May & June, 2001

June 28, 2001

Three applicants for a television broadcast license in the Quad Cities may be close to a deal pending FCC approval.  The Quad City Times reports that WQPT, a public TV station owned by Black Hawk College would receive $950,000 from Jack Gartner to drop its application for channel 30.  Iowa Public Television would drop its application and would instead pay WQPT $200,000 for WQPT's channel 36 which serves as a low-power repeater station.  The station no longer needs channel 36 since moving channel 24 to a taller tower.  Gartner's plans for the license are not known.....Second Generation of Iowa which owns Eastern Iowa Fox stations KFXA and KFXB is building a new station in the Quad Cities that will be affiliated with the UPN.  The station will be on channel 53 and plans to be on the air in September.  In addition to UPN, the new station has picked up the rights to ESPN Plus Big Ten syndicated package including Iowa and Illinois football and basketball.  Channel 53 will be the second station to sign on in the Quad Cities in 2001 along with KGWB.  KGWB, based in Burlington, is only available on cable in the Quad Cities but plans to increase its power and move it's antenna closer to the Quad Cities before the end of the year.....WMT Cedar Rapids Sports Director Mike Grimm has been hired by KMOX in St. Louis as a sports reporter.  All Access reports that he will anchor afternoon sportscasts and host a call-in show.  Grimm is a former Iowa Sportscaster of the Year.....After weeks of rumor and speculation, KWWL-TV Sports Director Bryan Lessly is leaving the station as his contract is up.  Word is that he is the latest victim of station budget cuts.  Lessly was with the Waterloo station for almost seventeen years.....Jay Kidwell is the new Sports Director at WHBF Quad Cities.             

June 27, 2001 

The University of Iowa announced that Learfield Communications, which will heading into the final year of a five year contract to broadcast Hawkeye football and men's basketball as well as the Kirk Ferentz and Steve Alford coaches call-in shows, will keep the Hawkeyes for three more years.  Learfield will pay the university at least $4.3 million under the new contract which begins in 2002-2003.  There are also two one-year options that would be worth $1.5 million per year.  WHO Des Moines and WMT Cedar Rapids will continue to serve as the flagships for the Hawkeye Network.....All Access reports that John Rezin leaves KAZR (Lazer 103.3) Des Moines where he has done afternoon drive and worked as Imaging Director to become Imaging Director at WXSS and WMYX Milwaukee.....Bill Smith, the owner of the proposed Eastern Iowa UPN station, told the Waterloo Courier that he hopes construction will begin on a tower in the next couple of weeks.  The station will feature UPN programs like "WWF SmackDown", the new "Star Trek: Enterprise", and "Buffy The Vampire Slayer" which is moving from The WB.  The station has also picked up "Judge Judy" which moves from KCRG.  The actual call letters have not been determined but it will broadcast on channel 22 on non-cable TV's.  The station, which will have its offices in Waterloo, plans to be on the air in October or November.  Smith's company, B&C Communications also has plans for a UPN station in Des Moines.       

June 22, 2001

The sale of the Barnstable cluster to Wilks Broadcasting is final and with it both Mark Hendrix the KGGO and KRKQ Program Director and Beverlee Brannigan the PD of and KJJY and KHKI are out.  Operations Manager Jack O'Brien is reportedly handling programming of the Country stations on an interim basis.  Is Wilks finished handing out pink slips?.....KZIA (Z 102.9) Cedar Rapids General Manager Eliot Keller was named Iowa Broadcaster of the Year by the Iowa Broadcasters Association.....KWWL-TV Waterloo has dropped it's Sunday morning newscast.         

June 19, 2001

KLRX Ames has dropped it's Classic Hits format for a simulcast of Des Moines KJJC (The Jock.)  Both stations are owned by Lifestyle Communications.....The sale of the Des Moines Barnstable cluster to Wilks is set to be final on June 22 and there is concern about if any or how many jobs could be cut.....Chris Miller has left KGAN-TV Cedar Rapids where he was Sports Director to become the weekend sports anchor at WEWS the ABC affiliate in Cleveland.....WOI-AM Ames won the Edward R. Murrow award for best news series in the small market division for it's "Vietnam: A 25th Anniversary Anthology".....KOIA (Oldies 93.3) Des Moines has been nominated for a Marconi Award for Oldies station of the year.  It is the only mid size market station that was nominated in the Oldies category.  The winner will be announced on September 7.   

