New line-up at KABC revealed soon - some will be shocked ... others surprised

[youngsag]

Management IS to blame. Deck chair analogy appropriate. The numbers Tilden has been posting in morning drive will decline at night. Then again, maybe a late night spot is a good place to hide him without too much damage particularly if he has a contract yet to run out (but if so and if it is renewed in future...what a thought!). And Elder never should have been brought back. How can he carry afternoons and deliver? A former star of talk radio, KABC is not about to sink. It already has sunk. What a shame. Live, local, energetic, exciting, really taking calls (what a concept!), getting newsmakers on the line and really making news, promoting the station, making KABC a major force in the community again. I remember when the above was all too true. I was working at a competing station and we were jealous of the class of Los Angeles talk radio. Long time ago. Not to be again. So, syndication with reign, Elder will rant, Tilden will say nothing at a very rapid and squeaky pace. And McIntyre? Maybe. No big bets.

 

[davideduardo]

But I understand if KABC is under some sort of contractual situation of being under the ABC conglomerate that they need to carry these national hosts, but what is the story of Elder, Tilden and Phillips. None of them can draw an audience.

KABC has not been owned by Disney / ABC for years... since 2006 in fact.

The issue here is that KFI is better in many ways, but the big hurdle for KABC is signal. Like location in real estate, it's signal in radio. Unless KABC comes up with more than a variant on the KFI theme, they are lost to the powerhouse on 640 combined with the momentum of iHeart.

 

[radiojomo]

The issue here is that KFI is better in many ways, but the big hurdle for KABC is signal. Like location in real estate, it's signal in radio. Unless KABC comes up with more than a variant on the KFI theme, they are lost to the powerhouse on 640 combined with the momentum of iHeart.

I was thinking about this the other night. I know that 77 WABC in New York does fairly well with Imus, Rush, Levin, Hannity and now Geraldo. KABC has access to Imus, Hannity, Levin and Geraldo. Not Rush. Rush is on KFI.
If KABC somehow gained the syndication rights of Rush from KFI and maybe another Conservative heavyweight like Glenn Beck or Dennis Miller, do you think they would have a better chance of survival even with a weak signal?

 

[michael hagerty]

The issue here is that KFI is better in many ways, but the big hurdle for KABC is signal. Like location in real estate, it's signal in radio. Unless KABC comes up with more than a variant on the KFI theme, they are lost to the powerhouse on 640 combined with the momentum of iHeart.

I was thinking about this the other night. I know that 77 WABC in New York does fairly well with Imus, Rush, Levin, Hannity and now Geraldo. KABC has access to Imus, Hannity, Levin and Geraldo. Not Rush. Rush is on KFI.
If KABC somehow gained the syndication rights of Rush from KFI and maybe another Conservative heavyweight like Glenn Beck or Dennis Miller, do you think they would have a better chance of survival even with a weak signal?

Neither Beck nor Miller are heavyweights in radio.

Set that aside, though and we're back to what I said before. Rush switching to KABC would help KABC but hurt Rush. KABC doesn't have the signal necessary to cover the market. People won't listen to a less than perfect signal.

If Rush were to make a move to KABC, a lot of his listeners on KFI who are outside KABC's peak signal would either listen to Rush online via his own website (adding nothing to KABC's ratings), listen to whatever KFI put in his place, find something else to listen to, or something else to do.

If all the lucky breaks in terms of programming and promotion were to fall KABC's way, my guess is that the signal would keep them at no more than a 3 share 12 plus. There are just not that many Anglo PPMs in the contour to deliver more (David, let me know if I'm wrong).

 

[radiojomo]

Neither Beck nor Miller are heavyweights in radio.

I would have to disagree with you. I believe that Beck is a pretty big name in radio. Maybe not Miller but definitely Beck. I also certainly think that a program like Beck's would be a better LCD program to other conservative shows from Rush, Hannity, etc.

This would be the lineup I could imagine for KABC: Imus in the Morning with some local news break-ins, Rush on at 9 from KFI, Geraldo on at noon til 2, Hannity at 2, Levin at 5 and then Beck etc. on at night.

