Media Watch

KLOVE Comes To Tucson

Tucson-based Good News Radio Broadcasting, which owns five Christian-format AM radio stations in Southern Arizona, joined the FM ranks with the launch this week of KLTU 88.1 FM.

The new station, which is actually licensed in Mammoth, features nationally syndicated programming from the KLOVE network, which offers what it calls "positive and encouraging" programming. The station bills itself as non-commercial, listener-supported.

It's the second religious FM station on the local dial. The other, Phoenix-based Family Life Radio's KFLR, comes to town via a translator at 88.5 MHz. Good News' other stations in include KVOI (690 kHz) and KGMS (940 kHz) in Tucson, KAPR in Douglas, KJAA in Globe and KNXN in Sierra Vista.

It's pretty amazing growth for an outfit that got its start by launching KVOI from a small facility on Tucson's near-northwest side in 1981. The fledgling station was initially bankrolled by late real estate developer George Mehl, whose brother David is vice chairman of Good News Radio Broadcasting's board of directors.


HOOSIERS NO MORE?

Davin and Ana Fesmire, who departed Tucson and KRQQ's Drive at Five about three years ago for Fort Wayne, Ind., are looking for work, winding up their stay in that part of the Heartland by quitting on the air.

The May 25 departure from WLYT featured Davin in the studio and Ana phoning in her farewell, thanking their loyal fans and friends. Davin said on the air that they're both willing to work "for anyone who would find us employable whatever, whatsoever."

The resignation ran for five minutes and segued into The Killers' "Mr. Brightside." Davin was still on the air when the song ended, and a station official entered the booth about a minute later and told him it was time to leave.

The couple's Fort Wayne house is up for sale, and they're interested in coming back to Tucson or Phoenix, Davin said in an e-mail last week.

You can catch the whole farewell online at www.nervouspd.com/media/we_quit_on_air.mp3.


GET THAT MAN A BROOM

Local freelance and frequent Tucson Weekly contributor Lee Allen pulled a hat trick--and then some--in the Rocky Mountain Outdoor Writers and Photographers competition. He took home all three writing first places--magazines, newspapers and Webzines--along with a second place in newspaper writing and third place in Web page writing.

Both of Allen's winning newspaper articles appeared in the Weekly last year. They were "Facing the Future," July 22, 2004, and "Territorial Triage," Nov. 18, 2004.

The five awards led to Allen receiving a special Excellence in Writing Award, which conferred Hall of Fame status on the former local broadcaster.

The Arizona Game and Fish Department in February named Allen Arizona Outdoor Writer of the Year, praising him as a "dynamic, hard-working and accurate media professional."