Let the theories begin.
Naturally people think this means Clear Channel is flipping the bird to The Eagle and turning it into a country station. This would not be the first time KEGL became another format. In fact in the early 2000s it was flipped to a few other formats before returning to rock.
Another theory is that Clear Channel is sending a message to the new Cumulus Media/Citadel merger - saying don't take on one of our stations or we will crush your country stations 99.5 The Wolf KPLX and “New Country 96.3” KSCS. You know, "don't mess with the bull... you'll get the horns" kind of thing.
As Radio Insight mentions, the newly merged company probably will change one of those country stations to something else since it will now own both. This is Clear Channel saying, don't flip one of those to a format we already have or we'll lasso you down into the dirt (cheap I know, but I'm staying with a rodeo theme here).
Allegedly The Eagle isn't doing so hot in the ratings so it would serve as a sacrificial lamb in this case to protect the better performing Clear Channel formats (92.5 KZPS-FM, 102.1 KDGE-FM, 102.9 KDMX-FM and 106.1 KHKS-FM).
So let's go to Clear Channel directly and get the answer!
"Honestly this sounds like a bunch of Bull to me," Clear Channel Radio-Dallas promotions director Lori McNease told mikemcguff.com.
After that answer, I feel I just lost in the running of the bulls.
Stay tuned.
