Form: SC 13G/A

Schedule filed to report acquisition of beneficial ownership of 5% or more of a class of equity securities by passive investors and certain institutions

February 13, 2002

SC 13G/A: Schedule filed to report acquisition of beneficial ownership of 5% or more of a class of equity securities by passive investors and certain institutions

Published on February 13, 2002


UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549


SCHEDULE 13G

Under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

(Amendment 1 )*
-------

Salem Communications Corporation
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Name of Issuer)

Class A Common Stock
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Title of Class of Securities)


794093104
---------------------------------------------
(CUSIP Number)



December 31, 2001
---------------------------------------------
(Date of Event Which Requires Filing of this Statement)


Check the appropriate box to designate the rule pursuant to which this Schedule
is filed:

[x] Rule 13d-1(b)
[_] Rule 13d-1(c)
[_] Rule 13d-1(d)


*The remainder of this cover page shall be filled out for a reporting person's
initial filing on this form with respect to the subject class of securities, and
for any subsequent amendment containing information which would alter the
disclosures provided in a prior cover page.

The information required in the remainder of this cover page shall not be deemed
to be "filed" for the purpose of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934 ("Act") or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section of the Act
but shall be subject to all other provisions of the Act (however, see the
Notes).

Page 1 of 10


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CUSIP No. 794093104 13G Page 2 of 10 Pages
--------------
- ---------------------------- -------------------------

- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NAMES OF REPORTING PERSON
1 S.S. or I.R.S. IDENTIFICATION NO. OF ABOVE PERSON

Liberty Wanger Asset Management, L.P. 36-3820584
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CHECK THE APPROPRIATE BOX IF A MEMBER OF A GROUP*
2 (a) [_]
Not Applicable (b) [_]
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SEC USE ONLY
3
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CITIZENSHIP OR PLACE OF ORGANIZATION
4
Delaware
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SOLE VOTING POWER
5
NUMBER OF None
SHARES -----------------------------------------------------------
SHARED VOTING POWER
BENEFICIALLY 6
OWNED BY 1,809,000
-----------------------------------------------------------
EACH SOLE DISPOSITIVE POWER
7
REPORTING None
PERSON -----------------------------------------------------------
SHARED DISPOSITIVE POWER
WITH 8
1,809,000
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AGGREGATE AMOUNT BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING PERSON
9
1,809,000
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CHECK BOX IF THE AGGREGATE AMOUNT IN ROW (9) EXCLUDES CERTAIN SHARES*
10
[_]
Not Applicable
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PERCENT OF CLASS REPRESENTED BY AMOUNT IN ROW (9)
11
10.1%
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TYPE OF REPORTING PERSON*
12
IA
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*SEE INSTRUCTION BEFORE FILLING OUT!


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CUSIP No. 794093104 13G Page 3 of 10 Pages
--------------
- ---------------------------- -------------------------

- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NAMES OF REPORTING PERSON
1 S.S. or I.R.S. IDENTIFICATION NO. OF ABOVE PERSON

WAM Acquisition GP, Inc.
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CHECK THE APPROPRIATE BOX IF A MEMBER OF A GROUP*
2 (a) [_]
Not Applicable (b) [_]
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SEC USE ONLY
3
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CITIZENSHIP OR PLACE OF ORGANIZATION
4
Delaware
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SOLE VOTING POWER
5
NUMBER OF None
SHARES -----------------------------------------------------------
SHARED VOTING POWER
BENEFICIALLY 6
OWNED BY 1,809,000
-----------------------------------------------------------
EACH SOLE DISPOSITIVE POWER
7
REPORTING None
PERSON -----------------------------------------------------------
SHARED DISPOSITIVE POWER
WITH 8
1,809,000
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AGGREGATE AMOUNT BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING PERSON
9
1,809,000
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CHECK BOX IF THE AGGREGATE AMOUNT IN ROW (9) EXCLUDES CERTAIN SHARES*
10
[_]
Not Applicable
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PERCENT OF CLASS REPRESENTED BY AMOUNT IN ROW (9)
11
10.1%
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TYPE OF REPORTING PERSON*
12
CO
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*SEE INSTRUCTION BEFORE FILLING OUT!


- ---------------------------- -------------------------
CUSIP No. 794093104 13G Page 4 of 10 Pages
--------------
- ---------------------------- -------------------------

- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NAMES OF REPORTING PERSON
1 S.S. or I.R.S. IDENTIFICATION NO. OF ABOVE PERSON

Liberty Acorn Trust
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CHECK THE APPROPRIATE BOX IF A MEMBER OF A GROUP*
2 (a) [_]
Not Applicable (b) [_]
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SEC USE ONLY
3
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CITIZENSHIP OR PLACE OF ORGANIZATION
4
Massachusetts
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SOLE VOTING POWER
5
NUMBER OF None
SHARES -----------------------------------------------------------
SHARED VOTING POWER
BENEFICIALLY 6
OWNED BY 1,183,100
-----------------------------------------------------------
EACH SOLE DISPOSITIVE POWER
7
REPORTING None
PERSON -----------------------------------------------------------
SHARED DISPOSITIVE POWER
WITH 8
1,183,100
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AGGREGATE AMOUNT BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING PERSON
9
1,183,100
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CHECK BOX IF THE AGGREGATE AMOUNT IN ROW (9) EXCLUDES CERTAIN SHARES*
10
[_]
Not Applicable
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PERCENT OF CLASS REPRESENTED BY AMOUNT IN ROW (9)
11
6.6%
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TYPE OF REPORTING PERSON*
12
IV
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Item 1(a) Name of Issuer:

