Radio roundelay

Club 96.7 listeners were in for a surprise when they tuned in Sunday (June 17) and heard the sound of squealing pigs. No, it wasn’t a bad trip—the friendly farm animals ushered in the arrival of KPIG, the legendary free-form radio station out of Freedom, Calif.

Michael Kempf, market manager for Radio Chico, said advertisers in Chico weren’t as supportive of Club’s hip-hop format, and that was a big part of the decision to change. KPIG’s format of rock, country and bluegrass hits a much larger demographic (25-54) than Club’s 18-34 audience.

Kempf said two former Club deejays will move over to 107.5 The Point and 95.7 KALF, which are both owned by Mapleton Communications. Boomer Davis, who played a major part in the growth of Club and served as operations manager for all four stations, including 93.9 KFM, will be cut back to program director for KALF.

Davis, with the station for 4 1/2 years, said he’s received tremendous support from “people who are curious and people who’ve used four-letter words.” He said he’s going to take a little time off and has several opportunities ahead of him.

KPIG hits markets including Santa Cruz, San Luis Obispo and San Francisco, and in 1995 became one of the first commercial stations to broadcast on the Internet.