K-NEWS Foresees a Bright Future for Its New Format

We at K-NEWS are shocked by the inaccurate and mean-spirited comments made by Ralph Shaffer in his Counterpunch (“It’s Time to Put ‘Joy’ Back Into Lives of Radio Listeners,” July 29). Although we might sympathize with, and even share, his disappointment in the treatment the Music of Your Life has received from KLAC, we cannot allow misstatements about K-NEWS to go unanswered.

K-NEWS was launched by KKGO-FM because market analysis revealed that Southern California needed a news source minus the crime and violence prevalent on the airwaves. There are approximately 3 million radio listeners from Los Angeles to San Diego who rely on all-news radio for their information. K-NEWS has created the most comprehensive all-news format in the region.

There are complete, up-to-date world, national and local newscasts six times each hour, with two sports newscasts each hour. K-NEWS is the only Southern California radio station that presents business-financial news four times per hour, seven days a week, not to mention traffic reports eight times per hour, sans trivial fender benders.

Shaffer’s barbs concerning K-NEWS’ signal coverage are not only mean-spirited but totally inaccurate. There are three AM transmitters that carry the K-NEWS programming: KNNS, Beverly Hills, at 1260 AM with 5,000 watts full time; KNNZ, Costa Mesa, at 540 AM with 25,000 watts daytime; and 540 AM in San Diego (Tijuana). And, the FCC has just authorized K-NEWS to construct a new 10,000-watt station on 1650 AM, which will cover the entire market 24 hours a day.

We are dedicated to making K-NEWS successful because there is a need for the comprehensive, quality news that it provides. We knew it wouldn’t be easy to take on those other news operations owned by national mega-corporations, but the growing response to the K-NEWS programming that we are experiencing daily from an ever-increasing audience tells us that we are on the right track. We are confident that there are sufficient intelligent sophisticated listeners in Southern California who want the high-level news coverage K-NEWS is presenting. We are committed to K-NEWS on a long-term basis. Our KKGO-FM commenced playing classical music in 1989. Today, KKGO-FM is the only all-classical radio station in Los Angeles.

There are 3 million people out there who are eager to receive quality news on the radio, and they can receive it on K-NEWS. Incidentally, we have never interrupted Bach or any other composer to suggest that listeners tune in to K-NEWS, but even the professor should realize it would be foolish not to invite the 600,000 people who tune in to KKGO-FM every week to try K-NEWS.

Saul Levine

President

K-NEWS/KKGO-FM