KPHX rises

Well, it seems the rumors are indeed true. Liberal talk on KPHX (1480AM) in Phoenix is back.

The station, which had aired the format for over two years, brought it back to the local airwaves today.

Here's a statement from their website

Welcome back! The Progressive Talk format has returned to the airwaves in Phoenix, Arizona! I want to thank all our sponsors, advertisers, listeners, hosts and everyone in the community who made this dream a reality. We look forward to bringing you the most compelling, provocative and entertaining programming there is to offer locally and nationally. Over the next several days we will be adding new features to our website, http://www.1480kphx.com/. At times the website will be temporarily down as we make these upgrades. We encourage you to participate in whatever ways you can to make our mutual endeavors a success. Please feel free to send me any suggestions or ideas you might have regarding 1480 KPHX to docmike@1480kphx.com. Peace!

There are some differences between the new KPHX and the former incarnation run by the now-defunct Nova M Radio. Most notably, Nova M is out of the picture. This new one appears to be run by former Nova M personality Mike Newcomb, who is hosting a weekday afternoon show on the station.

Much of the on-air lineup is similar. Mike Malloy, Thom Hartmann, Stephanie Miller Bill Press and Randi Rhodes can still be heard here. One interesting addition is Ed Schultz, who had not aired on the Nova M incarnation but will air evenings on delay.

Currently, it doesn't appear as if the station has a live streaming link (unlike the old KPHX). And unlike the old KPHX, this is being put forward as merely a local radio station, rather than the flagship for an upstart radio network.

KPHX rising from the ashes like a Phoenix?

Just when you thought it was all over at KPHX (1480AM) in Phoenix, word comes that it could very well return to the airwaves on July 6. This, according to the Phoenix New Times.

Maybe.

Kathleed Osborn, who claims to be the senior account executive with "Phoenix Progressive Radio", sent out an email announcement and media kit to prospective advertising clients and some in the media heralding the return of liberal talk to the Phoenix airwaves.

KPHX's lineup will look something like this:

Bill Press 3-6A
Stephanie Miller 6-9A
Thom Hartman 9A-12P
Randi Rhodes 12-3P
Mike Newcomb 3-6P
Mike Malloy 6-9P
Ed Shultz 9P-Midnight

Now, Stephan Lemons at the New Times is still a little skeptical. But apparently, the venture will be without Sheldon and Anita Drobny. It will be spearheaded by station owner Jose Molina, who will flip the format from adult standards. Readers here will recall that the defunct Nova M Radio moved thier programming to another station, KNUV (1190AM) at the beginning of the year. Nova M burned out in a glorious ball of flames a mere few months later.

So, come July 6 (or even before - or after), we shall find out whether KPHX will once again be Phoenix's progressive talker. Stay tuned.

First news roundup of the year

As we start the new year, this is a good opportunity to tie up a few loose ends...

Nova M completes Phoenix move

As of January 1, Nova M has completed its move down the dial in their home market of Phoenix. KNUV (1190AM) is now known as "1190 Nova M," and is the sole progressive talker in the Phoenix market. Former home KPHX (1480AM) is no longer being leased, and is now programming an adult standards format called "Martini In The Morning." In addition, it appears that former KPHX host Mike Newcomb is back on the station, in the 4-6P local slot. Hmmm...

The station also has a new web address, 1190novam.com.

Former Nova M station falls silent

Pssst. Hey - wanna buy a radio station in Little Rock?

Attentive observers may remember a little station in Little Rock, KDXE. They were one of two stations leased by upstart Nova M a couple years back (along with KPHX). After the one year lease, the company quickly fled the run-down tiny AM outlet, washing their hands of the whole Arkansas thing.

And now, Simmons Media, owner of KDXE, has announced that it is turning out the lights at 1380AM. Simmons informed the FCC that it has "suspended operations due to financial reasons." They'd like to remain dark for at least 180 days (though they could’ve asked for a full year) and are "currently seeking business alternatives to resume the station’s operations speedily."

Supposedly, a $675,000 deal to sell the station to a local owner that was filed last summer never closed, and wasn't likely to.

Chicago changes

With WCPT's programming expanding to the FM dial a couple months back, the three FM signals now have new call signs. WCPT-FM (92.7FM) is located in the north Chicago suburbs; WCPY (92.5FM) is in Dekalb and covers Rockford, Aurora and places west; and WCPZ (99.9FM) is located in the south suburbs.

For fans of the three signals' former Nine FM format, some message board postings are claiming that another Newsweb-owned station, WKIF in Kankakee, south of Chicago, has dropped the wall-to-wall CNN HLN feed and is now airing the "we play anything" format.

Schultz out in L.A.

Upstart talker KGIL (1260AM) is still tweaking its schedule. And in their latest change, Ed Schultz is off the schedule. In his place is Glen (shudder!) Beck and Monica (double shudder!!) Crowley. Yikes!

The station, which once boasted of it's on-air ideological balance, is now wall-to-wall wingnuts, with the exception of Alan Colmes, who's still on at 7P.

More SoCal changes

Down the coast, at San Diego's XEPE (1700AM), it appears Air America is back in town. Kinda.

The station, which dropped Stacy Taylor a few weeks ago, has now let go local morning guy Mark Larson. In his place this morning was Air America's Lionel, according to Radio and Records. Not sure if this is permanent.

The pending radio apocalypse

A sign of things to come, perhaps?

The radio landscape these days is quite brutal. Listeners are turning away. Ad revenue is in the toilet. And radio owners are responding by cutting back even more, further thinning their product.

CBS, to their credit, still owns quite a few AM signals that are heavy on live programming, 24-7. Most notable of these is WCCO (830AM) in Minneapolis. Since the early 1920s, the station has so far resisted virtually all syndicated programming (aside from sports, "60 Minutes" simulcasts and some low-profile programming). They even programmed live, local talk in the overnight hours. Now, an era is slowly coming to an end.

In addition to a number of station staffers, including news staff, the station has dismissed longtime late night talker Al Malmberg, replacing him with an out-of-town product, Jon Grayson from sister station KMOX in St. Louis. Grayson's show will also air on CBS-owned WBZ in Baltimore and KDKA in Pittsburgh. The good news is that Grayson bucks the trend of typical talk radio, in that he's not a mouth-foaming wingnut. In keeping with WCCO's tame nature, the show is nonpolitical, and more pop culture-centric.

