CBS & Cumulus sync up for Sports - Local station is KRAK 910 AM

[david]

CBS Radio announces new sports content - and distribution with Cumulus - http://www.cbsradio.com/single-press/1811

The closest station announced so far to the LA/OC metro is KRAK 910 AM in Hesperia (in the High Desert). KRAK is currently programming ESPN Radio. In September 2012, KRAK will begin a transition to CBS Sports Radio with hourly updates. It will then begin 24-hour broadcasts of the network on Jan. 2, 2013.

Radio-Info has more info here - http://www.radio-info.com/news/cbs-and-cumulus-to-launch-247-cbs-sports-radio

 

[michael hagerty]

Okay, I'll say it:


KABC.



And if they don't want it, KFWB.

(pure speculation on both counts)

 

[david]

Okay, I'll say it: KABC. And if they don't want it, KFWB. (pure speculation on both counts)

If this were to happen, I could see sports settling in at 790 AM, with talk moving over to 95.5 FM. Would be interesting to see how Brian Phelps is reformulated into KABC-FM Talk. I would move Doug McIntyre to PM Drive and tell Larry that "Larry on the Law" will be the extent of his on-air time moving forward. With sports on 570, 710, 830, as well as on San Diego's 1090 that comes in quite well in much of the market, I don't see much market share available for 790, should they decide to force feed the new network into LA, which is likely cuz their press release says it will be in 9 of the 10 top ten markets.

 

[michael hagerty]

Okay, I'll say it: KABC. And if they don't want it, KFWB. (pure speculation on both counts)

With sports on 570, 710, 830, as well as on San Diego's 1090 that comes in quite well in much of the market, I don't see much market share available for 790, should they decide to force feed the new network into LA, which is likely cuz their press release says it will be in 9 of the 10 top ten markets.

I'm sure CBS and Cumulus think they're creating a category-killer that will drive out smaller competitors, eventually leaving themselves and ESPN radio.

National advertising virtually dictates that this be given an L.A. outlet. KABC or KFWB would have signal issues, though. Are either CBS or Cumulus brave/crazy enough to flip an FM instead?

 

[thomasthexpuser]

As of right now, this is a non factor for the majority of the LA Metro. KRAK, obviously, won't come in well in most places, especially as man created interference increases and radios become less sensitive. On top of that, KOXR 910 is broadcasting with 5kw from Oxnard, causing even more interference to the west. Rule KRAK completely out for LA listeners. KVEN, on the other hand, is currently ESPN Radio and broadcasts out of Ventura with a 1KW signal. It becomes unlistenable around Chatsworth, or on a clear day Balboa on the 118 (whatever city that's in...) I used to listen to KVEN as an oldies station a few years back. Rule KVEN as a non factor too. And if you're thinking about receiving it around the coastal regions where radio signals spread- KFSD in San Diego would more than likely prohibit that. So- if Cumulus wants to be successful with sports in LA, it probably needs to use one of its AM stations. Can they use KFWB, being that it's in a trust? It will just get sold, so why would they do that given that they want to be a real competitor to ESPN radio? Which leaves the odd man out, KAB-puke. Will this ever come to LA? Probably not. Like it or not, KABC has two of the top ten hosts in America by listeners- Sean Hannity and Mark Levin. While they suck as a station, they still probably want those radio rights. Sean and Mark on KFWB- probably not, given its for sale- but this is radio after all. Nothing shocks me anymore.

Wow that was long winded

 

[justpassingthough]

Why isn't 100.3 ever mentioned when people talk about talk or sports shifting to FM in LA? Bonneville switched a long time Hot AC/Rhythmic AC to Sports in St Louis, before it unloaded it to Hubbard (Yes, STL is a vastly different market). Plus, they have some experience with FM talk. Maybe KSWD is the dark horse in this conversation, though. Its probably never pulled the numbers that Bonneville hoped for when they bought the station from Radio One.

 

[michael hagerty]

Can they use KFWB, being that it's in a trust? It will just get sold, so why would they do that given that they want to be a real competitor to ESPN radio?

Management under the trust is free to change formats or affiliate KFWB with a network. It could make the station more attractive to potential buyers if the format is successful, and since station sales are based on a multiple of cash flow, better ratings and better billings for KFWB would likely result in a higher price when the station is sold. A new owner would have to honor the remainder of the CBS Sports contract, but if it's doing well, why wouldn't they want to? In essence (if CBS Sports works), you're taking an AM that no one wants and no one knows what to do with and making it a turn-key moneymaker for a new owner.

