With the most competitive radio market in the nation, Salt Lake's broadcasters are used to change, but some of the staff reductions this week were attributable to a downturn in advertising revenues.
Clear Channel Broadcasting of Salt Lake trimmed two on-air personalities this week, plus one manager, while Citadel Communications downsized its sports staff on KFNZ (AM-1320).
Those sports personalities have already found new employment with KZNS ("KZN," AM-1280), the former KDYL, which begins a new sports/news/talk format Monday.
However, "Gentleman Jim" of KKAT (FM-101.9), Greg Smith of KODJ (FM-94.1) and Larry Crandall, program director of Clear Channel's Salt Lake AM stations, haven't been that lucky so far.
"It's really just about keeping numbers in line," Tom Sly, Clear Channel Salt Lake general manager, said. "Tough times call for tough decisions."
He attributes the latest cuts to a slide in revenues following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The cuts last month of five other Clear Channel on-air personalities were made for other reasons, according to Sly. He's hoping these reductions keep Clear Channel, which owns seven stations and manages a few others, lean enough to avoid further trims next year.
Eric Hauenstein, general manager of Citadel Communications of Salt Lake, which operates KFNZ, said some of the sports staff left on their own, and others were laid off.
"We had a surplus of staff members," he said, explaining it's rare for any radio station not to have periodic changes.
Hauenstein said the reduction means that the only major change on KFNZ is a vacancy in the 2-4 p.m. weekday lineup.
Among the departing KFNZ personalities are Gordon Monson, Craig Bolerjack and Ian Furness. Also gone is sports producer Jason Cheney. All four have been hired by AM-1280.
Steve Klauke, David James, Ron Boone, Tom Nissalke and Jeff Rickard remain as the core on KFNZ's lineup.
"This is a competitive business," Hauenstein said. "But this is the most competitive radio market in America."
Indeed, the Wasatch Front radio market has more stations than any market of its size and rivals Los Angeles and New York for total radio signals.
G. Craig Hanson, president of Simmons Media Group, which owns AM-1280, four other stations in the Salt Lake area and almost a dozen Intermountain area stations, said he believes Simmons may not be facing any staff reductions for the near future.
"We're all feeling the result of the September tragedies," he said, indicating Simmons was lean in staff to begin with. "But business is still softer than we'd like."
Rumors of changes at Simmons' KXRK ("X-96") are probably attributable to the fact that Simmons will be cranking up a brand new Wasatch Front station, KJQN (FM-100.7, Brigham City), within the next few weeks. "KJQ," like the old Ogden station of the same name, will be another alternative music station, like "X-96," though skewed to an older audience.
Chris Redgrave, vice president and general manager of KSL radio, also said she isn't expecting any cuts in radio station staff on AM-1160.
"These are challenging times," she said, but she thinks the upcoming Olympic Winter Games will help the Salt Lake market and KSL in particular.
"I'm hopeful for next year," Redgrave said.
Simmons, Clear Channel and Citadel are the three biggest owners in the Salt Lake area radio market.
E-MAIL: lynn@desnews.com