The 15 month old simulcast of News/Talk 790 KNST Tucson on 97.1 KNST-FM is on the verge of ending as the station flips to “Wild Country 97.1” at 12pm.
Branded as “Tucson’s New Country”, the station will feature the Bobby Bones Show in mornings.
The new format will position the station directly against Cumulus’ market leading 99.5 KIIM. Firing shots at their bough, Clear Channel also registered domains for Nash995.com, NashTucson.com, and Nash975.com (pertaining to Cumulus’ low rated CHR “I97.5” KSZR) connecting to Cumulus’ plans to potentially expand the “Nash-FM” brand nationwide.
97.1 flipped from Spanish Oldies “La Preciosa” to a simulcast of KNST in November 2011.
Correction:
Cheap Channel has reduced their product to a level where neither advertisers nor listeners care to acknowledge. The 97.1 signal was receivable at night after their AM signal turned off the lights, but the morning local show host’s uneducated drivel clearly did not cut it. When using words that start with the letters ‘S’ and ‘T’, he is compelled to insert a ‘H’, so that we enjoyed new creations like ‘shtreets’ and ‘shtrong’.
The disrespect for the majority of the audience so poorly served is a page right out of the ‘How Not To’ do radio. The constant in-jokes and slurs hands the win to 104.1, which offers little better but at least sounds professional. And news readers constantly reading ad copy just destroys the credibility and objectivity of the news department.
Gone are the days where radio professionals guided stations to success. Now we switch formats like most change socks. This latest move is the last bastion of the truly vanquished!