St. Cloud Times from Saint Cloud, Minnesota • Page 6

6A Daily Times, St. Cloud, Minn. Aug. 16, 1682 PLO Radio Gaps in music programming and the lack of television have caused two broadcasters to start radio stations in the St. Cloud market.

Last fall, Kleven's KKCM went on the air because there is no TV serving the area and he felt he could attract a sizeable 25- to 54-year-old audience with country music. KCLD and KNSI owner and general manager Al Leighton came into the St. Cloud market in 1975 to fill the contemporary music niche. "Seven years ago when we came to town," Leighton said, "There wasn't a contemporary station that catered to the 18 to 49 and college-age group. The hole in the market was perfect.

It was kind of like that old saying in radio, 'Magic' KCLD captured those college-age and young adult listeners and remains first or tied for first in overall ratings of St. Cloud stations. WWJO-FM and WJON-AM owner Andy Hilger said he started playing country music on WWJO in 1971. At that time, there wasn't a country station in town and Hilger now considers WWJO to be the "three-county voice." Much of this regional reputation can be attributed to WWJO's 100,000 watt broadcast signal, which like KCLD's can easily be heard from a distance of 60 miles. The third jointly-owned pair of radio stations broadcast from Sauk Rapids.

WHMH-FM and WVAL-AM are relatively low-power in signal, strength and ratings compared to the other five stations and play soft rock and country music. But Herb Hoppe, WHMH and WVAL owner, has plans to change WVAL's broadcast frequency and signal strength if an application filed with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recently is approved. WVAL currently broadcasts on a frequency of 800 kilohertz right next to WCCO-AM from Minneapolis on the radio dial but can broadcast only during daylight hours because the signal would interfere with another station after sundown. If the FCC application is approved, Hoppe would change WVAL's broadcast frequency to 660 kilohertz and boost his signal strength to 10,000 watts during the day and 1,000 watts at night. The frequency change would allow WVAL to broadcast 24 hours a day.

Music format changes are in store for WHMH too, Hoppe said. Although he wouldn't hint at the type of music he's considering, Hoppe said his plan would fill a musical niche not now filled in the St. Cloud area. Considering that country, contemporary and KNSI's new 35-plus formats are taken, radio DJs speculate that Hoppe will pick an "easy listening" format similar to St. Paul's KEEY-FM.

Despite all the competition, there remains a possibility that a Michigan firm could build the St. Cloud market's fifth AM station in Sartell a station that would be at 1030 on the dial. The FCC has not yet decided whether to grant the Hercules Broadcasting Co. of Utica, permission to build the station. As well as musical catering to listeners, gimmicks are used by stations to attract listeners.

Leighton and Hilger have invested in color radar systems devices usually seen on television 7- to help boost ratings. While listeners can't see color radar by looking at radio speakers, they can stroll down to KCLDKNSI's new $1.3 million Radio City Music Mall and watch the weather on color TV. WWJO and WJON also have a color monitor in their station lobby. Disc jockeys and radio executives agree that the height of St. Cloud radio competition was reached last October, when KKCM entered the market with a competetive news staff, talk shows and even a news sheet distributed to area restaurants in the morning.

That wasn't the only change in the market during that period. KCLD-AM changed its call letters to KNSI for news, sports and information and started a morning talk show featuring Claire Bennett and Norm Aldred opposite WJON's long-time morning personality Galen Johnson. (For a portrait of St Cloud'a top radio personality, see page IB.) Hilger, who has been broadcasting in St. Cloud since 1958, attributes much of the competition to imitation of successful WJON, a station that he said echoes the St. Cloud community- "We've got a lot of people aping us," Hilger said.

"I think it would be better if they found their own niche instead of trying to emulate what we're doing." Countered Bennett: "A talk show is not an original idea. I wouldn't say it's copying (WJON) because a lot of stations do talk shows." Even so, WJON is recognized by competitors as the most consistent news and information station and Hilger rattles off a list of news and feature programs on "John," as he calls the station. WJON has news, in-depth interviews on the morning Focus program, audience participation on the morning Party Line show, citizen editorial time on air and station editorial spots by Hilger. Since KKCM's October entrance into the market, WWJOWJON's news department has remained at four full-time positions, with IVi more positions in the station's farm news department. KCLDKNSI's news department will be back to 3Vi full-time positions after being short one position during the stations' move to their new Mall Germain station.

And KKCM, after initially fielding two reporters, will terminate one because station ad revenue hasn't met earlier projections. Kleven said that when he opened KKCM he hoped to take a chunk out of the 25 percent of advertising dollars in the area that he estimated usually would be spent on television. But the money has not been there, he said. "Of the markets I've built in," he said, "I believe this is the first time we've had any trouble hitting our projections. "Some combination of the economy and the market saw not much growth in our (advertising) presales," Kleven said.

