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As heard on KDWN this morning

J

JoeyK

A listener who had been away called Hart Kirch this morning and expressed his opinion that he was grateful not many changes had occured since the sale. Mr. Kirch told the caller as much as he dislikes discussing the station on the air,that big changes would be occuring in the next 2 weeks and while he knows a little he was not privy to full knowledge and claims he is unsure of his own status. We were led to believe in a published report KDWN would become all sports and that did not occur. When Beasley took control in early August we all thought an immediate change would occur and when it did not KDWN listeners were thinking business as usual would remain. Now with this on air admission does any one care to speculate on the near future ot the mighty 720?
 
Jim Dallas has also mentioned the upcoming big changes. He made it sound like he doesn't expect to survive them.

On Friday they ran a sports tout show. The host named Swami mentioned how that this will be the 11th football season in a row his show has ran on KDWN.

I have no idea if the "big changes" mean going all-sports but the fact that will be airing this show means that sports can not be ruled out.
 
They just hired a bunch of Metro Network people there. I heard they are going to try a bit of everything. News in the morning, Talk during the day, and Sports at night. Not sure how that would do, but it will be interesting to see if they pull numbers from KNUU (what little they have), KXNT and KBAD.
 
a crank caller played mexican music and Pete Moss said he was going to be in handcuffs....I could see a threat or a repeat harrassing caller might eventually be subject to legal action but they aren't going anywhere over one call....doesn't an old geezer like moss know you can buy cash and carry cell phone etc or call frome a booth ?
 
This was posted to All Acess:

CUMULUS Hot AC WNNK (WINK 104)/HARRISBURG morning news anchor JOHN PAUL SHAFFER exits to join BEASLEY's new Talk format at KDWN-A/LAS VEGAS, according to the HARRISBURG PATRIOT-NEWS. SHAFFER finished his long run at WINK on FRIDAY (8/8) and will start at KDWN on THURSDAY as morning co-host and co-anchor. Back at WINK, CAROLYN BRADY returns to take over morning anchor duties on an interim basis.
 
Dick (I've worked every LV Station) Shannon co-hosts with this guy from an AC station in PA.

Promise of alot of news. Looks pretty boring.

The PD is a no-name first timer from east, the news director is from Santa Rosa.

Neil Bortz, Jerry Doyle and Roy (zzzzz) Masters

I'm curious how it does. Can it make money? More than the info-mercials?
 
Will the info-mercials be gone, at least during prime hours? This should help them get some numbers, but might not be so good for the "bottom line"

Is KDWN dropping Savage? That would be a mistake. What station will pick him up?

Isn't Jerry Doyle currently on 1280? Who will they replace him with?
 
If these posts are accurate it would truly be end of an era for mostly local shows on KDWN. The most powerfull station in Las Vegas serving Nevada and most of the west should not be bringing in 2nd or 3rd tier syndicated national talk shows. Right now Savage is hot and must remain along with heavy emphasis on local programing,Bringing in hired guns from east with little knowledge of area won;t do justice. Finally when Beasley took over 4 months to prepare what they wanted to do so why bring in the current staff for a month and then push them out the door. It would have been easier just to have every one exit when the station moved out of Plaza instead of stringing them along at new location possibly costing people jobs they could have had but turned down thinking they had a future with Beasley. Who would rather listen to Boortz or Doyle instead of Hart Kirch or Jim Dallas?
 
I agree with you Joey. One of the best things about KDWN has always been the local segments. I would add a news block in the morning, keep the Savage Nation in PM drive, and go ALL local talk the rest of the day and night. Bury the paid programming to fringe weekend hours. Compelling local talk could get KDWN some ratings, second and third tier syndicated shows will not.
 
The most powerfull station in Las Vegas serving Nevada and most of the west should not be bringing in 2nd or 3rd tier syndicated national talk shows.
Click to expand...

Why not -- KXNT does just fine with mostly syndicated junk, and their signal is as powerful as KDWN's during the day. No advertiser cares about after dark, and KDWN really doesn't have a protected skywave contour to begin with. This is a way to make the station profitable without as many infomercials -- cut costs. If the local talk was going to bring in numbers, it would have done so already. This veteran lineup isn't going to bring in the thirtysomethings and fortysomethings needed to make KDWN a viable sell. Syndicated talk might bring in enough to cover the nut, especially if it's a smaller nut.

Finally when Beasley took over 4 months to prepare what they wanted to do so why bring in the current staff for a month and then push them out the door. It would have been easier just to have every one exit when the station moved out of Plaza instead of stringing them along at new location possibly costing people jobs they could have had but turned down thinking they had a future with Beasley. Who would rather listen to Boortz or Doyle instead of Hart Kirch or Jim Dallas?
Click to expand...

Beasley has a history of ineptitude and perhaps callousness in the many stations it has bought and sold over the years. They would have been better off to make KDWN all-sports. Maybe there are few people who would prefer Boortz, but it's not as if that many people were tuned in to Kirch or Dallas to begin with. This is not replacing high-quality local talk with low-quality syndicated crap. This is about replacing low-quality local talk with low-quality syndicated crap, and at least getting the infomercials out of drive time (maybe). Somehow I doubt that there were companies lined up to hire the KDWN hosts. Broker them time, perhaps.
 
I wouldn't go so far as to call Kirch and Dallas low-quality; in fact I think they have both established themselves as good-quality hosts in this market and I would think other stations would benefit from their presence. I have to wonder if any of the new local hosts on this station know what kind of hostility they are going to face from callers and the public. The station does not have a huge audience, but those that listen are loyal and will not take kindly to the replacing of their trusted voices (Kirch, Stahl, Dallas, Moss) with younger ones that they have never heard and will not identify with. I believe that this station will suffer big losses in audience in the early going of the new format. Maybe it will open the door for KDOX or KLAV or other talk stations to take hold in the market.

Bravo to Ken Stahl, Hart Kirch, Jim Dallas, Pete Moss, and former voices such as Ted Bair, Tru Hawkins, Cheryl Godfrey and Ken Koester who made the station unique over the years.
 
Is KDWN picking up Fox news? I noticed that the KDWN logo on the Beasley corporate website has Fox news on it. Doesn't 1280 run Fox?

I
 
they had fox news for a while and now have usa radio network
 
KDWN

What was the name of the old fellow and his lovely wife who used to own KDWN anyway? I used to see him almost every night going to his 78 Olds in the parking lot. That would have been at least 10 years ago.

It has been interesting reading all the posts about that station. We could hear it in Reno..well, as long as you didn't live too close to the KCRL towers in Hungry Valley.
 
Ratings on the AM band? C'mon!

With news talents from top markets such as Harrisburg, I'm confident of their success.

Replacing $600/hr shows with third-rate dreck won't work. Just ask 1280. KSHP makes money hand over fist for a one-station operation with (affectionately the dopiest format in the world. Local news mornings, local against Rush middays, Beck from 1280 against Dr. Laura (his 25-54 numbers are the best per capita... at least try to get someone under 70), local talk PMD, Savage 6-9 and local 9p-5a. A year or two and you might actually gain some ground on 840.
 
It is very sad that they let Ken Stahl go. He didn't talk much in the mornings anymore, but when he did chime in, it was always a joy to listen to.

I am really hoping that they keep some of the local personalities. Jim Dallas and Hart Kirch especially. If they go, I'm not so sure I'll be listening to KDWN anymore.
 
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