As for KABC, it would answer the question of what to do with the AM if they flip KLOS to talk.

 

[michael hagerty]

Why isn't 100.3 ever mentioned when people talk about talk or sports shifting to FM in LA? Bonneville switched a long time Hot AC/Rhythmic AC to Sports in St Louis, before it unloaded it to Hubbard (Yes, STL is a vastly different market). Plus, they have some experience with FM talk. Maybe KSWD is the dark horse in this conversation, though. Its probably never pulled the numbers that Bonneville hoped for when they bought the station from Radio One.

If Cumulus flips KLOS to talk, KSWD wins. That's good incentive to sit still for now.

 

[jonbruce]

And of course 900am KALI West Covina now with 5kw. KRAK is directional away from LA.

 

[justpassingthough]

Why isn't 100.3 ever mentioned when people talk about talk or sports shifting to FM in LA? Bonneville switched a long time Hot AC/Rhythmic AC to Sports in St Louis, before it unloaded it to Hubbard (Yes, STL is a vastly different market). Plus, they have some experience with FM talk. Maybe KSWD is the dark horse in this conversation, though. Its probably never pulled the numbers that Bonneville hoped for when they bought the station from Radio One.

If Cumulus flips KLOS to talk, KSWD wins. That's good incentive to sit still for now.

Thats a big 'if'. Other than mild conjecture on this board, has there really been an evidence that Cumulus plans to abandon a format that has treated it and past owners well for so long?

 

[michael hagerty]

Why isn't 100.3 ever mentioned when people talk about talk or sports shifting to FM in LA? Bonneville switched a long time Hot AC/Rhythmic AC to Sports in St Louis, before it unloaded it to Hubbard (Yes, STL is a vastly different market). Plus, they have some experience with FM talk. Maybe KSWD is the dark horse in this conversation, though. Its probably never pulled the numbers that Bonneville hoped for when they bought the station from Radio One.

If Cumulus flips KLOS to talk, KSWD wins. That's good incentive to sit still for now.

Thats a big 'if'. Other than mild conjecture on this board, has there really been an evidence that Cumulus plans to abandon a format that has treated it and past owners well for so long?

None whatsoever. But if you're Bonneville, with exactly one signal in the market, it makes a ton of sense to see if you can inherit an audience rather than blowing up KSWD and starting over. Cumulus has to successfully replace Mark on the Mark & Brian show in 10 weeks. If that doesn't go well, it will have a huge impact on KLOS overall.

 

[justpassingthough]

Very true- the end of "Mark & Brian" will be an interesting time for KLOS- but I would say its in both (KLOS and KSWD) stations' best interests to play the wait and see game, rather than abandon the format.

 

[michael hagerty]

Very true- the end of "Mark & Brian" will be an interesting time for KLOS- but I would say its in both (KLOS and KSWD) stations' best interests to play the wait and see game, rather than abandon the format.

Right. And that was my initial point to your question about why 100.3 isn't mentioned when people talk about talk or sports shifting to FM. As long as there's a chance KLOS might be in play, either by Cumulus deciding to beat KFI to the FM band or falling off the highwire during the Mark and Brian transition, it costs KSWD nothing to sit still, whereas launching a talk or sports station would involve a huge investment and they could get crushed if Clear Channel or CBS decided to make the move at the same time or soon after.

My bet: You will see the CBS Sports network on either KFWB or KABC. As I said in an earlier post, it may actually make KFWB an attractive purchase, while KABC could probably just dump the talk format, go sports on 790 and keep KLOS (assuming they don't screw it up over the morning change).

But...that's all short-term stuff. As we've seen in New York and other cities, Sports is moving to FM. If CBS Sports launches on an AM signal, figure it's five years at most before they have to move it to FM.

Of course, they could cut out the mid-steps and start from day one on FM if Cumulus buys KSWD from Bonneville, puts CBS Sports on 100.3 and eliminates competition for KLOS. But that's total unfounded speculation.

 

[kogi19]

Of course, they could cut out the mid-steps and start from day one on FM if Cumulus buys KSWD from Bonneville, puts CBS Sports on 100.3 and eliminates competition for KLOS. But that's total unfounded speculation.

That is very interesting speculation. Bonneville has one stick in the market. They've been selling stations lately that were far more successful than KSWD. In Washington DC they sold WTOP, and look how successful in billing and ratings it is. Cumulus has sold off several stations so maybe the cash is there for Lew Dickey to grab another LA signal.