It may not sound like much, but the addition of syndicated talk programming is definitely a momentous occurance at a station that has long prided itself in being live and local around the clock.

Playing catch-up

Been tending to other business over the past week, so I've been away. As for all the emails, I'm trying to catch up on all of that.

But here's what's happening...

Nova M moves in the new year

Come November 1, listeners of KPHX in Phoenix will have to do a dial dance. The format will move from 1480AM to 1190AM on January 1. The new station will be branded as "1190 Nova M."

The 1190 frequency, which has the call letters KNUV, was purchased by the group several months ago. KPHX had been leased by the group.

Taylor out at San Diego 1700

San Diego talker Stacy Taylor is no longer at XEPE (1700AM) in San Diego, according to one reader who emailed in. In his words, he's been "eliminated."

He said on his website, “When I arrived at the studio, the GM was waiting for me at the door with the news.”

DTV - 2 months to go!

Got your converter box yet? Today marks exactly two months to go until the end of the analog era in television. Come February 17, all American over-the-air television will be digital-only.

If you have an older set not equipped to pick up digital signals, and don't have cable, satellite or the equivalent, you may need a digital converter box. Luckily, your government can help. Just to to dtv2009.gov to request a coupon good for $40 off a converter box, which can be picked up at most electronics and department stores (the major chains such as Best Buy, Target, Wal-Mart, Radio Shack, etc. all carry them). A typical box runs about $50-60, so that translates to a net cost of $10-20.

Read previous entries about DTV here and here.

The Man of the Year

No surprise here. Time Magazine, on this morning's "Today" show on NBC, named President-elect Barack Obama its "Person of the Year" for 2008. Who else did you expect?

Nova M(assacre)?

Following recent events at Nova M Radio, more is coming out as to what is going on at the fledgling syndicator and radio station operator.

Last week, the broadcaster announced the addition of a second Phoenix-area signal to compliment KPHX. And they announced the departure of program director/afternoon host Jeff Farias. Now, it appears there's more to the story.

Along with Farias, several other staffers have been let go, including CEO John Manzo, sales director Kim Macias and webmaster Billy Foster. No official explanation has been given for any of the departures.

Rumors have been swirling about, with Nova M reportedly claiming that Farias left on his own terms, according to a statement on their website. But Farias and others close to him are claiming that they didn't jump – they were pushed. What's going on here?

A lot of the internet scuttlebutt claims that it all started with a power play showdown between Manzo and owner Sheldon Drobny. The story (not confirmed, and denied by Manzo) goes that Manzo was let go and the other three, who sided with him, departed as well. A few supporters, however, have disputed this scenario.

Farias is not publicly commenting on the situation, likely due to legal advice, but Leonard Clark, a former contributor to Farias' show, has started a website and posted a few diary entries on Daily Kos here and here in support of Farias, and to help explain his side of the story.

Replacing Manzo at Nova M is Arizona radio executive Art Mobley. No replacements have been announced for the other former staffers as of yet, though the Air America shows of Rachel Maddow and Ron Reagan are currently airing in place of Farias.

UPDATE: Some more info gleamed about KPHX's new stablemate, KNUV (1190AM). And yes, it appears that Nova M will indeed purchase the station outright, in contrast to the current LMA agreement the company has with Continental Media to lease KPHX (1480AM). This all lends to speculation that Nova M may eventually relocate altogether to 1190 once the KPHX lease runs out. Again, that's all just speculation.

UPDATE II: John Manzo emailed me, and said that he is unable to offer comment at this time, which is understandable. He also informed me that he has not been hired by Randi Rhodes, which I had reported. That has been corrected. He did ask that I remove the article. I am unable to remove the complete article at this time, since the information is already widespread around the web, including some reputable trade publications and scribes. I have, however, done some rewording of the article, in respect to Manzo. And I will consider the request to remove the article, if deemed prudent. For right now, it will stay, albeit with corrections.

In addition, there will likely be other additions to this article, as some other people connected with the matter have emailed me.

KPHX times two

Progressive talk fans in the Phoenix area now have another signal to hear their station.

Nova M Radio's KPHX (1480AM) is now simulcasting via a crosstown signal, KNUV (1190AM), owned by New Radio Venture, Inc. KNUV had until recently aired a Spanish talk format as "La Buena Onda." The simulcast began Thursday.

The move represents a signal boost of sorts, particularly in the central, northern and eastern parts of the metropolitan area. KNUV also has a construction permit filed to increase nighttime coverage.

In other KPHX news, host Jeff Farias has left Nova M Radio. His last show aired October 3. No replacement has yet been named.

Meanwhile, one state over, venerable liberal talker KTRC in Santa Fe, New Mexico has a sale price. The station is being sold to Hutton by American General Media for $500,000, according to filed FCC paperwork. The deal includes an LMA under which Hutton will take over operation of the station. And yes, KTRC will retain its liberal talk format.

Malloy gets an 'amen' in Augusta, and other little tidbits

Following a quick surgery (not life threatening, but rather uncomfortable) and other little things, I've finally got some time to get down to business, as I currently have the freedom of a few days of rest, and have realized that I am most comfortable sitting up. Particularly at my computer desk. And since watching TV can get very, very boring (that took roughly a half hour or so), it's time to play catch-up.

First up, Nova M Radio's Mike Malloy has a new affiliate. This one is a bit different, though. It's not the typical Air America Radio outlet that's merely clearing a few hours in the evening. This one is even a bit closer to Malloy's Atlanta stomping grounds. WAAW (94.7FM) in Augusta, GA will carry Malloy's show weeknights at 10PM. What makes the whole deal unique is that WAAW is not a talk station. Rather, they air a gospel music format. And they were once owned by James Brown, and for a time aired classic R&B music. Is the addition of Malloy a signal of things to come at WAAW? Who knows? Radio can be a strange business. Hallelujah!

Malloy's syndicator, Nova M Radio, has been calling itself a network since its inception last year, though the only show airing outside of homebase station KPHX has been Malloy's. That changes, as "Pulse Of The Nation" with John Zogby and John Farias finds its own affiliate, WIBX (950AM) in Utica, NY. Utica-area listeners can hear the show Saturday mornings at 9AM. And no, WIBX is not a candidate for a liberal talk flip. They are the local Limbaugh affiliate.

In other Nova M news, Will in Chicago reports that Herb "Sarge" Phelps' weekend show has a new name, "The Unreported News Radio Show." The new time for the show will be 11AM ET on Sunday mornings (adjust for other time zones, particularly in the Phoenix area, which confuses everyone by not observing Daylight Savings Time).

