Lady Gaga is out and Rush Limbaugh in at local FM station 92.5, with a major format change taking effect at midnight.
In a bid to boost ratings, the Clear Channel property is giving up its soft rock stylings and will begin simulcasting with sister station KFBK, AM 1530, the longtime home of talk show hosts Limbaugh, Tom Sullivan and local personalities such as Kitty O'Neal and John McGinness.
Jeff Holden, Clear Channel's local general manager, said 92.5 was "doing OK" with the music format described as "more variety from the '90s to today."
But he said the hope is to raise numbers by exposing a new group of mostly-younger people to AM-style programming.
"In Sacramento, 65 percent of the market never even listens to the AM side," he said.
Many PDA devices don't receive AM, he said, and many younger listeners "just don't go there ... because of the perception it's your parents' station."
But in other markets where companies have migrated AM programming to FM, many younger listeners have been drawn in, lowering the stations' core demographics and creating more advertising opportunities, Holden said.
While 92.5 listeners will notice the biggest change on Friday, KFBK regulars also will see some new wrinkles in their regular programming, Holden said, including the use of more contemporary music when the station switches from one segment to another.
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