I expect to see: Rams on KLOS-FM; Clippers on KEIB-AM
The two you cite have other primary teams. KLAC would have the Rams as a second-tier to the Dodgers, and KSPN would have the Rams as a second tier placement to the Lakers.
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What Radio Station will carry the Rams
- Thread starter TVCOOL
- Start date
I expect to see: Rams on KLOS-FM; Clippers on KEIB-AM
The two you cite have other primary teams. KLAC would have the Rams as a second-tier to the Dodgers, and KSPN would have the Rams as a second tier placement to the Lakers.
Another reason to think the Rams will more than likely be on say, KLOS.....Stan Kroenke loves FM! The Rams have been flagshiped on two flame-throwing FM signals in St. Louis since 2000. Mr. Kroenke recently purchased 3 FM's in the Denver area. Heck, he just may convince someone to sell him a station here!
Well, we know it won't be KFWB...
If what other teams are doing is any guide, it will be a combination of AM, FM, and digital.
The games, plus pre and post game air on the FM.
The same programming is simulcast on the AM, plus adding extended pre/post game shows, weekly coaches shows, and several hours through the week dedicated to the team.
And the stations may also produce a 24/7 feed that essentially replays all of this content for the team's website/app. Some stations also run this on a HD side channel.
The teams want the games on FM because that's where the casual fan is. They'll accept the stuff for the hardcore fans on the AM. The more hours the station is willing to throw in on the AM, they can sweeten the pot for the team.
So you could see Cumulus going hard for this with a combination of KABC and KLOS, but all the major players have stations they could offer up as well. All three know the drill from having done it in the other markets, and Kroneke isn't going to settle for just an AM when he knows what CBS, iHeart, Cumulus, and Entercom have given the other teams.
Hell, back in the 90's, the Cardinals' flagship was a soft AC that pre-empted the love songs show for ask the coach. It's hard to say no to all of that beer money.
If what other teams are doing is any guide, it will be a combination of AM, FM, and digital.
The games, plus pre and post game air on the FM.
The same programming is simulcast on the AM, plus adding extended pre/post game shows, weekly coaches shows, and several hours through the week dedicated to the team.
And the stations may also produce a 24/7 feed that essentially replays all of this content for the team's website/app. Some stations also run this on a HD side channel.
The teams want the games on FM because that's where the casual fan is. They'll accept the stuff for the hardcore fans on the AM. The more hours the station is willing to throw in on the AM, they can sweeten the pot for the team.
So you could see Cumulus going hard for this with a combination of KABC and KLOS, but all the major players have stations they could offer up as well. All three know the drill from having done it in the other markets, and Kroneke isn't going to settle for just an AM when he knows what CBS, iHeart, Cumulus, and Entercom have given the other teams.
Hell, back in the 90's, the Cardinals' flagship was a soft AC that pre-empted the love songs show for ask the coach. It's hard to say no to all of that beer money.
Whatever team's city council balks at building them a one-billion dollar stadium.
The Raiders said today that they're not interested in moving to St. Louis.
That's only half the proposed cost of the new El A stadium.
At this point, aren't the Lakers really the second tier team. :/
While I still think the ideal home for the Rams is on any of the classic rock stations (including KCBS-FM's "Jack") If I was iheart/CC, I would go after them hard for KFI. KFI can offer the biggest signal, a 50,000 watt blowtorch that still covers most everything from Santa Barbara to San Diego, The infrequency of the games, with most being on dead-Sundays, meaning they will have minimal impact on the regular talk format, and KFI can leverage sports sister station KLAC for all of those mid-week specialty and call in shows these teams always insist on. They can schedule the specialty shows on KLAC around their baseball coverage and, boom, now the Rams have a huge presence on not one but two stations. I can hear the promos now: "Talk about the Rams all week on KLAC, listen to the games on Sunday on KFI".
And as much as I hate to give away free programming advice that really should be paid for, I am going to do it here. On Sundays, KFI carries the pre-game, game, and post-game as usual, but KLAC can do live game-only focused sports talk. Yes, no need to wait until after the game or until on Monday, the listeners can call in right during the game to badmouth the quarterback and coach and explain how they have all of the answers and it started way back when the team made the wrong draft picks last spring. Petros hosts of course (this is perfect for him). Voila, programming for two stations with one hot sports property.