And Will also reports a new show coming to KPHX. 'King' Daevid Mackenzie is part of the Unreported News gang, and he gets his own weekly gig, which will air on Sunday mornings at 10AM ET. He'll also be in the studio for Sarge's show. Mackenzie has bounced around the radio industry for years. He most recently hosted a history-oriented show, "Echoes of a Century," on a Wisconsin Public Radio affiliate in La Crosse, WI.

Air America 2.0: But will it float?

Over the last week or so, there's been a lot of talk about the 'new and improved' Air America Radio. With a new web presence, new personalities and shows, and a new lineup, they obviously expect great thing to come of it.

Yesterday was a good start, as they launched the new website and logo with a press release, and even featured an in-studio chat between New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and former rival Mark Green, now president of Air America. The meeting of the former political foes was packed with New York-area reporters, and will air sometime next week.

But the question lingers in the back of everyones' minds: Is this whole 2.0 thing really going to work?

Lionel was the first addition, and a very controversial one at that. After a fairly successful run at late night radio syndication via WOR Networks, he moved his show over to Air America and late mornings. The goal obviously was to help the network gain new affiliates, or even bump time slot rival Stephanie Miller from a few. Less than a week into it, the results have been disappointing. Not only has Lionel not gained many fresh affiliates, he lost roughly a half dozen that carried Seder on delay. The only station he seems to have been added to is WINZ in Miami, on delay from 6-9P ET. Lots of stations still list him on their website schedules for his former show, but it is unknown if they are still running his new Air America show in those time slots. And judging by the response on various blogs, message boards and even Air America's own site, listeners are very vocal about "The Lionel Show."

Of course, time will tell if the show will grow and expand, and its up to Scott Ellberg and David Bernstein to make this happen. Particularly since predecessor Sam Seder actually improved his ratings on flagship station WWRL in the most recent Arbitron book.

In regard to the other changes, so far the only one that seems to be working is the move of Jon Elliott to three hours later. This was one move that made sense on paper, since it carves out a new shift for the network (Midnight-3A), gets him out of the way of Mike Malloy's 9-Midnight show, and many of Elliott's affiliates delay him to a later time slot anyway. In essence, Elliott's new shift is nearly competition-free, since Lionel is now gone from late nights and FOX News Radio's Alan Colmes wraps up his show an hour into Elliott's.

As a result, Elliott's flagship station, KLSD in San Diego, will now carry his entire show live, immediately following Malloy's, which gets a full three hour clearance starting Monday. Elliott has also been picked up by KQKE in San Francisco, KKZN in Denver, KPHX in Phoenix (ironically), KPTK in Seattle, KPOJ in Portland, KRXA in Monterey/Santa Cruz (which carries the straight Air America feed in overnights anyway), and other stations.

"The Air Americans" is the other new show coming to Air America. Basically, the Mark Riley-anchored show is a hodge-podge of various hosts at the station, including correspondents Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Mike Papantonio, David Bender and Laura Flanders. The four hour show essentially replaces two cancelled ones: "Politically Direct" (who's host Bender stays with the new show) and "EcoTalk" (which was going to die anyway). Thus far, no affiliate has announced their intentions of picking up "The Air Americans" and rumor has it not many people in the building are optimistic about its chances. Furthermore, there's a chance that WWRL may not even carry it, which in effect would kill the show, given that Air America all too often seems to be a bit too New Yorkish. Buzz about "The Air Americans" is not good. Nonetheless, they will promote the hell out of it, and even have some strong guests lined up.

For the weekends, the network has said very little about the changes and new shows that will debut. The only one we've really heard anything about is Seder's new Sunday show, but that's due to obvious reasons.

So, will Air America 2.0 be a success, or will it be yet another bit of bad luck for the much-beleaguered network? Only time will tell. Should be an interesting few weeks, so stay tuned.

Sarge gets his own show on Nova M Radio

Listeners to Mike Malloy's nighttime show on Nova M Radio are likely familiar with regular caller Herb 'Sarge' Phelps, a listener from Jackson, Mississippi who often discusses the after-effects of Hurricane Katrina. Now, Sarge has parlayed this into a show of his own.

Sarge made the announcement on Unfiltered News Network:

I was offered a show on Nova M Radio and of course I was thrilled to accept it. The first show will air Sunday at 10 A.M. Eastern, 9 Central. The show name as understand it, will be UnreportedNews.Net and will be recorded until I move to Phoenix then it will be live. I am very excited about it. The show will focus on Katrina and my first guest will be Jim Yancey of the Jackson County Community Services Coalition.

Hope it will be a show everyone will like and we can all enjoy it as much I will enjoy doing it. Thanks everyone for this opportunity and I will try hard to give you something you will be proud of.

Elsewhere in Nova M Land, the upstart network threw itself a little birthday bash in Phoenix this past Sunday, with Mike Malloy, Thom Hartmann, Stephanie Miller and over 1600 listeners and supporters in attendence. You can see some pictures from the event at KPHX's website (coming soon) or at Democratic Underground.

UPDATE 4/20: Yes, there is video! Nova M put up a nine part epic consisting of all the fun and frivolity. Check it out on Nova M's page, or you can find all of it and more at LTR's YouTube group.

Nova M Radio shuffles the deck: Farias and Loftus in, Newcomb out

Up-and-coming liberal talk network Nova M Radio has made a few moves to help bolster their lineup and flagship station, announcing plans to add shows from talk show hosts Jeff Farias and John Loftus to the late afternoon/early evening drive time slot. In other moves, Mike Newcomb's show has been dropped from Nova M.

Anita Drobny, the current CEO of Nova M Radio, commented, "We are very pleased to welcome Jeff Farias to the Nova M afternoon broadcast schedule. Jeff will be one of the few progressive liberal talk show hosts in this time slot nationally to be focused on the listener call-in format airing from 6-8PM ET. Jeff Farias' show will provide a great lead-in for the Mike Malloy program from 9PM to Midnight ET."

"These programming changes will provide Nova M Radio with a more cohesive programming schedule, and allow the founding management team more time to work closely with the investment community to help launch our new progressive talk show network to a national level," claimed Drobny.

Farias is well-known to listeners of the Mike Malloy show, as he is a frequent guest host of the show. He has also filled in for Newcomb. His show will debut on March 5, displacing Peter B. Collins to a delayed nighttime slot on Nova M's flagship station, KPHX in Phoenix. Collins was initially linked with Nova M when the network started, but is no longer connected with the company, aside from a clearance for his show on KPHX.

