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When will we see 92.3 KFI-FM?
- Thread starter ChannelFlipper
- Start date
M
musicfan101
Guest
JM: Actually many of the comments seem to be coming from David E. (not trying to throw insults his way) regarding what demos KFI is winning and losing in, not really picking up steam from other commenters, much like any other "When the next format flip will happen threads". Really, all the news/talk stations moving from AM to FM is a "fact of life"?! Simmer down dude! Not to mention, you never countered my point on the station Cox flipped in Atlanta was going downhill, and not to mention more competitiors in that format there. So, I assume Cox couldn't think of anything else to put on there. So, I assume you work for Clear Channel/LA? Do you have inside information?
On a side note, I'm surprised that the FCC allows simulcasted stations to be rated as one. Kind of sad as it takes away from another possible innovative format that could air on a certain frequency. Is it right to go as far and say it's cheating?
On a side note, I'm surprised that the FCC allows simulcasted stations to be rated as one. Kind of sad as it takes away from another possible innovative format that could air on a certain frequency. Is it right to go as far and say it's cheating?
musicfan101 said:
Let's use logic and right reasoning in answering that question.
1) If I worked for Clear Channel - L. A. and had "inside information", don't you think I would keep it to myself pending a formal public annoucement by my employer? Otherwise I'm only giving the competition a "heads-ups" of what is forthcoming with Clear Channel - L. A. which would work considerably against me.
2) If I worked for Clear Channel, why would my signature (found at the bottom of every post I submit) say the following:
Mark Tillery
J. M. Tillery & Associates, P. A.
Online: www.jmtillery.com
Email: [email protected]
As you can see, I don't work for Clear Channel Communications, Inc. I do work for J. M. Tillery & Associates, P. A. as a media consultant. Additionally I do not have any special nor privileged inside information I would publish as that would violate any fiduciary relationship I may have with any of the stations, clusters or groups in question. I do, however, have a keen insight as to what is happening in and around the U.S. with today's radio. I have to have that insight as I consult radio station management regularly. Otherwise to not have that insight would render me ineffective as a consultant.
I think a lot of the decision will rest on the value of the property (KFI) as compared to the cash generation. As a lower end class A it has more value just because of that then say KABC or KFWB. Since it is non directional it counts more in actual or perceived value than KRLA or KTLK. The lower band position makes it even worth more than the only other local station in it's class. KNX. So with all of my understanding of how accountants and other fiscally minded people think it would be too valuable to just let it sit and rot. They would want a lot more money than most ethnic programmers or the God Squad groups could afford to pay to purchase or LMA the station.
So the next question is that could they considerably increase overall cash flow with a simulcast thus sacrificing what could be a reasonably performing FM frequency. WSB and Cox are different animals than Clear Channel and Atlanta is not LA. Cox has I know been simulcasting their Dayton news talker on FM for a few years now though there was also a penetration issue in play as well. SO they are not new to the idea and this might be a test of the concept in a larger market for them
So the next question is that could they considerably increase overall cash flow with a simulcast thus sacrificing what could be a reasonably performing FM frequency. WSB and Cox are different animals than Clear Channel and Atlanta is not LA. Cox has I know been simulcasting their Dayton news talker on FM for a few years now though there was also a penetration issue in play as well. SO they are not new to the idea and this might be a test of the concept in a larger market for them
nmoore6676 said:
The idea is mostly preserving "ownership" of the format (add up KFI's direct competitors and see how close it comes to KFI alone!) and, more than anything, preserving one of the top couple of billers in the US and in LA.
Clear has been enormously successful in launching an FM only talker in Pittsburgh a few years ago, where it decimated KDKA in 25-54. They have already done the FM talk or AM FM simulcast thing in quite a few markets. LA is the only one of the top 5 markets where they have a decent AM facility (not so in SF, Dallas, CHicago, NY) so this is the next step.
Cox used less than full coverage FMs to supplement traditional, KFI-like talkers in Dayton and Jax and found that the stations went from outside the top 10 in 25-54 to at or close to the the top. Everywhere a successful AM has added an FM or moved to an FM, the 25 54 results have been excellent and the billing declines of the genre have stopped.
musicfan101 said:
Yes, many major AM talkers have added FM to an AM (simulcast) or moved to FM. All you have to do is examine markets like Seattle, Dallas, Phoenix, Atlanta, New Orleans, Detroit, Washington DC, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, Knoxville, Indianapolis, Charleston, etc., etc. This is a process that is going on now, and will continue as it nearly always works if the moved product is good.
Cox flipped to protect WSB's billings. They picked the lowest performing FM, just as they did in Jax and Dayton, where they knocked it out of the park!
The FCC does not allow or disallow the way simulcasts may be reported. Arbitron does.
The Arbitron rule is that a 100% simulcast may elect to have single line reporting (SLR) or separate line reporting. In SLR, all stations of a simulcast or multicast are combined, and the data on each signal is not available (except via a special and expensive special report). In separate line reporting, each signal is shown individually. It is the station decision which option to pick.
