By Emily Younker
eyounker@joplinglobe.com
If you’re curious about what former President Ronald Reagan’s comedy routine was like, tune in to KCAR 104.3 FM.
“It’s awesome to listen to Ronald Reagan,” said Jennifer Isom, co-general manager of American Media Investments Inc. “He’s so funny.”
KCAR 104.3 FM switched last month — at the request of owner Gene Bicknell — from a music station playing oldies hits to a comedy format called “Laugh Out Loud,” Isom said. It’s the only one of American Media Investments’ 13 radio stations in Joplin, Pittsburg, Kan., and Texarkana, Texas, to air comedic material rather than music or news-talk shows, she said.
“With all the negativity going on in the world and all the sadness, this way we’re giving our listeners another option to listen to that puts them in a good mood, that lets them laugh,” she said.
Ben McCarty, co-program director for the station, said he thinks the new format is a good change from music radio.
“We all get tired of (music radio) at some point,” he said. “(The comedy station) gives you a nice little break. It can really change your mood for the rest of the day.”
The station is playing comedy bits that range in length from 20 seconds to about eight minutes. Listeners might recognize comedians including Bob Hope, Bill Cosby, Larry the Cable Guy and Jerry Seinfeld. Staff members have discussed eventually adding shows such as a classic comedy hour or an adult segment, Isom said.
Listeners who miss the former radio format can find oldies music on KQYX 1450 AM, which previously was a news-talk show, she said.
Isom said she couldn’t say what the station’s rating or market share in Joplin are because American Media Investments does not subscribe to Arbitron, a media marketing and research firm that provides local radio ratings.
For those who might be worried about stumbling across obscenities or crude humor while listening, Isom said the staff “heavily monitors” each recording for material that might be offensive.
“We’ve realized that what was acceptable comedy back in the 1970s is not acceptable now,” she said. “There are a lot of topics that were open back in the day but now they’re not, and it’s offensive.”
McCarty said he and the other program directors listen to “every word, every breath” before airing any material.
“It’s just a long process,” he said. “You have to pull out all the things that aren’t radio-friendly.”
McCarty said curse words are off-limits and must be edited out of programming. He also takes each bit on a case-by-case basis to look for any topics, such as race or religion, that might be offensive to listeners, using “judgment calls” to determine whether to edit or air the material, he said.
“It’s tough to say you’re the yardstick of morality,” he said. “What makes me cringe might not make someone else cringe.”
Isom said staff members are sensitive to offensive subjects and work to keep the station a “family-friendly” one.
“We want to make sure that anybody in the household can listen to any of our stations,” she said.
Isom said the new format is still a work in progress, and the staff adds new material almost daily. She said the station receives the material from Bicknell, who gets it from one of his partner companies. Advertising is expected to remain the same, she said.
“We sell advertising the same on the ‘Laugh Out Loud’ format as we would on a music station,” she said.
McCarty said he and other staff members had about a month to figure out how to launch the all-comedy format and screen material for broadcast before going live on Feb. 8. He said he has so far enjoyed the switch.
“It’s a new challenge,” he said. “With this one, we wrote the rule book for our station.”
