Update 12/19: KLRZ has announced it will make the switch to Sports on January 1.
The station’s lineup will feature ESPN Radio’s Mike & Mike from 5-9am, Colin Cowherd from 9-11am, a local show hosted by Ken Friedlander from 11am to 1pm, Scott Van Pelt & Ryen Russillo from 1-3pm, a simulcast of “104.5 ESPN” WNXX Baton Rouge’s Matt Moscona from 3-6pm, and a local host to be named from 6-8pm.
The previous Swamp Pop “Rajun Cajun” format will continue to be heard on 1600 KLEB Golden Meadow.
Original Report 9/26: Following the announcement this week that Entercom’s 1350 WWWL New Orleans will drop ESPN Radio for a mix of Talk and Sports on October 14, we now know where the network will reappear in the market.
Coastal Broadcasting Of Larose has registered 1003ESPN.com for its “Rajun’ Cajun” 100.3 KLRZ Larose. KLRZ is a Class C1 operating with 98kW at 178.7 meters rimshotting New Orleans from 32.4 miles southwest.
KLRZ has previously targeted the New Orleans market in the past. In the 1990’s it ran a New Orleans focused CHR format as “Z100” and in 2005 was about to complete a move-in closer to the city, which would’ve seen the station sold to Citadel Broadcasting for $6 Million before Hurricane Katrina hit and forced the move-in to not be completed.
Would it still be possible for KLRZ to move closer to New Orleans, or have circumstances changed to where such a move is no longer feasible?
Actually the upgrade was completed, as coastal broadcasting was supposed to upgrade before the sell as many expected it to flip country music, however citadel backed out after Katrina but “truck” was already in the middle of the upgrade and is actually more powerful now than its chr and classic rock rimshot days.
It should be able to move closer, but at downgraded power and heigth as it has in channel stations in Alexandria,la and Hattiesburg,Ms.