As we've all seen, the big thing/trend is to put sports, talk or news on FM. I don't see KFWB as being more attractive to a buyer if they get stuck with a sports format on AM. Not many owners want to buy a station where they have to carry a certain format for a certain amount of time. That's like buying a house and the association says you can't fix it up because your house has to be lowest valued property in neighborhood.

There are already too many LA sports stations on AM that don't succeed at the billing and ratings level that other sports stations do in other major markets. Putting another sports station on AM in LA isn't going to bring WFAN-like success to some broadcaster. Broadcasters in LA keep dreaming that theirs will be the one, but it won't.

 

[michael hagerty]

Of course, they could cut out the mid-steps and start from day one on FM if Cumulus buys KSWD from Bonneville, puts CBS Sports on 100.3 and eliminates competition for KLOS. But that's total unfounded speculation.

That is very interesting speculation. Bonneville has one stick in the market. They've been selling stations lately that were far more successful than KSWD. In Washington DC they sold WTOP, and look how successful in billing and ratings it is. Cumulus has sold off several stations so maybe the cash is there for Lew Dickey to grab another LA signal.

If you look at Bonneville, since selling WTOP and spinning KSL and KSL-TV (which they'll never part with) off as a separate entity, they only have 8 stations nationwide. That's as many as Clear Channel has in L.A. alone. They're only in 2 other markets...Seattle and Phoenix...both places where Cumulus isn't. Does Lew have the bucks to buy all 8?

 

[dagrudt]

Re: CBS & Cumulus sync up for Sports

Michael,

Here is my prediction. CBS flips 93.1 to sports with mostly local hosts a la WXYT, KDKA-FM, WBZ-FM, and makes a deal with Arte Moreno to air the 24/7 CBS sports programming on KLAA. Angels games and Roger Loge move to 93.1. I like this cuz I am an Angel fan.

 

[SuperRadioFan]

Re: CBS & Cumulus sync up for Sports

Michael,

Here is my prediction. CBS flips 93.1 to sports with mostly local hosts a la WXYT, KDKA-FM, WBZ-FM, and makes a deal with Arte Moreno to air the 24/7 CBS sports programming on KLAA. Angels games and Roger Loge move to 93.1. I like this cuz I am an Angel fan.

I too am an Angel Fan (BTW do you post in the Fan Forum MB??), but this makes little sense. Why would Arte give up broadcasting the games of the team he owns on the station he owns? And if KCBS-FM flips to sports why would they NOT broadcast their new sports network?

 

[michael hagerty]

Re: CBS & Cumulus sync up for Sports

Michael,

Here is my prediction. CBS flips 93.1 to sports with mostly local hosts a la WXYT, KDKA-FM, WBZ-FM, and makes a deal with Arte Moreno to air the 24/7 CBS sports programming on KLAA. Angels games and Roger Loge move to 93.1. I like this cuz I am an Angel fan.

I too am an Angel Fan (BTW do you post in the Fan Forum MB??), but this makes little sense. Why would Arte give up broadcasting the games of the team he owns on the station he owns? And if KCBS-FM flips to sports why would they NOT broadcast their new sports network?

I'm thinking if/when 93.1 flips, it'll be to simulcast KNX. And if CBS Sports goes to an AM, KABC and KFWB have better signals (especially nighttime) than KLAA.

I agree with SuperRadioFan...hard to see what Artie would gain other than license fees by moving Angel broadcasts.

 

[dagrudt]

The reason I make this prediction. First CBS would likely work a deal to pay Arte to air the 24/7 network (and drop ESPN). 93.1 would air the updates and some programming on the weekends and overnights - this is what they are doing in other markets.

From the CBS Press Release:

The following CBS RADIO stations will add various components of CBS Sports Radio programming to their lineup:

WFAN-AM (New York)
WSCR-AM (Chicago)
KRLD-FM (Dallas)
KILT-AM (Houston)
WJFK-FM (Washington, D.C.)
WIP-FM (Philadelphia)
WBZ-FM (Boston)
WXYT-FM (Detroit)
WSJT-FM (Tampa)
WJZ-FM (Baltimore)
WFNZ-AM (Charlotte)
KDKA-FM (Pittsburgh)
KHTK-AM (Sacramento)
WKRK-FM (Cleveland)

The following CBS RADIO stations will broadcast CBS Sports Radio programming as their 24/7 lineup when the network debuts on Jan. 2, 2013:

