Public outcry leads to a new dawn for KJUL

Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2005 | 8:09 a.m.

KJUL is back.

One month after the Beasley Broadcast Group flipped its format from adult standards to country, Summit American Inc. flipped its format from country to adult standards.

"Stations are licensed for the purpose of serving the community," Summit President and General Manager Scott Gentry said. "When we saw the outcry over the change in formats, we decided to take it over.

"This is our way of putting back something into the community."

The new KJUL is at 104.7 on the FM dial. Its former location was 104.3.

The switch took place at noon Monday at the Summit offices and studio at 150 Spectrum Blvd.

"We have taken KJUL, and we are going to make it even better," Gentry said.

Duke Morgan, the afternoon announcer on the old station, has joined the new organization and will be heard live from 3 p.m. until 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. He will be on tape from noon until 3 p.m.

Scott O'Neil, the popular morning announcer, has not come aboard. He continues to work for Beasely as a part-time announcer with KSTJ 102.7-FM (Star 102.7).

However, KJUL will still have a "Scott" in the morning -- Scott Gentry, who was an on-air personality from 1971 to 1980 on KENO -- will hold that position until someone else is hired.

Gentry and his brother, Kurt (vice president and station manager), have owned 104.7 for about seven years. It was a Spanish-oriented station until July, when it changed its format to country.

Kurt Gentry said he was amazed that Beasley abandoned such a popular format.

"I didn't anticipate they would step back from one of the top three formats in the valley," he said.

The brothers spent two years developing the station's country format, only to change it within a month after Beasley's move.

"Country was a great format, and we would have done great with it," Kurt Gentry said. "It was a hard decision."

But it would have taken lots of money to fight the competition, and so they decided to pick up the fallen banner.

"This won't be an overnight success," Kurt Gentry said. "But we have listened to the listeners."

Gentry said one of the immediate problems the station faces is its radio tower, which is on a Moapa Valley mountain northeast of Las Vegas. Only 75 percent to 80 percent of the potential listeners in the Las Vegas Valley are able to pick up 104.7.

The tower will be moved in the months ahead, and Gentry says the entire valley will then be able to hear the station.

The station may also be heard on the Internet at kjul1047.com.

Acquiring the call letters was important to the Gentrys. Without them, it would have been difficult to market their new format.

Scott Gentry said Beasley quit using the letters and they were picked up by Morgan Skinner, who is in the broadcast industry in St. George, Utah.

"You can apply for call letters anytime they are given up," Gentry said.

Fortunately, Gentry knows Skinner.

"I worked with him 20 years ago," Gentry said.

Gentry asked how much he would charge for the letters, and Skinner gave them to the brothers.

"It was very unselfish of him," Gentry said.

KJUL fans are happy with the change.

"I'm really pleased," said Judi Booe, who organized a petition campaign. "This shows how civic activism can make a difference.

"We are going to support KJUL to be sure this never happens again."