New ownership of KYXY-FM, KPLN-FM and KSDO-AM could come as early as this week if Clear Channel Communications Inc.’s buy of AMFM Inc. is completed as expected.
The Federal Communications Commission and Department of Justice has given Clear Channel the necessary approvals, said Mike Glickenhaus, vice president and general manager of the seven FM stations San Antonio-based Clear Channel owns and operates in town.
Clear Channel’s $23.5 billion acquisition of AMFM was announced last autumn. Glickenhaus quickly squashed rumors of selling other Clear Channel stations to make room for the AMFM stations , KPLN, also called The Planet, which plays classic rock, and in particular the highly rated, romantic-format KYXY.
From last summer to this spring, KYXY ranked third and KPLN 18th in the local market, according to The Arbitron Co. of New York.
Glickenhaus said KYXY and KPLN would be sold, leaving intact Clear Channel’s San Diego holdings, including their FCC-regulated balance of listeners and profits.
In March, Clear Channel announced that KYXY and KPLN would be sold to New York City-based Infinity Broadcasting Corp., a subsidiary of CBS.
There was a surprise in the announcement: Clear Channel was also selling business-talk station KSDO-AM.
The station was sold because a Los Angeles station owned by Clear Channel, KFI-AM, is also considered part of the San Diego market.
According to FCC rules for a market of San Diego’s size, a company can own up to eight stations, with up to five on the AM or FM dial.
The FCC also limits how much listenership or sales profit one company can control.
KSDO’s new owner is Houston-basedChase Radio Partners.
Clear Channel quickly struck a joint sales agreement with Chase and will sell advertising for the station.
Chase will likely bring in its own program director or general manager to oversee programming, Glickenhaus said.
No changes are expected for KSDO’s format, he said. Having talked to the station’s new owners, Clear Channel has been instructed to sell time based on the station’s current format.
There have been changes, which Glickenhaus said are normal ones that occur as a format develops. Among them: the replacement of local business host George Chamberlin’s morning show this spring. Chamberlin now does business reports on Clear Channel talk station KOGO-AM.
Cliff Albert, news and programming director for KSDO and KOGO, doesn’t expect any changes in KSDO’s current lineup.
“Listeners shouldn’t really notice a thing,” he said.
The same is true for KYXY and KPLN, according to the stations’ general manager, Bob Bolinger.
“In the initial meetings we’ve had with them, we’ve been very impressed, just with their philosophy and how much they’re going to support these radio stations,” Bolinger said.
Infinity encourages their stations to market themselves aggressively, he said.
Expectations for profit will also be high, but the companies approach it from long term, strategic perspective, Bolinger said.
He rejected industry rumors that Infinity would turn KPLN into a talk station.
“I don’t anticipate changes on either side,” Bolinger said. “Hopefully, we’ll always get better and do it better, but KYXY’s been doing very, very well for a long time, and Planet’s enjoying a very good year, business-wise.”
He didn’t give further details.
Infinity executives have visited the stations and have indicated the stations will keep their same strategic plans, Bolinger said.
“It’s been very, very positive, very, very encouraging,” he said. “(Infinity) is a company that typically gives people at the station level a lot of autonomy, and good resources and good support, and in return, they give you the responsibility to deliver listeners and advertisers to do well.”