"We've scaled down our anticipation from very illustrious at the beginning, being realistic in the middle and being pretty Spartan today." That Spartan approach will mean only News Director Mike Sullivan and disc jockey Mark Lucker, who will report half-time, will handle news for the station. Sullivan said the loss of a reporter will reduce KKCM's coverage. "There will be some events that we obviously won't be able to cover," Sullivan said. "The Sauk Rapids school board, the Sartell school board, maybe the park and rec board. But if it's an important meeting, we'll be there." KKCM's news focus will shift to more in-depth stories as a result of the budget cut, Sullivan said.

WHMH and WVAL have a one-man news department, and haven't been affected by the news competition. "For the size of the market," Bennett said, "this is incredibly competetive. Five years ago when I came to St. Cloud we had a very small news operation. And to be honest about it, it took five years to build up a news department." WWJOWJON News Director Bill Henderson rates his operation as the model news department, and said his reporters thrive on the competition.

"I hate to see people cutting back," Henderson, who assembled WCCO-FM's news department in Minneapolis before coming to St. Cloud. St. Cloud's radio stations will continue to provide news, information and public information programming unavailable in larger radio markets, according to Norm Aldred, KNSI sales manager. "I think if there was a TV (station) in this market, there would be more emphasis on music and talk programming to create listenership," Aldred said.

Until a TV station blinks on in St. Cloud, St. Cloud radio will continue to stand for a little more than just radio. "Radio is special," Hilger said. "It appeals to the picture tube of the imagination." But the official said despite the re-, maining "technicalities," he saw no new obstacles to the pullout, and Cabi-, net Secretary Dan Meridor said a final evacuation agreement might be reached this week.

i Foreign Minister Yitzhak Shamir, however, warned, "Despite the optimistic news coming from Jerusalem, they (the Palestinian guerrillas) should know that the military option still exists." Begin today publicly rejected a demand by a member of Parliament that he fire Defense Minister Ariel Sharon for authorizing two days of bombing on Beirut without Cabinet approval. "Sharon is a good defense minister. I believe in him," the prime minister said. Begin objected earlier to the French vanguard and the participation of a token U.N. force, claiming France and the world organization were hostile to the Jewish state.

Opposition to the French was withdrawn after the Cabinet received assurances from the French government Sunday that its troops would step aside if the PLO tried to renege on the withdrawal and hide behind the multinational force. The United States-has given Jerusalem a similar pledge. Israel army radio said the prime minister told the Cabinet they could afford to show flexibility toward in-' elusion of U.N. troops, and the ministers agreed to a small contingent. Lebanon's state radio said 10 U.N..

observers were allowed through Israeli lines into west Beirut on Sunday to begin monitoring the 11th cease-fire, of the war. But U.N. spokesman Samir Sanbar said the observers were' waiting word from Israel before begin- ning monitor duties. Once Israel agrees to their deployment, between 120 and 150 observers: would be needed to monitor the cease-: fire, he said. There were reports of scattered-sniper fire and Israeli-PLO clashes in eastern Lebanon.

Fresh fruits and vegetables appeared ip west Beirut Sunday for the first time in weeks, but they were; selling for two to four times their pre. invasion cost. Vendors were evasive, when asked how they got past the: Israeli blockade. Although the Israeli army lately' has relaxed a three-week-old blocade on water and food supplies towest-Beirut's half-million civilian residents, a ban remained in force on electricity and fuel supplies for a fourth' week. Israeli officials rejected plans by anj Arab-American group to bring wound-j ed Lebanese children from west; Beirut to U.S.

hospitals. The Israeli; Health Ministry called the plan "propaganda effort," and said casual-; ties were getting adequate care in; Lebanese and Israeli hospitals. "I don't think there are many problems left," said Saeb Salam, the 77-year-old Lebanese elder statesman. He added that the evacuation would involve more than 7,000 PLO guerrillas and about 5,000 Syrian troops and Syrian-backed Palestine Liberation Army units. Even the normally pessimistic Foreign Minister Fuad Butros, who sat in on the meeting with Habib, was hopeful.

"I believe we are nearing a solution within this week," he told The Associated Press. In Washington, White House spokesman Larry Speakes said, "We remain reasonably optimistic. There are still some unresolved issues." He did not elaborate. After consultations in Jerusalem Sunday between Habib and Prime Minister Menachem Begin, the Israeli Cabinet withdrew its objections to French troops spearheading the entry of the multi-national peacekeeping force into west Beirut and the timing of that deployment. A Cabinet communique also appeared to soften Israel's insistence on checking each outgoing guerrilla against Israeli intelligence lists.

