Broadcast Company of the Americas Sports “XX 1090” XEPRS San Diego is shuffling its lineup and returning to its original branding.

Update 12/14: BCoA has confirmed the changes reported earlier this week.

Scott Kaplan and Billy Ray Smith will return to the station to host afternoons from 3 to 6pm. The rest of the new lineup will include Lee “Hacksaw” Hamilton from 6-9am, Jim Rome from 9am-12pm, Darren Smith from 12-3pm, and John Kentera from 6-9pm. Rebranded as “Mighty 1090“, XEPRS will continue to run ESPN Radio from 9pm to 6am.

The press release follows:
San Diego’s sports leader, XX 1090 AM will have a dramatic new look heading into 2013, starting with the return of the town’s premier sports talk team, Scott Kaplan and Billy Ray Smith to the station following a ten month absence. The duo will hold down the 3-6pm afternoon slot, which many experts call the keystone of a successful sports radio station and debut on Monday, December 17th. Kaplan and Smith will continue their morning show on UT-TV and their print column in the Union Tribune.

Commenting on the return, 1090’s VP-Market Manager Norm Feuer said, “When I got here in September I was determined to build the best sports talk station possible. The moves we announce today are the culmination of that determination which started with our announcement of a three year Padres renewal. Scott and BR’s 12 year heritage as a must listen to program was at the top of my list.” Asked to comment on the duo’s departure earlier this year Feuer said, “I’ve been here just over 90 days, that’s like asking a new coach about a quarterback change by his predecessor, not relevant. This is a new era with a new vision, I’m excited to have the guys on our team!”

“We are incredibly stoked to get back on the airwaves, re-connecting with the listeners of 1090, our great friends, and getting back on radio in addition to our TV and print platforms. It’s about connecting with fans in every way, throughout the day, and that’s what Billy Ray and I are all about. Game on!” said Kaplan.

At the same time, Feuer announced that Jim Rome will be joining 1090 AM on January 2nd, 2013. Rome is moving networks in 2013 and will appear exclusively on 1090 AM in San Diego. “Jim Rome has been the highest rated network personality in this town for nearly a generation,” said Feuer, “and he’s now going to be part of our superstar line-up.”

Joining Scott and BR and Rome in the new 1090 AM line-up will be current personalities Lee “Hacksaw” Hamilton, who will move into morning drive (6-9am) for the first time in his long career, and Darren Smith who will move into the 12-3pm shift. 1090 AM’s Programming-Operations Manager Mike Shepard said, “Hacksaw has been in this town for almost 25 years and we’re excited to have him waking up San Diego. A shower and a shave listening to the best 15 minutes in radio – for a sports fan, it doesn’t get better than that. And we needed a true up and coming star to anchor the slot between Jim Rome and Scott and BR. We’re lucky to have the brightest in the country in our building in Darren Smith!”

Rounding out the new line-up is Coach John Kentera handling 6-9pm with the rest of the evening being handled by ESPN personalities.

The other major announcement from the station involves the return of an iconic name to San Diego’s radio airwaves, The Mighty 1090 AM. “We did a big research project a few months ago and it was clear that the station’s former name was beloved, and in fact the way many still identified us. We look at it like a sports franchise going back to a classic uniform. And, with our new line-up of Hacksaw, Rome, Darren Smith, Scott and BR and the Coach, plus the Padres and nearly every major sports event from the Super Bowl to the World Series to the BCS Championship, The Mighty 1090 AM is the perfect name for who we are,” Feuer added.

The Hacksaw Hamilton morning show debuted this past Monday, December 10th. Darren Smith and Coach Kentera will make the switch with the debut of Scott and BR. The new line-up will be complete when Jim Rome starts on January 2nd.

Broadcast Company of the America’s (BCA) operates The Mighty 1090 AM, The Walrus 105.7 FM and ESPN 1700 AM and holds the radio broadcast rights for the San Diego Padres. BCA also participates in Radio San Diego, a sales partnership with KPRI 102.1 FM.

Original Report 12/10: Morning hosts Dave Palet and Jeff Dotseth and midday hosts Josh Rosenberg and Charod Williams have all been let go by the station. Lee “Hacksaw” Hamilton has moved from 5-8pm to mornings. The rest of the changes have not been made official yet, but the San Diego Union-Tribune reports former morning hosts Scott Kaplan and Billy Ray Smith will return to take the 3-7pm afternoon slot with Darren Smith sliding to 12pm-3pm. “Scott & BR” left the station in February when Kaplan was fired for making inappropriate comments about a female sportscaster. The duo currently anchor a morning show on the Union-Tribune’s cable network, which they will continue to do after rejoining XEPRS.

That will leave a 9am-12pm slot that will be filled come January 2 by Jim Rome when he debuts on CBS Sports Radio according to SDRadio.net. Rome first made his name in radio on the defunct “Xtra Sports 690” XETRA and is currently heard on Clear Channel’s “Xtra Sports 1360” KLSD. That station was historically known as “The Mighty 690” which led to the original name of 1090 when it flipped to Sports in 2003. The station changed its name to “XX Sports Radio” when it began its ill-fated simulcast on 105.7 in 2006. SDRadio.net states that the lineup changes will lead to the return of the “Mighty 1090” branding.