RADIO 540 AM GOES COUNTRY.Byline: Fred Shuster Music Writer Country has found a trail back to local radio. In a surprise move, Mount Wilson Broadcasting For the Canadian psychiatrist of the same name, see . Mount Wilson FM Broadcasters, Inc. is a Los Angeles-based company owned by Saul Levine. Levine is the only independent operator of a FM commercial radio station in Los Angeles today. this week abandoned pop standards on its 540 AM signal and began spinning contemporary country music instead. The format flip comes two months after the city's last full-time country outlet, KZLA-FM (93.9), lost faith in Faith Hill and booted the music off the air. The new station, now known as 540 Country, will be DJ-free until Oct. 28, when a stampede of ex-KZLA announcers, including Whitney Allen Whitney Allen is an actress best known for portraying Ms. Sally on the HBO prison drama Oz. and Brian Douglas Brian Douglas' career spans over 20 years in radio, and from coast to coast. Previous to his coming to Dial Global, where he is heard by over 1.7 million listeners daily, Brian could be heard on such stations as KZLA-FM, 540/1260 AM, and KYSR-FM in the Los Angeles area. , come aboard. Station owner Saul Levine says he made the change to serve the area's large number of country listeners. Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. has the nation's second- highest country album sales and fans regularly sell out local arena stops by major acts. ``When KZLA went off the air, a lot of people wrote to us and said we were their only hope since we're the last independent station owner in the area,'' Levine said. ``When we decided to do it, one man said he was actually crying.'' Prompted by stagnant audience growth, the owners of KZLA abruptly switched to an r&b format in August, with Rick Dees headlining mornings. ``Country on KZLA left town because it wasn't making $40 (million) to $50 million a year,'' said Levine, who also owns and operates classical K-Mozart (105.1). ``We'll be happy with a fraction of that.'' Levine said Country 540 will pick up where KZLA left off -- spinning top-selling artists like George Strait George Harvey Strait, (born May 18, 1952), is an American country music singer. The native Texan is known for his honky tonk country western sound. Strait is sometimes referred to as the "King of Country" and some critics call Strait a living legend (Bego, 2001). , Josh Turner Josh Otis Turner (born November 20, 1977 in Hannah, South Carolina) is an American country music singer. Biography Early in his life, Josh Turner sang tenor and bass parts in his church choir. and Vince Gill, bringing touring acts to the station and broadcasting the Grand Ole Opry Grand Ole Opry, weekly American radio program featuring live country and western music. The nation's oldest continuous radio show, it was first broadcast in 1925 on Nashville's WSM as an amateur showcase. on Sunday evenings. As for standards, Johnny Mathis, Frank Sinatra and Rod Stewart continue to shine on Levine's 1260 AM signal. Fred Shuster, (818) 713-3676 fred.shuster(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Vince Gill will be among the artists on new 540 Country. Mark Mainz/Getty Images |
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