Utah radio stations see year of changes

January: "Dexter and Mercedes," formerly of the defunct KISN, reappear under their real names as "Scott and Erica" on sister station KOSY. . . .FM-94.9 becomes KPHT with a rock-music format, while FM-102.3 ceases to be "Mad Dog" and becomes a simulcast of FM-94.9. . . . "Religion on the Line," airing on KTKK returns to its original 1980s name: "Mormon Miscellaneous." . . . KZNS sponsors a chicken-wings eating contest and offers Super Bowl tickets as the prize. . . . KKAT hires back its original programming director, John Marks, to take the job again. . . . KSFI (FM-100) and KXRK (X-96) were the big winners in the latest Arbitron rating estimates; KUUU has its best-ever ranking.

February: FM-94.9 changes its call letters from KPHT to KHTB. . . The call letters on FM-102.3 change to KDUT. . . . Lance Ballance, formerly of KSFI, is the new program director for KOSY. . . . "Steve O" (Steve Carlson) leaves KRSP after nearly 33 years and is replaced by Mike Parsons. . . . Marie Osmond's new radio show, "Marie and Friends," begins on KBEE, which is also the show's flagship station. . . . Dan Jessop returns to KBZN as program director and afternoon host. . . . "Chunga and Mister" of KENZ match up 50 local couples for a pre-Valentine's Day showing of the "50 First Dates" movie; not to be outdone, KQMB holds a wedding on ice for Valentine's during the first intermission of the Grizzlies game; "Johnson and Johnson" on KUBL present the "Valentine's Day Mystery Marriage Proposal." . . . KSL's annual radiothon for Primary Children's Medical Center raises $369,000.

March: A revamped KKAT begins with DJs Tommy Carerra, Brian Hatfield and Brandon Young. . . . Dom Casual leaves KJQN. . . . The "Traffic Babe" begins doing an evening DJ shift on KJQN as "Jessica." . . . Brian Foxx and CeCe Williams are added as DJs on KSFI; Mick Martin and Earl David Reed comprise the new morning team on KURR. . . . Millcreek Broadcasting sells KOBT and KDUT for $2 million to Bustos Media Corporation, which become Spanish-language stations. . . . Gary Michaels is the new evening DJ on KRSP. . . . Steven Kapp Perry is the new host of KSFI's "Soft Sunday Sounds" program. . . . Laura Jones is named the new program director on KJQN, replacing Dom Casual, who left the station. . . . KUBL radio holds its seventh-annual St. Patrick's Day dive into a green tub of Jell-O. . . . KSFI is named one of the top five AC music stations in the country. . . . Tom Barberi of KALL is picked as one of the top 100 radio talk-show hosts in the nation. . . . "Holly" is the new KZHT team member of the "Z-Morning Zoo."