Tim McKernan likes to take calculated risks. A few years ago he left the comfort (at that time) of television for an unsure shot at a radio career, which has turned lucrative. That led him to branching into an Internet site that also has been successful. And in recent years he says he has won a substantial amount of money playing poker.

But now he's pushing all his chips in with the biggest gamble of his career.

His company, insideSTL Enterprises LLC, is taking control of the Monday-Friday daytime airtime at KSLG (1380 AM) under a three-year deal, which means the sports station's highest-rated show that he heads and includes Jim Hayes and Doug Vaughn will stay intact from 6-11 a.m. (the live portion of the program is 7-10:15, with highlights airing the rest of the time).

McKernan's organization also will control the block that follows and replace current midday host Brian McKenna and associates Mark Klose and Vic Porcelli with Joe Pelusi and Charlie Marlow effective Jan. 4. Thus insideSTL will control 1380's airwaves from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m.

It is not determined what will follow, in the slot that Mike Zarrick currently has from 1-2 p.m. But Kevin Slaten will continue in afternoon drive time.

McKernan's decision, finalized Thursday, caps 11 months of haggling, contemplation of leaving and general angst in which he went back-and-forth with 1380 management and also said he was "very close'' to accepting an offer to man afternoon drive at competitor KFNS (590 AM). But by staying he said he's taking a paycut of more than 50 percent in order to make the numbers work for his company, which will pay the salaries and share some of the ad revenue with the station.

"I'm excited and I'm scared,'' he said. "It's not like I'm jumping up and down saying, 'YES! I made the right decision.' But you never know how often you'll get a situation like this.''

McKernan said the goal is to integrate programming, personal appearances and advertising with the insideSTL web site. The hope is the entity becomes highly profitable and expands, possibly to other markets. But for that chance he is turning down a handsome three-year offer from KFNS that has a guaranteed salary.

"I appreciate that, it's not that I jumped up one day and said, 'I don't want to work at KFNS,'" McKernan said. "But (by staying) I am able to keep our team together, which wouldn't have been possible by moving. That's important. And this has huge potential as well as huge risk. It will be interesting.''

KFNS general manager Dave Greene also had some interesting observations.

"In the end it went from Tim calling me one night to negotiate an agreement to calling the next day to tell me he was going to take a $100,000 pay cut to give it a go on their own.

"Nobody gets trying to capitalize on a media mix more than I do, so I wish them all the luck in the world. I just wonder if they can make it work at a station that half of the market cannot hear.''

CHANGING CLIMATE

In the last year-and-a-half or so, KSLG has transformed from a traditional salary-paying station to one that relies primarily on the shows selling themselves. Among those to depart are Bernie Miklasz, Randy Karraker, Martin Kilcoyne and Jay Randolph Jr.

"We have cut our overhead by 75 percent over the past 14 months,'' 1380 general manager John Helmkamp said. "We are working together, we are selling together, its not a, 'Here's your money, thanks for stopping by' thing. It's a partnership. We've really changed the model of how things work here. Everyone is winning, that's the important thing in this economy. We are locked in for the future.''

Meanwhile, Helmkamp said he didn't like to have to cut McKenna and company, who are expected to remain for a few more weeks.

"That is the one unfortunate casualty of this, especially McKenna, who has worked hard and has been great,'' Helmkamp said. "It's a business decision. Sometimes you have to make tough decisions, and that was the toughest of them.''

Meanwhile, McKernan said he will return to his old TV stomping grounds at KMOV (Channel 4) on occasion this winter to do some fill-in sports anchoring while others are on vacation.