A 3.0 share in 6+ would definitely be a big improvement from a 0.7 in 6+ now wouldn't it?

 

[jhguthlac]

One of the major problems here, other than the signal, is timing. Hosts do base their presentation on the time of day. Hannity works well on the East coast in the p.m. drive slot. Earlier, its just not the same. "Imus in the Morning" at 3am? You've got to be kidding. Either run the shows in their East coast time slots or go all live and local.

 

[westfield60]

Radiojomo

That line-up would be a disaster. The signal quality is one small factor, but that drone of Washington politics simply doesn't work here. Past and current KABC program directors simply do not understand this. They always believed why are these hosts having success in Iowa but can't draw an audience here. It is the Demographics.

The demographics of the southland simply does not support it. Honestly there are not enough old white conservative males out there shopping for a listening option. KFI has already garnered those listeners and none of them are moving. Ask KRLA or KFWB. They can't get an audience to save their lives and they do feature a lot of these "heavyweights". The rest of the radio audience is young people and those are tied up with KIIS or KAMP which has shown remarkable growth. Those kids are never going to listen to Miller, Beck or Hannity et al. Hispanics also make up a huge percentage and they too will never listen. So putting on that caravan of hosts when there is no audience for it makes absolutely no sense.

That is by the way why Leykis was the only success on KLSX, because he attracted a lot of the younger crowds by talking about dating issues and such. Talking about Clinton and Gingrich will not work with anyone under the age of 50, particularly here in the southland. It really is that simple.

 

[michael hagerty]

A 3.0 share in 6+ would definitely be a big improvement from a 0.7 in 6+ now wouldn't it?

Yes, it would. But I didn't say that was likely, or even possible. I said if KABC caught every lucky break in programming or promotion, their signal would limit them to a 3.0, best case.

In other words, if everything on KFI were packed up tomorrow and moved over to 790...promotion budget, the works, it would at best get a 3, maybe less. It gets a 5.6 on 640.

If you moved everything on KABC to 640, it might get a 2. Because their programming and approach is not competitive in the shrinking target of Southern California talk radio.

 

[MC]

Poor signal is one problem, when stations like KGO are having problems with talk radio, the idea KABC can save themselves is silly. Now look at KOH is Reno with a talk radio format and a "10" they have a good, but small market, talk radio demographic.

 

[Rusty Muck]

Wasn't Levin a local host on WABC before he went national?

Yes. However, Mark always has conducted the show from studios at his home in Northern Virginia.

So by definition alone, he couldn't have been considered a "local host" back then.

 

[Rusty Muck]

Poor signal is one problem, when stations like KGO are having problems with talk radio, the idea KABC can save themselves is silly.

Part of that is due to one bankrupt company (Citadel) getting swallowed up by another bankrupt company (Cumulus). And Cumulus has always been so much of a penny pincher, there have been reports that Lew Dickey successfully squeezed a nickel into a quarter.

Cumulus is a ticking time bomb... the epitome of a "too big to fail" company that's not able to save itself. Let alone one station.

 

[TheBigA]

Part of that is due to one bankrupt company (Citadel) getting swallowed up by another bankrupt company (Cumulus).

Huh? When did Cumulus go bankrupt? The fact is that the Dickeys have built a company that is far more financially stable than a lot of other radio-only companies. They have spread the debt out well. They have a good reputation in the investment community. And they are currently investing far more in the structure of these stations than either of their previous owners, especially Disney. But the bigger picture is that AM radio is heading for extinction, and it doesn't matter who owns this station. Steve Jobs couldn't save it.

 

[nmoore6676]

A 3.0 share in 6+ would definitely be a big improvement from a 0.7 in 6+ now wouldn't it?

Yes, it would. But I didn't say that was likely, or even possible. I said if KABC caught every lucky break in programming or promotion, their signal would limit them to a 3.0, best case.

In other words, if everything on KFI were packed up tomorrow and moved over to 790...promotion budget, the works, it would at best get a 3, maybe less. It gets a 5.6 on 640.

If you moved everything on KABC to 640, it might get a 2. Because their programming and approach is not competitive in the shrinking target of Southern California talk radio.

