KSL Radio (AM-1160/FM-102.7) has been the No. 1 station in the Salt Lake market for almost two years. Now, KSL is gaining national attention now for a different reason — the rankings for online national news sites.
For March of 2008, www.KSL.com (a combination of KSL Radio and KSL-TV) was the eighth most-used news Web site in the United States, according to a survey by Nielsen Online.
What's amazing is who KSL was ahead of in the survey — New York Times, Gannett Newspapers, Google News, the Washington Post and more.
Maybe it's KSL's free classified ads, its concise news reporting or a combination of the two that creates so much traffic for the Web site. KSL has won national awards for its quality Web site.
In today's media diverse world, KSL has obviously been putting a lot of effort into not just radio and TV but also online, and it looks to be paying off in national attention.
KSL Radio may be one of Bonneville's smallest market stations, but its' Web site is outdoing all its sister stations. In fact, KSL was the only call letter listed entry in the top 30 for these national news sites online rankings.
• RADIO HAPPENINGS — KBEE is giving away a family vacation a day to Disneyland during May. The station will also award a 2008 Ford Mustang GT to a lucky listener on May 17 as part of the Larry H. Miller Dealerships Utah Grand Prize.
—KUBL is awarding 10 trips in 10 days to the May 18 Academy of Country Music Awards Show in Las Vegas. The station will sponsor a "The Mom is Da Bomb Makeover" event for Mother's Day.
—Blaine Pierson of Layton recently won $3,579 in KSOP radio's "The Mystery Sound" contest. He correctly guessed that the sound in question was a phone line being cut. KSOP also gave away trips this month to the Country Music Awards show.
—KBYU Radio (FM89.1/89.5) will air the results of its top 40 classical countdown later this month. Listeners voted for their favorites to determine the rankings. Hear the "Top 40 Countdown" May 19-23 from 11:30 a.m.-4 p.m. and May 24 from 9:-11 a.m. and again from 3-5 p.m. Results will also be posted on the station's Web site at www.classical89.org, as the Top 40 pieces are aired.
—Paul Harvey will turn 90 this September, but he's still doing his radio commentaries. His wife died earlier this week at age 92, starting rumors that he might retire soon. Inside Radio has reported that Harvey has a 10-year, $100 million contract with the ABC Radio Networks that expires in 2010.
• TEN YEARS AGO IN SALT LAKE RADIO — KXRK is the No. 1 young adult station, while KENZ is No. 2 and KBER third. ... Hawk Mendenhall is KUER's new program director.
E-mail: lynn@desnews.com