Countywide : Firm Buys Radio Station KMDY

KMDY radio, Ventura County’s all-comedy radio station, is changing hands, and its fans may or may not find the new owner’s programming amusing.

Former football star Daniel D. Villanueva, whose purchase of Thousand Oaks-based KMDY (850 AM) is awaiting government approval, said Thursday that “we’re going to study the market very closely” before deciding whether to continue airing routines by comics Bill Cosby, George Carlin, Bob Newhart, Lily Tomlin, Jack Benny and W.C. Fields.

Villanueva, a onetime place-kicker for the Los Angeles Rams and Dallas Cowboys, is a former general manager of KMEX Channel 34, an all-Spanish television station in Los Angeles. He said such formats as all-Spanish, all-English, talk-radio and various types of music are being considered.

“But we haven’t ruled out staying with all-comedy,” he said.

One thing is certain: KMDY’s call letters will change. Villanueva said they will remain the property of the current owners, a group headed by film producer Ira Barmak. KMDY General Manager Peter J. Turpel said that even if Villanueva’s company, Buenaventura Broadcasters Inc., decides to change the format, there’s still hope for the county’s comedy lovers.

“It’s 90% sure that we’ll move some of the comedy over to KMDY’s sister station,” he said. Turpel also is general manager of KNJO-FM (92.7), which broadcasts adult-contemporary music.

Turpel said KNJO will remain under the ownership of Barmak and his partners, including actor-director Michael Douglas and actor Danny De Vito.

Because of low advertising, KMDY was on the verge of dropping its all-comedy format in March, 1990. But about 1,000 listeners made phone calls and wrote letters urging that the laughs continue. Advertising picked up after that, Turpel said.

KMDY is the nation’s only all-comedy radio station, he said. Several others have tried the format but dropped it, he said.

The Barmak group bought KMDY in 1984 for a reported $750,000 when its call letters were KGOE-AM. Villanueva said Buenaventura Broadcasting, of which he is sole owner, is paying “in excess of a quarter-million” for the station.

Both parties said they expect the Federal Communications Commission to rule on the station’s license transfer within 60 days.

Villanueva, who owns a ranch in Somis, said he also owns a television station, KSMS-TV, in Monterey.

Turpel said all employees of KMDY will be retained at KNJO.