With two of the Jolt's daily programs jumping ship to KCUB (1290-AM) the Source, KJLL (1330-AM) has ditched industry convention and added two new talk programs. And neither is the conservative type that dominates today's talk radio.
The Stephanie Miller Show, which slid into the 10 a.m.-noon weekday time slot, hits the opposite end of the spectrum.
"If any other station in town carries liberal-leaning shows, they've hidden it well," said Jerry Misner, general manager of the Jolt.
Miller's high-energy, fast-paced show has a sardonic, slightly cynical tone and a razor-sharp wit often directed toward President Bush and his administration. The second new show is hosted by Jay Severin and airs from 10 p.m. to midnight weekdays. Severin is libertarian, a viewpoint seldom heard on talk radio.
Misner says the Jolt, which is locally owned, is excited about the new lineup.
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"Our new slogan is 'All news, all talk, all sides, all attitudes,'" he said. "We're not trying to be either liberal or conservative. We're trying to offer a number of different viewpoints."
Miller's nationally syndicated show has been having a field day with the allegations that the president authorized the leaking of classified information.
In one segment, the show's "talking voice monkey" did a Star Wars parody with Vice President Dick Vader.
Severin, whose show started in Boston, is gaining exposure nationally. He also has his fair share of detractors. In September, the Boston Globe blasted the host for saying on-air he'd been awarded a Pulitzer Prize for excellence in online journalism. The Globe contacted the Pulitzer Prize folks, who confirmed that Severin had never won such an award, and that, in fact, there is no Pulitzer award for excellence in online journalism.
Severin had a brief run on the MSNBC-TV show "The Situation With Tucker Carlson" and has been a columnist for MSNBC.com online.
Jolt manager Misner admits he wouldn't have revamped his programming if Glenn Beck and Phil Hendrie had stayed at the station.
"I think we were forced into it," he said. "I was happy with the lineup we had." The rest of the schedule — programs like Dr. Laura Schlessinger and John C. Scott — will remain the same.
Chuck Meyer, program director for the Source, said KCUB saw in Beck and Hendrie an opportunity to add two good programs and took it, as part of the station's ongoing effort to become more news-talk oriented.
"We don't have the power to take shows off the air," he said.
Some listeners have called complaining about the lack of sports programming, Meyer said, but "it hasn't been what I would call a firestorm."
New on the traffic beat
Allen Kath, a longtime staple in Tucson traffic reports, is no longer doing traffic for KIIM (99.5-FM). As part of a move by Citadel, which owns KIIM, to keep traffic reports in-house, Kricket is now giving the morning and afternoon reports.
She also did traffic on KSZR (97.5-FM) before Citadel shuffled the on-air personnel away from the station last month.
Kricket started giving the afternoon traffic reports March 20 and the morning reports March 30, said program director Buzz Jackson.
Operations manager Herb Crowe said the change has nothing to do with Kath's talent.
"This was a decision that was made at our corporate offices," Crowe said. "It certainly wasn't anything personal."
Kath works for Metro Networks, which supplies traffic, news, weather and sports to stations across the country. KIIM will still get news from Metro Networks.
"I'm in no way upset or unhappy," said Kath, who will still do traffic for KMXZ (94.9-FM) Mix-FM, and KJLL (1330-AM) the Jolt.
Kricket also will give drive-time traffic reports for KCUB (1290-AM), the Source.
