
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, August 24, 1993                   TAG: 9308240664
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-8V   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: RICK LINDQUIST STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG                                LENGTH: Short

KOOL ADOPTS COUNTRY FORMAT

"KOOL FM 100.7," which had been airing a light-oldies format, has switched to country music. Vice president and General Manager Karen Travis said the station - officially WBNK (100.7 FM) - switched Thursday at 11 p.m. with little fanfare. It will be known as "KOOL Country 100 FM."

"I think we'll just take this market by storm," said Travis, who based her prediction on the results of a survey of more than 1,000 random telephone calls that indicated most New River Valley radio listeners enjoyed country music and would switch to another country station if they liked the music.

"KOOL Country 100 FM" also will wean itself from satellite-provided music programming and use live announcers. She said a morning air personality has been hired and should be on the air at the station in about two weeks.

The move puts the station head-to-head with WPSK (107.1 FM), Pulaski - top-rated in the New River Valley according to a recent Arbitron survey - and WRIQ (101.7 FM), Radford, which bills itself as "CD Country 101.7."

KOOL will continue to carry NASCAR racing - both Grand National and Winston Cup - as well as Atlanta Braves baseball and Washington Redskins football.

KOOL Country's AM sister station, WFNR (710 AM), also will change its format - from bluegrass and talk to all news and talk.

WFNR, a daytime-only station, will continue to carry syndicated talkers Larry King, Rush Limbaugh and Dr. Dean Edell. It will air CBS radio network news and local news reports.

WFNR's bluegrass format will move to WNRV (990 AM), Narrows, which is expected to take to the airwaves again on Sept. 6. WNRV has been off the air for almost a year.

by CNB