When KIRO radio announced their hiring of longtime Sonics announcer Kevin Calabro yesterday, the message to Seattleites was clear: We’re playing for keeps. The news-turned-sports station is attempting to corner a local market that has been dominated by one player for the past generation, 950 KJR AM. KJR has been the only local sports station in Seattle’s recent history, meaning they’re in unfamiliar waters with competition moving in next door. The fact that KIRO got their hands on Calabro, a local icon with ties to KJR, shows they’re in this thing for the long haul.
For KIRO, the next step should be to hold an expansion draft of sorts. If they want to accumulate more listeners right off the bat, they should start “borrowing” from the competition. Two current KJR on-air personalities might be a good fit for KIRO: Dick Fain and Dave Grosby.