Author and former Justice Department prosecutor John Loftus' new weekday show will air from 8-9PM, according to Nova M's new schedule. Loftus was signed by the network last fall. Malloy's show will follow, giving the fledgeling network a straight six hour evening feed of original programming.

With the additions of Farias and Loftus, KPHX morning host Newcomb is now off the air, and likely gone from Nova M, as his morning drive time slot will be given to Stephanie Miller's syndicated show. There are a few rumors out there regarding Newcomb's departure, with the conventional wisdom being conflicts between him and the Drobnys. Newcomb has also been serving as CEO of Nova M Radio. The company has been very tight-lipped about his status with the company, but he is no longer listed as a Nova M executive.

In other Nova M news, earlier this week, the company announced an agreement with XM Radio that will see the Mike Malloy program being carried by the satellite radio provider sometime in March, on channel 167, a.k.a. the "Air America Radio" channel.

Ratings Roundup Fall 2006: Part 5

For the last of this series of Arbitron ratings reports for liberal talk radio stations across the country, we arrive in the Northeast. This one will take a look at the upper East Coast.

In New York, WWRL finally makes an appearance in its first ratings book since becoming the new flagship for Air America. Whereas the signal-challenged station rarely appeared in the rankings prior to the September flip, they now come on with a 0.8 share, tied for 26th place. WWRL also makes a first-time showing in other regional books, garnering a 0.7 share in Long Island (market #18), where they only have a partial presence, and 0.5 in Middlesex, NJ (market #39). Meanwhile, WLIB, now airing a gospel music format, drops from a 1.0 to a 0.5 share in New York City. They did not show up in other regional market surveys, where they have done well under its previous format. All in all, considering the station switch and signal limitations, WWRL did not do too badly, as they beat a few 50,000 watt stations and are even competitive with stronger, higher-profile FM stations like WFNY, airing CBS Radio's expensive "Free FM" talk format.

Upstate, in Buffalo/Niagara Falls (#52), little WHLD maintained a mid-share figure for its last ratings book before its recent flip to gospel music. Since picking up Air America and other liberal talk programming, the station has gone from a perrenial no-show to actually making a dent in the ratings book. Its final number was a 0.5. Entercom-owned rival WWKB finished just a tenth of a point ahead, with a 0.6, down from a 1.0 in the Summer. WWKB appears to be a rather neglected station, with a neglected website and a midday show rerun in the evening hours. Perhaps with WHLD's dropping of Air America, WWKB will have some new programming options. The station does have a fairly strong signal, and could be a success if they figured out how to utilize it properly. To the east, WWKB's sister station WROC in nearby Rochester (#53) made a pretty big jump, rising from a 0.9 to a 1.3, good for 15th place overall. The Arbitron book for Ithaca (#283) has been embargoed, meaning that overall ratings are not available to the public, so there's no word on how WNYY did in that market as of yet. They flipped from oldies to progressive talk last June.

In Boston (#11), the two weak signals of WKOX and WXKS maintained a half share with their recently-dropped progressive talk format. The current ratings for Central Massachusetts' trimulcast of WHMP are unknown in the Springfield (#84) ratings, since the book is under an embargo by Arbitron. In the last available ratings, from one year ago, the station held a 1.6 share, making it the #2 talk station in the market. WAVZ in New Haven (#109), armed with a weak signal and little support from owner Clear Channel, did not register overall in the current ratings book. The station switched to ESPN Radio last week. And WLVP in Portland, ME (#167) drops slightly for the fall, down from a 0.9 to 0.6 share.

Pittsburgh (#24) is the home of two Air America Radio affiliates. The stronger, more established suburban rimshot WPTT, which carries Thom Hartmann, local liberal talker Lynn Cullen and an assortment of other talkers from various sides of the political spectrum, comes in at a 1.2 share. WPTT has recently gotten the go-ahead from the FCC to swap dial positions soon, moving from 1360AM to 910AM, which will give them a stronger daytime signal, though they will cease nighttime broadcasting as a trade-off. WURP, one of Air America's newest affiliates, is a no-show in the book, mostly due to a very tiny predominantly daytime signal that doesn't really get cover much area (at night, they power down from 1000 watts to a measly 4 watts). They have a construction permit pending that will double the daytime power and move the transmitter into the city, which will give the urban areas of Pittsburgh 12 watts at night. The station has long carried The Young Turks, and recently picked up Air America programming for weekends. During the week, they run 'hot talk' personalities such as Don and Mike and Tom Leykis, as well as G. Gordon Liddy.

And finally, this analysis consists mostly of the overall numbers, ages 12+ for all time periods 6AM-Midnight, since these are the only numbers that Arbitron officially releases to the public. Therefore, these numbers do not give any substantial information in regard to daypart, age and gender breakdowns, which are highly coveted by advertisers looking to target specific audiences. Occasionally, more specific information does seep through, such as a statement on Hartmann's website, claiming that his show enjoyed massive increases in listenership in several markets, including WPTT Pittsburgh, with a 100% increase, KPHX Phoenix up 186%, KTNF Minneapolis-St. Paul up 120%, KQKE San Francisco up 100% and his hometown of Grand Rapids, where WTKG is up 114%.



The next series of Arbitron ratings reports will be coming in late March, which will take into account the ratings for this Winter.

Ratings Roundup Fall 2006: Part 3

Hello again! It's time for part 3 of the Ratings Roundup for this past fall's Arbitron ratings books. In the first two parts, we looked at the Midwest and the West Coast. Today, we'll look at how liberal talk fared in the mountain states and the south central part of the United States. The ratings cited, unless otherwise specified, are the overall numbers, reflecting all listeners ages 12 and older. These are the only ratings numbers released by Arbitron to the public. The more valuable numbers, the 'breakdowns' of daypart, gender, age and other demographics groups, are considered even more important, and are sold for rather large sums of money to subscribers.

