4 more S.L. radio stations gain new owners

Four more Salt Lake radio stations changed hands this week, bringing the total number of local station sales this month to eight.

KZHT (FM-94.9) and KKAT (FM-101.9) were sold by Clear Channel Communications to Superior Broadcasting of Salt Lake for $26 million on Dec. 15.

In addition, Clear Channel purchased KCPX (FM-105.7) and KOSY (FM-106.5) for an undisclosed price from Mercury Broadcasting on the same day.

Last week, Bonneville International Corporation received the OK from the Federal Communications Commission to finally purchase KSFI (FM-100.3), KRSP (FM-103.5), KQMB (FM-102.7) and a new station not yet on the air (AM-820) from Simmons Media Group. That deal was originally announced in November 2002.

According to Stu Stanek, general manager of Salt Lake's Clear Channel Communications operations, the sale of KZHT involves the frequency only and not the "intellectual property" (programming and personnel). He said the Top 40 format of KZHT — music, DJs and all — will be moved to FM-97.1 early next week.

That's because FM-97.1 has a superior broadcast signal that can reach the entire Wasatch Front instead of just the south end of the Wasatch.

However, this change also means that KISN (FM-97.1) will cease to exist next week. A contemporary rock station and nicknamed "KISS," KISN has been around since the early 1980s. Clear Channel will keep most of the former KISN DJs and employees, transferring them to other stations. "Dexter and Mercedes" had been the morning show on KISN, while Randi West and "Nikki" had been other prominent DJs.

"We wanted to get out of the JSA (joint sales agreement)," Stanek said of KOSY and KCPX. "And this was the only way, to buy the stations."

Clear Channel had been managing KOSY and KCPX for Mercury for many years but decided total control over the stations was the best way to go. It had to sell two stations in the Salt Lake market, according to FCC ownership rules, in order to purchase two stations.

"We kept the five (FM) stations we liked the best," Stanek said.

No format changes are planned for Clear Channel's two new stations, KCPX (rock music) and KOSY (soft, adult music format).