Reno talk-radio personality J.R.
Reynolds will be back on the air in mid-October, Electric
Nevada has learned. His new show -- to air on radio
station KSRN, 92.1 FM, weekday evenings from seven to 10
-- will be much like the one he hosted for two-and-a-half
years on KKOH, said Reynolds. When KKOH station management
suddenly terminated Reynolds on August 2, many Reno fans
reacted angrily and vociferously. And although station
officials said the decision was purely business -- an
effort to secure greater audience numbers with a
different host -- Reynolds himself noted that KKOH
program director Dan Mason had also fired him another
time, when both he and Reynolds had worked at another
Reno radio station. Although the exact date for the
launch of Reynolds' new evening talk show has not yet
been set, he said, KSRN's decision itself is "a done
deal." "It'll be a variety talk show
that won't be very much different from what I was doing
on KOH, [though] perhaps a little less politically
oriented, because of the time slot," said Reynolds. "But nonetheless, it still will
be the same call-in format. There will be guests
scheduled from time to time. We'll certainly talk a lot
about local issues, whatever seems to hit the hot buttons
here locally." KSRN, which specializes in music
primarily of the '40s and '50s, is making an exception to
its format by featuring the talk show during the prime
evening hours, said Reynolds. And because the talk-show format
requires significant engineering support, he said, the
station is also making a significant financial commitment
to secure that support. Reynolds acknowledges it will be a
slightly
different game doing a talk show in an
evening slot, compared with his old 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.
slot.
"It's restricted quite a
bit," he said. "You obviously lose the casual
talk listener, who likes to tune in during the day for
whatever reason [while] driving around, to and from, and
happens to tune in to the talk format.
"However, having said that,
once a nighttime program catches on in popularity, it
begins to find its own niche. Right now, here in Reno
radio, [night talk radio] is pretty much non-existent.
The dominant stations are rock, heavy metal -- that sort
of alternative music, and that's mainly listened to by
kids. And then of course a music format, such as
KSRN."
Regarding KSRN, he said, the
challenge will be to not chase away established 92.1
listeners who tune in for the music.
Reynolds acknowledge Michael Reagan
is broadcast in the 7 to 10 time slot on KOH, but says
he'll be aided by the fact that the KOH program is on
tape.
"I would be, as far as ratings
are concerned, fighting for his audience and trying to
get it. But that would be a good thing, because Michael
Reagan is no longer live in that time slot; he's now
broadcasting in the afternoon. He has a flagship station
in Los Angeles, so he's on afternoons there. He
broadcasts from three to seven, and then he is
tape-delayed here on KOH. So it's not even a live
participation show; it's something that's three hours
old."