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KABL After The Coast Sale

BossRadioDJ

BossRadioDJ

> I E-mailed cc concerning KABL Monday. No response.


I have corresponded with a couple of well-placed KABL staffers over the past several days, and they are in a "quiet period" right now as far as post-sale plans go. Whether self-imposed or directed by Clear Channel, I understand it completely -- it's pretty much the same for any employee in any business who wants to keep a job after a change takes place.

I think one of the things to look at after the KABL-FM handover to Coast is finalized is what happens to the Internet feed (will it continue to run jockless as a sort of jukebox?) and what will Clear Channel put on KABL/1460 in Salinas, which has also been holding the call letters for the company.

D.J.
 
> ...what will Clear Channel put on KABL/1460 in
> Salinas, which has also been holding the call letters for
> the company.

The question is, holding the call letters for what? There is no logical place to put them. Given that the oldies format is dying nationwide due to lack of advertiser interest, how can CC possibly continue to make a go of Adult Standards which mostly attracts an even less desirable demo?
 
Randy_in_Eugene wrote:

> The question is, holding the call letters for what? There
> is no logical place to put them.

Great question. I'm guessing that CC believes that there is at least some equity in the KABL call letters -- they could always put them on another frequency, even one without an Adult Standards format.

Although the circumstances are completely different, remember that Infinity stipulated in its sale of 610 to Family Stations that the KFRC call letters were not part of the deal; of course, that had much to do with Infinity already having KFRC-FM, but it also speaks to the equity of legacy call letters as part of the "brand name" of a radio station.

DJ
 
> Randy_in_Eugene wrote:
>
> > The question is, holding the call letters for what? There
>
> > is no logical place to put them.
>
> Great question. I'm guessing that CC believes that there is
> at least some equity in the KABL call letters -- they could
> always put them on another frequency, even one without an
> Adult Standards format.
>
> Although the circumstances are completely different,
> remember that Infinity stipulated in its sale of 610 to
> Family Stations that the KFRC call letters were not part of
> the deal; of course, that had much to do with Infinity
> already having KFRC-FM, but it also speaks to the equity of
> legacy call letters as part of the "brand name" of a radio
> station.
>
> DJ

CC probably considers the KABL brand their intellectual property.
>
 
To hitchike on an old Letterman comment, "Clear Channel and intellectual property. Now there are two things you don't hear in one sentence."

> CC probably considers the KABL brand their intellectual
> property.
 
Re: KABL & Heritage Call Letters

> Randy_in_Eugene wrote:


> > The question is, holding the call letters for what? There
>
> > is no logical place to put them.

I think a logical place to put them would be back on 960 AM. Last I heard, the Air America programming was not exactly setting the world on fire in the Bay Area. Didn't KABL get better ratings? Perhaps the "standards" demographic is less desirable, or maybe those new billboards with Al Franken's face will help.

RE: heritage call letters in general - I remember when KFRC-AM changed format to standards and became "Magic 61" - James Gabbert offered to buy the call letters for his new radio properties, replacing "KOFY." He was thinking that the historic calls would look great on his stations, not to mention "KFRC,TV 20." This was when the KFRC calls were not being used on the FM - Oldies 99.7 was a couple of years away. The owners of KFRC (may have still been RKO at that time) did not want to sell. RKO had a real sense of call letter history. In Ron Jacobs on-line bio, he mentions thatin 1965, he and Bill Drake wanted to change KHJ's call letters for LA's new Boss Radio to something with a youthful sounding Top 40 hook, but the RKO suits emphatically said NO.
 
> I have corresponded with a couple of well-placed KABL
> staffers over the past several days, and they are in a
> "quiet period" right now as far as post-sale plans go.
> Whether self-imposed or directed by Clear Channel, I
> understand it completely -- it's pretty much the same for
> any employee in any business who wants to keep a job after a
> change takes place.

In Leah Garchik's column Tuesday, KABL morning man Jim Lange was quoted as announcing his retirement on the air Friday...to take effect in two weeks.

That'd be a week from this Friday, or roughly the last weekday of the standards format, as Coast Radio is reportedly taking over August 1st.

-OA<P ID="signature">______________
Ohio Media Watch - <a target="_blank" href=http://ohiomedia.blogspot.com>http://ohiomedia.blogspot.com</a></P>
 
> In Leah Garchik's column Tuesday, KABL morning man Jim Lange
> was quoted as announcing his retirement on the air
> Friday...to take effect in two weeks.
>
> That'd be a week from this Friday, or roughly the last
> weekday of the standards format, as Coast Radio is
> reportedly taking over August 1st.
>
> -OA

Actually, his final broadcast will be on Thursday, July 28:

http://www.radio-info.com/mods/board?Post=491880&Board=sanfrancisco
 
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