This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2010, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
KSL NewsRadio is saying goodbye to its top-rated "The Sean Hannity Show" Friday afternoon.
Fans of the conservative talk-show host and firebrand need not worry, though.
On Monday, rival talk-radio station KNRS-FM (105.7 FM)will pick up "The Sean Hannity Show" at the same time KSL aired the show.
KNRS, a Clear Channel station, will make room for Hannity by having nationally syndicated Dr. Laura Schlessinger make her last broadcast Friday.
The changes at the two stations have been precipitated by both scandal (in Schlessinger's case) and a new emphasis on local content by KSL NewsRadio.
In July, KSL announced its plan to end its relationship with Hannity in order to focus on local issues. KNRS officials speculated it was because Hannity's often-divisive tone was contradictory to KSL's new mission statement, issued by KSL Broadcasting Chief Executive Officer Mark Willes in January.
Willes is head of Deseret Management Corp., the for-profit arm of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, that owns KSL. The mission said in part, "We are trusted voices of light and knowledge, reaching hundreds of millions of people worldwide." Among the principles are "integrity, civility, morality and respect for all people," he said.
KNRS jumped at the chance to add Hannity to its line-up, which includes fellow conservative hosts Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh. "[Hannity] is a natural fit for KNRS," said Greg Foster, program director of KNRS. "We have talked with Sean and he is very excited about coming."In Salt Lake City, Hannity's talk-show was the No. 1 rated show in his time slot in total listeners under the now-discarded Arbitron diary ratings system. "The Sean Hannity Show" was also the top-rated program in six of the first nine months of electronic measurement that began last fall, a summer KSL news release said.
Hannity will replace the 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. time slot previously held by Schlessinger, who announced in August that she was ending her program in December. She had been under fire for uttering the N-word 11 times in an August call from a black woman who was asking advice on how to deal with racist comments from her white husband's friends and relatives.
"We thank Dr. Laura for 10 great years on KNRS," reads a statement on KNRS's Website. " Her program was a trusted source of moral advice for thousands on Utahns. She will be missed."
Repeated calls to KSL NewsRadio executives were not returned, but Dallas talk-show host Jay McFarland announced on Sept. 24 on his show that he was moving to Salt Lake City to take a hosting job at KSL. It is likely that the conservative McFarland, a Latter-day Saint who has authored books on politics and making marriages work, will take Hannity's spot in the afternoon.