Cumulus News/Talk 710 KCMO/103.7 K279BI Kansas City is debuting a new lineup on Monday, February 2.
A pair of hosts, Rob Carson and Chris Plante will join KCMO from Washington, DC. Carson will take over the KCMO morning show from 5-9am. He has spent the majority of his career in Hot AC, where he hosted mornings and afternoons at KSTP-FM Minneapolis, WVMX Cincinnati, and WRQX Washington before segueing to Talk at WMAL Washington. Carson currently also hosts the 12-3pm segment of Envision Radio Networks’ “America Weekend”.
Chris Plante will join KCMO for the 9am-12pm slot, a timeslot he currently holds on 630/105.9 WMAL Washington. Plante spent 17 years at CNN, mostly serving as their Pentagon correspondent. The additions of Carson and Plante will enable Greg Knapp to move from mornings to afternoons from 4-7pm. Coming off the schedule is the syndicated Dennis Miller, while Dave Ramsey moves to 12-2pm followed by Michael Savage from 2-4pm. Mark Levin slides back to the 7-10pm timeslot with John Batchelor and Red Eye Radio rounding out the new KCMO lineup.
The changes at KCMO follow Entercom’s KMBZ breaking its AM/FM simulcast and launching two program lineups.
Cumulus announces that that KCMO Talk Radio 710 AM and 103.7 FM will debut a new programming line-up on Monday, February 2, with talk personality Rob Carson signing on as the station’s new Morning Host from 5:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. and veteran D.C. correspondent and Edward R. Murrow Award winner, Chris Plante, joining KCMO from 9:00 a.m. to Noon. Carson’s weekday show takes on topics ranging from politics to pop culture, with great guests, community involvement and the biggest comedy in the country. Dave Ramsey follows the new dynamic duo, live from Noon to 2:00 p.m., followed by Michael Savage from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. Current morning host Greg Knapp’s show moves to afternoon drive from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Mark Levin kicks off evenings from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00, with Jon Batchelor from 10:00 p.m. to Midnight.
Carson began his broadcasting career in Missouri after graduating from Northwest Missouri State University. He has taken his talk show to markets including Minneapolis, Cincinnati and Washington, DC. Carson most recently produced the show from his home studio for airing on stations in Chicago, Atlanta, St. Louis, Kansas City, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Nashville, and Milwaukee. One of radio’s most prolific comedy writers, Carson’s work has been featured on America’s biggest radio networks and shows, including The Rush Limbaugh Show.
Chris Plante joins KCMO from WMAL in Washington, DC, following 17 years as a correspondent at CNN, including nearly a decade at the Pentagon covering the U.S. military and intelligence community. Chris received the Edward R. Murrow Award from the Radio and Television News Directors’ Association (RTNDA) for his reporting from the Pentagon during the terrorist attacks on September 11th, 2001.
Plante was assigned variously as Pentagon Correspondent, Senior Producer for National Security Affairs, Military Affairs Producer and as an assignment editor. He traveled extensively for CNN covering defense related stories from Saudi Arabia in 1990 and Bosnia in 1995, to Vietnam, Indonesia, Africa and the remote corners of the former Soviet Union. Plante formerly hosted his own program on The American Life television network.
Mark Sullivan, Senior Vice President and General Manager for Cumulus Kansas City said: “I’m thrilled to have two of the industry’s best joining our lineup. I’m anxious to hear Rob Carson and Chris Plante on our airwaves and I’m sure that Kansas City is going to feel as strongly about their talent to entertain and inform as I am. I’m also pleased to have Greg Knapp hosting our afternoons, as his dynamic and in-depth discussions keep me glued to the radio and I know that the local presence that he brings will be outstanding. These are exciting times here at the broadcast center!”
Gary Nolan, Program Director for KCMO-AM said: “We’re very excited to have incredible talents like Rob and Chris join our team. In fact, the entire new lineup will bring great variety to KCMO that will engage our listeners throughout the day, and fans of Greg Knapp will now be able to listen to him on the drive home.”
Carson said: “This is a real homecoming for me and my family. We’ve been away from Missouri too long, and it’s a real blessing to get a spot on one of the country’s premiere talkers, KCMO. I’m excited to join John Dickey, Mike McVay and Mark and Gary at Cumulus.”
Knapp said: “Afternoon drive is the perfect place for my brand of talk radio. I’m excited about expanding my audience to the most listened to time of the day across all radio formats. And after getting up at 2:50 in the morning for four years, I’m looking forward to saying hello to my normal circadian rhythms again.”
