KXL Switches From Fox News to CBS

Talk radio station KXL 101 FM is shifting its news affiliation from Fox to CBS.

Scott Mahalick, director of programming at Alpha Broadcasting, which owns KXL, says the station's contract with Fox expired and he decided to switch to CBS because CBS has a "much stronger and more robust news organization."

Mahalick says the decision has nothing to do with the conservative leanings of Fox, which is owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp.

"Fox can be a polarizing name for some people," Mahalick says. "But we're making this decision based on news-gathering. We are a news station."

KXL, which Mahalick says jumped to the top of the ratings since moving to the FM dial, is also the home of talk-show host Lars Larson, a booming conservative voice in a very blue city.

Mahlick says the change of news partners has nothing to do with Larson, nor will it have any affect on him. 

Fox will continue to provide news for another Alpha station, KUIK AM 970, a right-leaning station in Hillsboro.

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