KLSX -- Is their "FM Talk" clock finally ticking?

[RadioFanBoy]

First San Francisco, and now New York. Chicago is still FM talk, although the "FREE FM" moniker has been dropped. Will KLSX go back to being the "FM Talk Station"? or is Tom L AM bound? (Couldn't you just see HIM being placed on KNX or KFWB?).

 

[david]

First San Francisco, and now New York. Chicago is still FM talk, although the "FREE FM" moniker has been dropped. Will KLSX go back to being the "FM Talk Station"? or is Tom L AM bound? (Couldn't you just see HIM being placed on KNX or KFWB?).

My 2 cents...along with my Rx:

No - they should not be moved to AM. KLSX is a heritage FM talker, so even if they do (and probably will soon) depose of the malignant Free FM moniker, they should (and I think will) remain an FM talker. Personally, I would shift to somehow using the calls KLSX in their name, referencing FM talk somehow, and perhaps a branding phrase leveraging the fact that they are one of the classic (i.e., long running) FM talkers in the country.

As to the more important issue of improving their performance...I think the air talent they have is OK, the bigger problem I think is with their demographic audience targeting. They focus on a relatively narrow niche of the market - young urban, relatively uneducated, Caucasian males - the same audience that KLOS targets, and both stations hover just under or over 2.0 in the 12+. If I were both stations (KLSX and KLOS) I would look at KCBS-FM and how they essentially retained most of their prior (Arrow) elements but managed to expand their target audience (as Jack) and flourished.

So...KLSX should remain on FM, it should drop its FREE FM moniker, and it should take a look at its brand holistically, and seek to broaden its overall target audience.

 

[davideduardo]

So...KLSX should remain on FM, it should drop its FREE FM moniker, and it should take a look at its brand holistically, and seek to broaden its overall target audience.

I agree with all your points, which are well reasoned.

KLSX was #8 in LA billings last year. As long as they have such strong revenue, they will fine tune but not blow anything up.

I particularly like your point about KLSX being a heritage young talker... dating back to when Andy Bloom brought Stern in and started the progression to talk all day. This is not a "slammed together" Free FM, but a station with a lengthy, by today's standards, place in the market. They just need to make it better.

Another way to look at it is that among non-ethnic listeners, it has about a 4 share.

 

[calguy]

First San Francisco, and now New York. Chicago is still FM talk, although the "FREE FM" moniker has been dropped. Will KLSX go back to being the "FM Talk Station"? or is Tom L AM bound? (Couldn't you just see HIM being placed on KNX or KFWB?).

My 2 cents...along with my Rx:

No - they should not be moved to AM. KLSX is a heritage FM talker, so even if they do (and probably will soon) depose of the malignant Free FM moniker, they should (and I think will) remain an FM talker. Personally, I would shift to somehow using the calls KLSX in their name, referencing FM talk somehow, and perhaps a branding phrase leveraging the fact that they are one of the classic (i.e., long running) FM talkers in the country.

As to the more important issue of improving their performance...I think the air talent they have is OK, the bigger problem I think is with their demographic audience targeting. They focus on a relatively narrow niche of the market - young urban, relatively uneducated, Caucasian males - the same audience that KLOS targets, and both stations hover just under or over 2.0 in the 12+. If I were both stations (KLSX and KLOS) I would look at KCBS-FM and how they essentially retained most of their prior (Arrow) elements but managed to expand their target audience (as Jack) and flourished.

So...KLSX should remain on FM, it should drop its FREE FM moniker, and it should take a look at its brand holistically, and seek to broaden its overall target audience.

I knew I saw this post somewhere else when I read your email on LA Radio today. Maybe someone will take notice at CBS now, but in another paragraph near the top it looks like they'll still be calling themselves Free FM. But who knows, maybe they'll do a slow transition and drop it eventually. Hope so...

 

[jeffdfw]

KLLI in Dallas/Fort Worth (mkt #5) dropped "FREE FM" about two weeks ago and went back to "Live 105.3" www.live1053.com

 

[LJ and VicRock]

As long as they refuse to replace Danny Bonaduce, their morning ratings are going nowhere. DB is a death knell.