Sports Radio in LA

[GenXRadio]

Is that really "Genuis"?
I am all for having a polarizing personality and having someone that doesn't ride the middlel ine, a guy or gal that people either love or hate CAN be good for the station, ratings & revenue.
BUT...when someone routinely does a POOR - (and that is being generous) show that is completely unlistenable - I am speaking of PMS, HOW does that help your station at all?
As a programmer how do you listen to that and say "Yeah, this is good, people are going to dig this!", that show wouldn't even be acceptable at a Hot talk station even during the Heyday of hot talk/guy radio of 5-6 years ago.
SOMEBODY needs to tell Don that PMS is just not good programming on ANY kind of station!
That may sound harsh but really the show is unlistenable and I expect better from a station in the #2 media market in the country.

And why does Don Martin foist the likes of Petros and Vic on L.A. listeners? - witness his logic in a recent O.C. Register interview...

Don Martin, vice president and general manager for Fox Sports Radio and KLAC/570 AM, said, "A good personality will generate complaint calls to your office, fans will call for him to be fired, he/she will make you nervous or uncomfortable from time to time, and you will have to protect them. He/she also will increase your station's ratings and revenue."

To quote Jon Lovitz..."Genius!"

 

[ChannelFlipper]

And as I have mentioned before, both Petros and Money are very smart guys with enough knowledge of all sports to do a very good show. Indeed, Petros does know how not to be annoying - I've actually seen him do it. But they are coached to do the kind of show they do. If management tells you to do something a certain way, and your job depends on it, you do it.

If they set out to do a GOOD show, they could still get ratings and be thought of years later as having done a GOOD show, much as Joe McDonnel and Doug Krikorian are now. PMS will be forgotten 5 minutes after it is off the air.

 

[GenXRadio]

I understand about being coached by management to do things a certain way, I have been coached to be a certain way on the air or to back off a bit from things I would do or say but it just doesn't seem like whoever is coaching them to do their show in this manner knows what they're talking about.
I know this will bring a ton of heat saying "Well they must be doing something right!" or "How dare you!" sort of thing I just think that there's a way to get that guy radio quotient in there with a good sports show and unfortunately that isn't happening right now.

And as I have mentioned before, both Petros and Money are very smart guys with enough knowledge of all sports to do a very good show. Indeed, Petros does know how not to be annoying - I've actually seen him do it. But they are coached to do the kind of show they do. If management tells you to do something a certain way, and your job depends on it, you do it.

If they set out to do a GOOD show, they could still get ratings and be thought of years later as having done a GOOD show, much as Joe McDonnel and Doug Krikorian are now. PMS will be forgotten 5 minutes after it is off the air.

 

[radio1015a]

Is that really "Genuis"?

And why does Don Martin foist the likes of Petros and Vic on L.A. listeners? - witness his logic in a recent O.C. Register interview...

Don Martin, vice president and general manager for Fox Sports Radio and KLAC/570 AM, said, "A good personality will generate complaint calls to your office, fans will call for him to be fired, he/she will make you nervous or uncomfortable from time to time, and you will have to protect them. He/she also will increase your station's ratings and revenue."

To quote Jon Lovitz..."Genius!"

Gen X, can you say "sarcasm?" "Genius" (note spelling) is the last thing one considers when speaking of Mr. Bertolucci...

 

[superjj]

Petros and Money make listening to sports radio FUN...it's not too sports geeks trying to out do each other with their sports knowledge. It's a good contemporary sports show.

 

[GenXRadio]

No, what they do is called "Guy talk" with a smattering of sports thrown in to make people THINK it's a sports show.
Not ever sports station has "sports geek shows" on all the time, the way a successful sports station runs is that the morning show is usually the guy talk show with some sports to mid range sports talk on it, mid days that is where you put your hardcore sports talk because people who stick around to listen to mid days are going to be hard core sports fans.
Afternoon drive, a little tiny bit of guy talk is ok but again it has to be more sports focused since you are usually setting up the pre game show for any PxP you're going to do, if you have a show after 6 or 7 like they do in NY, Boston, Philly, Seattle and a few other markets then again you're going to want hard core sports talk because people who listen to sports talk at night are going to be die hards.
PMS is NOT a "contemporary sports show", if that were the case then gone will be the days of "sports" radio and it'll just be guy talk with PxP thrown on to fill time and to give some sort of idea that the station is actually a sports station.

Petros and Money make listening to sports radio FUN...it's not too sports geeks trying to out do each other with their sports knowledge. It's a good contemporary sports show.

 

[davideduardo]

Don Martin, vice president and general manager for Fox Sports Radio and KLAC/570 AM, said, "A good personality will generate complaint calls to your office, fans will call for him to be fired, he/she will make you nervous or uncomfortable from time to time, and you will have to protect them. He/she also will increase your station's ratings and revenue."

That is one of the basics of any kind of talk radio.

 

[ChannelFlipper]

Don Martin, vice president and general manager for Fox Sports Radio and KLAC/570 AM, said, "A good personality will generate complaint calls to your office, fans will call for him to be fired, he/she will make you nervous or uncomfortable from time to time, and you will have to protect them. He/she also will increase your station's ratings and revenue."

That is one of the basics of any kind of talk radio.

David, I know you are not on their payroll, but why don't you inform the management at KABC of this. You know, gratis. They need all the help they can get, and I don't think that is exactly proprietary insight.

 

[e-dawg]

Is there a reason (again) why Sports radio stations don't do very well in Los Angeles? LA has 2 sports radio ESPN 710 and Fox Sports Radio 570. Plus LA has these pro sports team.
NBA - Lakers, Clippers.
NHL - Kings, Ducks.
MLB - Dodgers, Angels
MLS - Gaxaly, Chivas.

