Now that Miami has sports on FM, I’ve got to think it’s only a matter of time before an L.A. station does the same thing?
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When will this happen in L.A.?
- Thread starter Loverofradio
- Start date
Good Karma isn't likely to buy an FM. Audacy would have to start a sports station from scratch, which is very expensive. iHeart would have to blow up one of its very profitable FMs. So the chances look pretty slim right now.
The thing that makes it work in Miami is that Audacy has already invested the time & money in developing local talent, and has agreements in place with two local teams. They don't have that in LA.
The thing that makes it work in Miami is that Audacy has already invested the time & money in developing local talent, and has agreements in place with two local teams. They don't have that in LA.
I think what keeps it from happening is that both NFL teams have their games on FM already. My perception (subject to being straightened out by others more in the know) is that the NFL and perhaps major college football games are the only ones that really have substantial ratings. So if the games that really matter are already on FM, why would either iheart or Audacy blow up one of their top properties to bring on an otherwise weaker format? KLAC is on an ALT 98.7's subchannel anyway and most people know how to access these channels now. Anybody else would be crazy loco to even try to do it without any significant sports properties, which are already taken.
I have no idea why Good Karma wouldn't lease an FM subchannel for KSPN content though, espcially given their poor signal at night. One would think both the Lakers and USC would be demanding it.
L.A. ain't Miami.
...or Portland, which also just added a full power FM and has all its ducks in a row, so to speak.
K.M. Richards
Program Director, The Eighties Channel™
Why does this keep coming up over and over?
It does not matter if "other markets" have Sports-formatted stations on FM. BigA has stated quite well why it hasn't happened here ... and why it isn't likely to anytime soon.
Is this another case of wishful "I've got to think"-ing, with no basis in reality?
It does not matter if "other markets" have Sports-formatted stations on FM. BigA has stated quite well why it hasn't happened here ... and why it isn't likely to anytime soon.
Is this another case of wishful "I've got to think"-ing, with no basis in reality?
Have you seen attendance at Marlins games?
This.
K.M. Richards
Program Director, The Eighties Channel™
Bingo, Flipper. For a Sports-formatted station to work on either band, there has to be one (or preferably more than one) pro team which the station has the contract with to carry all of their games. That way, you at the very least start with an audience comprised of those teams' fans and also use that as the foundation for local shows. (As opposed to plugging a satellite feed into the transmitter 24/7 ... I think there are too many marginal AMs across the country who are doing that, and they probably would be better off going silent.)
But we're not there ... at least not yet. If one of iHeart's FMs became less valuable in the cluster, they could move KLAC, but even that's not likely for a while.
K.M. Richards
Program Director, The Eighties Channel™
Oh, we're going to use that argument. X number of people at the games equals multiples of X as a potential audience.
This is the same argument that has been put forward by EDM enthusiasts ... that club attendance proves that some station should adopt the format.
The argument is flawed in both scenarios. One does not equal the other.
Always surprised when I see the poor ratings for KLAC. Format seems similar to KNBR in the Bay Area, which has generally solid ratings. Assume KLAC's weak AM signal plays a role, and assume demographic changes are in play too. But, it feels like there's something else going on that's unique to LA...maybe the weather's too nice for people to get too deeply engaged into the minutiae of their sports teams.
K.M. Richards
Program Director, The Eighties Channel™
Sports stations, in general, do not care about the ratings (especially the meaningless 6+).
Ad buys on those stations are because of the format and/or play-by-play. It is already presumed the audience is predominantly male, and so ads are targeted at the fans.
KLAC makes money. Ratings and signal have little -- if anything -- to do with its billing.
You know the Lakers just signed an extension.
ESPN LA 710 Renews Deal to Remain Lakers Radio Flagship - Radio Ink
The Los Angeles Lakers and Good Karma Brands' ESPN Los Angeles 710 (KSPN-AM) have extended their radio rights agreement.
radioink.com
NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers, ESPN LA Extend Radio Pact.
The Los Angeles Lakers and “ESPN Los Angeles” KSPN have extended their radio rights agreement, according to a news release. The deal ensures the station will continue to broadcast Lakers
So obviously it doesn't matter to them. My take is that the future isn't FM. It's streaming. Good Karma creates a great digital platform for their clients. That's all that matters. Play by play isn't the main product. It's the highlights packages.
What do you mean weak? On day pattern (5 kW ND) you can drive from the Mex/US border North to beyond Santa Barbara and hear it perfectly!
I'll add in again the fact that 1 kw on 550 covers approximately the same area as 50 kw on 1500 AM (assuming similar electrical antenna height, similar ground conductivity at transmitter site, etc.)
The KLAC signal daytime is about as good as 50 kw KNX's signal at 1070, even though KNX has a superior transmitter site on higher conductivity land.
Ya think so? Let's move KLAC to a crummy signal, switch to bargain basement programming outside of live play by play, and see what happens.
You honestly think KLAC's billing would be almost the same with a 10 share in Men 25 to 54 as it would be with a 0.0 share?
If so, I have prime oceanfront property in Arizona for sale.
The one spot where I will agree with you is KLAC is successful in its current form and is profitable.
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Indeed, the KNX xmitter in Torrance is essentially on a peninsula with a direct salt/sea water path to both SD and SB, which explains along with that 50 kW the essentially "local" signal (at least along the coast) in both of those areas.
I ask this respectfully. Has any actual research been done in the L.A. market to show why the format couldn’t work on FM? Yes, Audacy can’t do it because they only have the Rams. As successful as we say KLAC is, could it not do better with an FM home? So a signal that has the world champion dodgers, with clippers, ucla rights etc still makes less money than an FM signal where we stand currently in 2025? Again, before people jump on me and tell me how wrong I am, I ask these questions respectfully. If what TheBigA says all the time is true, the future of FM radio is spoken word, it just somehow isn’t that way in L.A.?
KLAC is reportedly a top 10 biller. What more could they do, given some of the ethnic and population issues in LA?
Overgeneralization. It will take a decade or more to prove any theory, and by then there may be improved or better delivery options for AM and FM stations to push into.
I don’t think the games need to air on a sports station necessarily. A sports talk station can be a place to talk about sports not to listen to the games. Paying for compelling hosts to deliver content year round is more important than airing games which are mostly at night when less people are in their cars and are available on television.