Nova M Radio's KPHX is holding steady with a 0.7 in Phoenix (#15), a market filled with low-powered AM talk stations, in addition to a relatively new FM talker, KZON (Free FM) and a move of top-rated news station KTAR to FM. In Reno (#124), little 820 watt KJFK is doing well, holding at a 2.1 share, despite the lack of an online presence (the website's been under construction for over a year). They are currently the #2 overall talk station in the market, behind top-rated KKOH, the local Limbaugh/Hannity/Savage station, and ahead of sports talk KPLY, 'hot talk' sister KBZZ and FM conservotalker KKFT, which airs a FOX 'News'-branded format and the motto "Anybody But Hillary." They finish at the bottom of the ratings, ahead of only a couple little Spanish language stations. Nice. I could go on about how much of a colossal joke the FOX 'News' Radio network is, but I'll save it for another day, another article. Let's put it this way: The next time any nimble-minded wingnut ridicules Air America, you can easily shut them down by using these three words: FOX 'News' Radio. That should work.

In New Mexico, liberal talk is doing fairly well, with Albuquerque's (#70) KABQ jumps to a 1.8 for the fall book. And longtime liberal talk stalwart KTRC (which was an I.E. America affiliate years ago) has shown considerable growth as of late in Santa Fe (#236), rising to a 2.1 share, even without much promotion or a web presence. They have more than doubled their audience since last fall. Over the past few months, they have become more aggressive with their on-air lineup, recently adding Stephanie Miller's show to mornings, as angry Sam Seder fans furiously emailed LTR to voice their, umm, opinions.

KKZN is up in the Denver (#22) book with a 1.9, good for a tie for 16th place. In nearby Fort Collins (#124), the station is tied with conservative sister KHOW with a 1.2 share.

Down in Texas, liberal talk has struggled in the past six months, with stations in Dallas and San Antonio (actually, Victoria) either being sold or flipping to different formats. In El Paso (#76), a market who's residential makeup is roughly 81% Hispanic, Entravision-owned KHRO is hovering near the bottom of the ratings, with a 0.3 share. The station has virtually no local presence, and seems to just run the straight Air America Radio feed over it's expanded AM band signal (1630AM). Its website consists solely of a link to Air America Radio (hopefully they didn't pay a webmaster to do that). KCCT in Corpus Christi (#139) is dealing with many of the same issues. They are a no-show in the current book, have no internet presence, and don't really seem to care. Listeners have informed LTR that the station occasionally disrupts Air America programming to run a shopping show (or something loosely resembling a shopping show) during the weekday. To their credit, they do have a few local talkers, although they reportedly come off as a bit amateurish.

KOKE in Austin (#42) is a much better-run station, though its formerly three-station Texas Pro Radio network is no more, since KXEG in Dallas was sold off and KTXX-FM (which allegedly serves San Antonio but has a signal too far away to really make any kind of impression in the market) was flipped to a different format. The remaining station, KOKE, is holding steady at a 0.7, amid rumors of future changes, which reportedly will include more local liberal hosts being added to the schedule in place of Air America shows. A new website will debut soon in place of the one for the former Texas Pro Radio. Sister station KTXX, now carrying a Spanish-language music format, is a no-show in the San Antonio book, but the station's signal really doesn't hit the market well. It's more of a Victoria, TX station. In Houston, where there is no commercial liberal talk station, non-commercial Pacifica's KPFT registers a 0.5 share.

In New Orleans (#57), WSMB drops to a 0.5 share in a bratings period that saw a format change halfway through. In November, the station dropped progressive talk and became WWWL, currently airing reruns of shows from its sister station, the AM-FM simulcast of WWL.

Next time, we'll look at how liberal talk did south of the Mason-Dixon line, or what the Republicans call 'the base.' And we'll finish up with the upper East Coast and northeastern states.

Radio stations do the post-Franken shuffle

Latest update 2/13

Following the announcement last week of Al Franken's pending departure from Air America Radio, stations carrying him have begun making plans for the post-Franken era.

So far, KTNF, WROC and KYNS have announced some or all of their schedule changes, with Thom Hartmann and Ed Schultz being the big beneficiaries.

Starting February 19, Randi Rhodes fans in Chicago will be pleased as WCPT will give her a live clearance, from 2-5PM weekdays, in place of the delayed Franken. The nine-hour morning-early afternoon bloc of JRN programming, featuring Bill Press, Stephanie Miller and Ed Schultz remains unchanged. Following Rhodes will be a delay of Thom Hartmann's show. Since WCPT is a daytime-only station, the station signs off at sunset. However, they do program their webstream during the off-air hours. And with this, they'll add Mike Malloy live from 8-11PM, giving Malloy another stream for his fans to hear him. In addition, as the warmer months and longer days of summer approach, Chicago area listeners will be able to hear the early part of his show on 850AM until sign-off.

At KPHX in Phoenix, Franken is gone from the schedule as of next Monday (2/11). The station will Hartmann live in middays, followed by Rhodes, Peter B. Collins, Mike Malloy and a delayed airing of Miller's show in the late night hours. The station fills out the overnight/early morning hours with EcoTalk, Rachel Maddow and Bill Press.

WPEK in Asheville, NC has acknowledged Franken's departure, but the well-rated daytime-only station has made no scheduling announcements. It is very likely that the two hour shift currently allocated to Franken will be turned over to Rhodes, who is currently on for only the following hour.

Franken is almost completely gone from the schedule of WNYY in Ithaca, NY. They are carrying Hartmann live in the midday slot. Although the station carries Press and Miller, they do not air Schultz' show, which airs on WENY (1230AM) in nearby Elmira.

Portland's KPOJ hasn't set their lineup yet, but are taking suggestions on their website. Same goes for WROC in Rochester, which will move Schultz into the live slot being vacated. KPTK in Seattle will move Rhodes into Franken's delayed 5-8PM shift, followed by Malloy from 8-11PM. No word on the 11PM-2AM shift being vacated.

Nothing is really known about KOKE in Austin. The sole remainder of the Texas Pro Radio network, which once had stations in San Antonio and Dallas has a website that is currently under construction, and rumors abound that they will move away from syndicated programming, including Air America, and add more local liberal talk voices. We'll keep you posted on further changes. As for other liberal talk stations in Texas, they don't seem to be taking the format seriously. KCCT in Corpus Christi does not have a website, and has reportedly preempted Air America shows with infomercials. They do, however, carry some local talk shows. And KHRO in El Paso, which had been rumored to be dropping the network a few months back, is still airing it (allegedly). Their website consists solely of a link to Air America Radio.

WVAX in Charlottesville, VA is carrying Hartmann in place of Franken. They also air Rhodes and Maddow live, followed by an evening delayed broadcast of Schultz in the evenings. The station carries quite a bit of live programming, as it also airs Mark Riley, Press and Miller in the mornings and Lionel at night.

