Hurricane Hillary coverage on kfi

[davideduardo]

After so many years, my memory might be fuzzy, but I seem to recall some, if not all the CBS stations in LA simulcast with KNX or KFWB during the early hours of 9/11.

That is my recollection. What I don't remember was when the started the simulcast. As I have mentioned before, I was on a taking-off plane at LAX when the airport was shut down. The plane aborted, and we went to the gate and were herded out of the airport. Back in my car, I went to KFWB and they were well into full coverage and it was from their newsroom at that time.

About an hour later I got to Glendale and became more concerned with KLVE-KRCD-KSCA-KTNQ. We were taking feeds from WADO in New York, which then still had an actual news department.

 

[davideduardo]

Well, Stern would have been for a while---the planes hit the towers just before and just after 9:00 a.m. Eastern, 6:00 Pacific, and the decision to put KNX on all the frequencies may not have been made for an hour or so.

I was on a 6:20 AM flight out of LAX, and when it was aborted I listened to KFWB while being pushed out of the airport. That would have been around 7 AM PST and KFWB still had all the familiar voices of their own staff.

 

[michael hagerty]

I was on a 6:20 AM flight out of LAX, and when it was aborted I listened to KFWB while being pushed out of the airport. That would have been around 7 AM PST and KFWB still had all the familiar voices of their own staff.

Yeah, I just edited the post you quoted---it may be that CBS only put KNX on the music stations and let KFWB and KLSX run with their own coverage.

 

[Loverofradio]

How is that wcbs/wins can co-exist, but knx/Kfwb couldn’t?

 

[Loverofradio]

Yeah, I just edited the post you quoted---it may be that CBS only put KNX on the music stations and let KFWB and KLSX run with their own coverage.

Didn’t knx do something similar when kobe Bryant passed?

 

[BLA]

How is that wcbs/wins can co-exist, but knx/Kfwb couldn’t?

L.A. hasn't a large enough interest in news to support two stations.

 

[davideduardo]

L.A. hasn't a large enough interest in news to support two stations.

It's not "interest in news"; it is interest in hearing traditional news deliver on traditional AM and FM radio.

Compared to New York, Detroit, Chicago, Philadelphia and DC, the Sunbelt has always shown far less interest in all-news. In several markets that are sizable enough, like Atlanta and Houston, all news has not survived at all.

 

[BLA]

I could’ve sworn Stern and Leykis were on 97.1 that day. I could be wrong. Like y’all 22 years is a little bit ago

In N.Y. Imus remained on til 12N ET and I think Stern may have too.

 

[BLA]

It's not "interest in news"; it is interest in hearing traditional news deliver on traditional AM and FM radio.

Compared to New York, Detroit, Chicago, Philadelphia and DC, the Sunbelt has always shown far less interest in all-news. In several markets that are sizable enough, like Atlanta and Houston, all news has not survived at all.

Back then (even 2001) the internet wasn't as pervasive as now yet New York of course had a much bigger appetite for news radio than L.A. Yet L.A. had two of the best stations doing all news for years and years when competition was much more of a factor and there was no internet. KNX was more in-depth and KFWB headlines, and a good WINS clone too. That's how I remember the two distinguishing themselves.

 

[michael hagerty]

How is that wcbs/wins can co-exist, but knx/Kfwb couldn’t?

New York metro population: 16.5 million.

Los Angeles metro population: 11.2 million.

That said, KFWB didn't go away because it wasn't successful. It was CBS' acquisition of KCAL-TV that put it over ownership caps. The solution was to put KFWB in a blind trust until a buyer could be found---which took more than a decade.

 

[davideduardo]

New York metro population: 16.5 million.

Los Angeles metro population: 11.2 million.

That said, KFWB didn't go away because it wasn't successful. It was CBS' acquisition of KCAL-TV that put it over ownership caps. The solution was to put KFWB in a blind trust until a buyer could be found---which took more than a decade.

And, of course, the "blind trust" got a KFWB that was put into a less expensive modified talk format which then favored KNX.

 

[BLA]

New York metro population: 16.5 million.

Los Angeles metro population: 11.2 million.

That said, KFWB didn't go away because it wasn't successful. It was CBS' acquisition of KCAL-TV that put it over ownership caps. The solution was to put KFWB in a blind trust until a buyer could be found---which took more than a decade.

