Sports to replace KNX News simulcast at 97.1 FM

[MarkW]

Agreed on KBIG. Ditching that format from 104.3 would be a major mistake, in my view.

I think iHM should stand pat with what they have on the FM dial.

If, down the road, iHM wanted to do more of a lifestyle talk format, I could see The Woody Show pairing well with such a format. There is no reason to change 98.7 right now, though. If it ain't broke, don't fix it!

 

[powers]

Thanks to Audacy's recent deal with Nielsen, (corrected spelling) the on-air and streaming audience is combined into a single rating. Thus, a 0.4 stream rating online can help prop up sales revenue for KNX.

It will be interesting to see what KNX's stand alone ratings on just AM will look like - I think they did pretty well (not great, but okay) when they were a stand-alone before, but then they added 97.1 which became the main branding and combined the ratings. I read that they will continue to simulcast KNX News on 97.1 HD2 - they will likely combine that rating with the AM, if it even notches something.

 

[powers]

he does mention Apple Carplay/Android Auto as a means to listen in-car. I find it funny though that someone here mentioned that if they're connecting their phone to their car, they're not doing it to listen to KNX 😆

The Audacy app on Android Auto is a HORRIBLE joke. Thank goodness they use both TuneIn and iHeartRadio to prop up their stations because if they went back to exclusively using Audacy, they would be in big trouble streaming-wise.

 

[ChannelFlipper]

IHeart needs to soon ask itself how badly they need two AC’s in their L.A. cluster. Real can’t go because of Big Boy’s contract. Not 98.7 because of the Woody’s shows contract. Not KOST because of Christmas. Not KIIS. What real purpose does KBIG serve on the FM dial?

Wall of Women.

 

[yeoldeschool]

The under-40 audience won't listen to AM. Moving all news to 1070 really means a chunk of the current KNX audience will stop listening. The only alternative is to start promoting the heck out of smart speakers -- a small but growing segment of the audience. Thanks to Audacy's recent deal with Nielson, the on-air and streaming audience is combined into a single rating. Thus, a 0.4 stream rating online can help prop up sales revenue for KNX.

Promoting smart speakers is an alternative? Why would people wanna pay good money in a bad economy to Become The Product™ for some camouflaged data mining device when all they have to do is press the conveniently-already-there AM button on their dashes and select 1070 in a second flat?

And yes, I know -- younger listeners never explore the AM dial. But I don't see why they wouldn't sample 1070 specifically, if prompted to by 97.1. And unlike, say, 101.1 trying to convince its whole audience to retreat back to 930 for a music format, most 97.1 listeners might find 1070 at 50,000 watts clean and intelligible enough for speech. Generations X and Y are the same "younger" listeners who grew up acclimating to the AMR-NB cellular codec, where everyone sounded like they were drowning in abandoned wells when they talked. 1070's extremely well-processed, unmangled audio sounds many times better than inferior stuff they accepted in their youths. And sure, while even KNX's 50,000 watts would get spoiled in fringe reception areas, the way @henry pointed out, FM deteriorates at its fringes too, so what're you gonna do.

 

[yeoldeschool]

Real can’t go because of Big Boy’s contract.

Could they buy Power 106 and move Big Boy back there, and combine the formats in the process? (Radio Online says they're both hip-hop, but I don't listen to either. No idea how compatible they would be for a merger.)

 

[TheBigA]

I don't see why they wouldn't sample 1070 specifically, if prompted to by 97.1.

Because they don't need to do that for the information they seek.

Could they buy Power 106 and move Big Boy back there

Using what money?

 

[KilowattKat]

All news shines best when there is tragedy. The ratings for KNX skyrocketed during the wildfires. It's nice to have an immediate option for live, local, important information that's accessible to the public and doesn't require an internet connection.

 

[101tm]

Some brought up here about flipping an iHeart FM station for a KFI simulcast. Given KFI’s recently waning fortunes, what good would that do now?

Plus, iHeart, unlike Audacy, hasn’t shown much interest in blowing up FM signals to simulcast an AM. They generally add a translator but that obviously wouldn’t do much in LA.

 

[AM FM listener]

I have been following L.A. radio since 1980. I do not remember an All Sports station ever doing that well, ratings-wise, despite having very successful teams in L.A. all these years. So, this news really surprised me. I know it is about billings, not ratings, but this change seems awfully risky to me.