WKVT in Brattleboro, VT will replace their delayed airing of Franken with a delayed airing of Miller, from 7-10PM ET.

And KTNF in the Twin Cities, which last week announced that they would move Hartmann to afternoons and add Rachel Maddow to the roster, responds to listeners' demands and adds a delay of Malloy's show to the 12-3AM shift, starting February 19.

Denver's KKZN will carry Hartmann, and the relatively successful station is also looking to add another local host, in addition to current morning talker Jay Marvin.

WMLB in Atlanta, which carried the entire Air America feed under its former WWAA call letters and retained only Franken after a format change last year, will not replace his show with any other Air America programming.

Over at XM, Schultz will be moved over to the Air America Channel (ch. 167), meaning that Thom Hartmann will not be cleared, at least not live, by the satellite radio provider. Whether this has something to do with Hartmann's deal with and (partial) clearance on Sirius Left is unknown. And whether this will ruffle feathers with Air America, who currently have an exclusive deal with XM, is also unknown. And then there's that vague "Malloy coming to XM" rumor...

As for other stations that are still carrying Franken, including the few remaining stations that carry the straight Air America feed, it is likely that they will just carry his replacement, Hartmann in that slot. Some stations could go with Schultz, who airs at the same time.

Disenfranchised radio listeners increase grassroots efforts

A grassroots swelling of Clear Channel-owned WXXM/Madison listeners succeeded last week when station management reversed a decision to flip the station's format to all-sports. This has obviously inspired other groups in similar situations to start up their own efforts to save their favorite stations.

After a few weeks of speculation, Boston's Clear Channel-owned liberal talk simulcast of WKOX and WXKS changed formats last Thursday to a Spanish-language tropical music format as "Rumba 1200". A group of livid listeners to "Boston's Progressive Talk" took action, setting up a Yahoo! group and a website, with the goal of returning the talk programming to local airwaves.

And in Columbus, where another Clear Channel-owned station, WTPG, plans to drop liberal talk in favor of shows from Michael Savage, Laura Ingraham, Dave Ramsey and others, listeners have begun taking action as well, with a website, petition and Yahoo! group already established.

Grassroots support for the format is nothing new. A group of listeners in Portland, ME banded together two years ago to help save WLVP, which was planning a flip to ESPN Radio. The station's owners, Nassau Broadcasting, changed their minds and kept the format, which carried mostly shows from Air America Radio. Since then, other listener efforts helped bring the format to markets such as St. Louis, Iowa City (albeit briefly), and New Orleans. A dedicated effort helped bring the format back to Phoenix, a mere few weeks after being dropped following the sale of KXXT, and following the demise of liberal talk stations in Dallas, Missoula and Atlanta, listener-supported movements sprung up to help bring liberal talk back to the local airwaves. A petition with over 18,000 names on it obviously helped get Mike Malloy's show back on the air after its much-criticized cancellation by Air America.

Fans of liberal talk obviously took a cue from television fans who rallied in years past to help save shows such as "Star Trek", "Beauty and the Beast", "Due South", "Buffy the Vampire Slayer", "Arrested Development", "Stargate: SG1", and even the current "Studio 60", among others.

Will it all succeed? Who knows? But doing nothing certainly won't work. LTR wishes all the supporters the best of luck in their efforts, and of you can keep up with developments on their sites and, of course, here.

____ ______ to be new Sirius Left night host

The rumor was hinted at a few weeks ago. Alex Bennett took a call on his late morning show regarding Sirius Left's replay of Bill Press in the 6-9PM slot (which belonged to The Young Turks prior to their signing with Air America this past September. Seems that an increasing number of listeners were a bit miffed hearing the same Bill Press show on the way home that they had listened to that morning. Bennett sympathized, and promised that a replacement for the evening replay was forthcoming, but he couldn't go into detail. All he said was that people would really be happy when they found out. Will weekend host Mike Feder take the timeslot? No, said Alex.

It was a rumor that slipped my mind after that. I really don't like jumping on every little piddly rumor like some other people. And I figured this would get a bit more hot n' heavy in the coming weeks. But the folks over at Sirius Backstage have been buzzing about it. And thanks to Aaron, who emailed me, jogged my memory and prodded my ass to actually make some sort of mention of this here. Remember, this is only a rumor. But as far as rumors go, this isn't bad. The truthseekers out there that visit this site will be happy to know that ____ ______ will take over nights at Sirius Left. Uhh, sorry. Can't say it yet.

Next week will involve some schedule alignments over at Sirius Left. The Press replay from 6-9PM will be bumped for Stephanie Miller. Yesterday, Lynn Samuels announced her show will being replayed around 03:00am EDT starting that day.

So, that leaves the 9-Midnight shift. And likely, it won't be a replay of Bill Press. Most likely, it will be a live show. So, who's on at that hour? It likely won't be Bennett's friend Lionel, since his syndicated show doesn't start until 10PM. And it certainly won't be Jon Elliott, since Air America Radio is exclusive to XM. So... who else is left? Who's gonna rage a radio battle against the 'flying monkey right'?

Well, there is this guy in Atlanta who's upstart Phoenix-based network is close to getting satellite access (they've been negotiating with Westwood One). One who had a petition started to get him back on the radio, complete with roughly 18,000 signatures. Who could it possibly be?

Nobody's saying names at this point, but the most obvious guess is Mike Malloy. Oooops, did I say that?

Now, nothing is official yet, so don't take this as anything close to being 'the gospel'. I'm just passing on the vague rumors I've heard. And KPHX/Phoenix morning host Mike Newcomb lends credibility to the rumors, saying that Malloy will be on Sirius very soon. (mp3 link, 6 min. in)

Malloy's budding syndicator, Nova M Radio, has been in a bit of a holding pattern as of late. Without satellite access, the only way they were able to transmit programming was through land lines, or ISDN. This process is a real pain in the ass, and KQKE in San Francisco deserves credit for going to the trouble of carrying him live from the beginning. Reportedly, the satellite uplink is now working. WINZ in Miami has said they will carry the show, and KPTK in Seattle will air it on delay starting next week, from 11PM-2AM.

