Update 4/8/08: As we predicted yesterday, Bonneville will launch 100.3 The Sound as a AAA at 10am PDT today. The station began stunting at midnight as “Bruce Radio” with all Bruce Springsteen in honor of his concert in Anaheim.

Original Post 4/7/08: Bonneville has transferred to domains to its server today: http://thesoundla.com and http://thelasound.com. Both domains currently point to a forbidden access page.

Bonneville currently operates “94.9 The Sound” WSWD Cincinnati, which it acquired last year from Entercom. That station is Adult Alternative, focusing mainly on on 90’s music.

Here’s a sample hour from earlier today from that station:

Foo Fighters - The Pretender
Blink-182 - Dammit
Nirvana - Heart-Shaped Box
The Killers - Read My Mind
Barenaked Ladies - If I Had $1,000,000
Weezer - Say It Ain’t So
The Red Hot Chili Peppers - Under The Bridge
Radiohead - Karma Police
Jimmy Eat World - Pain
R.E.M. - Supernatural Superserious
Cake - The Distance
Muse - Starlight

If Bonneville is going to tweak the sound for Southern California, it would probably need to go a little more mainstream AAA or Modern AC, otherwise there wouldn’t be much differentiation between 100.3 and Star 98.7.

Many of the trade publications today are jumping on reports that Bonneville is planning a music format for recently acquired 100.3 KRBV Los Angeles based on job postings on its corporate site. There’s also quotes from Bonneville Director of Public Affairs Craig Haslem that the company will air an “undisclosed music format”.

This screams smokescreen to us. The rumor mill has been churning for weeks that Bonneville would launch a News/Talker when it acquired KRBV. We have two domain names that Bonneville registered in mid-March: LANewsToday.com and FastLANews.com. Additionally, many of the job postings are more than meets the eye:

On-Air Talent - Prefer someone who has worked effectively as a co-anchor with other professionals in creating a unique broadcast

Board Operator - Able to work under pressure and effectively handle the stresses of the responsibilities of the position and assure on-air hosts receive material for broadcast on time as the services performed affect company image, clients and the listening audience.

Also, just because a job is posted, who says it has to be filled? Bonneville is going to take over a station that just had its ENTIRE staff laid-off. They need to restaff from scratch. A music format may be launched from the time it takes over until the final product is ready for launch at a later date.

OR perhaps we’re looking at this all wrong… Los Angeles is the mecca of the entertainment industry. What if the rumored News/Talk format was to be an Entertainment News and Talk station that will feature music as well? Targetting the primary financial vehicle for the market just like sister “Federal News Radio” 1050 WFED does in Washington. Just some food for thought.

Update 4/4/08: The 997Rock.com domains are now forwarding to the old Blitz site. More importantly WBZX has changed its call letters to WRKZ. All indications are 99.7 Rock wil launch later today.

Original Post 4/3/08: North American Broadcasting’s Alternative/Active Rock “99.7 The Blitz” WBZX Columbus, OH is stunting with random computer beeps and notices that the station is rebooting with an estimated completion time of Friday, April 4, at 5:00pm.

Our NetGnomes have located 997rock.com registered to North American Broadcasting last week. Could we see the station relaunching with a more gold based focus?

Two months ago it was announced that Don Geronimo would be retiring from his WJFK Washington based syndicated show at the end of May. Now, DCRTV is reporting that Geronimo will be finishing up sooner than planned. On Friday, April 11, Don Geronimo will host a farewell show before handing off the show to co-host Mike O’Meara, who will continue on with current sidekicks Buzz Burbank, Robb Spewak, and Joe Ardinger. Don & Mike have been off-air on an extended vacation since March 13.

Great Eastern Radio will launch the first of its two move-ins to the Keene, NH market this week as 101.9 WKKN will launch as “101.9 K-Rock”. The station, formerly WVRR licensed to Newport, NH will be changing its COL to Westminister, VT to give the station coverage in Southwestern New Hampshire, Southeast Vermont including Brattleboro, and the northern most parts of Central Massachusetts.

The station will air Greg & The Morning Buzz based at Clear Channel’s WGIR in Manchester.

Sister station 93.5 WTSM Springfield, VT will be making the move into the Keene market later this year.

GapWest Broadcasting has launched Adult Hits “My 99.3” on KQSN Yakima, WA. The station had been part of Clear Channel’s “La Preciosa” Spanish AC network until its sale to GapWest closed on January 1. Since then it has simulcasted sister country “92.9 The Bull” KDBL.

Citadel Broadcasting has swapped the frequencies of a pair of its stations in Columbia, SC. Urban AC “Kiss 98.5” WLXC shifts to 103.1, while “Oldies 103.1” WOMG shifts to 98.5 with a new name: Magic 98.5.

Mitchell Media’s Modern Rocker “M99.5” KMRJ Palm Springs has shifted its format to Classic Rock as “99.5 The Heat“. The station will retain the Adam Corolla morning show. Why the change? Here’s the explanation from m995.com:

You are hearing all this legendary rock. Why? What happened?. Well simply put, the Alternative Rock listening audience is just too small a community here in the desert to sustain a commercial radio station.

Nextmedia has completed a shakeup of its stations in Southeastern North Carolina.

Variety Hits WILT “Will-FM” moves from 98.7 Jacksonville to 104.5 Wilmington, giving it a better signal in the Wilmington market, while taking the WSSM calls from 105.1 Havelock.

The aforementioned 105.1 picks up 104.5’s old WRQR calls, but keeps its Adult Standards format for now.

98.7 changes its calls to WLGD and has flipped to Spanish Contemporary as “La Gran D”.

830 KLAA Orange, CA is in the process of dropping its mix of syndicated talk and brokered programming to become the Los Angeles market’s third all-sports radio station. Dave Smith and Roger Lodge will host mornings from 6 to 9am, while Tony Bruno will host a new syndicated program from 9am to noon.

The station, owned by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, has become the flagship station for the team after a five year run on 710 KSPN as well as Anaheim Ducks hockey.