San Diego liberal talk fans still in KLSD remission do have at least a little something to cheer about, as a strong signaled station in the market adds one of the most popular progressive talk shows in the country to its lineup.
The Stephanie Miller Show has been added to Saul Levine's XESURF (540AM), which covers the San Diego market from its Tijuana tower. Her show will air in morning drive from 6-9A weekdays. This will be her first affiliate in the market, as KLSD never carried her show.
XESURF is part of a simulcast operation with KGIL (1260) in Los Angeles. Since KTLK (1150AM) already airs Miller, that station will get America's favorite right-wing coke addict Glenn Beck in that slot. The Ed Schultz Show follows immediately after on both signals, though only airing from 9-10A.
The two morning shows replace a replay of the previous day's Michael Savage airing.
In the words of Levine, "Since launching this station less than a year ago, we’ve worked diligently to assemble a unique, A-list roster of diverse talk radio talent. Now with Glenn Beck and Michael Savage live for our L.A. drive times, as well as the addition of Stephanie Miller to our San Diego signal, 1260 and 540 have further elevated their stature as major contenders on the Southern California talk radio scene.”
However, even with the addition of Miller to XESURF, and the following three hours of left-leaning hosts Schultz and Michael Jackson, this is not an indication of any further tilt to the left for the station. Levine has stated in the past that he's not a fan of overly partisan talk radio, and likes to mix it up a bit with a variety of viewpoints. And the acquisition of Miller (and the presence of former KLSD morning man Stacy Taylor and Air America rival Lionel on 1700AM) could also hinder the efforts of another liberal talk startup in the San Diego area, unless they come up with a different morning option (is Imus available?). Still, it's been over six months since KLSD flipped to sports and ratings obscurity, and nobody's stepped up to take on the popular format full time.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
The Saul shuffle sends Steph to San Diego
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Eureka, CA 
2 comments:
Doesn't sound like fans of PT in San Diego have a lot to complain about. They have three (OK, 2 1/3) of the top of national shows, and two outstanding local-regional progressive talk hosts: local icon Stacy Taylor and the legendary Michael Jackson. The main problem with the PT format (even more than talk radio, in general) is so little of it it is local. Any market with hosts like Jackson and Taylor is to be envied.
The radio trade press seems to think that Steph's 540 clearance is actually a side effect of Beck being added to 1260, as XESURF can't carry Beck - he's on KFMB/760 in SD.
I think all things being equal, Saul would rather carry the same lineup on both stations, and of course, he can't carry Steph in L.A. due to her flagship.
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