Nova M has been negotiating to get Malloy's show on a satellite service. Judging from the obvious number of emails that Sirius in particular have received, I'd be shocked if, given the opportunity to run Malloy, they'd pass on it. After all, Malloy obviously comes at a cheaper price tag than Howard Stern or NASCAR. I'd be surprised if carrying Malloy cost Sirius anything, for that matter, since Malloy, like most other syndicated talk shows, is available to radio affiliates on a barter basis. And Sirius CEO Mel Karmazin needs more subscribers to contribute to the bottom line, as the Stern well has likely been tapped dry by now. Adding Malloy certainly would not be a bad way to do it. Ironically, adding someone with the rabid following that he brings could actually make Wall Street happy. Who'da thunk?

And this would not be the first time Malloy's been on Sirius. He was one of the original voices on Sirius Left, prior to Air America, when the channel carried programming from the defunct I.E. America Network. And Sirius briefly carried Air America, until the network signed an exclusive deal with XM.

Again, this is all a vague rumor, albeit one that's growing longer and longer legs. For all we know, they could opt to air three hours of something else in that slot. But my money's on ____ ______. Again, this is strictly hush-hush, and you didn't read this here. Unless, of course, this is all legit.

Malloy, Nova M take to the airwaves today

It's been two months since Air America Radio cancelled Mike Malloy's late night radio show. Tonight, he's back with a vengeance.

Nova M, Sheldon and Anita Drobny's upstart radio network, inserts the latest piece of their puzzle tonight with Malloy's comeback.

Malloy's return will be confined to one station at the start, Nova M's flagship station KPHX (1480AM) in Phoenix, where it will air from 7-10PM locally (9-Mid ET). The show will roll out in syndication in the next week or two, once technical limitations are resolved.

As with Air America Radio, his former employer, Malloy will still be doing the show from his from his studio in the Atlanta area.

"The Drobny's are good hearted people," Malloy said. "There are very few people in radio who I consider to be 'good hearted.' which I consider to be one of the highest compliments, and I consider Shelly Drobny to be one of them. He's very idealistic, decent man."

What is the future for Nova M?

Malloy replied, "I'd like to see NovaM expand. I'd like to see them bring on more liberal talent-- people who are really didicated to liberal causes... I'd like to see NovaM oick up affiliate stations in major markets throughout the country, who are run by individuals who understand that if you take Chicago, New York, Miami or Houston or LA or where ever, that half of the audience has left talk radio because of all the right wing bullshit... and that it is you-- the program director or sales manager of the radio station-- if you really want to get your audience back, then include liberal programming, because more than half this country (is responsive to the liberal message.)"

Malloy will initially be broadcast on Nova M's, KPHX. The network also controls KXDE (1380AM) in Little Rock AR, which will soon pick up the show. Radio stations in other markets, including San Diego, Madison, Ann Arbor and Portland have reportedly inquired about the show, and KPTK (1090) in Seattle has gone so far as to announce his pending arrival on that station in the coming weeks.

"We love Mike Malloy," said Sheldon Drobny, co-founder of the new NovaM Radio Network. "The response we've had from many of the liberal talk radio slash Air America stations has been tremendous. They want Mike Malloy back. So we're really thrilled that we've got one of the best liberal talk radio hosts, and we're going to build upon that and we're talking to others."

Unlike Air America, Nova M will not be a full-service 24/7 network. They will start with only a few shows, including Malloy, Mike Newcomb's local Phoenix morning show, Peter B. Collins' established self-syndicated show, and a new weekend offering by pollster John Zogby. They are also talking with other hosts from around the country.

Nova M's two current stations will continue to air a mix of local and syndicated programming, including shows from Air America.

Malloy has not been keeping a low profile since his departure from Air America. He has appeared on other radio shows, most recently that of Alex Jones (mp3 link), where Malloy put the blame of his firing on Air America CFO Bob Ennis, formerly of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp., owner of the FOX network and FOX News. He also complained about Air America management, who he and his union representative at AFTRA sparred with over unpaid money. The negotiations resulted in a pending two year contract, only to be thrown out by Ennis soon after. Malloy also ripped into former CEO Danny Goldberg and his replacement, Jim Wiggett, who's previous managerial experience was in the cosmetics industry.

As for the present, Malloy will start out on KPHX, which will offer streaming capabilities available to listeners worldwide. His show will likely still be archived at White Rose Society, which currently contains archives going back to before his I.E. America days. It appears that Nova M may also archives some programming.

Liberal talk radio stations shuffle lineups

UPDATED 9/18. All times local.

In response to recent lineup changes at Air America Radio, several affiliates have announced their own schedule changes.

First, Clear Channel-owned KTLK in Los Angeles has adjusted its on-air roster, picking up Rachel Maddow's new evening show for 6-8PM and picking up WOR Radio Network's Lionel for 10PM-1AM. Cary Harrison's local show moves up the schedule to the 8-10PM slot.

Further north, after conducting an online vote on their updated lineup, KQKE in San Francisco, also owned by Clear Channel, adds Stephanie Miller to weekdays, airing an hour of her show from 6-7AM, displacing the locally-produced "The Progressive News Hour". The Quake will air the last two hours of Al Franken's midday show from 10AM-12PM followed by Ed Schultz live, add "EcoTalk" in the 6-7PM slot. Thom Hartmann's show, which has experienced great success in West Coast markets, will air delayed from 7-10PM, and Lionel comes to the station for the 10PM-2AM shift, including a repeat of one hour of the three hour show. Mark Riley's one hour show will follow at 2AM, and Bill Press is added live 3-6AM. Air America's new morning show, The Young Turks, will not be picked up by the station.

Entercom-owned KCTC in Sacramento lists Peter Werbe in the live 7-9PM slot, followed by a replay of Franken's show from 9PM-12AM. Press will air live 3-5:30AM, followed by the local morning show, "The Morning Retort", hosted by Scott & Sims.

And CBS Radio's KPTK in Seattle also shuffles it's schedule, The new weekday lineup adds The Young Turks (who had been on weekends) to weekdays live 3-6AM PT and Rachel Maddow live 3-5PM. KPTK moves Al Franken's delayed show to 5-8PM and Randi Rhodes 8-11PM.

Dave McDonald, senior vice president and market manager for CBS Radio's Seattle stations, said he's pleased to be able to add Maddow's show to the lineup. The new lineup also helps KPTK shift more of its programming to live, he added.

KPTK listeners have also expressed their disappointment over the loss of Mike Malloy, whose show was dropped by Air America, McDonald said.

