Dallas Radio: Backfields in Motion

Question: What business is more hazardous than soldiering and can change its colors faster than a chameleon?

Answer: Dallas radio.

There have been so many changes in Dallas radio formats and faces during the last few months we’d better list them or take a chance of having to devote two full pages to the subject next month. The major changes have occurred at KRLD and WRR.

KRLD appears to be moving away from a concept of airing “national stars” and moving into a “local star” format. The station is losing its long-time affiliation with the CBS radio network which means no more Walter Cronkite, Roger Mudd or other national newsheavies. In their places come two new local personalities, Joe Halstead and Murphy Martin. Halstead is the much respected Texas State Network radio news director and onetime KLIF news director. He will anchor KRLD’s noon newscast. Martin, who is quite well known to area television viewers from his two stints at Channel 8, will drop in each weekday afternoon to handle the late afternoon newscast. That leaves Dick Wheeler, a well-known name from both local radio and television, to anchor the morning newscast.

WRR is quite another matter. The station is owned by the City of Dallas and as such doesn’t fight the rating wars quite as hard as other stations. On the other hand, it can’t embarrass itself by throwing away taxpayers’ money. Last year, in response to a $200,000-a-year deficit, WRR-AM decided to take a bold step and go into an all-talk radio format, one that is far more expensive than a mostly-music format. So far the all-talk format has caught on a little with listeners, but has failed to impress advertisers. The current projected deficit for this fiscal year is $118,000.

In response to that projected deficit, Assistant City Manager Jim Favour asked WRR manager Ed Routt to trim his expenditures, which he did by dismissing a dozen employees over the last several months, including station managing editor Guy Gibson, which brought resignations from staffers Tim Jernigan, Dave Chester and Victor Cortinas. (Routt also cut his own car allowance and refused a salary increase.)

What will probably happen before long is a partialretreat from the expensiveall-talk format. Favour alsosays the City is firmly committed to retaining the station’s FM classical musicformat, no matter whathappens to the AM operation.