Radio station owner iHeart Media Inc. on Monday announced that it has changed the format on Indianapolis station FM 97.5 from contemporary hits to all business.
The station, which had been identifying itself as 97.5 Kiss FM since August, is now known as Business News 97.5. The format change happened quietly last month.
The station is a Bloomberg Radio affiliate and will broadcast a 24-hour schedule of national business, financial, political and economic programming.
Officially known as commercial FM radio station translator W248AW, 97.5 had long served as a simulcast of the local Fox Sports radio lineup on WNDE 1260 AM. That lineup also included “The Rush Limbaugh Show.”
The station dropped that format in July and began airing contemporary hits a month later.
“As small businesses across the city work to rebuild after COVID-19, we are here with a station dedicated to rebuilding the American dream,” said Brett Beshore, market president of iHeartMedia Indianapolis, in written comments. “Partnering with Bloomberg Radio, a leader in business and financial news, makes for the perfect formula in building a great audience for our advertisers.”
In addition to 97.5 FM and WNDE-AM, iHeart owns and operates local stations WFBQ-FM 94.7, WOLT-FM 103.3 and WZRL-FM 98.3.
Nationally, San Antonio, Texas-based iHeartMedia operates 850 stations in more than 160 markets.
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This is worthless with no local programming. Most people who want an all-syndicated national channel will tune in on SIRIUS/XM.
Bring back Query & Schultz for the 3-6pm slot!
Mike, I agree. Query & Schultz could talk “Sports Business”. Then again, I doubt iHeart’s that smart.
Great idea for the station as we need a local business news outlet. To the comment by Tina S, above, I personally have no interest in Sirius/xm.
Look for more stations to turn into worthless regurgitation of satellite feeds now that stations aren’t required to have a local studio any longer.
This station won’t have anything local outside of the call letters being read by automation. And no one will listen and the format will change a year from now to yet another feed from somewhere else that no one will listen to.
Local radio is great when it’s local.