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Sports to replace KNX News simulcast at 97.1 FM

Loverofradio said:
97

Has the radio business ever seen a top 5 FM station drop to last or near last place, the next month? I think that might happen with 97.1
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Those ratings are not the most important factor.

For its first roughly 10 years, WFAN in NYC consistently was around 14th to 16th in revenue. It was also #1 in revenue.

And KNX was not anywhere near top 5 in the sales demos.
 
I don’t seriously see a lot invested into this station. I feel like this is an experiment for Audacy to hire podcasters to do radio shows. Just to see if they can pull this off this cheaply. I’m just excited sports is finally given a chance on FM. Honestly, I don’t even buy that IHeart was considering flipping an FM to KLAC simulcast
 
Audacy has done about as much as they could with this station's launch. Their local talk is as plentiful as their two main competitors, arguably even moreso given they don't break for any national shows during the day at all. Both 710 (Rich Eisen) and 570 (Dan Patrick, Cowherd) do. Both 710 and 570 also pad their schedule with syndicated fare during nights and weekends (except for local PXP). The Fan doing the same thing doesn't make it any "less" of a product. KSPN will periodically run actual podcasts during weekends, even when there are active professional sports games! I heard that one weekend and it blew my mind (though the national ESPN Radio feed may have only been offering podcasts and no live programming at the time... but still...)

Now, I'm not saying their product is necessarily better right out of the gate. I think Derek Fisher is a bit too sleepy for morning drive. Conversely, I think Alex Curry is way too chipper (which may be the audience they're trying to appeal to; the show just may not be for me, which is fine) and there is way too much talking over one another on Brock & Alex. What I've enjoyed the most so far have been D-Mac & Reiter and the rotating night hosts, as well as having Westwood One Sports Night as a welcome alternative to Ben Maller.
 
First off. What are you trying to say about the great Ben Maller 😤🤣? Either Alex needs to move to mornings or move Derek to middays. Derek and Decker just don’t mesh well together. Derek was getting agitated that they were interrupting him. Like dude, it’s radio. But I don’t think he gets that. If Derek had a female host to bounce off of, he could be better. I’d put Decker in afternoons and make it a 3 man show
 
I will absolutely choose a 2 hour old WW1 Sports Night over Ben Maller, but personal preference aside I think we’re lucky just to have all these options now.

Also I imagine it was because of the station being so new and not wanting to run substitute programming so early, but I believe all local shows were live in-studio on Memorial Day. I saw folks on the Mason & Ireland (who were off) subreddit took notice.
 
Here's an interview with the CEO of Audacy about why the company is flipping stations to sports:

www.insideradio.com

Audacy CEO Says Sports Radio Is ‘Thriving’ In Digital Era.

Audacy CEO Kelli Turner says sports radio remains one of audio’s most resilient and relevant formats despite growing competition from streaming, social media and podcasts. In a contributed article for
www.insideradio.com www.insideradio.com

She says on-air is only a small part of the reason.

Turner pointed to Audacy’s recent launch of sports talk station “97.1 The Fan” KNX-FM in Los Angeles as part of the company’s broader investment in sports programming. The move gives Audacy sports brands in each of the nation’s 10 largest markets and more than 30 sports stations nationwide.
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Loverofradio said:
I don’t seriously see a lot invested into this station. I feel like this is an experiment for Audacy to hire podcasters to do radio shows. Just to see if they can pull this off this cheaply. I’m just excited sports is finally given a chance on FM. Honestly, I don’t even buy that IHeart was considering flipping an FM to KLAC simulcast
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Just curious if KNX is a union shop. Hiring a staff of non-SAGaftra talent is a big money saver -- of course, if likely limits the talent pool Audacy can draw from.
 
Here's an interview with The Fan's brand manager Andrew Williams about his vision for the station. He says they're still talking about adding Jim Rome at some point. But it sounds like the sticking point is they want all the talent "in the building."

barrettmedia.com

Andrew Williams Details His Vision Behind Building 97.1 The Fan in Los Angeles

"I wanted all our people in this building. They are in this studio and conversing around the halls. That means something in the sense of trying to build something brand new."
barrettmedia.com barrettmedia.com

“One hundred percent it [Jim Rome] was part of the conversation. I had a giant spreadsheet with talent and shows. Obviously, with our relationship with Westwood One Sports, it was brought up,” explained Williams. “I wanted all our people in this building. They are in this studio and conversing around the halls. That means something in the sense of trying to build something brand new.”
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