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How profitable was KABL 960?

M

mikecroaro

Hi Folks:

Does anyone here know how financially successfully KABL 960 was during their 6-8 year stint with standards?

Thanks,

Mike
 
Don't know how profitable it was during that time. I always heard whining from CC GSMs that they couldn't make money with the older demo. I didn't and still don't agree with that line of thinking. I always thought they should've been more innovative with sales on that station. Seemed to me the KABL sales dept just kept going back to the same old well for the old money.
 
is that one of the reasons the moved it to an FM station and into the Walnut Creek area where Rossmoor is for all the old folks?
 
"is that one of the reasons they moved it to an FM station and into the Walnut Creek area where Rossmoor is for all the old folks?"

I doubt it - Clear Channel decided they could get higher ratings, or a better demographic by running Air America and other liberal talk hosts on 960 AM. That station in Walnut Creek was just a temporary place to park the format until they decided to kill it off entirely.

For a historical perspective that nobody asked for - in the 60s and 70s, the KABL "Beautiful Music" format on 960 AM and 98.1 FM was a money making machine...very highly rated, and cheap to run since it was automated for most of the day.
 
I think it depended on how much they worked it. Anywhere from 2.8-4.5 million a year.
They had some years which were stronger than others.
 
BTW total conjecture and opinion is no replacement for real information.
Some of you have nearly everything wrong on a multitude of subjects Oh well.
 
Double,

Try offering REAL Information yourself before picking on others. Just because you wrote it doesn't mean it's true...Back it up with references, smart guy.
 
Dying: I wasn't putting anyone specific down, (but if the shoes fits) some of you guys start believing your own crap which is usually way off the mark. I stated the facts, I could go on further but I have no
obligation to disclose sources to you. I got this from the highly reliable inside sources, so believe
it or don't, I could care less. Smart Guy. BTW profit is one thing I can't address, I'm simply stating
the range of revenue.
 
It wasn't profitable at all. I speak first hand having been let go from the company because I was making more a month than KABL 960 was bringing in. Ah the joys of AFTRA. And not too soon after I left, the knife came down on the Ham, beacuse of his salary. Yes the sales staff went after the same ole same ole, but the target audience didn't have the variety of advertisers that other formats could get. You can only have so many retirement homes, funeral homes, Cadillac dealerships...not to mention Scoma's. Haven't been there in a while, but the last time I went...lots of blue hairs.
 
doublecashkgb said:
I think it depended on how much they worked it. Anywhere from 2.8-4.5 million a year.
They had some years which were stronger than others.
Click to expand...

WOW! You were making $2.8-$4.5 million dollars a year? Sign me up! ;D
 
doublecashkgb said:
I think it depended on how much they worked it. Anywhere from 2.8-4.5 million a year.
They had some years which were stronger than others.
Click to expand...

In it's last two years as standards, if I have the dates right (2002 and 2003) 960 billed, gross, pre-expenses, about $400 k per year. '04 finished at the same level and if I recall, the flip came around September of that year.
 
Can you quote the figures from 97 97 99 20000? David
 
doublecashkgb said:
Can you quote the figures from 97 97 99 20000? David
Click to expand...

'99 $600 k, '00 $700 k. Remember, the whole market revenue picture dipped after the "dot bomb" collapse on which the economy is significantly dependent.

I don't have early data accessable, as prior to 1999 I have only the top 20 billers.
 
doublecashkgb said:
BTW total conjecture and opinion is no replacement for real information.
Some of you have nearly everything wrong on a multitude of subjects Oh well.

Dying: I wasn't putting anyone specific down, (but if the shoes fits) some of you guys start believing your own crap which is usually way off the mark. I stated the facts, I could go on further but I have no
obligation to disclose sources to you. I got this from the highly reliable inside sources, so believe
it or don't, I could care less. Smart Guy. BTW profit is one thing I can't address, I'm simply stating
the range of revenue.
Click to expand...

Priceless.
 
doublecashkgb said:
I think it depended on how much they worked it. Anywhere from 2.8-4.5 million a year.
They had some years which were stronger than others.
Click to expand...

Not during the big band/swing years they weren't. They might have billed that during the beautiful music years when they were on top. The question was about the bb/swing years.
 
DavidEduardo said:
doublecashkgb said:
I think it depended on how much they worked it. Anywhere from 2.8-4.5 million a year.
They had some years which were stronger than others.
Click to expand...

In it's last two years as standards, if I have the dates right (2002 and 2003) 960 billed, gross, pre-expenses, about $400 k per year. '04 finished at the same level and if I recall, the flip came around September of that year.
Click to expand...

CC killed it for $$$$$$$$$$.. Die cc die!
 
David: The numbers you quote don't shake out. I have a Duncan's American
Radio from 1999, which places KABL's revenue in the 3 million dollar range.
I will dig it out, and quote the exact figures. Duncan had a stellar reputation,
so something doesn't square. I stand by my figures, although it was likely
under the former ownership who actually generated the highest modern
numbers for KABL.
 
The number would sound right if it were in Redding, California, not San Franscisco. In this market you can slice out a very small piece of the pie and still bill $ 3,000,000.00

Plus the personalties on KABL were not new to the area and they along with the format had a respectable following. The other numbers listed would not pay the paroll costs.

Newsperson
 
doublecashkgb said:
David: The numbers you quote don't shake out. I have a Duncan's American
Radio from 1999, which places KABL's revenue in the 3 million dollar range.
I will dig it out, and quote the exact figures. Duncan had a stellar reputation,
so something doesn't square. I stand by my figures, although it was likely
under the former ownership who actually generated the highest modern
numbers for KABL.
Click to expand...

My data is BIA.

In Duncan, the 2001 number was down to $2 million. In 1998, it was $2.8 million, so if you take into account the dot bomb where the whole market fell by about 25%, then by the last years it was down below a million. Duncan and BIA used different models for revenue, and were often off... there is no precise figure for each station in a cluster, ever, even if the GM quotes it because many sales are combo and allocation of dollars is frequently arbitrary.
 
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