NCAA Division I - UCLA Bruins, USC Trojans

AS FOR NFL - San Diego Chargers (NFC), Oakland Raiders (AFC).

 

[GenXRadio]

The Chargers are an AFC team, they were original founders in the AFL and were originally in L.A. but Barron Hilton moved them to San Diego in 1961.
As to why sports stations don't do well in L.A., maybe there are too many distractions, the weather is nice all the time, recreational activities abound, the Tv & movie industry does dominate the market, those are the only reasons I can think of outside of lack of compelling product on the air.
The teams are fine, they do their part but I just think that L.A. sports radio just doesn't get programmed correctly, you CAN attract the hard core sports fans, the casual sports fans, the people who want "guy talk" mixed with their sports, you can do all that you just have to do it correctly and put smart, engaging talent in the position to deliver.

Is there a reason (again) why Sports radio stations don't do very well in Los Angeles? LA has 2 sports radio ESPN 710 and Fox Sports Radio 570. Plus LA has these pro sports team.
NBA - Lakers, Clippers.
NHL - Kings, Ducks.
MLB - Dodgers, Angels
MLS - Gaxaly, Chivas.

NCAA Division I - UCLA Bruins, USC Trojans

AS FOR NFL - San Diego Chargers (NFC), Oakland Raiders (AFC).

 

[davideduardo]

David, I know you are not on their payroll, but why don't you inform the management at KABC of this. You know, gratis. They need all the help they can get, and I don't think that is exactly proprietary insight.

I would, but it is so hard to talk when I am yawning....

 

[Robnoxious]

David, I know you are not on their payroll, but why don't you inform the management at KABC of this. You know, gratis. They need all the help they can get, and I don't think that is exactly proprietary insight.

I would, but it is so hard to talk when I am yawning....

Yawning would imply you are still conscious. KABC is the equivalent of going into a coma.

 

[BMedina]

When will Beto Duran be fired from 710? The guy is horrible on the air and totally unprofessional on his twitter account. Check this out:

DuranLA : @J_Dub23_1 i could care less how the Dodgers do. I don;t work for them

I think the only reason they keep them around is because he is a minority/latino. I'm latino myself and don't listen to on-air TALENT because of their race. This guy has no talent and shouldn't be on the air in the 2nd largest media market. He shouldn't cheerlead, but how can he not wish for a storied franchise in our city to do well? Ridiculous. Mike Thompson PD over there needs to wake-up!

 

[BMedina]

BTW Dave Smith who is no longer on the air in L.A. had this to say about Sportsradio in Los Angeles:

Sports-talk in L.A. is safe, dull and corporate. Praise the house team and collect your paycheck.

 

[ki6bkj]

So few major-market sports stations do major HSFB coverage on a weekly basis for the reasons given.

Usually it's on the smaller market stations, regardless of the format, where high school sports does well. Mainly because such coverage is an automatic revenue booster for those stations. Plus, some stations can simply use a small mixing board and a telephone line back to the control room.

The people that listen to said games is typically a very targeted audience to the communities covered, so it's a perfect fit.

Sports radio in LA Sucks!!

 

[ChannelFlipper]

BTW Dave Smith who is no longer on the air in L.A. had this to say about Sportsradio in Los Angeles:

Sports-talk in L.A. is safe, dull and corporate. Praise the house team and collect your paycheck.

Lakers, Lakers, Lakers, Lakers, Dodgers, Lakers, Lakers, Lakers, Angels, Lakers, Clippers, Lakers, Lakers, Lakers, Lakers...

 

[Robnoxious]

Lakers, Lakers, Lakers, Lakers, Dodgers, Lakers, Lakers, Lakers, Angels, Lakers, Clippers, Lakers, Lakers, Lakers, Lakers...

This would be correct if you didn't the Dodgers, Angels and Clippers in there.

 

[ShawnHill1]

BTW Dave Smith who is no longer on the air in L.A. had this to say about Sportsradio in Los Angeles:

Sports-talk in L.A. is safe, dull and corporate. Praise the house team and collect your paycheck.

I miss Dave Smith...when his politics didn't interfere with his show, he was entertaining. I still follow him from time to time on his website, and he regularly does a segment with an Australian sports radio a couple of times a week. Sports radio was at its best in this region in the mid-to-late 90s into the early 2000s...Smith (with whatever partner he had), McDonnell-Douglas, the Loose Cannons (pre-Vic Jacobs), Jim Rome (pre-syndication), Hacksaw Hamilton, Mason-Ireland (before they became shills for the Lakers); love 'em or hate 'em, it was, IMO, entertaining radio.

 

[Uncle Rob]

WOW!!!!!!! LA Sports radio did it again. 2 Game 7 Playoff games in Hockey. The Memphis-San Antonio playoff basketball game and 570 has some idiots talking about sex. On 710 they were talking about the Lakers (OK, it's the Laker station) and the Dodgers (That's Local and VERY big news so i'll let them slide). Brilliant programming 570. I know, I know ....... your demographic is left handed, one eyed eunuchs with speech impediments and your tops in the ratings with them. (shaking head)

 

[RBB05]

WOW!!!!!!! LA Sports radio did it again. 2 Game 7 Playoff games in Hockey. The Memphis-San Antonio playoff basketball game and 570 has some idiots talking about sex. On 710 they were talking about the Lakers (OK, it's the Laker station) and the Dodgers (That's Local and VERY big news so i'll let them slide). Brilliant programming 570. I know, I know ....... your demographic is left handed, one eyed eunuchs with speech impediments and your tops in the ratings with them. (shaking head)

I have noticed that as Petros rattles off a list of sports topics, he frequently says something like, "we'll get into that in more detail as the series rolls along"....or as it gets closer....or whatever....but they never actually do.....it is the ultimate "kick the can down the street" radio show.