Two independently owned Conservative Talk stations are launching in the next two weeks in the greater St. Louis area.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that Joe Rusch and Jeff Allen’s EpicSTL will debut “NewsTalkSTL” on Educational Media Foundation’s 101.9 K270BW Bellefontaine and Gateway Creative Broadcasting’s 99.1 KLJY-HD3 Clayton. Rusch and Allan are both veterans of the former Emmis St. Louis cluster. Rusch spent 21 years at the cluster in roles including General Sales Manager, Director of Emmis Marketing Group, National and Sponsorship Sales Manager, and General Manager. He has also been interim GM of Stone Canyon Media’s Flagstaff AZ cluster since 2019. Allen spent 23 years at the cluster with stints programming Classic Hits “K-Hits 96.3” KIHT, Conservative Talk “FM News Talk 97.1” KFTK-FM, 80s Hits “104.1 The Mall” WMLL turned Standards “Red @ 104.1” WRDA, and Country “Kix 106.5” WKXK. He is currently Director of Programming for Stone Canyon Media and consults Zimmer Communications’ stations in Missouri.
The NewsTalkSTL lineup will include many known local names. KSSZ Columbia MO afternoon host Mike Ferguson will pull double-duty in mornings from 5:30 to 9am. Vic Porcelli, who has previously worked at 101.1 WVRV, 550 KTRS, 102.5 KEZK and 103.3 KLOU in the market, will follow from 9 to 11am. Westwood One’s Dan Bongino Show will follow from 11am-2pm. Tony Colombo, who recently departed Audacy’s 1120 KMOX’s Dave Glover Show, will host from 2-3pm. Bill O’Reilly’s commentary will follow at 3:00 followed by KFTK-FM weekend host and former Missouri Speaker of the House Tim Jones and podcaster Chris Arps from 3:30 to 6. Former KFTK-FM hosts Rodney Boyd and Randy Tobler will have undisclosed shifts on the station.
Local real estate agents and former KFTK-FM weekend hosts Rick and Tracy Ellis will follow with the debut of “Real Talk 93.3” on KRTK (formerly KLUQ) Hermann and 104.3 KVMO Vandalia MO. That ultra-rightwing station will feature Gateway Pundit editor Joe Hoft in mornings and Dr. Eric Nepute from 9-11am. It too will carry Dan Bongino from 11am-2pm. While the station has yet to announce its afternoon show, Westwood One’s Ben Shapiro will air from 7-9pm followed by simulcasts of One America News in late nights.