Salem Communications will go country in Hawaii. (Media & Technology).SALEM Communications Salem Communications (NASDAQ: SALM) is a media company specializing in religious and conservative talk radio which operates in the United States, with 99 U.S. commercial radio stations (pending acquisitions) that are primarily concentrated in the nation's biggest markets, Corp. of Camarillo Camarillo (kă'mərē`yō), city (1990 pop. 52,303), Ventura co., S Calif.; inc. 1964. It is the center of a fertile farm area where citrus fruits and flowers are grown. has completed its acquisition of KJPN-AM in Honolulu Honolulu (hŏn'əl  `l, hōnō–), city (1990 pop. from International Communications
Corp. for $650,000, but some say Salem Salem, in the BibleSalem (sā`ləm) [Heb.,=peace], in the Bible, royal city of Melchizedek, traditionally identified with Jerusalem. Salem, city, India Salem, city (1991 pop. may have a difficult time pushing the radio station's new country music format. Ken Gaines, vice president of operations, said the station, whose call letters call letters pl.n. The identifying code letters or numbers of a radio or television transmitting station, assigned by a regulatory body. Also called call sign. were changed to KHCM-AM from KJPN-AM, has switched its format to country music to meet a growing need in the islands. Gaines said Salem, which has a tried and true strategy of changing the format of its newly-acquired stations to religious programming, will proceed with a country music format to fill a void left by defunct DEFUNCT. A term used for one that is deceased or dead. In some acts of assembly in Pennsylvania, such deceased person is called a decedent. (q.v.) country stations there. KHCM is Salem's fourth radio station in Hawaii and the state's sole country music station. It had been a Japanese-language station under its previous owner. Honolulu Star Bulletin media reporter Erika Eagle said Salem may have a challenge ahead in trying to succeed with country music in an area where that genre has not been all that popular in the past. "Country music has not been a financially viable format since the l980s, so there's a serious question whether it's going to work now," she said. "There are a lot of military people here who listen to country music, but they're not going to get Arbitron diaries to fill out. So that's an audience that is going to remain invisible in the ratings," she added. T.J. Malinevsky, station general manager, said there are sufficient country music listeners to make the station successful. KKHN-FM was the latest Hawaiian country station to fail when it changed its format to top40 music and its call letters to KKBM in November 2000. Programming for KHCM-AM will be beamed by satellite from the Jones Radio Network in Colorado. Salem owns and operates 84 radio stations, including KKLA-AM and KRLA-AM, both in 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. . Business Journal reporter Carlos Martinez may be reached at (818) 676-1750 ext. 17 or by e-mail at cmartinez@sfvbj.com. |
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