KJZN (FM 105.5) has switched from a conservative talk radio format to a sports talk lineup featuring programming from the CBS Sports Radio Network.
The local station, owned by Wilks Broadcasting, is now being called "The Game."
The station's general manager, Jeff Bray, says the main reason for the switch was that there was no FM radio station broadcasting a sports talk lineup in Fresno. But Jim Rome moving to the CBS Sports Network also played into the decision to change formats.
Rome was previously heard on KCBL (AM 1340) until he switched to being syndicated by the CBS Sports Radio Network instead of the Fox Sports Radio Network. He was replaced on KCBL on Jan. 2 by actor-comedian Jay Mohr in the 9 a.m. time slot.
Now in Fresno, Rome can be heard 9 a.m. to noon on KJZN. The rest of the weekday lineup for the station includes:
-- John Feinstein, 3-6 a.m.
-- Doug Gottlieb, noon-3 p.m.
-- Chris Moore & Brian Jones, 3 p.m.-7 p.m.
-- Scott Farrell, 7 p.m.-midnight
-- Damon Amendolara, midnight-3 a.m.
-- Tiki Barber, Brandon Tierney and Dana Jacobson, 3-6 a.m.
Bray wants to add a local sports talk show host to the lineup.
The switch to sports talk is the first change for the station since 2009 when KJZN went from a Smooth Jazz format to the talk station known as "105.5 The Truth." That lineup included Erich "Mancow" Muller, Laura Ingraham, Jerry Doyle and Rusty Humphries. No local stations have picked up the lineup.
"The Game" joins a crowded field in Fresno as KCBL airs Fox Sports and KFIG (AM 940) is home to ESPN.
Back in Fresno
Joe Collins promised in June when he changed the format of KOKO (FM 94.3) to a pure oldies station that he would add on-air staff as soon as possible. He's kept that promise with the hiring of longtime Fresno radio personality J. (Jerry) Weiden- heimer to handle the 4-7 p.m. shift. His first day was Monday.
"He brings a wealth of radio experience, plus, he grew up in Southern California and heard all the great heritage Top 40 radio stations play the music that, years later, would be brought back to life on Oldies But Goodies KOKO 94," says Collins.
Weidenheimer was fired November 2005 from his longtime job at KEZL (FM 96.7), a station he helped launch in 1988.
Previously he left Fresno in 1994 to work at radio stations in Bakersfield and Visalia. He returned to KEZL in 1998 but ended up on the jazz station in San Diego after his last departure from Fresno.
Dating blues
Fresno native Stephanie Costa was one of the lovesick daters who appeared on the Jan. 29 edition of the Bravo reality series "Millionaire Matchmaker."
The task for host Patti Stanger, a third-generation matchmaker who founded the Millionaires Club in 2000, was to teach Costa how to avoid the losers and be ready when the right person comes along.
Press material for the cable series describes Costa as "an attractive, young millionaire, who has a squeaky voice and an unlikely career as a retirement-home magnate. She just turned 30 and is ready for a serious man, but is used to dating jobless losers with no ambition."
Stanger's match for Costa was with a man who was a doctor and a lawyer. The chemistry didn't work out after he said he had been out on 400 dates in two years.
Other news
Talk time: Jordan King, the Associated Students Inc. communications assistant at Fresno State, is hosting "Dog Dish" from 9 p.m. to midnight Thursdays on the school's radio station, KFSR (FM 90.7). The show will be a place for students to express their opinions.
New voices: A morning radio show hosted by Alex "El Genio" Lucas started airing in the 4-10 a.m. weekdays slot on KHIT (FM 107.1) in late January. The local Spanish-language radio station also added "The Rosmar Vega Show" from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. weekdays.
On the air: The First Armenian Presbyterian Church of Fresno has moved its weekly Armenian language broadcast from KIRV (AM 1510) to KQEQ (AM 1210). The program airs 10-10:30 a.m. on Sundays. The church broadcast was started in June 2000.
Test your skills: "American Ninja Warrior" is looking for contestants for its fifth season scheduled to air during the summer on G4 and NBC. Applicants, who must be 21 or older, should go to www.ANWTryouts.com and submit an online video to describe why they should be deemed worthy for the show.
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