Could KABC become KNX's sister station?

[radiofan2023]

Actually, I have reconsidered this suggestion and concluded that if I was an iheart mole working clandestinely in the Audacy offices with the charge of getting them to make changes that would reduce the profitability of my company's main competitor...this is exactly what I would recommend!

 

[Deleted member 109580]

Who says it works? It's only there because it's owned by the same guy who owns the Angels.



David's told you several times. It's a very small, very ethnic list.



If that's the case, what do you need a radio station for?



As someone who's lived in both areas, I can tell you---rankings aren't important. The Bay Area is a MUCH better sports metro with more devoted fans (pro and college) than Southern California. Having the radio rights to the Trojans buys you zilch.

I once visited classical kfac am transmitter site whose building and twin self standing towers are in the parking lot of a gated apartment complex. Those twin towers today are shared with kabc 790 and spanish kwkw. The apartment complex and towers are off the former santa barbara avenue now martin luther king jr ave. Kabcs twin towers are in a heavy black neighborhood. A solution for kabc is to flip to a black oriented format with mostly black hosts snd content. Thats the available audience for kabc..black angelenos.

 

[ChannelFlipper]

I once visited classical kfac am transmitter site whose building and twin self standing towers are in the parking lot of a gated apartment complex. Those twin towers today are shared with spanish kwkw. The apartment complex and towers are off the former santa barbara avenue now martin luther king jr ave. Kabcs twin towers are in a heavy black neighborhood. A solution for kabc is to flip to a black oriented format with mostly black hosts snd content. Thats the available audience for kabc..black angelenos.

maybe get a black guy, say someone like Larry Elder, to host afternoon drive?

 

[Deleted member 109580]

maybe get a black guy, say someone like Larry Elder, to host afternoon drive?

790 tried that for many years with elder in pm drive. He may be too political and divisive.

 

[ChannelFlipper]

790 tried that for many years with elder in pm drive. He may be too political and divisive.

So you're saying he was on the air in pm drive for many years but didn't work out?

Hmm...

 

[michael hagerty]

I once visited classical kfac am transmitter site whose building and twin self standing towers are in the parking lot of a gated apartment complex. Those twin towers today are shared with spanish kwkw. The apartment complex and towers are off the former santa barbara avenue now martin luther king jr ave. Kabcs twin towers are in a heavy black neighborhood. A solution for kabc is to flip to a black oriented format with mostly black hosts snd content. Thats the available audience for kabc..black angelenos.

That’s the philosophy behind KBLA (1580), whose signal serves the same basic area. They’ve been doing a format exactly as you describe for three years, with no ratings.

Black Angelenos have been primarily FM listeners for 35 years. What brings them back to AM?

 

[Signal Geek]

The problem with KABC is not content, it is signal. Its coverage area is about 75% to 80% ethnic (Black, Asian, Hispanic) or immigrants (Iran, Middle Eastern, Russian, etc.). None of those groups would have much interest in that type of programming.

The station has only partial day and night coverage of the metro survey area, and as LA has plentiful electronic and electrical noise on the AM band, the coverage decreases every year.

True, KABC's signal is no match for KFI, KLAC or KNX. However, it's not horrible either. You can hear it (albeit mainly near the coast) 120 miles away here in San Diego. Can't say that for many other L.A. AM signals, beyond the handful of strong ones mentioned above.

 

[davideduardo]

True, KABC's signal is no match for KFI, KLAC or KNX. However, it's not horrible either. You can hear it (albeit mainly near the coast) 120 miles away here in San Diego. Can't say that for many other L.A. AM signals, beyond the handful of strong ones mentioned above.

I "heard" 250 watt KTIP from Porterville, CA, in Ohio in the 60's. My point is "hearing" is not listening. To be listened to, a signal has to be consistent, strong and void of noise and static.

With today's noise levels. KABC has issues in much of the San Fernando Valley, Santa Clarita, Lancaster / Palmdale, and much of the San Gabriel Valley towards the East. As man made interference increases, stations like KABC will have further reduced useful coverage.

The ITU says we need 15mV/m to be listenable on AM. KABC only covers less than half of the LA MSA population with that grade of signal.

 

[Signal Geek]

My point is "hearing" is not listening. To be listened to, a signal has to be consistent, strong and void of noise and static.

KABC is consistently listenable (although barely) in most populated areas of San Diego County, at least on my car radio. It does get dicey going inland. Also is hard to hear when you get close to the Mexico border, due to interference from 800 AM in Tijuana.

 

[michael hagerty]

KABC is consistently listenable (although barely) in most populated areas of San Diego County, at least on my car radio. It does get dicey going inland. Also is hard to hear when you get close to the Mexico border, due to interference from 800 AM in Tijuana.

That doesn’t help them in L.A.

 

[Michael Rivers Kramer]

Let’s put it this way.”It’s Listenable” to a radio signal enthusiast. (I’m guessing Signal Geek)and I would assume you would would fall into that group, the signal of KABC is great. To the average listener they wouldn’t even tune it in, unless they’re from LA AND already had a pre-set for it. And if they do listen to it and the signal fades or our they drive near a transformer or under a power line, they would probably be bombarded by loud noise. I doubt they’d have it on for long.

 

[BLA]

The problem with KABC is not content it is signal ...........

I think content IS a problem too. There is no mass appeal whatsoever as regard to their offerings, with the exception maybe of the local finance show in the early evening. Love that Frank Mottek, booming voice!

