KHQ-6 weekend anchor Rob Hayes heading to Hollywood

ROB HAYES, a well-known Spokane TV anchor, is heading for a bigger market.

And we mean a really bigger market: Los Angeles, the No. 2 market in the country. (For comparison purposes, Spokane is No. 80.)

Hayes is a weekend anchor on KHQ-6 and has filled a number of other anchoring roles and reporting duties since he arrived at the station in 1999. He has been a co-anchor in the mornings and at 4:30 p.m., and has filled in at just about every slot on the schedule.

His last day at KHQ-6 will be Aug. 28. Then he’ll be a reporter and fill-in anchor at KABC-TV in L.A.

Station general manager Lon Lee called him “a really good guy with lots of talent.”

A Cat-like leap to No. 1

KDRK-FM (Cat Country 93.7) is atop the spring Arbitron radio ratings.

This country station is no stranger to No. 1, having been on top of the heap many times in years past – but not since the winter of 2000.

One other notable development: KCDA-FM (103.1) continues to climb with its “familiar new music and retro hits” format. It has shot from 13th place a year ago to second.

Here are the rankings, based on average quarter-hour share, copyright 2004 Arbitron Inc.:

1. KDRK-FM, country, 7.4.

2. KCDA-FM, hot adult-contemporary, 6.7.

3. KHTQ-FM, active rock, 6.0.

4. (tie) KXLY-FM, adult contemporary, 5.9.

4. (tie) KYWL-FM, contemporary hits-rhythmic, 5.9.

6. KXLY-AM, news-talk, 5.7.

7. (tie) KEYF-FM, oldies, 5.1.

7. (tie) KIXZ-FM, country, 5.1.

9. (tie) KKZX-FM, classic rock, 4.2.

9. (tie) KZBD-FM, classic rock, 4.2.

11. (tie) KISC-FM, adult-contemporary, 4.1.

11. (tie) KQNT-AM, news-talk, 4.1.

13. KZZU-FM, contemporary hits, 3.8.

14. KTSL-FM, Christian, 3.6.

15. KEZE-FM, hot adult contemporary, 3.4.

16. KGA-AM, news-talk, 2.3.

17. KEYF-AM, adult standards, 2.1.

18. KICR-FM, country, 2.0

19. KAQQ-AM, adult standards, 1.8.

20. KXLI-AM, sports talk, 1.0

21. (tie) KJRB-AM, sports talk, 0.8.

21. (tie) KVNI-AM, oldies, 0.8.

23. KSPO-FM, Christian talk, 0.7.

Uncle Larry on the air

Larry Pearson — aka Uncle Larry, one of Spokane’s veteran radio personalities — is back on the air on a new station.

Uncle Larry will take over as the afternoon man, 3 to 7 p.m., on KKZX-FM (Classic Rock, 98.9).

Pearson has been on the air since the glory days of KREM-FM back in the 1970s and early 1980s, when that station was the premiere progressive rock station in the market.

Then he moved on to the old KEZE-FM (not the same as the present KEZE-FM) a rock station that thrived until 1995 when it turned into KAEP-FM, The Peak.

He stayed with the Peak until a housecleaning back in 1999. Then he moved to the KXLY Broadcast Group, where he worked on-air at KHTQ-FM and did production work.

Uncle Larry started his new gig on Aug. 13.

A local kind of Real Country

KICR-FM (Real Country 102.3) has made a format change – but not an enormous one.

This Coeur d’Alene-based station is still playing “real country,” defined as classic country with some new country songs in the mix.

But the station and its simulcasting sister station KIBR-FM (102.5 in Bonner and Boundary counties in Idaho) dropped the syndicated satellite “Real Country” format from ABC Radio two weeks ago and inaugurated its own local version, with local air personalities and locally programmed music.

“Those DJs were out of Dallas,” said Dylan Benefield, the station’s general manager and program director. “Now it’s all locally programmed with local DJs. We’re doing everything in-house.”

The music is not too different from the old format, but Benefield said the change allows the station to “loosen up” the playlist a bit.

Free showcase concert

Another free concert has been announced in association with the Western Arts Alliance conference, which will bring 800 arts administrators to town the second week of September.

This concert is a showcase of artists from the independent label Motema Music on Sept. 9 from 6:30 to 11 p.m. at The Met.

The show will include tenor sax man Don Braden and his jazz trio; pianist Lynne Arriale; drummer/percussionist Babatunde Lea; singer-songwriter Jana Herzen; and R&B singer-songwriter Rob Nero.

For more information about this label, go to www.motema.com.

A new Labor Day concert

Here’s a new way to celebrate Labor Day: a free concert featuring Opera Plus and the Coeur d’Alene Symphony, Sept. 6 at 1 p.m. at Coeur d’Alene City Park on the lake in Coeur d’Alene.

The first annual “Labor Day Musical Picnic,” as they are calling it, will feature the symphony along with singers Julie Powell, William Rhodes and others singing the “All-American Songbook.” Singing along will be encouraged. There will even be a judged competition for best themed picnics.

And if you can’t get enough orchestral music, you’ll still have plenty of time to make it to Spokane for the Spokane Symphony’s traditional free Labor Day concert at Comstock Park at 6 p.m.

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