According to The San Diego Reader, Tegna has no interest in staying in the radio business, and the KFMB-FM morning show is already looking for work. Tegna (formerly known as Gannett) bought KFMB-FM and AM along with TV Channel 8 for $325 million last December (Kagan says the radio part of the deal was $22 million). KFMB-FM has been the radio home of The Dave, Shelly and Chainsaw morning show since 2010. They’ve been together for 28 years. At the end of the month the show will be without a contract at KFMB-FM.
The San Diego Reader says a reliable source gave them this statement: “Few believe that Tegna intends to keep KFMB-AM/FM. It’s a TV company and its management has shown no interest in running a competitive radio station.” The source told the paper that there was no offer for the morning show to stay at KFMB-FM.
Even if Tegna decided to be in radio, they are not missing much by cutting loose the KFMB FM morning show. …KFMB FM is barely a factor in the market, not even in the top 10. And you have to wonder…are multi-person “morning shows” a thing of the past? In what major or even medium market, is a “morning show” with 3 personalities or so, dominating or even in the top 3 or 4 stations? Seems like more and more listeners just want music, without mundane chit chat and with as few commercials as possible.