Big Changes at AM 1500 KSTP

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
CONTACT: Steve Konrad
651.647.2837 dir.
Program Director for AM 1500 KSTP

Whether you have been listening to AM1500 for a few days, a few years or, like me, since the 1970’s, I thank you for your interest in the radio station.

Because you are an AM1500 Insider, I wanted you to be among the first to learn about some big changes that are coming our way.

Radio is an ever-changing landscape and throughout its 87-year history, KSTP-AM has been known for many things. In the very earliest days, when my grandfather was programming the station, we covered a lot of news and carried the NBC radio network, we aired soap operas and played many different types of music. Later, when my dad ran the station, he played Jazz and classical music, and then evolved into playing rock music, which at times dismayed his dad.

On Monday, February 15, we evolve again, and you will know us as AM1500 The SportsTalk Station.

Joe Soucheray and Patrick Reusse invented SportsTalk in this town – arguably in the country – and we look forward to featuring them together every afternoon. They are wonderfully talented entertainers and storytellers, as individuals and as a team, and they will anchor our new line-up that we think you will enjoy.

Patrick will be heard each day from noon to 2p.m. Joe and Patrick together from 2 to 4p.m., then from 4-6p.m. “The Mayor” resumes the magical theater of “Garage Logic.”

For three years, we have enjoyed a tremendous partnership with the Minnesota Twins, and this new position enhances and strengthens our relationship with the Twins and their many fans. We look forward to being up and running before the Twins’ inaugural season at Target Field.

Also, at the center of these changes will be a new partnership with ESPN, the worldwide leader in sports coverage. ESPN has a contractual obligation to another outlet in town for a period of time, but beginning Monday you will hear the Colin Cowherd program from 9a.m. to noon. Soon, we will also bring you ESPN’s “Mike and Mike In The Morning,” and some other great ESPN programming throughout the week.

When those pieces are able to unfold, we will change our name to 1500 ESPN Twin Cities.

We are excited to embrace the next phase in our history, and we truly thank you for listening to the new AM1500 The SportsTalk Station.

Ginny Morris
President/General Manager
Hubbard Radio

Sounds like Paul Brand is gone. Would miss Al Momberg. Anythything is better than A.L. Brown. Like the home and garden show. Bear Facts?? They have a had a good run.

I don’t get it. KFAN has the constant ESPN feed. Guess that’s where the $$$$ is.

Mike and Mike weekdays? Probably just keep in on WCCO….

Miss the old days with Micshke, Jason Lewis, Rush.

-J.

It all went downhill when they fired Mischke. I wish he’d show up somewhere on the radio again instead of his City Pages deal.

Thank you 1500! I can’t stand Mike and Mike in the morning. Not sure what KFAN is going to put in place, but it HAS to be better.

hmmmm…i don’t listen to 1500 all that often, and there is no way i would listen to reusse by choice.

I like the Mike and Mike program, but i doubt it will overtake PA, same with The Common Man, and Barreiro in the afternoons.

hope it turns out good for them, but i have a feeling it will fail pretty badly.

I am preaty sure I am not going to like the new programming. I like the mix of news (local and national).
There is already enough stations in the area that cover sports.
Looks like time to start scanning for a new station.

Looks like Al is gone too….

KSTP-AM 1500 going to all-sports talk, joining ESPN
By Amy Carlson Gustafson
[email protected]
Updated: 02/11/2010 06:12:16 PM CST

There’s a shakeup going on at talk station KSTP-AM 1500. On Monday, the Hubbard-owned station is changing to AM1500 The Sportstalk Station.

But that name’s only temporary. The station has entered into a partnership with ESPN Radio and will eventually take on the title of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities. A date for that change has yet to be announced because ESPN Radio currently has a contract with the Clear Channel-owned station KFAN (1130 AM) that could last up to 60 days.

Starting Monday, listeners will hear ESPN radio’s Colin Cowherd from 9 a.m. to noon. Current morning show host Patrick Reusse will take over the noon to 2 p.m. timeslot and then join Pioneer Press columnist and KSTP host Joe Soucheray from 2 to 4 p.m. Soucheray’s “Garage Logic” will then be heard from 4 to 6 p.m. In the short term, Joe Anderson and Scott Korzenowski will host the morning show, and once the ESPN moniker is in place, Anderson will move back to the 6 p.m. slot and the station will air ESPN’s “Mike and Mike” show in the morning. Twins baseball will still be heard on the station, as well.

After struggling in the ratings, it was time for a change at AM 1500, said Dan Seeman, a vice president at Hubbard who helped make the switch happen.

“In a talk radio marketplace that’s gotten pretty crowed, we’ve found that it’s tough to succeed if you don’t own a position,” Seeman said. “KSTP-AM was the original talk station and for a long time that meant something — you could do some talk, some opinion, some sports. Well, then, all of a sudden you have specialized formats in conservative talk, liberal talk, sports talk, pop culture talk. We really decided we needed to settle on a position. And our strengths are Joe, Pat and Twins baseball. Sports, sports, sports.”

As of Thursday, the station had gotten rid of weekday on-air folks including Bob Berglund, Jay Kolls, mid-morning show hosts Shawn Prebil and Chris Murphy, late-night host Al Malmberg and midday host Kelly Webb.

In a prepared statement, Sean Breen, a senior vice president at ESPN Media Networks, said, “We are pleased to welcome Hubbard Broadcasting and KSTP as an ESPN Radio affiliate. Hubbard’s passion to serve the sports fan mirrors ESPN company-wide vision, and we look forward to serving the Twin Cities.”

Amy Carlson Gustafson can be reached at 651-228-5561.

I see this as a positive for KSTP. I will like it more in the short term then I will after ESPN gets entrenched.

I think most baseball fans acknowledge that Reusse is the best of the newspaper / radio / TV guys in town. Pat knows baseball.

I have always liked Joe Anderson from his KFAN days, glad he is on 1500.

Mike & Mike I can handle, I listen or watch them almost daily. Cowherd is the guy you may find most annoying, at least I do. He is all about ratings (which is why ESPN loves him) he will say anything he has to to create controversy to generate calls. Most days I will listen to Dan Patrick and Jim Rome rather then him.

Here is the big, big downside to this. They have zero out of town coverage. At night I can’t pick them up clearly in Princeton, a mere 50 miles away.

Wanna play with the big boys best get some power down there so people can hear you.

More of Pat & Joe together is a good thing. If Bear Facts and Paul Brand are out, I sure hope someone else picks them up.

I don’t think Bear Facts will be out. They are a cheap local production and I don’t think ESPN will have programming for that time slot anyway.

Paul Brand????? I don’t know what will happen there. He is well known and I wonder if KSTP would risk him moving over to WCCO if they let him go?

Interesting times ahead for sure.

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More of Pat & Joe together is a good thing. If Bear Facts and Paul Brand are out, I sure hope someone else picks them up.

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Bear Facts, Paul Brand and Garage logic were the only reasons I listen to 1500, I hope they stay around too.

al

Where am I going to find my bedtime dose of Coast to Coast?