The Transformation of KFWB to News/Talk

[easybutton]

Dr. Laura and Laura Ingraham highlight the format change coming September 8th.

DR. LAURA JOINS KFWB-AM AS CENTERPIECE OF STATION’S UPDATED
NEWS-TALK LINEUP BEGINNING ON TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8

Program Schedule to Feature Well-Known Personalities, Along With Array Of
News, Sports And Entertainment Coverage

(Los Angeles, Calif. Aug. 10, 2009) Dr. Laura Schlessinger, world-renowned radio host
and best selling author, will join KFWB 980 AM beginning on Tuesday, Sept. 8, the same day
the station launches its new news-talk format featuring a host of first-class local and national
programming. The announcement was made by CBS RADIO Los Angeles Senior Vice
President and Market Manager Ed Krampf. Dr. Laura’s popular program will be broadcast
weekdays on-air and online (www.kfwb.com) from 12:00Noon–3:00PM, PT.

“When the opportunity to add Dr. Laura - one of radio’s preeminent talk talents - to our
lineup became available we moved swiftly to bring her award-winning program to KFWB,” said
Krampf. “Throughout her more than 30-year career, Dr. Laura has built an incredible following
by connecting to her audience on a personal level many other talk talents have tried
unsuccessfully to replicate. She is an established voice in the Los Angeles community and we
couldn’t be more thrilled to have her on our team.”

Having KFWB serve as the flagship station of the Dr. Laura show comes on the heels of
the recent announcement that Talk Radio Network (TRN) is involved in the syndication of her
program, which reaches approximately 8.25 million weekly listeners in markets across the
country. Dr. Laura is currently heard on KFI in Los Angeles where she is the top-ranked talk
show host with Women 25-54 in her daypart.

“I’m unbelievably thrilled to join KFWB,” Dr. Laura said. “We worked closely to create
an opportunity that was too good to turn down, including unprecedented marketing support. In
teaming up with the award-winning KFWB news team and terrific hosts like Laura Ingraham,
we’ll be able to reach more listeners and be part of an exciting new chapter further up the AM
dial.”

Added Krampf, “As a result of this acquisition we looked to build a station that would
continue to provide our listeners with thorough reporting on local news, including entertainment
industry updates, while at the same time offering programming that features an array of opinions
and advice on a number of topical issues. I believe that with the new lineup that launches next
month we have achieved both goals.”

Following is the lineup for KFWB NEWS TALK 980 beginning on Tuesday, Sept. 8:

6:00-9:00AM: Local News hosted by Phil Hulett and Penny Griego
9:00AM-12:00Noon: Laura Ingraham
12:00Noon-3:00PM: Dr. Laura
3:00-6:00PM: Local Talk/News (host TBA)
6:00-9:00PM: Michael Smerconish

Local news updates will also be broadcast at the top of every hour 24 hours a day, seven days a
week.

 

[ChannelFlipper]

I understand who TBA is, but who the hell is Michael Smerconish???

 

[oldiesfan6479]

I understand who TBA is, but who the hell is Michael Smerconish???

Oooh, they'll burn you at the stake in Philly for that! ;D

 

[Signal_Faded]

Why would Dr. Laura leave KFI on her own terms? Don't you think that KFI must have wanted her gone for some reason?

 

[Michael Rivers Kramer]

Dr. Laura and Laura Ingraham highlight the format change coming September 8th.

DR. LAURA JOINS KFWB-AM AS CENTERPIECE OF STATION’S UPDATED
NEWS-TALK LINEUP BEGINNING ON TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8

Program Schedule to Feature Well-Known Personalities, Along With Array Of
News, Sports And Entertainment Coverage

(Los Angeles, Calif. Aug. 10, 2009) Dr. Laura Schlessinger, world-renowned radio host
and best selling author, will join KFWB 980 AM beginning on Tuesday, Sept. 8, the same day
the station launches its new news-talk format featuring a host of first-class local and national
programming. The announcement was made by CBS RADIO Los Angeles Senior Vice
President and Market Manager Ed Krampf. Dr. Laura’s popular program will be broadcast
weekdays on-air and online (www.kfwb.com) from 12:00Noon–3:00PM, PT.

