"We have a core of listeners very devoted to this station, but it just wasn't enough," general manager Andrew Korge told the paper. "We were very disappointed with the support from the community."

The new owner, Salem Communications, currently has 101 stations, most of which are devoted to Christian talk, conservative talk, or contemporary Christian music. A spokesperson for the company said that it had not yet made a decision about changing WKAT's format.

The company has switched the formats of three recently purchased stations in Philadelphia, Detroit, and Chicago, according to radio industry analyst Tom Taylor.