KIKK-AM (Houston)
WIP-AM (Philadelphia)
WXYT-AM (Detroit)
WQYK-AM (Tampa)
WJZ-AM (Baltimore)
WBCN-AM (Charlotte)
KRAK-AM (Riverside)
KYDZ-AM (Las Vegas)

Yes, they could air the 24/7 on KFWB, but since it is in the trust - I just don't think it likely will happen. And if they did - Saul Levine would scream bloody murder! They would not blow up KNX as that would be idiotic. As for the Angels moving to FM - It would give the team more exposure with a bigger pool of listeners (Remember KLAA's ratings are usually in the .2, .3. and .4 range). Possibly with the station and the team splitting the revenue. Certainly the team could still be simulcast on KLAA. I also believe that CBS will have control over the LA market and not Cumulus - so no KABC or KLOS as affiliates - like New York and Dallas.

Just my opinion, of course, with some thought. At any rate, I am very curious as to how this all shakes out. Please respond... balls in your court!

 

[michael hagerty]

The reason I make this prediction. First CBS would likely work a deal to pay Arte to air the 24/7 network (and drop ESPN). 93.1 would air the updates and some programming on the weekends and overnights - this is what they are doing in other markets.

From the CBS Press Release:

The following CBS RADIO stations will add various components of CBS Sports Radio programming to their lineup:

WFAN-AM (New York)
WSCR-AM (Chicago)
KRLD-FM (Dallas)
KILT-AM (Houston)
WJFK-FM (Washington, D.C.)
WIP-FM (Philadelphia)
WBZ-FM (Boston)
WXYT-FM (Detroit)
WSJT-FM (Tampa)
WJZ-FM (Baltimore)
WFNZ-AM (Charlotte)
KDKA-FM (Pittsburgh)
KHTK-AM (Sacramento)
WKRK-FM (Cleveland)

The following CBS RADIO stations will broadcast CBS Sports Radio programming as their 24/7 lineup when the network debuts on Jan. 2, 2013:

KIKK-AM (Houston)
WIP-AM (Philadelphia)
WXYT-AM (Detroit)
WQYK-AM (Tampa)
WJZ-AM (Baltimore)
WBCN-AM (Charlotte)
KRAK-AM (Riverside)
KYDZ-AM (Las Vegas)

Yes, they could air the 24/7 on KFWB, but since it is in the trust - I just don't think it likely will happen. And if they did - Saul Levine would scream bloody murder! They would not blow up KNX as that would be idiotic. As for the Angels moving to FM - It would give the team more exposure with a bigger pool of listeners (Remember KLAA's ratings are usually in the .2, .3. and .4 range). Possibly with the station and the team splitting the revenue. Certainly the team could still be simulcast on KLAA. I also believe that CBS will have control over the LA market and not Cumulus - so no KABC or KLOS as affiliates - like New York and Dallas.

Just my opinion, of course, with some thought. At any rate, I am very curious as to how this all shakes out. Please respond... balls in your court!

First of all, I stand corrected. In preparing for this reply, I dug into the trust a bit and found that CBS, in structuring the trust in 2010, wrote the rules so that the trust is forbidden to make a format change.

Interestingly, Saul Levine opposedthat clause...on the grounds that allowing CBS to forbid the trust from changing format gave CBS a "cognizable interest" in KFWB's operation. The FCC denied Saul's petition.

So...back to square one.

There is nothing in what CBS is doing so far that indicates they are willing to flip a single one of their FMs in any market to CBS Sports Radio 24/7.

I agree...you don't touch KNX (at least until after you move the audience to FM...after a year or two of a simulcast). And I don't think CBS thinks it needs a KNX simulcast just yet.

And KFWB is off the table.

KLAA? That would require blowing up an affiliation deal with ESPN that includes several dozen simulcasts on KSPN. You're right...CBS would have to pay money to make that work...and they still wouldn't have a listenable signal in the San Fernando Valley at night.

Cumulus is a partner in this network. They are not without power. And I suspect that in the coming weeks, we'll see a press release from them, naming some of their stations as CBS Sports Radio 24/7.

Even though I think the network has to go to FM in the next 5 years in L.A., I'll revise my (highly speculative) bet to this:

CBS Sports Radio 24/7 on 790 AM (probably with a call letter change).

If...IF...Cumulus buys KSWD or Bonneville as a whole, then KABC's talk format goes to 100.3 and KLOS stands pat with no competition apart from JACK, and I'm still betting that becomes KNX-FM for a simulcast with 1070 sometime in the next 5 years).