And as much as I hate to give away free programming advice that really should be paid for, I am going to do it here. On Sundays, KFI carries the pre-game, game, and post-game as usual, but KLAC can do live game-only focused sports talk. Yes, no need to wait until after the game or until on Monday, the listeners can call in right during the game to badmouth the quarterback and coach and explain how they have all of the answers and it started way back when the team made the wrong draft picks last spring. Petros hosts of course (this is perfect for him). Voila, programming for two stations with one hot sports property.
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K.M. Richards
Guest
Get the smelling salts out for Flipper, someone ...
I agree totally with his analysis and his suggestions.
That's right, Flip. I agree with you 100% on something.
I agree totally with his analysis and his suggestions.
That's right, Flip. I agree with you 100% on something.
You're coming around.
Now I will shoot a possible hole in the scenario. I believe when the Dodgers re-upped with KLAC the last time around, they were given a minority ownership share of the station, although I am not sure if the exact percentage was ever disclosed. If that ownership share carries any weight whatsoever, the Dodgers will not allow any special Rams programming of any kind on their flagship station, regardless of whether or not it infringes on their games and related programming.
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K.M. Richards
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I might say the same about you.
They do have an equity stake, but it wasn't big enough to trigger any FCC filings. So we know it isn't enough to give them any meaningful control. A lot of the media coverage of the deal focused on the phrase "collaborative programming" so I think it was more about having more Dodger-centric programming during baseball season. (I "think" meaning I'm guessing.)
Somehow I can't see iHeart entering any kind of deal which prevented them from finding programming to run outside of baseball season.
With the new Clippers deal on KLAC, it is unlikely that they can now put all of that Rams "extra programming" I talked about a few weeks back on KLAC per my suggestion as the conflicts with Dodgers baseball and Clippers basketball would be too numerous. But they would also get in the way of regular programming over on KFI if KFI was to carry the games plus the additional programming. The only logical candidate iheart then has to offer is KYSR, but I see KYSR as problematic from the Rams perspective. KYSR has one of the weakest Wilson signals that has several challenges in some places in both LA and Orange counties, not to mention the IE and Ventura. There are simply much better signals on the dial and prospective deals to be had that are available to the Rams.
For example, Cumulus could offer the games on KLOS and weekday talk shows on KABC. Again, the Rams have a huge presence on not one, but two stations, get good coverage on an excellent signal for game days and the games are on a station that is already demo-compatible. CBS could offer a similar deal with KCBS and KNX.
Because of at least these and maybe other superior station opportunities, it seems like iheart may have the weakest hand, particularly if the Rams are steadfast in their desire to be on FM, and it may be possible that the signing of the Clippers was iheart acknowledging that they are not really in this as Don tweeted. Signing the Clippers at least gives them a consolation prize.(BTW, if Don's scoop and related sources were that good, wouldn't he have an update to the story by now?).
This is not to say iheart still couldn't pull something out. The company knows how to cross-station and cross-platform market and make big deals, so they have that going for them. They could also farm the talk shows to KEIB, but that station has far more negatives going for it than either KABC or KNX.
For example, Cumulus could offer the games on KLOS and weekday talk shows on KABC. Again, the Rams have a huge presence on not one, but two stations, get good coverage on an excellent signal for game days and the games are on a station that is already demo-compatible. CBS could offer a similar deal with KCBS and KNX.
Because of at least these and maybe other superior station opportunities, it seems like iheart may have the weakest hand, particularly if the Rams are steadfast in their desire to be on FM, and it may be possible that the signing of the Clippers was iheart acknowledging that they are not really in this as Don tweeted. Signing the Clippers at least gives them a consolation prize.(BTW, if Don's scoop and related sources were that good, wouldn't he have an update to the story by now?).
This is not to say iheart still couldn't pull something out. The company knows how to cross-station and cross-platform market and make big deals, so they have that going for them. They could also farm the talk shows to KEIB, but that station has far more negatives going for it than either KABC or KNX.
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K.M. Richards
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That is very well-thought out, especially the KYSR signal limitation factor. Shame that's the iHeart station with the most compatible audience, demographics-wise.