 

[davideduardo]

BTW the demos for the sports format typically isn't much younger.

But sports formats are broadly equal across the subsets of 25-64 men. And sports stations can go after sports marketing dollars. Good Karma does not even go after general market dollars specifically and they don't even subscribe to ratings.

As I said, a deal might be possible with KSPN 710.

710 has a lousy signal.

 

[davideduardo]

I have been following L.A. radio since 1980. I do not remember an All Sports station ever doing that well, ratings-wise, despite having very successful teams in L.A. all these years. So, this news really surprised me. I know it is about billings, not ratings, but this change seems awfully risky to me.

For its first several decades, WFAN in New York was about 15th in 12+ ratings. But it was #1 in gross revenue.

 

[davideduardo]

Still don't understand 100% how DAB radio works, but that's for a different discussion, maybe i'll ask on the Europe forums.

Different band, different receiver. In most cases, each DAB transmitter handles multiple programs or "stations" and they all have equal coverage.

 

[davideduardo]

IHeart needs to soon ask itself how badly they need two AC’s in their L.A. cluster. Real can’t go because of Big Boy’s contract. Not 98.7 because of the Woody’s shows contract. Not KOST because of Christmas. Not KIIS. What real purpose does KBIG serve on the FM dial?

iHeart does not have "two AC's" in LA. They have three female dominant stations, KIIS, KOST and KBIG. They are often called "the wall of women" and it means that any female ad buy has to include at least two if not all three of them. They are sold as a package in most cases.

Real could go as it has little direct synergy with the rest of the cluster. 98.7 gives them some male balance. The Woody contract can still be fulfilled in other markets... as could the Big Boy deal.

 

[ILOVERADIO]

Good news for AM radio fans. This will strengthen AM listening in Southern California.

Yes. KNX AM provides a clear signal to much of San Diego, while the FM is unavailable there.

 

[davideduardo]

DAB is an all-digital audio service used primarily in Europe. It operates on a range of frequencies around 220 MHz. Multiple audio services are multiplexed on a single transmitter.

And it was instituted successfully only in countries where the government had significant equity in broadcasting... like the BBC and RAI and the like. They pretty much forced the digital band on the industry and the public. On the other hand, where there was more private broadcasting, like Spain, DAB had much less impact. Canada tried to impose it, but DAB there was abandoned because neither listeners nor the radio industry much wanted it.

It’s much like HD on FM would be if there was no analog component. I have read that a fully digital station, running a pure version of the current HD, could have as many as ten audio services.

One reason it was never pushed in the US is that the major broadcasters, who held the "best" signals and assignments, suspected that those little AM daytimers suddenly were granted equal DAB signals. So DAB went nowhere in the U.S.

 

[ILOVERADIO]

One thing's for sure in the LA market - there are plenty of teams and colleges to obtain live play-by-play rights. The Rams are obvious, since they're on Jack. Perhaps the Lakers or Kings, who probably want their own exclusive timeslots for game broadcasts. Clippers? Ducks? MLS? UCLA? USC? There's a lot of sports out there.

Also, most radio listeners prefer FM, so
The new sports station may quickly rise in the ratings, especially with the Rams.

 

[AM FM listener]

I thought KBIG was a Hot AC, not the same as a regular or soft AC, like KOST. For iHeart to have that AC - Hot AC - CHR “wall of women” for as long as they have is very impressive. Does any radio group have a successful “wall of men” group of stations…say, Active Rock - Classic Rock - Sports?

 

[davideduardo]

Yes. KNX AM provides a clear signal to much of San Diego, while the FM is unavailable there.

And, commercially, that has zero value to KNX. No advertiser buys KNX because of the extra coverage. In fact, advertisers don't pay extra to those LA stations that cover the Inland Empire and get good ratings there. There is so little overlap in revenue that most LA stations don't even buy the Riverside/San Bernardino book!

 

[davideduardo]

Also, most radio listeners prefer FM, so
The new sports station may quickly rise in the ratings, especially with the Rams.

Sports is not a "ratings based" format. It sells based on deep attention by listeners and an audience that is almost 100% adult men. dd

As I mentioned before, several times: for its first several decades, WFAN in New York was #1 in billing while always around 15th in ratings.