“When the opportunity to add Dr. Laura - one of radio’s preeminent talk talents - to our
lineup became available we moved swiftly to bring her award-winning program to KFWB,” said
Krampf. “Throughout her more than 30-year career, Dr. Laura has built an incredible following
by connecting to her audience on a personal level many other talk talents have tried
unsuccessfully to replicate. She is an established voice in the Los Angeles community and we
couldn’t be more thrilled to have her on our team.”

Having KFWB serve as the flagship station of the Dr. Laura show comes on the heels of
the recent announcement that Talk Radio Network (TRN) is involved in the syndication of her
program, which reaches approximately 8.25 million weekly listeners in markets across the
country. Dr. Laura is currently heard on KFI in Los Angeles where she is the top-ranked talk
show host with Women 25-54 in her daypart.

“I’m unbelievably thrilled to join KFWB,” Dr. Laura said. “We worked closely to create
an opportunity that was too good to turn down, including unprecedented marketing support. In
teaming up with the award-winning KFWB news team and terrific hosts like Laura Ingraham,
we’ll be able to reach more listeners and be part of an exciting new chapter further up the AM
dial.”

Added Krampf, “As a result of this acquisition we looked to build a station that would
continue to provide our listeners with thorough reporting on local news, including entertainment
industry updates, while at the same time offering programming that features an array of opinions
and advice on a number of topical issues. I believe that with the new lineup that launches next
month we have achieved both goals.”

Following is the lineup for KFWB NEWS TALK 980 beginning on Tuesday, Sept. 8:

6:00-9:00AM: Local News hosted by Phil Hulett and Penny Griego
9:00AM-12:00Noon: Laura Ingraham
12:00Noon-3:00PM: Dr. Laura
3:00-6:00PM: Local Talk/News (host TBA)
6:00-9:00PM: Michael Smerconish

Local news updates will also be broadcast at the top of every hour 24 hours a day, seven days a
week.

It seems like CBS has been setting KFWB up for failure in recent months....Infomercials on the weekends with "Cheesy Hollywood" focused news during the week.

 

[ajc_trw]

I understand who TBA is, but who the hell is Michael Smerconish???

Morning talk show host heard in Philadelphia on WPHT 1210AM from 5AM to 9AM. I used to listen to him when I worked and he was a fair host who was quite fair and ballanced taking up the cause of both the Rs and the Ds.

If you stay up till 2AM you can tune him in on WinAmp in the Philadelphia section of AOL/CBS stations. IMHO he's worth a listen.

I miss my emoticons.

 

[accessdlp]

Smerconish also was a prime candiate to fill MSNBC'S morning slot after the Imus debacle.

Now, It's time to play AMERICA'S FAVORITE GAME:

WHEEL. OF. RADIO. SPECUALATION!!!!!!!!!!!

Let see who is "local" and needs a job:

• Larry Elder: Well known, pretty much carried KABC on his back for the last 3 years there.
• Marc Germain, aka for the purposes of this thread, "Mr. KFWB." Good: Listeers love him. Bad: As his experience at KTLK shows, not between 3 and 6.
• Joe Crummey: as little as 5 years ago, I would have cheered that 'Old Joe FINALLY got drive time, but he's been out of the market so long, would it matter?
• Tom Leykis: A proven performer for CBS, under whom he's still under contract. And he was very impressive in his former KFI mode during the election. But would he bring his News/talk personna.....or "The Professor." Not to mention his lead-in would be one of his FAAAAVOITE (riiiight) people, Dr. L.

Comments....or additions...to this list?

 

[david]

Smerconish also was a prime candiate to fill MSNBC'S morning slot after the Imus debacle. 

Now, It's time to play AMERICA'S FAVORITE GAME:

WHEEL. OF. RADIO. SPECUALATION!!!!!!!!!!!

Let see who is "local" and needs a job:

• Larry Elder: Well known, pretty much carried KABC on his back for the last 3 years there.
• Marc Germain, aka for the purposes of this thread, "Mr. KFWB." Good: Listeers love him. Bad: As his experience at KTLK shows, not between 3 and 6.
• Joe Crummey: as little as 5 years ago, I would have cheered that 'Old Joe FINALLY got drive time, but he's been out of the market so long, would it matter?
• Tom Leykis: A proven performer for CBS, under whom he's still under contract. And he was very impressive in his former KFI mode during the election. But would he bring his News/talk personna.....or "The Professor."  Not to mention his lead-in would be one of his FAAAAVOITE (riiiight) people, Dr. L.

