kidd Cassidy" formerly a morning DJ on KKAT, lands a morning job at a Boston radio station . . . KYFO, a Bible Broadcasting station, plays all-holiday music during December . . . KZHT donates almost $10,000 to the Women's Resource Center, the proceeds from a special Christmas concert . . . Jayme Ward begins a new weekend talk show on KTKK. Two realtors, Rich Dixon and Dale Gunderson, begin a new Saturday radio real estate show there too. . . KSFI plays its 25th annual "100 Hours of Christmas Music" . . . KWUN has a big open house at its new radio studios, complete with a controversial balloon overhead . . . KUBL stages a Reba McEntire look-a-like contest . . . Miss Utah, Mary McDonough of Layton, is a guest DJ on the "Dickie and Angel" morning show on KODJ . . . KBER sponsors "Crosswalk Awareness Month" . . . "Frankie C" on the KZHT morning team becomes the "jock in the box." He goes homeless and lives on the street in a box for a week to raise money for the needy . . . Simmons Radio Group helps those in need with remote broadcasts from the Travelers Aid Shelter to get listener donations.
- NEXT WEEK: The superlatives, highs and lows of radio in 1997.