Haven't heard KARS' All News, All the Time format, but I too wish them a successful run.
A similar scenario played out in Midland TX, when the Tall City's KCRS flipped from Top 40 to an all news format. With a population of less than a quarter million at the time, the Midland/Odessa market fell far below the criteria of a major market, so, like Albuquerque's KARS, much of it's programming was also network feed and syndication.