Salt Lake City has featured three sports radio stations for a lengthy period of time. But that’s no longer the case after Cumulus Media made the call to shut down operations at 1320 The Fan. The story was first reported by Radio Insight.
With the station going dark, local afternoon hosts Kyle Gunther and Ben Anderson have been let go. Sources say Gunther is sure to receive local interest from other local stations.
This leaves the market with ESPN 700 and 97.5/1280 The Zone. The Zone has held a consistent lead atop the Men 25-54 ratings but 700 carries Utah Football and Basketball and recently added Tom Hackett to afternoons alongside Sean O’Connell, a move the station hopes will generate some buzz among local sports radio fans.
For 1320 The Fan, the station had been carrying a number of syndicated programs including Bob & Tom and midday content from CBS Sports Radio. Gunther and Anderson were the only local program on the station.
The Cumulus sports radio station had been broadcasting sports since 1996. Larry H. Miller Communications previously leased the station from 1996 to 2012 before purchasing 97.5 and 1280 and moving their shows and Utah Jazz basketball to those signals to form what’s now known throughout the market as The Zone.
1320’s website now redirects to Cumulus Media’s corporate website and the station’s social media accounts are no longer active.
Jason Barrett is the President and Founder of Barrett Media since the company was created in September 2015. Prior to its arrival, JB served as a sports radio programmer, launching brands such as 95.7 The Game in San Francisco, and 101 ESPN in St. Louis. He also spent time programming SportsTalk 950 in Philadelphia, 590 The Fan KFNS in St. Louis, and ESPN 1340/1390 in Poughkeepsie, NY. Jason also worked on-air and behind the scenes in local radio at 101.5 WPDH, WTBQ 1110AM, and WPYX 106.5. He also spent two years on the national stage, producing radio shows for ESPN Radio in Bristol, CT. Among them included the Dan Patrick Show, and GameNight.
You can find JB on Twitter @SportsRadioPD. He’s also reachable by email at Jason@BarrettMedia.com.