It said some sort of verification must be made but left open the mechanics. But at least one major stumbling block remained: Israel's insistence that the PLO return Israeli pilot Aharon AhiaZ) who was shot down and captured in southern Lebanon on the first day of the invasion June 6, and the bodies of nine soldiers missing since Israel's 90-day invasion of southern Lebanon in 1978. Lebanese sources said the PLO proposed a swap for guerrillas captured by Israel. But the Cabinet communique insisted the "pilot and the missing persons will be handed over to the International Red Cross before the beginning of the terrorist departure." Salam was quoted by Beirut newspapers as saying the demand already was "under discussion between the PLO and the International Red Cross." Another possible problem was Israel's demand that Syrian troops in Beirut leave Lebanon entirely. Salam said Syria had agreed to move the Syrian troops in Beirut and the 3,500 PLA units to the Bekaa Valley, where the bulk of its estimated 30,000 troops in the country are concentrated.

Israel is expected to turn its gun-sights on the Syrians in the valley once the PLO leaves west Beirut. Jerusalem has insisted since the outset of the invasion that it will not leave Lebanon until all foreign forces depart. A senior Israeli official who declined to be identified said Israel' wants to verify that all PLO forces leave Beirut because it suspects the organization is planning to leave several thousand fighters behind, perhaps by putting teen-agers on the evacuation vehicles in their place. Music formats on St. Cloud radio are country-and-western or soft rock, with the exception of KNSI's recent venture into a "Music of Your Life" format to attract listeners over age 35 with popular classic tunes.

Music styles vary, but one word describes the St. Cloud Sound: Inoffensive. Rich Habedank, operations manager for WWJO-FM and WJON-AM another jointly owned pair of stations said three formats dominate St. Cloud airwaves. They are news and information, country-and-western and adult contemporary, which includes more conservative rock hits.

WJON's music selection is "based not on what's hot nationwide, but what's going to be least offensive," Habedank said. The station avoids songs that are "tune out factors," or risky to play. Habedank considers highly-rated WJON a news and information station, with songs interwoven with news, weather and talk shows. But its FM counterpart WWJO's country tunes also are picked not to offend listeners. "Country is laden with four-letter words," Habedank mused.

"And by that I mean really explicit." In July, competitor KNSI switched to the Music of Your Life format, which features older popular tunes and artists like Frank Sinatra and Peggy Lee along with the big band music of the 1940s. 'There are certain sounds that may suggest to the older listener that maybe it's something related to drugs," Abbey said. "You'll never hear a Beatles song (on KNSI), but you'll hear some of their music, like Frank Sinatra doing KNSI's sister station, KCLD-FM, caters to the young adult, according to Mike Moffett, the station's programming director. "The FM format has changed to more mainstream material than it was maybe two or three years ago," Moffett said. "I would call it contemporary hit radio.

Contemporary radio, hit product." Hard-edged rock groups like ACDC or the exceedingly soft sounds of Barbara Streisand are on opposite sides of KCLD's middle-of-the-road format. Each station's musical style is meant to capture a "niche" in the market, or a demographic group that will remain loyal to the station. "KCLD is the best example of a niche I can think of because they're well-established," said Les Kleven, owner of Waite Park-based KKCM-AM. "They've played to that younger group for a long, long time and it's theirs. They own it." Ratings- tely, you really need identical studies taken in sequence," Habedank said.

The 1981 ratings showed KCLD leading the seven St. Cloud-area stations with a 15 percent share, or total number of people age 12 and older listening to radio between 6 a.m. and midnight during the week. The Arbitron survey placed WJON-AM second with 13.3 percent; Albany's KASM-AM and WWJO-FM tied for third at 9.9; KCLD-AM (now KNSI), 3.4; WVAL-AM, 1.7; and WHMH-FM last among local stations with 1.3 percent of listeners. (Many Twin Cities stations were included in the Arbitron survey, the most highly rated being WCCO-AM with 11.2 percent of the audience.) Since no one is willing to pay $13,000 for an "Arbie," as radio workers call the studies, other local surveys have been conducted.

"I essentially see WJON and KCLD leading the pack," said Steve Frank, a St. Cloud State University political science professor who has conducted several local radio surveys. "There's another group in the middle and the others blip." Surveys were taken in May by SCSU (partially funded by WWJO and WJON) and by KKCM. KCLD and WJON cleaned up in both, tying for first place in the SCSU survey. KCLD edged WJON in the KKCM-financed ratings, conducted by Meyer Associates Inc.

of St. Cloud. These polls were done differently than the Arbitron ratings. They were conducted by telephone, and people were asked to recall which radio sta- How the stations stack up Mr AT Station SCSU KKCM poll poll KCLD-FM 38 36.1 WJON 38 344 WCCO 20 94 WWJO-FM 1 1 7 2 KQRS-FM 8 72 KNSI 9 83 KSTP 6 10 KSJR-FM 6 56 KKCM 6 11.1 WCCO-FM 6 39 WHMH-FM 4 44 WVAL 3 22 KASM 2 17 Other 21 12 DUE to LOAN DEFAULT and BANK FAILURE! 12 to 3-AC RE VACATION LAND LOTS Located off State Highway 10, six miles north of Randall, Minnesota. Between Brainerd and Little Falls, in vicinity of Lake Alexander, Shamineau Lake, Mississippi River and Crow Wing River.

