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| Kevin Slaten |
According to stltoday.com, KXFN 1380 AM, which used to have sports but has been broadcasting in the “extreme radio’’ format in recent months, begins airing programming today that appears on the talkstl.com website. Kevin Slaten’s 3-6 p.m. sports show is its centerpiece.
Talkstl is leasing the station and began airing Yahoo Sports Radio syndicated fare over the weekend. It plans to carry that for most of the day for the time being, with Slaten having the only local show. But talkstl.com owner Scott Gertken said he plans to have a full local lineup in place by April 6, mostly sports but also with some humor.
“I thought it was important to get Kevin back on the air’’ right away, Gertken said.
Slaten, who has been on 1380 before, has been off traditional radio since KFNS 590 AM — Grand Slam’s other station — went off the air in November under a mountain of debt that crippled the longtime St. Louis sports-talk radio staple.“I’m real excited, this will be fun,’’ said Slaten, a sports-talk original when the format arrived locally in 1992. “We’ll keep doing what we’ve done all along.
“I’ve outlasted (former Cardinals manager Tony) La Russa and I’ve outlasted (Missouri athletics director) Mike Alden,’’ he added, citing two of his favorite targets of criticism. “We’re going to keep pointing out things no one else points out.”
Sources said 1380’s format switch is the fallout from a power-play between factions at Grand Slam, resulting in Mike Clavin being forced out this weekend.
He had been put in charge of many facets of the company a year ago as financial problems grew, then took full control last summer after Dan Marshall resigned as the company’s president. That was after he and broadcaster Brian McKenna had a fist fight in the station’s studios, which followed a long period of internal strife at the stations, with some accusing Marshall of malfeasance and disregarding the welfare of those working at the stations while others said he should be lauded because his personal financial backing kept the operation afloat.
Kevin,
ReplyDeleteNot sure if you touched on the subject but is there any legal remedy Ram's fans can't take against the NFL and owner Stan Kroenke. I am not a legal expert as you are sir but the thought of collusion between the NFL and Kroenke seems to make me think that maybe the Ram's fans can take it in their own hands to try and save the franchise.
I say collusion because the NFL changed its cross-ownership rules to allow Kroenke to buy the majority stake in the Rams even though Shad Khan was already set to do this at the time. It is no secret that the NFL wanted a team in St. Louis and Kroenke is the only owner who could build a stadium without tax payer money in cash strapped California. Now we are complying with the NFL once again by providing a viable plan to build a new stadium and the NFL is virtually doing nothing to stop Kroenke other than delaying the inevitable. I know this is not necessarily a legal issue but someone has to call in the integrity of the NFL if they are going to change its rule on a whim of this billionaire and alienate its fans.
I also thought about remedies for the PSL Owners and for the taxpayers who will be left with a tab for the current stadium with or without a team.
I appreciate your input on this matter.