Empire Broadcasting’s 1590 KLIV San Jose CA made its long-awaited flip from News to Classic Country on Saturday, June 11. The newly minted “Country Gold 1590” flanks sister Country 95.3 KRTY with a focus on Country hits of the 1980s and 1990s.
Original Report 4/12: Empire Broadcasting has announced it will flip News 1590 KLIV San Jose CA to Classic Country in the coming weeks.
The new 1980s/1990s Country format will create a flanker for sister Country 95.3 KRTY. KLIV will retain its Sports coverage of MLS’ San Jose Earthquakes and San Jose State University as well as some of the commentaries currently featured on the station. The entire news department will exit with the flip.
KLIV President Robert Kieve posted a letter on the station website explaining the rationale for the format change was due to the station not being profitable in its thirty years in the News format with 2015 being the worst in station history.
Within a few weeks, KLIV will be changing its format. The high expenses of running a news station and declining ad revenues have become too great.
Indeed, in the 30 years that KLIV has been a local news station, it has never made a profit; it has lost money every year. 2015 was the worst year in our history.
We’ll retain many features that have made KLIV distinctive – Carl Guardino’s weekly programs, our traffic reports, the voice of John McLeod, Phil Cosentino’s Produce Reports, commentaries about local issues by local community issues, speakers from the San Jose Rotary Club and from the Commonwealth Club. And yes, the “Secret Sound.”
In place of local newscasts, we’ll play the best country music of the 80’s and 90’s.
We will miss our small news staff, especially its leader, George Sampson. They’ve done a wonderful job.
We hope that you can view this change with sympathy – and that you give our new format a fair listen. Although the changes are still weeks away, we wanted you to know about our plans.
Robert S. Kieve
President, Empire Broadcasting
