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A Change Coming to KGO

Brazil is moving as many AMs as it can to FM.
Not very quickly, apparently. I was just scanning the AM band via a WebSDR that is based in the State of São Paulo, and the band in that part of Brazil is crowded with stations, with numerous instances of multiple stations being heard on the same frequency. In that respect, it's not much different from the situation in the US.
 
Tuning in right now! He wasn't on with Tim on Tuesday. Probably due to KFI's coverage of the LA city council scandal. BTW, Mark Thompson is too professional of a broadcaster to go rogue. I hope KFI can find room for him, maybe on the weekend.
Yes, exactly. And Cumulus probably knew that of all their hosts, Mark Thompson was the most professional and least likely to “go rogue.” I agree with you 100%, I would love to see Mark Thompson find a spot on KFI. I may not always agree with him, but he is a great host and is fair to both sides. His banter with Tim Conway, Jr. is second to none. I know Mark Thompson is still doing a YouTube version of his show, but if I-Heart asked, I’m sure he would love to have his own show, even if it is on the weekends.
 
I'm sure he does, but my question is who is responsible for what goes on the air?
That responsibility falls on the owner, Cumulus, for sure. But what gets said on air is a shared responsibility between program director, host, owner and producer. Your point is well made however!
 
It's a partnership. The programming is being done together with Audacy. They're using a wide range of experts in this area. By the way, sports betting happens in a lot of offices without using a bookie. Just about everyone I know takes part in their office football pool. Every week, they all pick their winners, and the one who picks the most wins the pot. Some of these people involve their entire family in making their picks. Very common thing that is outside the range of Las Vegas and everything else.
But KGO belongs to Cumulus, not Audacy.

They do a football pool and a March Madness pool in my office too. Not sure what that has to do with promoting online betting sites or legalizing Vegas style sports betting rooms promoted by big companies. Considering the latest polls, the California voters don’t want it.
 
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But KGO belongs to Cumulus, not Audacy.
And as we've discussed earlier in this thread, Cumulus has a distribution deal with Audacy for this network as well as the CBS Sports Network.

Not sure what that has to do with promoting online betting sites or legalizing Vegas style sports betting rooms promoted by big companies.

Have you listened? It's not all about promoting online betting. They give a lot of information about players and teams to help people with their fantasy teams and office pools. This is the kind of stuff sports stations do all the time. This is something that is very popular among men in their 20s & 30s. It's not all about betting, but about competition.
 
They do a football pool and a March Madness pool in my office too. Not sure what that has to do with promoting online betting sites or legalizing Vegas style sports betting rooms promoted by big companies.
Think it was stated because you don’t need legalized gambling or betting in a state to have a radio station (or other media outlet) focused on betting and gambling attract an audience, as gambling and betting happen regardless if it’s legal or not.
 
And as we've discussed earlier in this thread, Cumulus has a distribution deal with Audacy for this network as well as the CBS Sports Network.



Have you listened? It's not all about promoting online betting. They give a lot of information about players and teams to help people with their fantasy teams and office pools. This is the kind of stuff sports stations do all the time. This is something that is very popular among men in their 20s & 30s. It's not all about betting, but about competition.
So if sports stations are already doing this, why do we need a whole new network of sports betting stations. Won’t they be pulling listeners away from traditional sports stations? Or maybe the fans of the existing sports stations won’t be interested in the new competition? Can there be too much sports on the radio?
 
And as we've discussed earlier in this thread, Cumulus has a distribution deal with Audacy for this network as well as the CBS Sports Network.



Have you listened? It's not all about promoting online betting. They give a lot of information about players and teams to help people with their fantasy teams and office pools. This is the kind of stuff sports stations do all the time. This is something that is very popular among men in their 20s & 30s. It's not all about betting, but about competition.
It is about making money. They are selling ads. Some of the ads are for online betting. They aren’t doing it on NPR. There is a difference between office pools and online betting, just like there is a difference between hitting on women at the local bar and patronizing a legal brothel in Nevada.
 
So if sports stations are already doing this, why do we need a whole new network of sports betting stations. Won’t they be pulling listeners away from traditional sports stations?

That's like saying that only one station should play Harry Styles music, even though it crosses many formats.

There are many ways to do the same thing. This is a particular partnership focused on this subset of sports

There were a lot of radio stations in San Francisco doing talk. KGO was just one. Now they'll do sports.

It is about making money. They are selling ads. Some of the ads are for online betting.

Yes we know. This is America, we make money here. Nothing illegal about what they're doing. The information used for office pools is the same as used for online betting. You're creating a problem where none exists.

Try to understand that this decision has been made, and it's already on the air. So they'll do it until a better option comes along.
 
That's like saying that only one station should play Harry Styles music, even though it crosses many formats.

There are many ways to do the same thing. This is a particular partnership focused on this subset of sports

There were a lot of radio stations in San Francisco doing talk. KGO was just one. Now they'll do sports.



Yes we know. This is America, we make money here. Nothing illegal about what they're doing. The information used for office pools is the same as used for online betting. You're creating a problem where none exists.

Try to understand that this decision has been made, and it's already on the air. So they'll do it until a better option comes along.
So why can’t we call it what it is? A shill for online betting sites and sports betting casinos. They aren’t going to make any money from office pools. They want you to go to the online sites and casinos that advertise on the station. It’s legal. that doesn’t mean it is a good thing.

