Country music finds radio home

Ho-ho-hoedown? Just in time for Christmas, Southern California country music fans once again will have a place to turn on the radio dial as sister stations KKGO-AM (1260) and XSURF-AM (540) start simulcasting twangy music across the region on Dec. 1.

The independent stations, operated by the owner of classical station KMZT-FM (105.1), will tap some on-air personalities from KZLA-FM (93.9), which abandoned country in October for a contemporary pop-R&B; format.

KZLA’s move shocked many in the music industry because Southern California typically ranks No. 1 or 2 in retail sales of country music each year.

Former KZLA DJ Brian Douglas is the new station’s morning-drive DJ, and another KZLA alum, Whitney Allen, will take over the afternoon drive slot starting Jan. 1.

Mount Wilson FM Broadcasters, which also recently was chosen to take over operation of Cal State Long Beach-based jazz station KKJZ-FM (88.1), has used its AM stations over the years to fill niches created when other stations changed formats.

In recent years KKGO has shifted from pop standards to rock oldies to radio drama to pop standards again -- and now country music in the wake of Emmis Communications’ decision to change formats at KZLA.

Emmis, which renamed the station KMVN-FM, said the move was made to pump up ratings with a new format and the return to L.A. airwaves of longtime morning drive king Rick Dees.

XSURF, based in Tijuana, switched to country a few weeks ago and calls itself Country 540, but its signal is weak in many parts of Los Angeles. In combination with KKGO’s transmitter on Mt. Wilson, the new country programming will reach most of the Southland.

The station’s big deficit is the poorer audio fidelity of AM radio, which operators are trying to compensate for by also broadcasting the signal over KMZT’s HD2 channel and streaming it on the Internet at www.540country.com.

randy.lewis@latimes.com