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"FOX Sports news go now!"
That FOX Sports promo which introduces a brief news segment will be playing on KSIB Radio's 1520 AM station beginning Monday, when the AM station will make the switch from its current format to FOX Sports Radio.
According to KSIB Radio General Manager Chad Rieck, a change in format to the AM station is something that has been looked at for a long time.
"What we really tried to come up with, and it wasn't necessarily going to be sports talk from the beginning, was let's come up with a format that is different than what we do now," Rieck said. "I'm guessing there's a lot of people in our community that don't even realize we have an AM radio station.
"They're used to our FM 101.3, and that's what they listen to all the time, so we kicked around ideas of what we can do to add a different format, because there are people who don't like country music. There are people that don't like some of the programs we run."
Rieck noted the success of programs like Trading Post and Everyday Living, which have strong, loyal followings in the community, and also stressed those programs will continue to run on the FM schedule. But he also acknowledged there are people who turn away from KSIB when those programs come on.
That spurred the desire to find an alternative programming choice.
"There's the political talk shows — the Rush Limbaughs, the Sean Hannitys, those type of programs," Rieck said. "I don't feel comfortable with those types of programs in this type of community, because those programs are controversial, and I don't want to be in the middle of a controversial program, so it became what program can we put out there and be non-controversial, be entertaining and provide something for listeners."
Sports talk
Attention quickly turned to sports talk radio, which provided several different network options.
Rieck said he took a long look at ESPN Radio before deciding on FOX Sports Radio. Other networks, such as The Sporting News Network, also received some attention, but did not have the big names that ESPN and FOX Sports provided.
One reason FOX Sports Radio was selected is because of the programming restrictions with KSIB Radio's AM station.
Since the AM station, which first went on air in 1946, is a daytime-only station, Rieck had to look for an option that provided solid content from 8 a.m. through 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
The AM station signs on the air when the sun rises each morning, and is required to sign off the air when the sun sets, so daily programming will fluctuate throughout the year.
Programming
One of the major reasons Rieck went with FOX Sports Radio is the fact it features the Dan Patrick Show from 8-11 a.m.
"Our decision to go with FOX Sports, Dan Patrick had a lot to do with that. He previously was on ESPN Radio, and he's switched off several years ago," Rieck said. "I remember as a little kid back in the 80's, the first time I ever got to experience cable TV, and the first time I ever saw ESPN on the TV and saw Dan Patrick on there. He's just always been to me, a professional and entertaining."
Other shows on the FOX Sports Radio network include the Jim Rome Show, which Fox Sports told Rieck was the number one draw on their radio network, Loose Cannons with Pat O'Brien, Steve Hartman and Vic "The Brick" Jacobs and the Petros and Money Show.
According to Rieck, the goal right now is to get the FOX Sports national feed up and running and make sure everything goes smoothly with that. In the future, he anticipates opportunities to add local programming.
"Obviously with Gary Bucklin, we have all the sports that he does," Rieck said. "As we get more into it, there may be some more opportunities to expand that programming to where we could have maybe a 30-minute segment of local sports."
The FOX Sports Radio national feed will launch on KSIB 1520 AM Monday morning. The launch will not affect any of the programming on the FM radio station, however.
"Our whole goal is not to disrupt the FM with anything we're doing," Rieck said. "Obviously, some of the programs that you may have heard on the AM will go away and will only be on the FM now."
In the event of severe weather in the area or with breaking news, KSIB will be able to pull both stations back together to broadcast those events, however.
"We're excited. We know it's going to be a change, but we think it's a change in the positive direction," Rieck said. "The most important thing is the FM station is not changing. We don't want anyone thinking we're going away, and for those that are out there that didn't know we had an AM, we do have that station as well and FOX Sports will be there on Monday."