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http://www.omniture.com --> Sections Home Page Local News AP News Archives Business Classifieds Event Calendar Forums Life Opinion Obituaries Photo Gallery Readers Photo Gallery Sports Tempo Weather Special Coverage 2006 Britt Festivals --> Shop Our Valley AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Search Our Valley Special Sections Homelife Magazine Joy Magazine Readers Choice 2006 Oregon Golf Info Oregon Wine Info Our Valley Other Publications Local Links Ashland News eSouthernOregon Newspapers In Education Personals Moving Here Movie Listings TV Listings Volunteer Customer Service Advertise With Us Media Kit Place Classified Ad Contact Us FAQ's Home Delivery Site Map --> Email Story to a Friend October 11, 2006 KEZX plans shift to talk show lineup It will feature hosts such as Al Franken as a contrast to more conservative shows By Greg Stiles It might not be Air America, but OPUS Broadcasting's KEZX (AM-730) is leaning that direction. The Medford radio station will soon jettison it's easy-listening format for what President and General Manager Dean Flock considers an alternative to the area's conservative outlets. "There are two right-wing talkers in town and they're both going after the same audience," Flock said. "There's a large audience of people who have an alternative viewpoint. We felt this was a need that hadn't been satisfied in this market. It's not the most popular perspective in Southern Oregon, but there is a large Democrat and independent vote in the area." Flock said he's been considering the change for a year and has pursued a lineup of national talk-show hosts including Don Imus, Neal Boortz and Al Franken. The changeover was signaled in the October issue of The Chamber of Medford/Jackson County's Business Review. Advertisement "This is a format that has had some success on the West Coast and other parts of the United States," Flock said. "It has also faltered in places." The transition, originally set for earlier this month, was delayed because of equipment problems and delivery delays. Downloading satellite signals from more than dozen networks and putting them on the air is more complex than in the days when there were three or four networks. "Instead of one piece of equipment routing things into the system there are two or three stacked and the guys building the software didn't realize the complications," Flock said. "I was complaining to a programmer about how long it's taking and he told me about a Clear Channel station back east that wanted to do a format flip on July 17. They're still not on." KEZX's signal reaches from Ashland to Eagle Point and into areas of northeastern Josephine County. The station began broadcasting standards from the 1940s through 1970s in October 2003. OPUS, the smallest of the Medford's three commercial radio groups also operates KROG (97.1-FM), KCNA (102.7-FM) and KRTA (610-AM). "We expect that some people won't be happy with the change, but it didn't resonate with the business community. Unfortunately, this is a business and for the 20 people employed here it's the best way to make it work. There is a large audience for talk radio that isn't being served with their point of view. I think there are business owners who want to get to this audience and we've already had people interested in getting on board from day one." It was a little over five years ago that KMED switched from a similar standards format to a talk radio format. "KMED used to have that large audience, but unfortunately advertisers don't go for it," said Bill Meyer, the Clear Channel-owned AM's program director and operations manager. "We have an absolute juggernaut, with the top-three national shows in Rush, Hannity and Glenn Beck, and the No. 1 local show" Meyer said. "We're very comfortable with what we do. Certainly this is going to change the landscape. "If it would've been my signal at 730, I definitely would've gone sports tomorrow." Meyer suggested that a left-leaning format is more likely to pull listeners from Jefferson Public Radio than from KMED or Mapleton Communication-owned KCMX (880-AM). "If anything busts loose, it will most likely come out of JPR's hide," Meyer said. "The more opinion out there on the air, the more opinion will be generated on both sides of the ideological aisle. If they're going to talk, that's the only way they could go." Jefferson Public Radio Executive Director Ron Kramer said he wasn't worried about the impact of commercial radio programming on his own talk station, KSJK (1230-AM). "We carry a wide variety of talk programming all day," Kramer said. "We don't do anything consistent with or similar to what the commercial stations do. Whether the addition of that programming is competition to anybody else really isn't a concern to me or wouldn't have an effect on what we do." Flock said that it's possible there might be more changes at OPUS. "This is not exact science," Flock said. "We'll look at this for a couple of years from now and say 'Let's do sports.' " Reach reporter Greg Stiles at 776-4463 or at [email protected] Would you like to respond to this story? If so Click Here to visit our forums. Advertisement Copyright © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback online casinos news Home Security Systems Windermere Van Vleet Men's Clothing Southern Oregon Loans --> GMAT Prep Fundraisers Send Flowers Texas Electric Choice Entertainment Guide --> Casinos Canada Trunks, Footlocker Online Casino Reviews Online poker at AbsolutePoker.com