In Portland, KPOJ substitutes live airings of Riley and The Young Turks for the current Air America Mornings bloc from 2-6AM. Seder's new show will air on delay around the time of the Majority Report's former shift, from 6-9PM. And following the success of Hartmann's local morning show, KPOJ adds his national show to evenings, delayed to 9PM-12AM, and taking over Malloy's former shift. Maddow follows from 12-2AM.

Meanwhile, on the opposite coast, WINZ in Miami picks up Maddow for 9-11PM and moves Sam Seder from overnights to the 11PM-2AM shift. The rest of the schedule remains unchanged, except for the shortening of Rhodes' show.

At WXXM in Madison, Maddow, "Politically Direct" with David Bender, and "EcoTalk" with Betsy Rosenberg will be added, along with a few other changes.

KTNF in Minneapolis/St. Paul adds Press for mornings, following Riley. Hartmann's show is also added, airing from 6-9PM, bumping Rhodes to 9Pm-12AM. Seder's show airs on delay from 12-2AM. The station does seem to remain open to Malloy's return, if he indeed does.

KKZN in Denver/Boulder CO adds Maddow from 7-9PM, followed by EcoTalk 9-10PM, Politically Direct 10-11PM, Werbe 11-1AM, and a replay of Franken from 1-3AM. Riley airs live from 3-4AM and The Young Turks air 4-6AM, followed by local host Jay Marvin. The rest of the schedule remains the same.

As reported earlier, KRFT in St. Louis, currently airing Franken's show, adds Randi Rhodes to the 3-6PM shift. St. Louis listeners can see Franken as he does a live broadcast from St. Louis on Tuesday 9/19.

KLSD in San Diego updated their own schedule, picking up Maddow for 6-7PM, sending Jon Elliott back to weekends and airing Werbe evenings 7-9PM. A Franken replay airs from 9-10PM, followed by The Lionel Show. Mark Riley and The Young Turks air live during the early morning hours. Seder's show will air on weekends as 'best-of' programming.

In Columbus, WTPG picks up The Young Turks for mornings. Maddow gets the 6-8 shift, followed by Politically Direct and EcoTalk. Fans of Rhodes will be disappointed, as her show moves to overnight hours (3-5AM) in a surprise move.

WXKS/WKOX in Boston adds Riley and The Young Turks for mornings and EcoTalk from 9-10PM. The 10PM-12AM shift is undetermined, but for now, Werbe will have the shift.

The WHMP trimulcast in central Massachusetts is also altering its lineup, moving Maddow to evenings. Stephanie Miller debuts on the station and picks up Maddow's previous timeslot, 10AM-12PM.

KPHX in Phoenix will air the straight Air America feed live for much of the day, outside of Mike Newcomb's morning show. Hartmann will air from 9PM-12AM in delay.

In the Buffalo/Niagara Falls area, WHLD adds Seder to mornings and will also air Franken, Rhodes and one hour of Maddow live. Democracy Now follows at 7PM, followed by various non-commercial shows, including Flashpoints, Building Bridges, Uprising Radio, Counterspin and others on a daily rotating basis.

Chicago's WCPT switches out morning shows, adding Bill Press. Jerry Springer remains in his mid-morning shift. The station is a Class D AM station, meaning it signs off the air from sunset to sunrise.

WRVC in Huntington, WV adds a second Air America show to the lineup, as they bring in The Young Turks for morning drive. The station currently carries Franken, as well as Ed Schultz. The rest of the schedule is heavy with local programming and ESPN Radio and other sports programming.

And syndicated host Lionel picks up a few new affiliates, including the aforementioned KTLK and KQKE. He also lands on WKJK in Louisville KY, WWKB in Buffalo NY, WHNZ in Tampa FL and WCRN in Worcester MA weekdays and WOND in Atlantic City NJ, KTLK-FM in Minneapolis MN on weekends. It should be noted that WKJK, WHNZ, WCRN and KTLK-FM air predominantly conservative talk shows.

And what about Jerry Springer? The bankruptcy rumors this week claimed that Air America and Springer have parted ways. It looks like the previous story about Springer being taken off the main Air America feed and shuffled to their syndication arm is actually correct, at least according to Springer's Cincinnati sales team in The Cincinnati Post, who claim that almost all their 50-some affiliates are staying with the show, while Springer will be dropped at the New York affiliate in favor of Seder. Whether Springer actually has 50 affiliates (I count twenty or so at most, and this is a very old list) is probably something that can be debated. Nonetheless, Jerry is still out there, plugging away, and will likely stay at WSAI in Cincy.
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Ratings Roundup: Atlanta, Miami, Columbus

Not much to report here on three new progressive talkers.

Atlanta: WWAA (1690) hasn't showed up in the ratings yet, but this may be due to the late summer sign-on and a change of facilities location. The station was originally located far outside of the Atlanta market, and may have recently moved in to Atlanta. I have no confirmation on this, but if anyone has any information on this, let me know. The new signal covers the entire city, so we should be seeing some activity soon.

Miami: WINZ (940) is another new sign-on, switching to talk in late July. The station seems to be working hand-in-hand with it's West Palm Beach sister WJNO (1290), where they timeshift Randi Rhodes to run outside of her live show in WPB. Ed Schultz, who's timeshifted to evenings there is run live on 940. Confused? Anyhow, the station rises slightly in the ratings, and shows it's best overall ratings since last summer. We'll see how they do with talk.

Columbus: WTPG (1230) is brand new, coming on in early September. With only a few weeks in the ratings period, it's a bit too early to see significant ratings here, and the station holds steady with it's previous showing as an oldies station.

Again, no demographics breakdowns are available here, but if I run across them, I will share.

On Monday, look for the ratings book for Phoenix, among other markets. Keep in mind that KXXT changed to liberal talk on September 23, at the very end of the Summer book, therefore, KXXT's new format will not show here. Look for it in future monthly trend reports, though.

In other news...

*** The Randi Rhodes Show "Illegal" Archives has long listed KBME (790) in Houston as a future AAR affiliate. You can officially scratch it off the list, as they have officially announced a pending format change, only they're switching to sports as of January 1, 2005. No AAR coming to Houston at this time. Other 'coming soon' listings there are also fairly dated, such as

KBAC (610) Boulder, CO (AAR is actually now on 760)
KBZC (1300) Colorado Springs, CO (station flipped to sports instead)
WMQM (1600) Memphis, TN (this is an old rumor, and likely not happening)
WSNH (900) Nashua, NH (ditto)
KOOT (101.5) Santa Fe, NM (is actually KWRP, and programs a Spanish format. Cross this one off as well)