KKAT, as a country station, has vanished from the radio dial. Now, the question is, what will FM-101.9 become?
Millcreek Broadcasting, which purchased KKAT last December from Clear Channel, has now sold it to Citadel Broadcasting, pending Federal Communications Commission approval.
"This decision will afford Millcreek Broadcasting the opportunity to continue to invest in and develop our core cluster of stations — U-92, Power 107.9 and Hot 94.9 The Blaze," said Randy Rodgers, Millcreek's general manager.
Eric Hauenstein, general manager of Citadel's Salt Lake cluster, said his company took control of KKAT on Wednesday under a local marketing agreement, pending FCC approval of the sale.
He said this means that FM-101.9 will simulcast KUBL (FM-93.3), Citadel's Salt Lake country station, for about two days. After that, listeners will hear a promotions on FM-101.9 urging country-music fans to turn their dial to FM-93.3 and give "K-Bull" a try.
"Unfortunately, this market had too many country stations," Hauenstein said. It didn't make sense for the company, he said, to have another country station compete against KUBL, the No. 1 country station in the market. KUBL usually had as many listeners as KSOP (104.3) and KKAT combined.
"KKAT was a great radio station," he said, despite its recent tumultuous history.
Last December, Millcreek brought in programmer John Marks, KKAT's original music guru, to help boost the station's numbers. Now Marks and the other KKAT DJs are out of a job.
Citadel's purchase agreement doesn't require that it keep any KKAT staff members.
Hauenstein said it is still undetermined what FM-101.9 will become, other than it won't be a country station.
For those keeping track, this deal gives Citadel eight stations in the Salt Lake area — the maximum number of stations it can own in this market under FCC regulations.
Citadel owns KUBL, KENZ (FM-107.5), KBEE (FM-98.7), KBER (FM-101.1) and now FM 101.9 as well as KFNZ (AM-1320), KJQS (AM-1230) and KBEE (AM-860).
Millcreek sold two of its other stations in March: KDUT (FM-102.3) and KOBT (FM-106.1) to Bustos Media Corp., for $12 million.
Those two stations have Spanish formats. Now that Millcreek may have some cash on hand, it may promote itself more — especially the new "Fisher and Laura" morning show on KUDD, "Power 107.9."
RADIO HAPPENINGS
—The "Traffic Babe,"heard locally on KZNS (AM-1280), KXRK ("X-96") and some other stations, used to refer to I-15 as "The I-15" in her traffic reports. However, she wants it clear that she hasn't used "the" to refer to Utah's freeways for some six months now, responding to the standard way Utahns talk. Her former style had irritated some listeners.
— Andy Holiday, the former morning DJ on "Power 107.9" has been hired to do the nightshift on KBEE-FM (98.7). He'll also do some work for other Citadel Broadcasting stations, too. Holiday was the last of the original personalities left on FM-107.9, dating back to its "Dianna 107.9" days three years ago. He previously worked for Citadel, and prior to coming to Utah, Holiday worked at KCBQ in San Diego as well as various stations across the country and Mexico. He's been in the radio business since 1980.
E-mail: lynn@desnews.com