June 8, 2001

Cumulus has named Chuck O'Brien as new Program Director for KBEA (B 100) Quad Cities effective June 20.....KHAK (K-Hawk) Cedar Rapids raised $146,000 for the Children's Hospital of Iowa as part of the Children's Miracle Network Telethon.....Joe Bates started this week as the new night jock at KZIA (Z 102.9) Cedar Rapids.....J. Michael McKoy has returned to KJJY Des Moines as the station's Brand Manager.  He previously served in various capacities at the station from 1984-94.  

June 2, 2001

Des Moines Radio Items: KSTZ's Ken & Colleen's Kids radiothon raised $464,415 for the Children's Hospital of Iowa.  Big Ken and Colleen broadcast from center court of Valley West Mall from May 22-26.....Clutch is out as night jock at KAZR (Lazer 103.3).....KKSO-AM is reported silent as the license has been returned to the FCC since it's expanded band sister station KBGG is established.....Notes from around the state:  WAXR 88.1 FM signed on this week.  The station is licensed to Geneseo, IL and serves the Quad Cities with a Contemporary Christian Music format.....KKBZ in Clarinda changed format recently from Westwood One's Oldies format to their Adult Contemporary service. 

May 24, 2001

KAZR's (Lazer 103.3) "Big Ass BBQ" Rock festival was cancelled after the Des Moines city council voted 3-1 to deny a temporary beer permit for the event.  Ironically three council members, including Mayor Preston Daniels, were attending a convention in Las Vegas and missed the vote.  The station's website has posted editorials from The Des Moines Register that are critical of the Council's decision and the message it sends to young adults deciding whether or not to stay in Iowa.....Lazer has announced a "make-good" show for May 27 at Des Moines' Tri-Point Center featuring a few of the bands scheduled to appear at the cancelled event.

May 22, 2001

KSTZ's (Star 102.5) morning team Big Ken and Colleen kicked off their 3rd Annual Ken & Colleen's Kids radiothon at 6 am May 22.  It is a fundraiser for the Children's Miracle Network and the Children's Hospital of Iowa.  It will run until noon May 26 for a total of 102 hours.  Last years radiothon raised over $351,000.....Cumulus has named Pat Rosielo Market Manager for its Quad Cities cluster......KZSR (Star 102.3) Sioux City night man Mark Taylor passed away after a heart attack on May 13.  He was 44.....Former KWWL-TV news producer and feature reporter Gary Sarnoff has been hired as a news producer for KNXV the ABC affiliate in Phoenix, AZ.

May 14, 2001

From The Des Moines Register:  A Des Moines woman who worked at KJJY-FM was arrested Friday morning on a Maine warrant. Kimberly Boothby, 41, was arrested at Brown Camp Lofts, 100 Market St., in downtown Des Moines for allegedly leaving Maine with her 11-year-old daughter without consent or legal authorization, police said. She was working at KJJY under the name Julie Johnson. Boothby is in Polk County Jail without bond until she is turned over to Maine authorities. The Department of Human Services is caring for her daughter until the father can pick her up. ....A couple of items from the Quad Cities:  All Access reports that KBEA (B 100) Program Director and morning man Robb Rose has resigned to become the PD and do afternoons at WFAT Kalamazoo, MI.....WHTS (All Hit 989) will present its "All Hit 989 Memorial Day Music Meltdown" May 27 at the River Center in Davenport.  The bill mainly consists of up and coming acts but two more recognizable names are Uncle Kracker and Blessid Union of Souls.   

May 8, 2001

Jack Emerson has a new gig.  He is co-hosting the afternoon drive time show with Alex Ryan on KXNO.  The new sports station also has a local morning show hosted by former Iowa State football coach Jim Walden and Gary Howe of the Iowa Barnstormers.....In more Des Moines sports radio news, Marc Hansen reported in his Des Moines Register column that Scott Pierce has been fired as KJJC's Operations Manager.  Pierce also served as the play-by-play voice of Drake women's basketball.....Polk County has signed a letter of intent with SFX Entertainment to bring concerts, family shows and sporting events to Veterans Memorial Auditorium and to the proposed Iowa Events Center.  The media connection to this item is that SFX, which is the nation's leading concert promoter, is owned by Clear Channel Communications.