By Keith Berman

As first rumored by Street Talk Daily, CBS Radio is ending FM talk on KLSX/Los Angeles and replacing it with top 40 as "97.1 Amp Radio" as the station takes on the format developed on the HD2 channel of adult hits clustermate KCBS-FM (93.1 Jack FM). Amp Radio launches on Friday, Feb. 20 at 5 p.m. PT, and CBS Radio senior VP of programming Kevin Weatherly, who already programs Jack and alternative monster KROQ, will also handle Amp. KLSX PD Jack Silver will exit as a result, and the current KLSX airstaff will not make the transition.

The new station will launch with 10,000 songs in a row "with limited commercial interruption," according to senior VP/market manager Dan Weiner. He also tells R&R that there will be a substantial marketing effort to support the launch, involving a huge outdoor campaign with viral and online components; the station will be integrated with a strong online presence available at www.ampradio.com. Fans can also get involved through the usual social-networking sites like Twitter, Facebook and MySpace.

"Since Dan Mason's been the CEO of the company, he's looked at every market and seen what's best for the cluster," Weiner tells R&R. "At the end of the day, CBS has really owned men in Los Angeles with stations like KROQ, Jack and the news stations [KFWB & KNX]. We'd like to be more balanced, spread across more demos and solidify more female listening to help K-Earth [classic hits KRTH] and The Wave [smooth jazz KTWV]."

Regarding rumors that the company is planning to flip another station -- possibly in New York -- to top 40, CBS VP of communications Karen Mateo says that this is the only announcement that the company has at the moment.