The Salt Lake area has its first Spanish-language FM station
Amador S. Bustos, president and CEO of Bustos Media Corp., announced this month that his Sacramento-based firm had purchased KDUT (FM-102.3) and KOBT (FM-106.1) from Millcreek Broadcasting for $12 million.
KDUT began airing Spanish programing March 11 and is now known as "La Gran D de Utah." It is broadcasting highly popular variety of regional Mexican music 24 hours a day. KOBT will begin broadcasting in Spanish as soon as the Federal Communications Commission grants its application for an upgrade.
Bustos, a nationally recognized Spanish-language radio broadcaster, believes the Salt Lake City-Provo-Ogden Hispanic market is ready for dramatic growth.
Utah has several AM Spanish radio stations including KSVN (AM-730) and KSGO (AM-1600) as well as a few part-time Hispanic stations on the AM dial, too.
SIMMONS MEDIA UPDATE — Pundits questioned whether the company was moving out of the radio business when it sold some of its top stations (KSFI, KRSP and KQMB) to Bonneville International last year. However, last week Simmons purchased three Wyoming stations — KMER-AM and KAOX-FM in Kemmerer and KDWY-FM in Diamondville — for $2 million from the Chaparral Broadcasting Co.
All three stations serve the southwestern portion of Wyoming and bolster the Simmons' out-of-state properties.
TEN YEARS AGO IN SALT LAKE RADIO — KKAT hires Gary Zane and Scott Christopher as its new morning team. . . . KQOL becomes KUJJ, a country station at FM-106.5 and hires Michael O'Brien, Rob Riesen, John St. Claire and Adam Michaels as on-air talent. . . . Ed Nunn becomes the new KUMT morning host, while Michael G. Kavanaugh does double duty with shows on KUMT and KMXB. . . . John Hair becomes the program director at KMGR.
RADIO HAPPENINGS — Laura Jones has been named as new program director for KJQN. She replaces Dom Casual, who left the station. Jones is also part of the "Jeff and Jones" morning show on the station.
— Tony Snow is now on KLO (AM-1430), weekdays from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. and 10-11 p.m. The political expert hosted Fox News Sunday for seven years.
KBZN (FM-97.9) awards "Breeze Work Perks" each day for those who listen to the station while on the job. To participate register online at: www.KBZN.com.
KBYU (FM-89.1) will be airing living broadcasts of the Metropolitan Opera's Audition Concert from New York City Sunday at 1 p.m.
KSFI ("FM-100") has hired local songwriter Steven Kapp Perry, son of Janice Kapp Perry, as host of "Soft Sunday Sounds." The show airs Sundays from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. The program has been on the air for just over two years and is the market's most popular weekend show, with a 14.3 percent audience share for ages 12-plus.
"I hope to take something that was already well-done and make it even better," Perry said.
KRSP (FM-103.5) has hired Gary Michaels as music director and the 7 p.m.-midnight DJ. He previously worked for KURR as a DJ and assistant music and program director. (His father is the legendary "Wooly Waldron.")
E-mail: lynn@desnews.com