ST LOUIS YEAR IN REVIEW - PART ONE
Scott Simon
Here is the year-in-review for AM stations in St. Louis, the 16th largest
radio market in the country. Only stations with significant activity are
noted. Due to the length of the AM review, the FM station year-in-review
will be published after Dec. 27.
KSD-AM 550: The market's oldest station (73 years) started the year fully
automated airing STARDUST, but made big news in May when it acquired the
broadcast rights to St. Louis Rams football, five years for a little over
$3 million dollars, outbidding sports legend KMOX (who countered with
$2.4 million), KEZK/KFNS, and WRTH/WIL. Games and related talk shows also
aired on sister station KSD-FM. John Carney, son of legendary St. Louis
radio great Jack Carney, moved over from WEW; first did mornings, then
moved to midday late in the year. Coming into his own as an outstanding
story teller. Late in the year, the station decided to ditch STARDUST and
go all talk, with Rams broadcasts as a solid cornerstone. Steve Moore
checked in as PD in Dec., from KFRU in Columbia MO. Frank O. Pinion was
moved over from KSD-FM to do mornings, Kevin Slaten, ankled at all-sports
KFNS, moved over to do afternoons. Station regained Roger Fredenberg and
Art Bell shows for late night, losing them a year ago to KRAM when KSD
went all music. This month, the syndie Don and Mike show from D.C. was
added to the early evening lineup. Station is searching for an early
afternoon host, and part-timers for the weekends, to start after the first
of the year.
KFNS-AM 590: Jon Sloane, who had anchored the morning show for this all
sports station, was bounced in March for local comedian Craig Hawksley;
the show bombed after a month, and Sloane was returned. But that lasted
only a couple of months. He decided to leave to concentrate on his law
practice (later moving to head Aaron Cushman Public Relations), ending a
continuous on air stint in St. Louis dating back to 1978 when he came from
Miami to anchor at Channel 11. Howard Balzer returned to St. Louis after a
year and a half with the Sports Fans Radio Network, his first regular
sports show in St. Louis since his days with KXOK in the late 80's. St.
Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Bernie Miklasz added to lineup as a weekday
9-11 host, the most visible person on the station. Kevin Slaten was
bounced in the summer after a dispute with GM Bob Burch at a St. Louis
Rams function, was replaced by Bob Ramsey and Mike Claiborne, who had been
hosts in other time slots at the station. Former St. Louis Blues hockey
player Bernie Federko added to station for regular sports coverage,
afternoons from 2-4. Station bonus was its play by play coverage of St.
Louis Ambush indoor soccer; they won the NPSL 1995 Championship.
WGNU-AM 920: A very unsettling year after years of stability. In April,
ten-year morning host Onion Horton, the big ratings puller for the
station, was suspended; sources say station management accused Horton of
improperly handling money from accounts Horton sold for his show, the
biggest revenue maker for the station. He never returned and moved to
KATZ-AM. Shortly after, evening host Mark Kasen also ankled the station,
fed up with management's treatment of him and Horton, and he too went to
KATZ. Then in October, an unprecedented event in U.S. broadcast history;
operations manager John Minicke sent a memo to staff that the station
would no longer pay them $15 an hour, instead, invited them to stay and
host shows, and sell their own advertising time. Those hosts only were on
the air one day a week, for 2 hours at a time, all of them on the air
mostly for fun and entertainment, working full time jobs outside of
broadcasting. But about eight of them were offended at the station's
misery attitude, and quickly left. Some other hosts were added, other
slots were filled by syndicated talk shows. One disgruntled host sent a
copy of the memo to Post-Dispatch gossip columnist Jerry Berger, who
printed it word for word.
KMOX-AM 1120: On Dec. 24th, the 50,000 watt "Voice of St. Louis" will
celebrate it's 70th anniversary. Baseball broadcast icon Jack Buck and Jim
White will host a special that night from 7-8 CST. Buck has been on KMOX
since 1954, White since 1969, the two longest current KMOX on air
staffers. But it was an unsettling year for people at the station.
