Surprised signal doesn’t matter much. Does anyone know the percentage of radio listeners who listen primarily online, compared to hearing the traditional signal, for radio in general or for spots talk stations like KLAC?
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When will this happen in L.A.?
- Thread starter Loverofradio
- Start date
KLAC (mostly) covers the metro. All you have to do is hit where the likely listeners to an L.A. sports radio station would be concentrated---and more importantly where likely listeners with PPMs would be concentrated.
If they don't hit Palmdale or San Clemente or San Bernardino clearly, they might be missing a meter each. Maybe.
San Bernardino is a separate market, so meters there don't affect the LA book. And most LA stations don't subscribe to the Riverside/San Bernardino book anyway.
Lancaster / Palmdale is important as it has significant population and is in LA Country. KIIS went so far as to buy a local FM there to fill in their limited low-power coverage.
Fine. KIIS is a mass-appeal music station.
My point was that KLAC has an adequate signal and wherever it doesn't cover is unlikely to hurt them greatly in the PPMs given the smaller universe of sports radio listeners.
K.M. Richards
Program Director, The Eighties Channel™
That is the kind of "what if" speculation that is generally disregarded as an argument around here, and so I will not dignify it with a full rebuttal.
That is the kind of logic that bankrupts station owners.
I think this was tried many years ago in LA on "1540 the Ticket". It didn't last long...
K.M. Richards
Program Director, The Eighties Channel™
Good example, Tomás. The description of "a place to talk about sports not to listen to the games" shows a complete lack of understanding about the business. As Flipper said, it's the logical path to the Bankruptcy Court.
What is there to understand? I’ll accept the cliff notes version if you don’t want to type a long winded post.
It’s funny how a suggestion of trying something different is dismissed as “not understanding the business.”
How often do you see Sports talkers that have good numbers without play by play?
I’d like to think play by play adds a degree of “legitimacy” to a Sports station. The station becomes associated with the team and fans build a relationship with the station based on that partnership. Here in Cleveland, our FM sports talker started without local play by play for IIRC three years and had generally weak ratings during that time. Then, they gained a share of the Browns play by play and they’ve been a strong ratings player ever since. Take a look at San Diego, where The Fan is a top five station 6+ (and probably first in men 25-54) and the iHeart sports talker is at the bottom of the ratings.
Compelling hosts are important for any talk format, but play by play is the ingredient that “brings the dish together”.
Keep in mind that sports talk is an expensive format, so if you’re gonna run it, you’ve gotta give it the best opportunity to succeed, not try something different and hope it works.
KLAC's signal is not weak. 5kw non-directional at 570 gets out well. It's probably the 3rd best L.A. AM signal (after KFI and KNX)
Yes, it makes sense for play by play to be on the same station but it’s also not a crazy notion that talented hosts could generate an audience for sports talk even without play by play. If a listener likes what they hear, I doubt they are going to turn the station if the Dodgers game isn’t airing later that day on the same station. My Twitter/X feed is filled with people debating sports and X doesn’t stream the games. While ideally there would be some play by play on the same station, it is absurd to say that someone “doesn’t understand the business” because they think it’s possible to have a successful sports talk station without play by play.
K.M. Richards
Program Director, The Eighties Channel™
Except that what you proposed -- sports talk without play-by-play -- was already tried.
Let me tell you about 1540 The Ticket.
Flipped from Spanish-language oldies in 1997. The only play-by-play sports they carried were from the Westwood One network ... and even then, a lot of what they carried were castoffs due to scheduling conflicts with primary affiliates in the market.
They had some name brand talent, such as Fred Roggin, Roger Lodge and Tony Bruno. It wasn't enough to entice a large audience to switch from the competition. By mid-2006, much of the schedule was coming from the Sporting News Network. The following year, it was sold and became Radio Korea.
1540 has been Korean-language for around twice as long as Sports.
It was unsuccessful 28 years ago on AM radio. That doesn’t mean someone who suggests it might work now “doesn’t understand the business.”
So if a station fails in a market then should no station ever attempt that format ever again? Even 28 years later?
It's interesting how the two Los Angeles Korean language stations 1540, and 1650 are preserving two sets of Los Angeles legacy call letters: KMPC and KFOX.
K.M. Richards
Program Director, The Eighties Channel™
Ask some of the long-time posters here about the chances of Indie ever coming back. Or KDL.
This is not a market where failed formats get second chances.
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How many times has Saul done classical on 1260, again?
K.M. Richards
Program Director, The Eighties Channel™
Saul is a special case, and everyone knows it. He programs for his own personal taste, not for "success".
That was an unfair comparison and you know it.
K.M. Richards
Program Director, The Eighties Channel™
I should point out that 2007 to 2025 is not a 28-year span, either.
Not a failed format... just an owner who has a "pet radio station". (Said with respect; I owned a classical station that was my pet station, paid for by the other 5 stations in my cluster)