Los Angeles Radio Ratings: July 2024

[davideduardo]

You clearly don't spend enough time in Bakersfield, David.

Heck, even the (former) Buck Owens station there is off their peak shares by nearly half.

Flashback: the famous Jacobs/Drake jock aircheck evaluation sheet had one item of note that could be checked off: "Fake Bakersfield Sound".

Instead you have this:

View attachment 7456

There are just four of those left in CA now... Toluca Lake, Norco, Downey and Calimesa. The Toluca Lake one has a fantastic old car day every Friday... you can occasionally spot Jay Leno there (he lives nearby as did I)

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At one time, when I'd visit family in Cleveland on my visits from South America, my first stop was a Big Boy at the entrance to John Carroll University. There were hundreds of those nationally, but they were sit-down restaurants in the McDonalds world. Most of the remaining Big Boys are in the Ohio, Indiana and Michigan area.

 

[davideduardo]

Conservative media is pumping the Chicago crime wave, and the Texas governor keeps sending buses filled with criminals, drug sellers, rapists, and other crazy people. You think there's no white flight in Chicago? You should watch Fox News. They're counting on it to win in November.

But the figures for Chicago are nothing like those for LA's "white flight". We're talking of hundreds of thousands just in the last four years.

I think you're depending too heavily on dated demographic statistics about country music. The #1 song this week is Shaboozey.

The demos for the format and not individual songs are still predominantly non-Hispanic whites. The only places where you see large Hispanic listening groups are metros like San Antonio and Albuquerque where the Hispanics have been there longer than the Anglos.

And LA's Blacks, Asians and first generation immigrants from places like Iran, Armenia, the Arab nations and central Europe are very unlikely to become country listeners for at least another generation.

 

[TheBigA]

LA's Blacks, Asians and first generation immigrants from places like Iran, Armenia, the Arab nations and central Europe are very unlikely to become country listeners for at least another generation.

All KKGO needs to do is take a small percentage away from KOST or KBIG. Once again, they're not aiming at immigrants. The Top 5 stations in LA are non-ethnic formats.

 

[K.M. Richards]

There are just four of those left in CA now... Toluca Lake, Norco, Downey and Calimesa. The Toluca Lake one has a fantastic old car day every Friday... you can occasionally spot Jay Leno there (he lives nearby as did I)

Not as likely anymore, sad to say. Jay was badly injured in a garage fire in November 2022 which required extensive surgery and reconstruction work due to severe burns, then he fell off one of his motorcycles three months later and suffered from several broken bones. On top of all that, his wife Mavis reportedly has severe dementia and often doesn't recognize him.

Jay has, understandably, been staying home much of the time.

 

[K.M. Richards]

All KKGO needs to do is take a small percentage away from KOST or KBIG. Once again, they're not aiming at immigrants. The Top 5 stations in LA are non-ethnic formats.

And let's not forget that Saul is in the enviable position of being KKGO's original owner, for close to 50 years at this point. He has no debt service (IIRC, when he bought 1260 in the 1990s, he paid cash), owns his office/studio building on the Westside, and has his adult children as management employees.

It does not take much for the Levines to show a profit on the balance sheet. In fact, I think Saul is just trying to reclaim the #1 position in billing among Country stations nationwide for the sheer fun of doing so.

 

[ChannelFlipper]

And let's not forget that Saul is in the enviable position of being KKGO's original owner, for close to 50 years at this point. He has no debt service (IIRC, when he bought 1260 in the 1990s, he paid cash), owns his office/studio building on the Westside, and has his adult children as management employees.

It does not take much for the Levines to show a profit on the balance sheet. In fact, I think Saul is just trying to reclaim the #1 position in billing among Country stations nationwide for the sheer fun of doing so.

I really admire this man. He does things his way for his reasons.

 

[K.M. Richards]

I really admire this man. He does things his way for his reasons.

Wow. You and I actually agreed on something? Call the paramedics, I think I'm having a heart attack! 🤪

 

[K.M. Richards]

And let's not forget that Saul is in the enviable position of being KKGO's original owner, for close to 50 years at this point.

If I may be permitted to correct myself, that should be "just over 65 years" as he first signed on 105.1 in February 1959. (I need another cup of coffee.)

 

[Identnut]

I wouldn't be surprised if KKGO were sold once Saul passes on, but we'll cross the speculation bridge when we get to it lest we fall into bad taste.

 

[K.M. Richards]

I wouldn't be surprised if KKGO were sold once Saul passes on, but we'll cross the speculation bridge when we get to it lest we fall into bad taste.

Not gonna happen. His two adult children Michael and Stephanie are actively involved in station management and I fully expect them to keep it after their father passes.