Comments....or additions...to this list?

I'll add one more out-of-market talent that I think would be a brilliant addition here in LA at the new N/T KFWB: John Rothmann of KGO in SFO. He's been auditioning for KGO's weeknight 10p slot, and has served as their weekend overnight host for years (heard here in LA due to their booming signal that covers the West Coast once the sun goes down), so you know he aspires to a more prime time slot. His specialty is foreign affairs, history, and is an author, teacher, and lecturer who presents frequently here in SoCal and went to Whittier Law School. He could easily do his show from his SFO base.

 

[e-dawg]

Do you think Mike Savage will move to 980 KFWB?

I can see next month. News/Talk 980 KFWB.

 

[OCradiodude]

Wouldn't be surprised if Conway has a show on KFI from 12 noon to 3 p.m.

 

[oldiesfan6479]

So in this horse-trading of talkmeisters, where KFWB "steals"
Dr. Laura from 64/KFI, perhaps overlooked is that KFWB is also
"stealing" Laura Ingraham from KGIL 1260.

What part did TRN prez Phil Boyce play in all this? (Phil used to
to post occasionally on R-I during his previous tenure as WABC
PD...will we see him here again?)

Note however that on KFWB, both Ingraham and Smerconish
will not be live.

And we'll have yet another (almost weekly, it seems) program
schedule swap by Saul over at KGIL. Hmmm, can anyone say
"the Beckster live in morning drive 6-9am?"

 

[Robnoxious]

Wouldn't be surprised if Conway has a show on KFI from 12 noon to 3 p.m.

I'm all for that or Joe Crummey.

 

[ChannelFlipper]

So in this horse-trading of talkmeisters, where KFWB "steals"
Dr. Laura from 64/KFI, perhaps overlooked is that KFWB is also
"stealing" Laura Ingraham from KGIL 1260.

What part did TRN prez Phil Boyce play in all this? (Phil used to
to post occasionally on R-I during his previous tenure as WABC
PD...will we see him here again?)

Note however that on KFWB, both Ingraham and Smerconish
will not be live.

And we'll have yet another (almost weekly, it seems) program
schedule swap by Saul over at KGIL. Hmmm, can anyone say
"the Beckster live in morning drive 6-9am?"

It's no big deal to "steal" programming from Saul. Whatever he has on now would likely be discarded for nothing in the near future anyway.

Speaking of KGIL, they could probably change format to all polka music and see a bump in the ratings.

 

[dustintv]

NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!! boo hiss tsk tsk we need more all news all the time stations rather than one more third-tier talk station. Aren't KGIL and KRLA enough?

 

[accessdlp]

I can see next month. News/Talk 980 KFWB.

Already done...check http://www.kfwb.com in the square hawking Dr. L.

 

[flakunkel]

This will complete the destruction of a once proud, and extraordinarily profitable, radio station. What has been done to KFWB can only be described as sabotage. To think otherwise is to believe that everyone involved in its management is an idiot, which is clearly not the case. What they have done is deliberate destruction, for reasons that are unfathomable.

It started several years ago when the spot load went to an amazing 26 minutes per hour ( I know -- I took a stopwatch to it one morning). The station rendered unlistenable still somehow managed to hold an an audience thanks to the valiant effort of the staff. So they added Dodger baseball, violating all expectations of listeners and destroying the brand -- the beginning of the end.

But KFWB continued to be the station that refused to fail. So management took the next step -- adding infomercials on weekends, Angels baseball, and the "Hollywood news" focus -- which might have had a chance had they hired actual reporters to work stories, instead of just quoting Variety and TMZ. Nothing KFWB has put on the air since was unknown to its intended audience -- the station was rendered useless. And still it managed to hang on to some listeners -- and most frustrating of all to management, its audience would not move to KNX, whose ratings are pretty much unchanged.

So now this. The final destruction of one of L.A.'s greatest, most legendary stations. The only possible explanation is that it is INTENDED that it will fail. Such monumental management malfeasance is inexplicable otherwise.