Excellent analogy, succinct and to the point.

But there is not a lot of talk in Iowa, WHO in Des Moines which is CC like KFI but not as well programmed. Where I am the bugaboos of AM make WHO a hard to tolerate listening experience. Out local "talk" outlet is Dave Ramsey, Clark Howard, formerly Dr. Laura (replaced by Lou Dobbs), and Alan Colmes. On Saturdays we get Handel On The Law and not much else listenable.

 

[michael hagerty]

Poor signal is one problem, when stations like KGO are having problems with talk radio, the idea KABC can save themselves is silly. Now look at KOH is Reno with a talk radio format and a "10" they have a good, but small market, talk radio demographic.

KOH (actually KKOH) also has a 50,000 watt signal, so they can cover their own, much smaller, metro with ease.

 

[Marv-L.A.]

Does anyone know how Hannity does in his timeslot on KABC? I'm sure that KABC's rotten signal is a major albatross around his show and the entire station for that matter, but I was just wondering how dreadful his 25-54 and 35-54 ratings are compared to Rush or John & Ken.

 

[radiojomo]

Radiojomo
That line-up would be a disaster.

Then what lineup wouldn't be a disaster? Here's my point: KABC needs to go after KFI. It might be the only thing that can possibly save them, even with a weak signal.

 

[michael hagerty]

Radiojomo
That line-up would be a disaster.

Then what lineup wouldn't be a disaster? Here's my point: KABC needs to go after KFI. It might be the only thing that can possibly save them, even with a weak signal.

I think what we're all saying is KABC is ultimately doomed as an English-language talk station. It may...may...improve in the ratings with the changes Cumulus is makIng and do better than a 0.7 , but it's unlikely they can do anything that would impact KFI's numbers or make themselves sustainable over the long term.

 

[recto101]

Radiojomo
That line-up would be a disaster.

Then what lineup wouldn't be a disaster? Here's my point: KABC needs to go after KFI. It might be the only thing that can possibly save them, even with a weak signal.

I think what we're all saying is KABC is ultimately doomed as an English-language talk station. It may...may...improve in the ratings with the changes Cumulus is makIng and do better than a 0.7 , but it's unlikely they can do anything that would impact KFI's numbers or make themselves sustainable over the long term.

Well KABC has to go back to FM like 95.5 so they can survive. look there was a KABC-FM in the 1960's before there was a KLOS.

 

[michael hagerty]

Radiojomo
That line-up would be a disaster.

Then what lineup wouldn't be a disaster? Here's my point: KABC needs to go after KFI. It might be the only thing that can possibly save them, even with a weak signal.

I think what we're all saying is KABC is ultimately doomed as an English-language talk station. It may...may...improve in the ratings with the changes Cumulus is makIng and do better than a 0.7 , but it's unlikely they can do anything that would impact KFI's numbers or make themselves sustainable over the long term.

Well KABC has to go back to FM like 95.5 so they can survive. look there was a KABC-FM in the 1960's before there was a KLOS.

Not that easy, Recto. KLOS makes money. Possibly more than KABC could make even if it did fairly well on FM.

 

[LKellerIII]

Radiojomo
That line-up would be a disaster.

Then what lineup wouldn't be a disaster? Here's my point: KABC needs to go after KFI. It might be the only thing that can possibly save them, even with a weak signal.

I think what we're all saying is KABC is ultimately doomed as an English-language talk station. It may...may...improve in the ratings with the changes Cumulus is makIng and do better than a 0.7 , but it's unlikely they can do anything that would impact KFI's numbers or make themselves sustainable over the long term.

Well KABC has to go back to FM like 95.5 so they can survive. look there was a KABC-FM in the 1960's before there was a KLOS.

Yes- this is the same solution that posters keep proposing on the SF board to "save" KGO. Neither of Cumulus's FMs (KFOG and KSAN) get huge ratings, but they reportedly bill well. So Cumulus would have to blow up one of these two to prop up their new KGO news experiment . Doesn't sound like a good bet to me.

Not that easy, Recto. KLOS makes money. Possibly more than KABC could make even if it did fairly well on FM.