BTW, here's a picture of the three of them, taken in January 2020:

Los Angeles, California, USA. 29th Jan, 2020. Saul Levine and his son Michael and daughter Stephanie of Mount Wilson FM Broadcasters. Credit: Ringo Chiu/ZUMA Wire/Alamy Live News Stock Photo - Alamy

Download this stock image: Los Angeles, California, USA. 29th Jan, 2020. Saul Levine and his son Michael and daughter Stephanie of Mount Wilson FM Broadcasters. Credit: Ringo Chiu/ZUMA Wire/Alamy Live News - 2B06GWH from Alamy's library of millions of high resolution stock photos, illustrations...

www.alamy.com

 

[TheBigA]

I think Saul is just trying to reclaim the #1 position in billing among Country stations nationwide for the sheer fun of doing so.

He doesn't care much about billings, as you yourself has said. He cares about being #1 in cume. Right now the battle is against WUSN Chicago and KKBQ Houston. And yes, it's all for fun and bragging rights.

I think #1 in billings is KILT in Houston, thanks in part to the Houston Texans broadcasts.

 

[K.M. Richards]

He doesn't care much about billings, as you yourself has said. He cares about being #1 in cume.

Billing, cume, number of songs per hour, whatever. As long as Saul is still having fun being "the last great independent station owner".

 

[semoochie]

Not gonna happen. His two adult children Michael and Stephanie are actively involved in station management and I fully expect them to keep it after their father passes.

BTW, here's a picture of the three of them, taken in January 2020:

Los Angeles, California, USA. 29th Jan, 2020. Saul Levine and his son Michael and daughter Stephanie of Mount Wilson FM Broadcasters. Credit: Ringo Chiu/ZUMA Wire/Alamy Live News Stock Photo - Alamy

Download this stock image: Los Angeles, California, USA. 29th Jan, 2020. Saul Levine and his son Michael and daughter Stephanie of Mount Wilson FM Broadcasters. Credit: Ringo Chiu/ZUMA Wire/Alamy Live News - 2B06GWH from Alamy's library of millions of high resolution stock photos, illustrations...

www.alamy.com

Of course, you never know. Two words: King Broadcasting!

 

[K.M. Richards]

Of course, you never know. Two words: King Broadcasting!

As I have said in other threads, I have met and spoken with Michael Levine. I detect approximately zero intent to sell once his father dies (which, BTW, does not appear to be anytime soon, as Saul is in excellent health for a man his age, needs no mobility assistance ... and is as mentally "sharp as a tack").

 

[michael hagerty]

Not as likely anymore, sad to say. Jay was badly injured in a garage fire in November 2022 which required extensive surgery and reconstruction work due to severe burns, then he fell off one of his motorcycles three months later and suffered from several broken bones.

Happy to say Jay recovered well from both those incidents and is continuing to do his "Jay Leno's Garage" series---this new episode just dropped yesterday:

 

[davideduardo]

Jay has, understandably, been staying home much of the time.

Yet he is doing a live comedy show at one of the casinos here in The Desert this month!

 

[K.M. Richards]

Well then, I guess the illustrious Mr. Leno has happily made a complete recovery from his medical issues. Good for him!

 

[Loverofradio]

They never can. First is lifestyle. Then you have a market that is only 20% or so native born non-Hispanic white.

We can't expect Armenians, Persians, Russians and other "white" immigrant groups to suddenly want to look for a Buck-Ee's and turn on a country station.

Armenian here! Proud bucees, country music and pickup truck and high school football supporter 🙋‍♂️😂.

 

[K.M. Richards]

They never can. First is lifestyle. Then you have a market that is only 20% or so native born non-Hispanic white.

We can't expect Armenians, Persians, Russians and other "white" immigrant groups to suddenly want to look for a Buck-Ee's and turn on a country station.

Armenian here! Proud bucees, country music and pickup truck and high school football supporter 🙋‍♂️😂.

So much for stereotyping, although I suspect David meant to imply that an entire ethnic group not predisposed toward Country is suddenly going to become converts en masse.

 

[davideduardo]

So much for stereotyping, although I suspect David meant to imply that an entire ethnic group not predisposed toward Country is suddenly going to become converts en masse.

And I have been referring to first generation specifically.

For example, the two significant country stations in San Antonio have always had around half of their cumers among Hispanics... but research shows that those Hispanics are often 5th, 6th, 8th, 10th generation and not immigrants or, generally, second generation.

In LA, the Armenian community goes back several generations to the diaspora following the Turkish genocide and we find lots of very later generation descendants of that group. Hey, look at Ross Bagdasarian, alias David Seville and his (in)famous "Chipmonks"



I never did find out who put the bop....

(File under "rapid change of subject in true RadioDiscussions form!")