First, management had to stop bidding for radio rights to St. Louis Rams
football at $2.4 million, more than double the last football rights it
paid for the former St. Louis Cardinals in 1987, before that team moved to
Phoenix. 21 year News Director John Angelides retired in July, replaced by
John Butler from Syracuse, N.Y. Angelides headed a staff that won hundreds
of awards. 11-year news anchor and production talent Charlie Brown left in
August to work at a mission in Guam; dating back to his days at Top 40
KXOK-AM 630, Brown had been in St. Louis for 22 years. Replacing him was
Bill Rieker who rejoins KMOX after working there in the mid-80's, Rieker
most recently was the News Director at WIBV-AM (see below). Also leaving
the Mighty Mox was news anchor Kathe Hartley, after 16 years with the
station, and news reporter Margie Manning left after 14 years to work at
the St. Louis Business Journal. Barbara Whitesides, hired two years ago to
replace the legendary Anne Keefe, was fired over the summer. Carol Daniel
hired to replace her, from KZIM, Cape Girardeau MO. Charles Jaco, the long
time CNN reporter, was hired in the spring to host a 2-4 weekday talk
show. St. Louis Cardinals games during the season, his son Joe, often seen
on FOX TV's NFL coverage, was the primary announcer on the road contests.
Finally, Group W took over CBS, the owner of KMOX, no word yet if any
changes are forthcoming at this station that still delivers a 14 share of
the 12+ audience.
WIBV-AM 1260: At this all-talker billing itself as "Hot Talk", Mike Wall
dumped as morning host after more than two years, replaced by Don Imus.
Bill Rieker left as News Director to rejoin KMOX (see above). Operations
Manager Tom Calhoun does mornings live from 5:30 to 7 before Imus, and
reads news during cutaways. Station lost its simulcast of KTVI-TV Channel
2 News at 5 when the TV station switched its affiliation from ABC to FOX.
KRAM-AM 1380: Now airing talk half the time, and simulcasting its sister
station, WKBQ-FM the other half. Had Fredenburg and Bell talk shows, lost
them to KSD-AM (see above). Airs "The Fabulous Sports Babe" middays and
other talk shows in the afternoon, other times filled with its sister
station Contemporary Hit format.
WRTH-AM 1430: Still airs nostalgic music, but in the summer, added long
time and legendary jock Johnny Rabbitt to its morning show, it's only live
show (except for a couple of specialty shows on the weekend). Rabbitt
moved over from WRTH's sister station, country giant WIL. Rabbitt has been
on the air in St. Louis since the early 1960's, most notably at then Top
40 giant KXOK.
KATZ-AM 1600: Dropped urban music and switched to an all-talk format,
billing itself as "Black Information Radio". Bernie Hayes, dumped by
station in 1994 then returned later in the year after a major public
protest, was dumped again in '95, replaced by Onion Horton, moving over
from WGNU (see above). Ironically, it was the second time Horton replaced
Hayes at a station; Horton replaced Hayes at WGNU in 1985. Hank Thompson
and Sharon McGhee added to host late mornings, and in the summer, Mark
Kasen joined as PM drive time host, also moving from WGNU. Airs local
specialty shows in other time slots.
1995 Obituaries:
Harry Fender, 99: Former "Saturday night at the Chase" host on KMOX in the
50's, 60's and 70's, the last great raconteur of St. Louis. Former
Ziegfield follies performer in the 1920's, quit to be a St. Louis cop,
asked by the late Robert Hyland to host a show using his connections to
stage and screeen. Appeared on station in his 90's during Christmas season
as Santa Claus.
John McCormick, 80: The man who "Walked and Talked at Midnight" for 32
years at KMOX. Noted for his colorful usage of the language, i.e.
"Tonight, on the hardwood of the NBA", "50,000 red hot watts", and "Now,
as the night meets the dawn, our National Anthem." Still drove his
motorcycle until his death.
Bob Burnes, 80: The first sports talk show host at KMOX, beginning in
1953, retiring in 1992. Also was the Sports Editor at the now-defunct St.
Louis Globe Democrat from 1935-1992. One of the most powerful media
figures in St. Louis newspaper and broadcast history.
Doug Newman, age unknown: Former top news anchor at KMOX Radio in the
1960's and 70's, was forced from station in 1975 after a nasty AFTRA
negotiation, representing the rank and file.
More obituaries for 1995 will be published in Part 2.
Scott Simon