Firm linked to Real Salt Lake buying KALL radio

KALL radio ("Hot Ticket 700," AM) is in the process of being sold.

Clear Channel, the current owner, is, according to Radio and Records, selling to Ut Radio Acquisition — headed by President/CEO David W. Checketts (of the Real Salt Lake soccer team) — for $4.1 million.

This sale means Real Salt Lake soccer broadcasts will likely end up on AM-700, and it also appears the station will remain all sports.

The "Hot Ticket" relationship to KTVX-Ch. 4 is also apparently going to remain. That's because Radio and Records reports that the deal includes a 12-month shared-services agreement between the buyer and the seller.

This also means that KALL will probably continue as the flagship sports station for the University of Utah for at least another year.

Clear Channel is selling KALL because, according to Federal Communications Commission ownership regulations, it needs to divest itself of one radio station in order to be able to purchase KUWB-TV, Ch. 30, in the Salt Lake market, from Acme Television.

Besides KALL, Clear Channel owns KTVX-TV and six other radio stations — KNRS-AM, KOSY, KZHT, KXRV, KJMY and KODJ.

KALL currently has Jim Rome. Bill Riley and Matt Thomas, among others, doing sports programs.

AM-700 hasn't done well in the overall ratings, though, since Tom Barberi was dropped from the station and it went all sports.

For the "Fall" Arbitron ratings book, listeners ages 12-plus, the station tied for last (28th place) on the list of measurable stations last month with a 0.7 percent audience share.

• CITADEL EXPANSION — Walt Disney is selling 22 of its ABC radio stations to Citadel Broadcasting in a $2.7 billion deal that could create the third-largest radio group in the nation — with 177 FM stations and 66 AM stations.

Radio Disney and Disney's ESPN are not included in this package.

Locally, the Citadel cluster in Salt Lake City owns seven stations — including KBEE, KBER, KENZ, KFNZ, KUBL, KKAT and KJQS.

Eric Hauenstein, Citadel general manager for Salt Lake City, said he can't comment on the merger at this time.