KABC Format Change

[michael hagerty]

Re: KABC to CBS Sports

How long before Cumulus makes the move??

Surfer(the original poster) isn't answering specific questions about what his inside source is telling him.

 

[Surfer]

The answer to "How long before a move is made?" is interesting but, it will be by Labor Day, unless something far more dramatic behind the scenes happens. :-\

 

[westfield60]

The answer to "How long before a move is made?" is interesting but, it will be by Labor Day, unless something far more dramatic behind the scenes happens. :-\

I hate to rain on everyone's parade here, but I doubt KABC will undergo a format change. They just brought back John Phillips and that has got to signify that station management has finally woken up from a 20 year nap and decided to make a bold move to topple KFI.

 

[hm insulators]

Maybe KABC will become an All-Polka station! ;D

 

[ChannelFlipper]

Maybe KABC will become an All-Polka station! ;D

I would actually listen more if they did. Don't forget, polka is beer-drinkin' music in some parts of Europe.

Actually, I am surprised they don't go all-sports for half the day. That way they could still honor their commitments to Hannity and Levin during the day and still have 10-12 hours to clear some of their more high-profile partnered CBS sports programs in LA, even if it is on delayed basis. Can't be worse than what they are doing now, can it? Perhaps they do the sports during the day and clear the talkers at night? Again, what difference would it really make?

 

[Thomps2525]

What difference would it make? How can you ask such a question? A format of daytime sports and nighttime talk would probably upset 50% of KABC's listeners. However, the other two listeners might actually like the change.

 

[michael hagerty]

(Promo Voice)

"All Sports....Half The Day. 790, KABC.....Los Annnnnnngeles."

 

[Thomps2525]

Next questions: Have any major-market stations had a "half-and-half" format with, for example, music airing for 12 hours and then talk for 12 hours? Would one format garner much bigger numbers than the other format, to the point where that format would become full-time? And have any 24-hour stations had such low ratings during the overnight hours that they decided to stay off the air during those hours? I'd love to see the Los Angeles radio ratings for the midnight-to-6 hours. Does any company monitor those hours?

 

[ChannelFlipper]

Next questions: Have any major-market stations had a "half-and-half" format with, for example, music airing for 12 hours and then talk for 12 hours? Would one format garner much bigger numbers than the other format, to the point where that format would become full-time? And have any 24-hour stations had such low ratings during the overnight hours that they decided to stay off the air during those hours? I'd love to see the Los Angeles radio ratings for the midnight-to-6 hours. Does any company monitor those hours?

Just think of all of the format possibilities Saul Levine could come up with if he did half and half.

 

[davideduardo]

I'd love to see the Los Angeles radio ratings for the midnight-to-6 hours. Does any company monitor those hours?

Arbitron measures 24/7. Subscribers can pull out the overnight hours. In fact, some stations in LA sell the 5 AM hour as part of morning drive due to the high listening levels in that hour.

 

[michael hagerty]

Next questions: Have any major-market stations had a "half-and-half" format with, for example, music airing for 12 hours and then talk for 12 hours? Would one format garner much bigger numbers than the other format, to the point where that format would become full-time? And have any 24-hour stations had such low ratings during the overnight hours that they decided to stay off the air during those hours? I'd love to see the Los Angeles radio ratings for the midnight-to-6 hours. Does any company monitor those hours?

The last time I remember anything like that, Steve, was when full service AC stations were transitioning to talk in the late 70s...it was temporary, but KMPC did it for a few months in '79.

 

[MC]

Maybe it will be a German Station or a Puerto Rican Station.

 

[benale]

In 1969 WMCA in New York had a 50/50 music talk hybrid. They were talk from 10PM to 10AM and music the remaining hours. They billed it "Power Radio" and featured Dominic Quinn,Leon Lewis,Alex Bennett and Barry Gray doing talk and Dan Daniel, Chuck Browning and Frankie Crocker doing music. It lasted six months before they went back to music. A year later they went all talk.

 

[the golden boy]

Next questions: Have any major-market stations had a "half-and-half" format with, for example, music airing for 12 hours and then talk for 12 hours? Would one format garner much bigger numbers than the other format, to the point where that format would become full-time? And have any 24-hour stations had such low ratings during the overnight hours that they decided to stay off the air during those hours? I'd love to see the Los Angeles radio ratings for the midnight-to-6 hours. Does any company monitor those hours?

The last time I remember anything like that, Steve, was when full service AC stations were transitioning to talk in the late 70s...it was temporary, but KMPC did it for a few months in '79.

B97 in New Orleans did this in the mid-90s. They were talk during day, CHR late at night and on weekends. They went back to CHR not too long later.

 

[radio-darn]

B97 in New Orleans did this in the mid-90s. They were talk during day, CHR late at night and on weekends. They went back to CHR not too long later.

Of course this sort of thing was common in small rural stations once upon time: I worked at a place that did MOR in the morning, country in the afternoon, light classical early evening and rock til sign-off, with a couple hour-long news breaks along the way.

Here in San Diego it wasn't too long ago that KPBS had its daytime news/talk format and classical music at night - maybe they still do, but who listens to radio at night?

 

[michael hagerty]

B97 in New Orleans did this in the mid-90s. They were talk during day, CHR late at night and on weekends. They went back to CHR not too long later.

Of course this sort of thing was common in small rural stations once upon time: I worked at a place that did MOR in the morning, country in the afternoon, light classical early evening and rock til sign-off, with a couple hour-long news breaks along the way.

Here in San Diego it wasn't too long ago that KPBS had its daytime news/talk format and classical music at night - maybe they still do, but who listens to radio at night?

You just described my first station, KIBS in Bishop, except it was country in the morning, then MOR in the midday and afternoon. We also had an hour-long "women's interest program" and an hour a day of radio bingo.

As for KPBS, they probably do. NPR KJZZ here in Phoenix is news & talk 4 AM-8PM, then jazz 8PM-4AM.

 

[sweetbabylee]

KPBS stopped the evening classical music programming some time ago. They now have BBC World Service and PBS programming for the most part but not music.

 

[Ultimajock]

Next questions: Have any major-market stations had a "half-and-half" format with, for example, music airing for 12 hours and then talk for 12 hours?

...seems to me that`s exactly what both WIND (circa `77) and WLS (circa `89) did in Chicago before going all-talk...

 

[semoochie]

If the station was small enough, it might use a clock format, with specific types of music at the same time each hour, along with news, sports, weather and the spots. They might start out with MOR, then Country, Rock, Jazz, Classical, Beautiful and Polka and then repeat.

 

[michael hagerty]

If the station was small enough, it might use a clock format, with specific types of music at the same time each hour, along with news, sports, weather and the spots. They might start out with MOR, then Country, Rock, Jazz, Classical, Beautiful and Polka and then repeat.

You're better off with block programming. Very few listeners would sit through that eclectic a mix. And people in small markets, especially where there's only one listenable signal, are early adopters of alternative sources (from tape decks in the 60s and 70s to satellite radio and personal devices today.

A few hours each of country, pop, R&B (depending on the ethnic makeup of the market) gets people tuned in long enough to hear sponsor messages.

Classical and Jazz would probably be weekend specialty programming. Polka, too, in certain parts of the country. I'm not sure there's a there there for Beautiful anymore, no matter the market.