Nearly all simulcasts pick SLR, as it combines the data for each signal so that the simulcast shows the value an advertiser reeceives... and Arbitron is principally bought for ad sales.
If each station in a simulcast has a 2 share and is around 20th in a large market, yet combined they have a 4 and are top 5 as a simulcast, the billing potential might be several times that of the indvidual 2 share stations. For example, each two share in LA could get maybe $5 to $6 million today in billing (in the right demos) while a 4 share might get you over $30 million.
musicfan101 said:
KFI billed nearly two and a half times what KHHT did last year. KFI has serious 25-54 issues, yet the higher commercial loads let it price itself into buys. If it improves 25-54, it will stay on buys, possibly increase rates, and likely be considerably more profitable.
Convert KFI's 3rd place average 12+ rank into higher 25-54 rank and this is a no-brainer.
DavidEduardo said:
If KFI is already billing 2.5x what KHHT does now, then it would seem easy to make up KHHT's lost billing by increasing KFI's billing after it adds an FM signal. I wonder what is holding up such a decision.
Neel Mehta said:
KLSX tried to use Stern to build a "hot talk" fomat with much younger demos.
How many real "hot talk" stations are there today?
In fact, the format was really a bunch of morning shows stacked all day... diary type morning shows, really.
M
musicfan101
Guest
Ha! I figured you would be a CONsultant. Stealing a station's money so you could make irresponsible decisions for a station in a market you've never even heard of, or in this case a major metropolitian market. Why do you people even exist?!
V
VenturaProgrammer26
Guest
DavidEduardo said:
As a 26-year-old who's just a fan of radio and not an expert by any means, this is counterintuitive to me. The KFI news team is second to none, IMHO, and 25-54 is quite an age range. I would have thought that the station's value as a news source would put it in at least the top 15. I realize it's not technically a news station like KNX, but most of the shows at least once a day have one of the reporters deliver a special report to the host(s), so even if you don't count the news breaks their programming still largely consists of hard reportage (Rush and Noory are the only shows that are completely devoid of objective reporting, but that's a given). Do only old people really care about the news?? Or is it just that AM in general is a dying format? I guess I shouldn't be surprised if it turns out that in fact most people who listen to radio don't care about being informed about important things.
M
musicfan101
Guest
You can't read now? I'll type it again, "a major metropolitan market!"jmtillery said:
VenturaProgrammer26 said:
Generally speaking the AM medium attracts an older demo who grew up listening to AM radio, so this older demo will accept the medium, whereas the younger demo, with few exceptions, will not listen to AM radio. Some of the even younger demos probably have no idea what AM radio is nor how it works. This is why in order for an AM format to continue to survive, the format needs an FM outlet, whether that be a full FM signal, or in some cases, and FM translator has worked in reaching this objective.
You can't read now? I'll type it again, "a major metropolitan market!"
[/quote]
I can read just fine, and I know what I read... You wrote,
You shoud re-read your own post because you stated "a market you've never even heard of" which implies you are suggesting someone has never heard of Los Angeles, followed by the statement "a major metorpolitan area", again, this time implying someone has never heard of a major metropolitan area.
[/quote]
I can read just fine, and I know what I read... You wrote,
musicfan101 said:
You shoud re-read your own post because you stated "a market you've never even heard of" which implies you are suggesting someone has never heard of Los Angeles, followed by the statement "a major metorpolitan area", again, this time implying someone has never heard of a major metropolitan area.
musicfan101 said:
Having done a fair amount of consulting in my career I can say that trying to program without having been in the market to get a little feel for the place is not the usual method. The first order of business is to gather as much listener input as possible, meaning proprietary research in markets that can afford it.
Another part of the value of consultants is that they have more knowledge based on more experiences than most local market management; the combination of a good PD and a good consultant is great.
Remember that your doctor is your health consultant, and your accontant is your tax and financial consultant, your Realtor is your housing consultant and your lawyer is your legal consultant... we use consultants all the time even in our personal lives because they contribute a depth of knowedge we do not have ourselves.
But, back to radio, the bottom line is this: program consultants are hired to help do a better job of attracting local listeners. If they don't succeed, they don't get renewed and their "hirability" in other markets is severely reduced.
jmtillery said:
Consequently, electronic manufacturers are losing interest in AM radio. I am seeing more iPod players, the kind with a docking station and speakers, that let you choose between playing only FM radio or the iPod...not AM radio. Hence, strong news, talk and sports programming must find its way to FM in order to survive.
BTW, when 92.3 becomes KFI-FM. KXOL should fill KHHT's void and become Rhythmic AC.
M
musicman3355
Guest
The only way KXOL would flip to rhythmic AC is if they get sold. All stations SBS owns are Spanish-language, so I doubt they'll do an English format... but hey, Univision owns a hip-hop station in San Antonio and Entravision owns a country outlet in Sacramento, so hey, why not? SBS could do a non-Spanish language format.
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