Once you see clearly what it is, you can decide whether or not you want to participate.
 
So why can’t we call it what it is? A shill for online betting sites and sports betting casinos.

You can call it whatever you want. That doesn't make it true. It also doesn't make it illegal.

No different from religious groups who said rock stations promoted the devil.

Once you see clearly what it is, you can decide whether or not you want to participate.

I think that applies to any radio station or media outlet. No one forces you to listen or watch.
 
That's like saying that only one station should play Harry Styles music, even though it crosses many formats.

There are many ways to do the same thing. This is a particular partnership focused on this subset of sports

There were a lot of radio stations in San Francisco doing talk. KGO was just one. Now they'll do sports.



Yes we know. This is America, we make money here. Nothing illegal about what they're doing. The information used for office pools is the same as used for online betting. You're creating a problem where none exists.

Try to understand that this decision has been made, and it's already on the air. So they'll do it until a better option comes along.
I understand it’s not my station and not my decision. I have hundreds of other options as to what to listen to. I also have a right to the memories of what KGO used to be. If a restaurant changes their menu to something I don’t like, I have 50 other options down the road.

I have been seeing a lot of anger on social media about the way the station was shut down. Maybe reading this is my entertainment. Who knows. Doesn’t everybody like watching a train wreck? I laughed when people described the stunting as playing songs about money and tricking people and how typical that is of the radio business today. I read the ‘badly written’ comment about taking the station into the toilet. There are actually people out there who think that Cumulus is run by the devil himself. I am not one of them, but wow, these people are angry. They actually want to go to the polls and vote against gambling because of a silly radio station. Maybe they could have signed off less abruptly. Not good for the launch of a new format. Not good at all. If I was working public relations for Cumulus, I would be concerned, especially when the streaming companies I compete against make so much more than my company does. If this format crashes, more people will get fired. I’m just an observer with no dog in this fight. But I do like a good train wreck. Lets see what happens.
 
You can call it whatever you want. That doesn't make it true.
So they aren’t doing this to make money then? Do the shareholders know?


No different from religious groups who said rock stations promoted the devil.
Some of them did. Wasn’t there a song called Running with the Devil? Mick Jagger did one called Sympathy for the Devil.

Of course Anton LeVay actually preferred classical music and was quite the virtuoso on the organ.
 
I think the Devil would be offended that you compared him to radio station owners. "He's probably grumbling "Even I wouldn't stoop that low!"

It was pretty big year for predators
The marketplace was on a roll
And the land of opportunity
Spawned a whole new breed of men without souls
This year notoriety got all confused with fame
And the devil is downhearted babe, cause
There's nothing left for him to claim

Thank you Don Henley…
 
So they aren’t doing this to make money then? Do the shareholders know?

Of course it's to make money. As well as reverse the money they were losing with the talk format.

Stockholders don't make format decisions.

I have been seeing a lot of anger on social media about the way the station was shut down.

If all of those people actually LISTENED to KGO, the station would still be talk today. The reason they shut it down is it was one of the lowest rated stations in town. When people stop listening, that opens the door for format changes.
 
I think it would be more accurate to say they couldn’t monetize the listeners they had. KGO had a 1.7 AQH share last month.

The sports betting format likely won’t get a 0.1. But they think they can make money on a station that will have no listeners with the sports format.

You can’t make money with a station that many people listen to because they are the wrong demo or the wrong type of person. But you can on a station that statistically no one will be listening to.
 
I'm scanning the AM band tonight, and I just came across KNX Los Angeles, coming in loud and mostly clear (my computer monitor is, unsurprisingly, causing a bunch of noise). It's still broadcasting on 1070, evidently, but they're emphasizing 97.1 FM (last I listened, it was always "KNX 1070", but now it's "KNX News, 97.1 FM" So, they're not getting rid of their AM yet, but they do seem to be de-emphasizing its importance.

That said, who owns KNX? Audacy?

c
 
I think it would be more accurate to say they couldn’t monetize the listeners they had. KGO had a 1.7 AQH share last month.
And a 0.8 in 25-54, good for 28th in the market. Find me an agency buy that goes 28 deep.
The sports betting format likely won’t get a 0.1. But they think they can make money on a station that will have no listeners with the sports format.
It likely will make money because this is sort of like the invitation to view a time share: once you accept, you are about 50% prone to buying. Same with sports betting... it is a selected group of pre-qualified consumers.
You can’t make money with a station that many people listen to because they are the wrong demo or the wrong type of person. But you can on a station that statistically no one will be listening to.
Yes, if they are all 100% consumers of the products you offer.

This is like new car dealers. They advertise all year, every year. But the average consumer only buys a new car every 8 years. But enough buy each day, week, month and year to make ads work.

 
People go online to get fantasy sports info & sports gambling odds. They don't listen to a cadre of blabbermouths on the radio (especially on a crackly AM station patronized by grampa thru the years) hoping to come across a topic of interest.

Anyway, the nursing home and octogenarian crowd will now need to find a new radio station if fantasy sports and gambling are not of interest. The median listener age of 810 has to be pretty darn "up there".
 
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