I thought CBS tried to delay that spin-off as best they could in the hope that the caps would be raised as they wanted CBS Sports on KFWB. I suppose that the trustee technically had to approve the format flip to CBS sports talk in 2014, but whose idea was it to go CBS sports after five years (2009) as a mixed news and syndicated talker?

 

[Loverofradio]

New York metro population: 16.5 million.

Los Angeles metro population: 11.2 million.

That said, KFWB didn't go away because it wasn't successful. It was CBS' acquisition of KCAL-TV that put it over ownership caps. The solution was to put KFWB in a blind trust until a buyer could be found---which took more than a decade.

Is there a limit on how long a station can stay in a trust?

 

[Loverofradio]

I thought CBS tried to delay that spin-off as best they could in the hope that the caps would be raised as they wanted CBS Sports on KFWB. I suppose that the trustee technically had to approve the format flip to CBS sports talk in 2014, but whose idea was it to go CBS sports after five years (2009) as a mixed news and syndicated talker?

Ive said it before but, The Beast was a really well polished product that would’ve given 570 and 710 a run for their money. I wish cbs/the trustee could’ve let it grow. But if they offer they got to sell was out of this world, I get it

 

[BLA]

And, of course, the "blind trust" got a KFWB that was put into a less expensive modified talk format which then favored KNX.

Of course the signal favored KNX. Funny thing is I think L.A. was more of a headline kind of town which would have favored KFWB. But who would expect 'KFWB 1070' ?

 

[michael hagerty]

Is there a limit on how long a station can stay in a trust?

Not sure. Viacom's original request was for five years, and then it was granted an extension.

 

[michael hagerty]

Of course the signal favored KNX. Funny thing is I think L.A. was more of a headline kind of town which would have favored KFWB

Until the trust, both stations were generally within a point of each other in the ratings, with the lead trading back and forth. Sometimes it was a virtual tie. Both had 4 shares through 1980, slid into the 3s by 1981, and did 2s from 1991 on.

 

[Weiserguy]

After so many years, my memory might be fuzzy, but I seem to recall some, if not all the CBS stations in LA simulcast with KNX or KFWB during the early hours of 9/11.

Wouldn't KNX have been picking up coverage from WCBS or the network, and KFWB from WINS?

Up here in San Francisco, I recall KCBS coming in and out of the live coverage on WCBS. Back then, before movin to the CBS Broadcast Center on West 57th St, WCBS was on the 16th floor of Black Rock, and would have had a partially unobstructed view towards downtown from the 6th Avenue side of the building. Even if the view was obstructed from 16, it would have been panoramic from just a handful of floors up, maybe even from the 20th floor cafeteria.

 

[michael hagerty]

Wouldn't KNX have been picking up coverage from WCBS or the network, and KFWB from WINS?

Up here in San Francisco, I recall KCBS coming in and out of the live coverage on WCBS. Back then, before movin to the CBS Broadcast Center on West 57th St, WCBS was on the 16th floor of Black Rock, and would have had a partially unobstructed view towards downtown from the 6th Avenue side of the building. Even if the view was obstructed from 16, it would have been panoramic from just a handful of floors up, maybe even from the 20th floor cafeteria.

Again, it's been 22 years, but what I remember is that CBS (the network) took the lead on coverage, but took advantage of having the resources of both WCBS and WINS at its disposal.

 

[Weiserguy]

It's not "interest in news"; it is interest in hearing traditional news deliver on traditional AM and FM radio.

Compared to New York, Detroit, Chicago, Philadelphia and DC, the Sunbelt has always shown far less interest in all-news. In several markets that are sizable enough, like Atlanta and Houston, all news has not survived at all.

I've never considered the Bay Area as being "Sunbelt", and if you go with that definition, I don't think there's any All-News station that's been a true ratings winner in its market. But looking at SFBA and north, there are a bunch: NYC, Chicago, Detroit, Philly, WashDC, Boston, even for a while Seattle. I'm not saying KNX or KFWB were failures, but definitely not the equivalent of WINS, WCBS, WBBM, WTOP, WBZ, KYW, etc. It's an interesting dichotomy, the better the weather, the less interested the listener base has seemed to be on staying on top of the news.