KFNZ, alias "K-Fan" (AM-1320), has revised its morning sports-talk radio show. Derrick Pearson joined the 7-11 a.m. weekday program Monday.
"He's a funny guy and one of the brightest," program director Jeff Rickard said of Pearson. "He'll give us a more worldly approach." Pearson, who started Monday, comes to Utah from Washington, D.C.
Rickard, who was a co-host on the morning show, now has a show during the 2-4 p.m. slot. Dan Patrick still has the 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. show, and Steve Brown's program (with Carl Arky and Tom Nissalke) airs from 4-7 p.m.
Morning show co-host Allen Handy and Rickard said "K-Fan" is now rebuilt after a large turnover some 18 months ago. Handy also said it's a misconception that the hosts can't talk freely about some issues since AM-1320 is the official Utah Jazz station.
In fact, Handy said that because morning show co-host Ron Boone travels with the team to every game, there's plenty of inside information.
Handy also said the morning show will have plenty of special guests. Currently, the station is sponsoring a listener contest to come up with a new name for the show.
RADIO DISNEY — Since this network purchased its own frequency and moved to AM-910, my youngest child listens to it as much as before. However, the most-annoying thing about the station is that the 910 frequency has an inherent whine — one that is especially loud when the dial setting drifts.
KALL, when it was on AM-910, had that problem too, and that is one reason why KALL moved to AM-700.
Now if Radio Disney would have done its homework, it would have discovered KIQN (AM-1010) is for sale and probably could have been purchased before it went into bankruptcy.
LONG BLOCKS OR REGULAR SPURTS OF COMMERCIALS? A recent trend that I don't care for is the long blocks of commercials stations air rather than a smaller dose of advertising between songs.
Do listeners really stay tuned to the same station during those commercial blocks that sometimes go on for what seems like five minutes or more? I know I don't.
Guess I'm old-fashioned, but I liked the pay-as-you-go way.
KBYU — The station's 12-week "About Music" series has three segments left to go.
On Friday, Leslie Norris, poet and emeritus creative writing professor at Brigham Young University, will host "Norris's Ark Awash in Music" at 6:30 p.m. on FM-89.1/89.5. It will air again Saturday at 9 a.m.
Rock musician Randy Bachman will present "The LDS Artist On-Stage and Off" on June 20 and 21. Craig Jessop, conductor of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, will present "A Voice above the Rest: The Choral Art of Robert Shaw" on June 27 and 28.
RADIO HAPPENINGS — KQMB ("Star 102.7") is having another summer of "10,000 Tickets," giving away passes to Lagoon, restaurants and theaters.
— "Z-Morning Zoo" on KZHT is helping raise funds for Jade Pusey, 30, executive director of the Criminal Investigations Division at the Utah Attorney General's Office. Pusey has cancer and desperately needs a special bone marrow transplant. For more information, go to www.jadepusey.com.
— "Big D and Bubba" are the new syndicated DJs, mornings from 6-10 on KKAT ("K-102").
— The Salt Lake Radio Broadcasters Association's Web site — www.slradio.com — is a good reference for stations.
E-MAIL: lynn@desnews.com