Tucson talk radio veteran Jim Parisi is like a lot of members of the medium: frustrated with the direction of the industry. And like a lot of members of the medium, he thinks he can do something better than what the current model is providing. Unlike other members of the medium, he may be putting himself in position to do something about it.
According to tucsonweekly.com, Parisi, who has hosted morning talk shows on KNST 790 AM and KVOI 1030 AM, says he expects to be in position to land the funding necessary to purchase a radio station, and through that signal launch a locally driven talk format.
"I could bury myself with this line, but I think this will be the least traditional talk station Tucson has ever seen," Parisi said.
Why? Because Parisi is sick of the partisan talk model.
"It doesn't have to be politics every second of your life," Parisi said. "The question I get from highly intelligent investors is always the same. I've been told the only way to get ratings is to be angry, superpartisan or tee people off. My answer is always the same. It can be done in a straightforward, honest, journalistic way, but it's harder. You have to have more life experience. You need people who get it. You have to be funny, edgy, maybe a little sarcastic, self-deprecating."
Due to nondisclosure requirements while negotiations are under way, Parisi declined to go into specifics about the stations he and his investor group have targeted, or whether they are on the AM or FM band. But he did say he initially eyed four possible signals and has since pared that number to two. If he gets financial confirmation from investors, which he thinks might happen as soon as this week, Parisi said he could launch the project within the next few months.
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