New owner to keep KIST's liberal talk format

In an update to last week's post on the sale of Clear Channel's Santa Barbara cluster, progressive talker KIST is one of two AM stations have been spun off as a donation to a non-profit group. And the new owner-to-be plans on keeping the format for the immediate future.

Rincon Broadcasting bought the stations last week, and were to have assumed operation of the stations this week under a local marketing agreement (LMA), pending FCC approval of the sale. In assuming control of the Clear Channel stations, they have chosen to keep the FM signals and to spin off KIST and its more conservative counterpart, KTMS to Santa Barbara Community Broadcasting Company, a non-profit headed by Saul Rosenzweig, Helen Reale, and Roby Scott. Scott is the GM of local classical music outlet KDB-FM.

SBCBC will likewise LMA KIST prior to closing of the sale, and will also continue to air the current liberal talk format on it during the LMA. No word on if it will continue after that.

The highly-rated KIST carries a mix of liberal talk programming, including Air America Radio, Ed Schultz and Stephanie Miller. The station also carries some local programming on the weekends.