Salem Communications Corporation

Item 1(b) Address of Issuer's Principal Executive Offices:

4880 Santa Rosa Road, Suite 300
Camarillo, CA 93012


Item 2(a) Name of Person Filing:

Liberty Wanger Asset Management, L.P. ("WAM")
WAM Acquisition GP, Inc., the general partner of WAM
("WAM GP")
Liberty Acorn Trust ("Acorn")


Item 2(b) Address of Principal Business Office:

WAM, WAM GP and Acorn are all located at:

227 West Monroe Street, Suite 3000
Chicago, Illinois 60606

Item 2(c) Citizenship:

WAM is a Delaware limited partnership; WAM GP is a
Delaware corporation; and Acorn is a Massachusetts
business trust.

Item 2(d) Title of Class of Securities:

Class A Common Stock

Item 2(e) CUSIP Number:

794093104

Item 3 Type of Person:

(d) Acorn is an Investment Company under section 8 of
the Investment Company Act.

(e) WAM is an Investment Adviser registered under
section 203 of the Investment Advisers Act of
1940; WAM GP is the General Partner of the
Investment Adviser.

Page 5 of 10


Item 4 Ownership (at December 31, 2001):

(a) Amount owned "beneficially" within the meaning of
rule 13d-3:

1,809,000

(b) Percent of class:

10.1% (based on 17,904,692 Class A Shares
outstanding as of November 14, 2001)

(c) Number of shares as to which such person has:

(i) sole power to vote or to direct the
vote: none

(ii) shared power to vote or to direct the
vote: 1,809,000

(iii) sole power to dispose or to direct the
disposition of: none

(iv) shared power to dispose or to direct
disposition of: 1,809,000

Item 5 Ownership of Five Percent or Less of a Class:

Not Applicable

Item 6 Ownership of More than Five Percent on Behalf of Another Person:

The shares reported herein have been acquired on behalf
of discretionary clients of WAM, including Acorn.
Persons other than WAM and WAM GP are entitled to
receive all dividends from, and proceeds from the sale
of, those shares. Acorn is the only such person known to
be entitled to all dividends from, and all proceeds from
the sale of, shares reported herein to the extent of
more than 5% of the class.

Item 7 Identification and Classification of the Subsidiary Which
Acquired the Security Being Reported on by the Parent Holding
Company:

Not Applicable

Item 8 Identification and Classification of Members of the Group:

Not Applicable

Item 9 Notice of Dissolution of Group:

Not Applicable

Page 6 of 10


Item 10 Certification:

By signing below I certify that, to the best of my
knowledge and belief, the securities referred to above were
acquired and are held in the ordinary course of business and
were not acquired and are not held for the purpose of or with
the effect of changing or influencing the control of the
issuer of the securities and were not acquired and are not
held in connection with or as a participant in any transaction
having that purpose or effect.

Page 7 of 10


Signature
---------

After reasonable inquiry and to the best of my knowledge and belief, I
certify that the information set forth in this statement is true, complete and
correct.

Date: February 13, 2002


The undersigned corporation, on the date above written, agrees
and consents to the joint filing on its behalf of this Schedule
13G in connection with its beneficial ownership of the security
reported herein.

WAM Acquisition GP, Inc.
for itself and as general partner of
LIBERTY WANGER ASSET MANAGEMENT, L.P.



By: /s/ Bruce H. Lauer
-----------------------------------------
Bruce H. Lauer
Senior Vice President and Secretary


The undersigned corporation, on the date above written, agrees
and consents to the joint filing on its behalf of this Schedule
13G in connection with its beneficial ownership of the security
reported herein.

LIBERTY ACORN TRUST



By: /s/ Bruce H. Lauer
-----------------------------------------
Bruce H. Lauer
Vice President, Treasurer and
Assistant Secretary

Page 8 of 10


Exhibit Index
-------------

Exhibit 1 Joint Filing Agreement dated as of February 13, 2002 by and
among Liberty Wanger Asset Management, L.P., WAM Acquisition
GP, Inc. and Liberty Acorn Trust

Page 9 of 10


EXHIBIT 1

JOINT FILING AGREEMENT

The undersigned hereby agree to the joint filing of the Schedule 13G to
which this Agreement is attached.

Dated: February 13, 2002


WAM Acquisition GP, Inc.
for itself and as general partner of
LIBERTY WANGER ASSET MANAGEMENT, L.P.



By: /s/ Bruce H. Lauer
-------------------------------------
Bruce H. Lauer
Senior Vice President and Secretary



LIBERTY ACORN TRUST



By: /s/ Bruce H. Lauer
-------------------------------------
Bruce H. Lauer
Vice President, Treasurer and
Assistant Secretary

Page 10 of 10