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Does the Score finally hit fm

I’m still confused on why we expected B96 to flip formats even though it’s a power brand in Chicago.
Probably because even though it bills better than WBMX (latest ratings have it at #18), B96 is a shell of a shell of it's former self. Latest ratings had WBBM-FM at #24 (I think), and WKSC is not far from that number. Top 40 is now Flop 40!
 
I wonder if this is also a play to eventually get the Bears back from WMVP.
I agree that this move makes the station more competitive for PBP rights bidding.

I'd certainly be surprised if Audacy doesn't bid on Bears rights once those become available.

Anyone know when the current deal with WMVP expires?
 
No one in L.A. has the courage to flip an FM to sports. My guess is Chicago
It's not courage... it is reality. LA is less than 25% domestic-born white people. The tastes in sports are quite variable among immigrants and other races.
 
Tree falls in forest. HD2s attract no audience unless they are being used to feed translators, and even the FM translators seldom produce significant ratings.
There are a number of markets like Austin and Albuquerque where translators get "nice" and salable ratings. And in smaller markets, AMs that added translators find that essentially all their listening is to the translator.
 
There are a number of markets like Austin and Albuquerque where translators get "nice" and salable ratings.
In both those markets the translators have absolutely superb line-of-sight coverage of relevant population areas. Sandia Crest is an amazing site for ABQ, and the Western Hills tower farm in Austin looms over the market.
 
In both those markets the translators have absolutely superb line-of-sight coverage of relevant population areas. Sandia Crest is an amazing site for ABQ, and the Western Hills tower farm in Austin looms over the market.
We forget that translators, limited in power, are not limited in height.

For many years, I ran my first independent FM in Quito I ran just 250 watts. But the transmitter was about 2,000 feet over the market and that was enough for it to be consistently rated #2 in upper income groups.

In smaller markets, 250 watts at a good height is better than most upper end of the AM dial stations, particularly where conductivity for AM is bad.
 
KILT needs to move to FM next.
I’m sure Audacy would love to have their Houston sportstalker on FM, but what would they blow up to do that? Hot AC KHMX has been surging lately. Adult Hits KKHH has slipped recently but is still drawing decent numbers. They’re not killing off KILT-FM which is the market’s second Country format. Only possibility might be Spanish Contemporary KLOL which has been on a downward spiral recently, but would they kill off their only Spanish language station in one of the largest Hispanic metro areas in the U.S.?

I think KILT’s current contract as the Houston Texans flagship only has two more seasons to go. Might that put some pressure on Audacy to add an FM simulcast?

As I posted upthread, Audacy likely needs to add a fifth FM to their Houston cluster before launching a simulcast.
 
The other part of it is that Good Karma doesn't own an FM.

Good Karma will have a hard time competing with WSCR-FM 104.3. Until now, both 670 WSCR and 1000 WMVP had fairly equal signals in the Chicago market. WSCR is the better signal, 50,000 watts non-directional and lower on the dial. But for what was needed to cover the market, WMVP, also a Class A although with a directional antenna, 50,000 watts days and 37,000 watts nights, still covers Chicago and its suburbs well.

Now that equity goes out the window. WSCR will be on FM while WMVP stays on AM. As said above, WMVP has the Chicago Bears and Chicago White Sox while WSCR has the Chicago Bulls and Chicago Cubs. But it will be rough for WMVP when the Bears or White Sox aren't playing. (WGN 720 carries the Blackhawks NHL team. )

Even if you might like the sports talk on WMVP slightly better than WSCR, will you still listen to 1000 AM if WSCR is on FM? Yes, WMVP does have streaming but if you're driving, you just have to hit one button to instantly get WSCR-FM.
 
Good Karma will have a hard time competing with WSCR-FM 104.3.

Keep in mind that broadcasting is a very small part of the package Good Karma offers teams. Online content, such as clips, excerpts, and production pieces, is what drives users and money for both GKB and the teams. The teams are partners in the content, so it's a different kind of relationship.

The other issue for WSCR has to do with how the station handles overlaps, because in that case, one team will be put on the AM. That's one way they handle it at WFAN.
 


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