I also find myself wondering why Mr. Barrett has been so quiet since his original tweet. Either his original source ain't talking (or maybe iHeart put out a memo after Don's tweet suggesting "consequences" for any employee leaking internal information on this?) or the deal blew up and iHeart obviously isn't going to say anything if that happened.
Perhaps the ghost of Jim Healy has the answer.
I also find myself wondering why Mr. Barrett has been so quiet since his original tweet. Either his original source ain't talking (or maybe iHeart put out a memo after Don's tweet suggesting "consequences" for any employee leaking internal information on this?) or the deal blew up and iHeart obviously isn't going to say anything if that happened.
Perhaps the ghost of Jim Healy has the answer.
That is because KYSR is not a Mt Wilson facility. It's 75 kw ERP operation is on Mulholland Drive in the Hollywood Hills. It is a Class B, but not on the mountain.
A solution would be to create a little network, perhaps adding in the Antelope Valley, Ventura and the IE with stations home to those markets.
But the KABC signal is atrocious, and I'm sure that the Rams management will understand that it has nearly no listeners.
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K.M. Richards
Guest
I didn't even notice that Flipper thought KYSR was on Wilson. I guess I'm so used to him knowing everything I glossed right over it ...
Antelope Valley is already covered, as KSRY/103.1 is a full-time simulcast of KYSR. I don't think iHeart owns any stations in the Ventura/Santa Barbara area anymore (they used to own Classic Rock KTYD, which would have fit such a "network", but they spun that off to local owners over nine years ago).
I always thought KYSR was on Wilson and am glad to be corrected on that point. I like to be able to learn something new every day. I also appreciate how David was able to make it without taking the gratuitous cheap shot.
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K.M. Richards
Guest
If a certain person would stop jumping down my throat every chance he got to try making me look bad, I might not be looking for those cheap shots to take.
Interestingly, the Mulholland site is home to the auxiliary sites for the rest of the iHeart stations. A lot of stations learned during the "Station Fire" that not having an auxiliary location was very risky.
Which raises the obvious question - why couldn't KYSR move its primary site to Mt Wilson?
Incidentally, a bit of history. Earle C Anthony's KFI engineers (George Mason and Headly Blatterman) along with Klaus Landsburg of KTLA and engineers from Don Lee's KTSL (now KCBS channel 2) , were during WW2 instrumental in selecting and developing Mt Wilson as the line of sight preferred location for post-war Los Angeles television and FM radio stations. The top of the Bekins building and Mt. Lee (site of the Hollywood sign) just weren't cutting it.
The code name for Mt Wilson in KFI's internal employee WW2 era newsletter was "Mt. Anthony" - and sure enough, Mt Wilson ( aka Anthony ) was the post war site for both KFI-TV and KFI-FM.
Incidentally, a bit of history. Earle C Anthony's KFI engineers (George Mason and Headly Blatterman) along with Klaus Landsburg of KTLA and engineers from Don Lee's KTSL (now KCBS channel 2) , were during WW2 instrumental in selecting and developing Mt Wilson as the line of sight preferred location for post-war Los Angeles television and FM radio stations. The top of the Bekins building and Mt. Lee (site of the Hollywood sign) just weren't cutting it.
The code name for Mt Wilson in KFI's internal employee WW2 era newsletter was "Mt. Anthony" - and sure enough, Mt Wilson ( aka Anthony ) was the post war site for both KFI-TV and KFI-FM.
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K.M. Richards
Guest
There are a few reasons, the biggest of which would be a reduction in power. From the original KCBH site on Briarcrest Rd., KYSR is licensed for 75kw @ 360 meters and is grandfathered in at that power since they were there in 1962, when the FCC reordered FM into classes and set maximum ERP for each class based on a 3 meter antenna height above ground level. They are a Class B, meaning a move to Mount Anthony ... er, Wilson would cause a huge reduction in power. And they actually have a facility up there to prove it; one of their three licensed auxiliary sites is for 5kw on the side of KBIG's tower there.
There is also probably a second adjacent channel issue with KRCV on 98.3 in West Covina, since any post-1962 authorization on Wilson would have to protect their licensed Class A signal. I doubt such an issue exists farther east with KGGI on 99.1, though.
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