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ft. clubhouse, tennis court, large swimming pool, hard-packed gravel roads. The percentages represent that portion of the residents polled that said they listened to each station during the two surveys taken in May. SCSU surveyed 560 people age 18 and older. KKCM polled 200 people age 21 and older.

The percentages total more than 100 percent because people were allowed to name more than one station. take a demographic breakout and they're No. 1 between 8:30 and 8:45 at night. And you'd be right (in announcing it). "Orally," Henderson added with a smirk, "you can't print the asterisk." tion(s) they had listened to recently, within the last 48 hours for the KKCM poll and during the past "several days" for SCSU's survey.

Thirty-eight percent of the SCSU survey's 560 respondents age 18 and over said they had listened to KCLD-FM and WJON-AM. Ratings dropped sharply to WWJO-FM, cited by 11 percent; KNSI-AM, KKCM, WHMH-FM, and WVAL-AM last among the seven local stations with 3 percent. About 180 listeners age 21 and over in the KKCM survey rated KCLD-FM first for 36.1 percent; WJON-AM, 34.4; KKCM, 11.1; KNSI-AM, 8.3; WWJO-FM, 7.2; WHMH-FM, 4.4; and WVAL-AM rounding out the local ratings with 2.2 percent. One difference between the two polls is KKCM's 11.1 percent rating in its own poll compared with 6 percent in the SCSU survey. There could be several reasons for this.

The KKCM poll included only people aged 21 and over, the survey areas differed (KKCM's included Cold Spring as well as the metropolitan St. Cloud area), and telephone number selection was different. "I guess I have a lot more confidence in (Meyer Associates') ability to do a poll than I do in St. Cloud State," said Les Kleven, owner of KKCM. Radio stations can choose figures, separating demographic groups and breaking the day down into 15-minute blocks that are the basis of Arbitron ratings, and improve their ratings at least on the air.

"Any station, at any time, can say they're No. 1," said WWJO and WJON news director Bill Henderson. "You Erdahl was at first uncommitted on the tax bill. But after returning to Minnesota following his meeting with Reagan, he said he likely will vote for the compromise measure. "Parts of it I don't like," the 1st District congressman said, but he added that the package should lower the federal deficit and help close tax loopholes.

lose part of the LEASING: under the year would be OIL TAXES: allowed to use to avoid U.S. tax CORPORATE deductions, such businesses to cut percent. Corporations their estimated companies toughened. Major scheduled in 1985 mm Reagan UNEMPLOYMENT TAX: The employer-paid tax that finances unemployment compensation would be raised by about $1.20 a month per worker. UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS: Additional federal benefits of up to 10 weeks would be available to jobless workers from Sept.

12 through next March 31. FEDERAL WORKERS: Would have to pay 1.3 percent of a base wage (a top tax of $460 next year) into the Social Security system to finance Medicare benefits. MINIMUM TAX: An existing tax designed to ensure that upper-income investors individuals pay some tax regardless of how many big deductions they have would be strengthened. PENSIONS: High-earning professionals who shelter big chunks of their income in retirement plans would tax advantage of such plans. Benefits made available to businesses "safe-harbor leasing" provision enacted last repealed at the end of 1983.

U.S. oil companies would no longer be foreign tax credits from extraction income on other income. TAXES: The value of some special as the oil depletion allowance, used by their taxes would be reduced by 15 would have to pay 90 percent of taxes up from 80 percent in quarterly Tax treatment of certain life insurance and long-term contractors would be expansions of depreciation deductions and 1986 would be repealed. 25 down, 8 A.P.R. (annual interest), 90 days Open to the Public: Saturday, Aug.

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neal Estate Liquidators, inc. 6850 Wayzata Blvd. Minneapolis, Minn. Obtain the Property Report, or its equivalent, required by Federal and State law, and read it before signing anything. No Federal or State agency has judged the merits or value, if any of this property.

Erdahl expected to back tax bill Erdahl said an alternative to rais ing taxes is more spending cuts, and he said social programs "have taken all the cutting they can" although "excessive" defense spending could be trimmed. "I trust that people will accept this (tax bill) as responsible action," said Erdahl, who's running in the newly created 6th District this fall. MINNEAPOLIS (AP) Congress man Arlen Erdahl says some "strong arguments" by President Reagan persuaded him to support the $98.3 billion tax increase bill approved by House and Senate negotiators. Erdahl, a Republican, was among about 30 congressmen who were flown via helicopter to a meeting with Rea-can, Sunday at Camp David. 4.