If the content were sufficiently appealing then people would tune in despite this particular signal. It's only when a bigger signal goes head-to-head that they loose to the bigger station.

 

[davideduardo]

That doesn’t help them in L.A.

Just as KTNQ's night audience in Hawai'i did not help it, either! In fact, we often got calls from there in the overnight show.

Being able to "hear" a station makes you a DXer. To listen, it takes a very intense signal.

 

[michael hagerty]

If the content were sufficiently appealing then people would tune in despite this particular signal.

That is not how typical listeners behave, but go ahead, tell me---what would "sufficiently appealing" content be that would have Angelenos tuning in a signal-challenged AM in numbers that would result in impressive ratings and revenue?

It's only when a bigger signal goes head-to-head that they loose to the bigger station.

KABC's been losing to KFI (and very nearly every other AM station in Los Angeles) for 30 years.

 

[TomásEstefan]

That is not how typical listeners behave, but go ahead, tell me---what would "sufficiently appealing" content be that would have Angelenos tuning in a signal-challenged AM in numbers that would result in impressive ratings and revenue?



KABC's been losing to KFI (and very nearly every other AM station in Los Angeles) for 30 years.

Whether it's signal or content or both. KABC hasn't been "appealing" in 30 years...particularly when you confuse listeners by simulcasting KNBC TV news while using KABC call letters during breaks. It's understood that " KABC" is a legacy call sign, but when you actually have nothing to do with the Network any longer...you get the idea...

 

[michael hagerty]

Whether it's signal or content or both

We can boil this down very quickly:

When it's signal, content is irrelevant. People won't listen to what they can't hear clearly.

You could argue that maybe more people within KABC's signal would listen if the content were better, and that might be true, but the number of PPM wearers within that radius pretty much guarantees that the best number KABC could get with the best programming possible would not be anything to write home about.

 

[BLA]

That is not how typical listeners behave, but go ahead, tell me---what would "sufficiently appealing" content be ......

Goooooooood Question!

would have Angelenos tuning in a signal-challenged AM in numbers that would result in impressive ratings and revenue?

Yes, I know that we are talking about AM service in 2024, which is going the way of the copper wire POTS telephone service.

I think it has been about 35 years now, that KFI has clobbered KABC- almost immediately after KFI's transition to full-time talk, even back when AM audiences in general were much larger. Both stations in 1988 (year KFI changed) were much more balanced and broad appeal. ABC was wonderful but had a stodgy PBS-style presentation and KFI was feisty as hell but not right-wing grievance. Lowest common denominator? BTW, remember when KHJ used to kick KFI's ass, eight ways from Friday? Please, no lectures on ethnic invasions and urban sprawl.

 

[michael hagerty]

Goooooooood Question!


Yes, I know that we are talking about AM service in 2024, which is going the way of the copper wire POTS telephone service.

I think it has been about 35 years now, that KFI has clobbered KABC- almost immediately after KFI's transition to full-time talk, even back when AM audiences in general were much larger.

The first year KFI beat KABC was 1992---four years after KFI went talk. And it was a battle---with KABC coming within a full point of KFI at some points---until 1997. That was also the first year KFI surpassed KABC in billing.

Both stations in 1988 (year KFI changed) were much more balanced and broad appeal. ABC was wonderful but had a stodgy PBS-style presentation and KFI was feisty as hell but not right-wing grievance.

Three hours of KFI's schedule was Rush Limbaugh. You cannot underestimate that.

Once they had a high-profile morning show in Bill Handel, beginning in 1993, they were close to unstoppable.

Lowest common denominator?

As David has outlined here before, the West L.A. of the 1970s and 1980s that was in KABC's signal sweet spot was demographically very different from the 90s on. And there was a migration of younger, less well-off, less politically liberal Boomers to more inland areas of L.A. as housing prices rose.

KABC was their parents' station. They were listening to Rush (and to a lesser extent, Tom Leykis).

BTW, remember when KHJ used to kick KFI's ass, eight ways from Friday?

I mean, KHJ and KFI were only in direct competition for about three and a half years and KFI got within half a point of KHJ in nine months, and then tied them or trailed them by 0.1 for all of 1978. For all of 1979 and the nine-ish months of 1980 that KHJ was still in format, KFI was beating them handily.

 

[BLA]

I maintain that if KFI and KABC swapped formats (personalities-delivery, etc.), KABC would show a big jump in listeners notwithstanding its signal infirmities.

 

[BLA]

The first year KFI beat KABC was 1992---four years after KFI went talk. And it was a battle---with KABC coming within a full point of KFI at some points---until 1997. That was also the first year KFI surpassed KABC in billing.



Three hours of KFI's schedule was Rush Limbaugh. You cannot underestimate that.

Once they had a high-profile morning show in Bill Handel, beginning in 1993, they were close to unstoppable.



As David has outlined here before, the West L.A. of the 1970s and 1980s that was in KABC's signal sweet spot was demographically very different from the 90s on. And there was a migration of younger, less well-off, less politically liberal Boomers to more inland areas of L.A. as housing prices rose.

KABC was their parents' station. They were listening to Rush (and to a lesser extent, Tom Leykis).



I mean, KHJ and KFI were only in direct competition for about three and a half years and KFI got within half a point of KHJ in nine months, and then tied them or trailed them by 0.1 for all of 1978. For all of 1979 and the nine-ish months of 1980 that KHJ was still in format, KFI was beating them handily.

Thanks for the reference look-up on the late seventies and 1980. I believe KHJ lost more to FM than to KFI.