Sunny Country split Santa Maria / Lompoc / San Luis Obispo

Looking for information on El Dorado's sale of several stations in the market. I've read that KSNI was sold to AGM, and the Sunny Country simulcast of 102.5 on 96.1 is gone. Did El Dorado sell any other stations? Does Sunny Country have a future since AGM also owns KKJG?

I wonder what 96.1 is doing now? I remember BEFORE the simulcast, when they were "Cat Country". Are the call letters for 96.1 still KSLY?

I grew up in Atascadero so I remember 96.1

Rebranded as "SLO Country" and still KSLY-FM. Those calls have been in the market for 50 years, I think it's wise to hold on to them. https://www.facebook.com/slocountry/

SwapMeetLouie said:

Looking for information on El Dorado's sale of several stations in the market. I've read that KSNI was sold to AGM, and the Sunny Country simulcast of 102.5 on 96.1 is gone. Did El Dorado sell any other stations? Does Sunny Country have a future since AGM also owns KKJG?

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As I understand, AGM also purchased KVEC from El Dorado. AGM will run KVEC out of their SLO cluster and KSNI from Santa Maria.

Can someone with ears in the Central Coast radio market provide an update as to what's happened to 96.1 (KSLY), 101.3 (KSTT) and 107.3 (KURQ) since July 1? As I understand it, KSTT is running a message instructing listeners to tune in to the "new" Coast at 104.5, KURQ has flipped to Spanish, and KSLY is dark. What will happen to 101.3? Who is programming 107.3? Seems like their former owner, El Dorado Broadcasting, made a very hasty exit from the market.

Check this out -

http://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/business/article83082762.html

Big shake up on SLO FM dial. AGM dropped classic hits and KIQO calls in favor for KSTT/Coast format. Apparently 107.3 is simulcasting a Regional Mexican format from Ventura, possibly under a LMA? 101.3 was assigned the KJRW calls but is still listed as owned by El Dorado Broadcasters and is apparently stunting.

Big winner is obviously AGM with KKJG and KZOZ losing all competition and gaining an AC and News/Talk.

Thanks Bid D for the info. I know El Dorado Broadcasters sold, donated, or walked away from, all of their Central Coast stations, and the list of stations on the El Dorado Broadcasters website doesn't include any in this area. Radio-Locator dot com no longer lists any station on either 101.3 or 96.1, and my Central Coast sources confirm nothing but static on either of those frequencies. I checked the FCC database, and it confirms new calls KJRW and a request to "take the station silent while it evaluates its stations in the market" that was filed on July 11. Not much of a reason, but I guess it's a good enough excuse for the FCC. I believe the new calls are nothing but a placeholder and have no meaning. El Dorado sold the KSTT calls to AGM as part of Coast 101.3's intellectual property. Hard to believe two Cuesta Peak FMs gone silent in less than two weeks, and even harder to believe there was apparently no media coverage except for the link above that you posted.

Yeah, it's a bit shocking. You don't see two Class B FMs just shut down very often. You would think El Dorado could find someone willing to pick up those stations in a fire sale. 96.1 was one of SLO's oldest FM frequencies. It will be interesting to see who eventually picks these up...and how much of a bargain they get. Those are good signals!

On a somewhat related note, I found it somewhat interesting that AGM blew up 104.5 for Coast. I would assume that KIQO billed much better than KKAL/92.5 and they would drop the Krush for Coast. Instead they water down KZOZ, now almost exclusively a classic rock format, playing no music beyond the 90's. No active rocker in a college town...we'll see how long that lasts!

Wow! I'd read about this elsewhere, while asking for SLO area FM radio history on one of the Atascadero Facebook groups. I personally hope somehow 96.1 gets picked up by somebody, as something. That was SLO's oldest (at least recently surviving) FM signal, first air date December 1959 from what I've read; presumable the FIRST FM signal in that area. Maybe reinstate it as nothing but new/active rock like 107.3 used to be, maybe with the legendary call letters, KJRW/101.3 as something like the old Q-104.5 was (I remember Q104-5 vividly myself), and then maybe thus reconstitute KZOZ back into its (I thought successful, personally, and it got my listenership) "Everything that Rocks" format, minus maybe the fake sexually suggestive commercials? For those of you who never heard the older KZOZ, another station like it that could be streamed online for reference to give you an idea is KXLR/95.9 in Fairbanks, Alaska. I live in Fairbanks currently and that would be my favorite Fairbanks station, hands down.

Hey alright! Reportedly, 96.1 is back on the air as of October 6, albeit as K-Love. Glad to see it back on the air, being SLO's oldest FM signal.

AKDXer said:

Hey alright! Reportedly, 96.1 is back on the air as of October 6, albeit as K-Love. Glad to see it back on the air, being SLO's oldest FM signal.

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Looks like they picked up 96.1 for $350k. Pretty good price for a full market commercial FM, I'd say. Wonder if they will keep the KSLY calls? Most K-Love affiliates change the calls to include "LV" somewhere.

AKDXer said:

Maybe reinstate it as nothing but new/active rock like 107.3 used to be, maybe with the legendary call letters, KJRW/101.3 as something like the old Q-104.5 was (I remember Q104-5 vividly myself), and then maybe thus reconstitute KZOZ back into its (I thought successful, personally, and it got my listenership) "Everything that Rocks" format, minus maybe the fake sexually suggestive commercials? For those of you who never heard the older KZOZ, another station like it that could be streamed online for reference to give you an idea is KXLR/95.9 in Fairbanks, Alaska. I live in Fairbanks currently and that would be my favorite Fairbanks station, hands down.

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I find it really interesting AGM tweaked KZOZ almost exclusively to classic rock. KURQ always seemed to have good numbers (not sure how well they billed). KZOZ had a pretty unique format back in the late 90's just before KURQ. They were classic rock with a Triple A lean during day and switched to hard/alternative rock at night. When 107.3 flipped from smooth jazz to rock, Z added in the harder stuff throughout the dayparts. Over the years, they gradually became a mainstream rocker. I guess ultimately they won the race.

KIQO, KZOZ, KURQ (and of course KKJG) have historically been at top in ratings for this market.

It's interesting how other stations accommodate when others flip formats and makes holes other stations have to fill. Big D, do you live in the SLO radio market? I grew up in Atascadero in the '00s and remember KZOZ back then pretty well. I was also surprised to see them as just classic rock now, making up for the old Q104 I guess (KiQO, which picked up KSTT's 'Coast' format; top 40 but used to be soft rock/adult contemporary).

And the 'Beach'. (KXTZ/KXDZ) is an interesting 'evolving act' like KZOZ. Remember how they were classic rock/oldies, then started adding new wave throughout the years, to the point that even '90s grunge/alternative was in there, then started playing almost nothing but 80s/90s/00s music, but still 'Rockin' classics' then are now a VARIETY station? At least they brought some of the, say, pre 1985 music back!

AKDX - Been out of the market for just over 10 years now. But I still like to check in occasionally to see what's up. Lots of fond memories living there on the coast!

Big D said:

AKDX - Been out of the market for just over 10 years now. But I still like to check in occasionally to see what's up. Lots of fond memories living there on the coast!

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Same here! I'd love to move back actually. So you probably remember pretty well when KKAL was Hot AC, KZOZ was mainstream rock, KSLY was country, KXTZ/KXDZ was classic rock, KSTT was at 101.3 and was soft rock, and 104.5 was still KIQO oldies?