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560

Hadn't looked in a while...here's the six-month trend for KSFO on 810:

1.6-1.5-1.3-1.2-1.1-0.8

And it's still the highest-rated AM without an FM simulcast in the San Francisco ratings.

There is no there there.
Their South Bay (San Jose) ratings have also been on a downward spiral.

3.4-3.3-2.7-1.9-1.7-1.5. That's a 6 month loss of more than half of their audience.
 
Their South Bay (San Jose) ratings have also been on a downward spiral.

3.4-3.3-2.7-1.9-1.7-1.5. That's a 6 month loss of more than half of their audience.

Well, half their share, anyway. It could be lower time spent listening, but either way, it ain't good. Especially considering that the idea of moving KSFO from 560 to 810 was to give the programming a bigger signal. Its last SF book on 560 was a 1.8.
 
BTW, Cumulus announced they are shutting down another AM at the end of the year. WNAM Appleton, Wi.
WNAM is Appleton/Oshkosh, about 80 miles away from Milwaukee, and sends their juice to the north-northeast, away from Milwaukee. It's also on 1280 with 5KW. Very different situation than the former KSFO/KZAC, which is at the low end of the dial, right in the heart of San Francisco. If nobody's willing to take 560 off Cumulus's hands, then the fat lady has finished her aria for AM radio.
 
WNAM is Appleton/Oshkosh, about 80 miles away from Milwaukee, and sends their juice to the north-northeast, away from Milwaukee. It's also on 1280 with 5KW. Very different situation than the former KSFO/KZAC, which is at the low end of the dial, right in the heart of San Francisco. If nobody's willing to take 560 off Cumulus's hands, then the fat lady has finished her aria for AM radio.

It may vary by region, but in the San Francisco Bay Area, the fat lady is already settling into her booth at the House of Prime Rib.
 
Well, half their share, anyway. It could be lower time spent listening, but either way, it ain't good. Especially considering that the idea of moving KSFO from 560 to 810 was to give the programming a bigger signal. Its last SF book on 560 was a 1.8.
Cumulus's KNBR is also in trouble. Down to a 1.9 share. And this is during football season (49er's). The last three months:

2.7-2.3-1.9

Cumulus this week, also laid off Nikki Blakk on KSAN.

Not good....
 
Cumulus's KNBR is also in trouble. Down to a 1.9 share. And this is during football season (49er's). The last three months:

2.7-2.3-1.9

Cumulus this week, also laid off Nikki Blakk on KSAN.

Not good....
But KNBR's at least got an FM simulcast to fall back on. (Unlike talent, which by now has either been let go or become ill.) It does show how small the audience for football-on-radio still is. Despite the Niners' regional prominence, KNBR lives or dies by the Giants.
 
But KNBR's at least got an FM simulcast to fall back on. (Unlike talent, which by now has either been let go or become ill.) It does show how small the audience for football-on-radio still is. Despite the Niners' regional prominence, KNBR lives or dies by the Giants.
Everything points to the fact that Cumulus has given up on San Francisco. I'm surprised Connoisseur hasn't made a deal to buy the remaining Cumulus cluster. How convenient having everyone already located in the same building. But then Trump has made rumblings about not removing the ownership cap.
 
But then Trump has made rumblings about not removing the ownership cap.
He probably fantasizes about prohibiting private ownership altogether and establishing a national network of 24/7 MAGA propaganda. Many authoritarian regimes already have such networks, so the precedent exists. Just not in the US, because there are many laws and regulations that, when enacted, were intended to prevent that sort of thing, but given this admin's disdain for the rule of law, who knows what will happen?

The only thing that's certain is that we're in for some interesting times ahead.

c
 
But KNBR's at least got an FM simulcast to fall back on. (Unlike talent, which by now has either been let go or become ill.) It does show how small the audience for football-on-radio still is. Despite the Niners' regional prominence, KNBR lives or dies by the Giants.
Baseball is damn near daily during the season. Football is weekly. Far less impact on ratings.
 
Agreed.

If it goes back on air, it will probably be one of the following:
  • Religious (in either English or another language, probably Spanish)
  • Spanish-language secular talk and/or music
  • Indian Punjabi music
  • Chinese talk/music (because San Francisco has a sizable Chinese-American population, this isn't inconceivable)

I doubt it, though that would be nice, because then it *could* actually open the door to an unusually wealthy hobbyist to do such things.


Polkas? In San Francisco?

c
Or regional Mexican music format, if there’s an audience for that in the Bay Area. I’m thinking of how KFWB in L.A. has been programming that format since 2016, with no overlap (besides the historic calls and dial position being retained) in audiences, formats, languages or even a continual nod to its storied history — 41 years of it being L.A.’s other all-news station.
 
Or regional Mexican music format, if there’s an audience for that in the Bay Area.
You mean "nostalgia Regional Mexican music" which means mostly rancheras.
I’m thinking of how KFWB in L.A. has been programming that format since 2016, with no overlap (besides the historic calls and dial position being retained) in audiences, formats, languages or even a continual nod to its storied history — 41 years of it being L.A.’s other all-news station.
And that station gets barely a share of listening, mostly over 55. With a much lower percentage of Hispanics in the full metro, and lots more Central Americans, such a format would have a hard time finding clients and audience.
 
Well, half their share, anyway. It could be lower time spent listening, but either way, it ain't good. Especially considering that the idea of moving KSFO from 560 to 810 was to give the programming a bigger signal. Its last SF book on 560 was a 1.8.
Also, 810 KSFO (both as 560 KSFO and the former KGO 810 combined) no longer program any local weekday or weekend shows or even run local news updates despite both standalone stations having a rich history of doing both. Present-day 810 has no distinctive local flavor or following to it as the format is all nationally-syndicated right-wing talk. As someone who is far from being right wing, even a local show with an ideological bent still being programmed on 810 would pique my curiosity just enough to tune and listen for a bit every now and then. Now, I have no real incentive anymore if there’s no local flavor to it.
 
Devil's advocate: Would anyone in this thread's lives and listening habits be any different if 610 had gone dark instead of becoming Family Radio?

Then 106.9 wouldn't have gone to CBS and it would still have been a bypassable spot on the *FM* "dial" for the vast majority of listeners. Instead we got what I felt were two bypassable stations, one per band, until CBS gave up on "Free FM" and repurposed the KFRC brand for classic hits.

If the answer is no, there's your answer for 560.

If they "save" it, if it goes back on the air, the odds of it being anything you'd want to listen to, much less in any way honoring the history of KSFO, is microscopically small.
Well, of course. But if you want to save things, isn't a religious broadcaster the most likely choice, by definition?
 
Nice callback to the Berkeley Farms ads of the 60s.
Actually, the slogan is still on their trucks (or at least was, as of 2020). When I worked downtown, walking to work from BART, I would often see their trucks packing up after supplying the small grocery stores scattered about.
 


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