R.I.P, KFWB. My heart goes out to the staff. I feel like an old friend has been murdered.

 

[observer8057]

Do you think Mike Savage will move to 980 KFWB?

I can see next month. News/Talk 980 KFWB.

The new logo, with NEWS TALK 980 just below a photo of the ever-ravishing Dr. Laura, is already making its way onto the station's website. And Michael Weiner would round out the package. Eeeugh!

 

[musicfan101]

Dr. Laura and Laura Ingraham highlight the format change coming September 8th.

DR. LAURA JOINS KFWB-AM AS CENTERPIECE OF STATION’S UPDATED
NEWS-TALK LINEUP BEGINNING ON TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8

Program Schedule to Feature Well-Known Personalities, Along With Array Of
News, Sports And Entertainment Coverage

(Los Angeles, Calif. Aug. 10, 2009) Dr. Laura Schlessinger, world-renowned radio host
and best selling author, will join KFWB 980 AM beginning on Tuesday, Sept. 8, the same day
the station launches its new news-talk format featuring a host of first-class local and national
programming. The announcement was made by CBS RADIO Los Angeles Senior Vice
President and Market Manager Ed Krampf. Dr. Laura’s popular program will be broadcast
weekdays on-air and online (www.kfwb.com) from 12:00Noon–3:00PM, PT.

“When the opportunity to add Dr. Laura - one of radio’s preeminent talk talents - to our
lineup became available we moved swiftly to bring her award-winning program to KFWB,” said
Krampf. “Throughout her more than 30-year career, Dr. Laura has built an incredible following
by connecting to her audience on a personal level many other talk talents have tried
unsuccessfully to replicate. She is an established voice in the Los Angeles community and we
couldn’t be more thrilled to have her on our team.”

Having KFWB serve as the flagship station of the Dr. Laura show comes on the heels of
the recent announcement that Talk Radio Network (TRN) is involved in the syndication of her
program, which reaches approximately 8.25 million weekly listeners in markets across the
country. Dr. Laura is currently heard on KFI in Los Angeles where she is the top-ranked talk
show host with Women 25-54 in her daypart.

“I’m unbelievably thrilled to join KFWB,” Dr. Laura said. “We worked closely to create
an opportunity that was too good to turn down, including unprecedented marketing support. In
teaming up with the award-winning KFWB news team and terrific hosts like Laura Ingraham,
we’ll be able to reach more listeners and be part of an exciting new chapter further up the AM
dial.”

Added Krampf, “As a result of this acquisition we looked to build a station that would
continue to provide our listeners with thorough reporting on local news, including entertainment
industry updates, while at the same time offering programming that features an array of opinions
and advice on a number of topical issues. I believe that with the new lineup that launches next
month we have achieved both goals.”

Following is the lineup for KFWB NEWS TALK 980 beginning on Tuesday, Sept. 8:

6:00-9:00AM: Local News hosted by Phil Hulett and Penny Griego
9:00AM-12:00Noon: Laura Ingraham
12:00Noon-3:00PM: Dr. Laura
3:00-6:00PM: Local Talk/News (host TBA)
6:00-9:00PM: Michael Smerconish

Local news updates will also be broadcast at the top of every hour 24 hours a day, seven days a
week.

3 to 6 PM...Tom Leykis????

 

[Signal_Faded]

[/quote]

Already done...check http://www.kfwb.com in the square hawking Dr. L.
[/quote]

So I clicked on it and the first picture I saw was that of Eunice Kennedy Shriver and I was like...'Whoa! Dr. Laura looks rough!.'

Striking resemblance actually.

(no offense meant to Shriver...she lived a great life and founded Special Olympics)

 

[Radio1360]

Saw the banner too that says "KFWB-AM News/Talk 980". Face it, it's going to end up being another news-talk loser like 640 WGST-AM here in Atlanta. Face it, the All-News genre is dying everywhere! AM, FM, Shortwave, and Satellite! Now like Chicago, LA now has only one All-News station (KNX-AM 1070, KFWB's sister station). Unless someone with billions of dollars (and a love for the all-news genre) doesn't come up with another ANS satellite service soon (like that of the old NBC Radio News Service and AP Radio's The News Station), in another 20 years or so, this genre end up like like the smooth jazz music format! Then again, there's always podcasting.