Who's next?

[engineer65]

With the recent change of WIP taking over WYSP in Philly and WDBO taking over WHTQ in Orlando, is KFI F.M. on the horizon?

 

[lalf]

Nope, or at lease not likely.

The angry white male/cop shop stuff they do on local shows probably won't make it on L.A.'s FM band. Handel is entertaining and could carry on FM. The station would need to be tweaked a lot to catch on there.

 

[davideduardo]

Nope, or at lease not likely.

The angry white male/cop shop stuff they do on local shows probably won't make it on L.A.'s FM band. Handel is entertaining and could carry on FM. The station would need to be tweaked a lot to catch on there.

Generally, stations that do well on AM which add FM or move to FM make major gains in 35-54 as well as increasing 12+.

KFI is one of the best performing news/talk stations in the US if you consider that the market contains perhaps 25% folks who never use English language radio... to name just one factor. If it were on FM, a large group of potential listeners who just don't like AM would join the cume.

The only tweaking KFI needs is to have someone in engineering set the router to direct the programming to one of the Wilson sites.

 

[ChannelFlipper]

Nope, or at lease not likely.

The angry white male/cop shop stuff they do on local shows probably won't make it on L.A.'s FM band. Handel is entertaining and could carry on FM. The station would need to be tweaked a lot to catch on there.

Generally, stations that do well on AM which add FM or move to FM make major gains in 35-54 as well as increasing 12+.

KFI is one of the best performing news/talk stations in the US if you consider that the market contains perhaps 25% folks who never use English language radio... to name just one factor. If it were on FM, a large group of potential listeners who just don't like AM would join the cume.

The only tweaking KFI needs is to have someone in engineering set the router to direct the programming to one of the Wilson sites.

David said it all. Not if, but when KFI goes to FM they will change...nothing.

 

[radiojomo]

The smart move would be to do it before the 2012 election so they could grab all those extra advertising dollars but who know if it'll happen with HOT's recent gains.

Is it time to go back to the suggestion that CC flip KHHT to KFI and move KHHT to KYSR, dropping the Alternative format?

 

[justpassingthough]

The smart move would be to do it before the 2012 election so they could grab all those extra advertising dollars but who know if it'll happen with HOT's recent gains.

Is it time to go back to the suggestion that CC flip KHHT to KFI and move KHHT to KYSR, dropping the Alternative format?

Doesn't KYSR still outbill KHHT though? KFI also bills well on AM, so they're only going to migrate it to FM if and when they are confident that the billing of the KFI FM would exceed what the AM currently bills plus what KHHT or KYSR or which ever station they flip currently bills. CC isn't going to leave money on the table because some people want to hear KFI on FM.

 

[Buckethead]

KFI is the number 2 station in the market. I'm guessing they aren't worried about KFI.

 

[radiojomo]

Doesn't KYSR still outbill KHHT though? KFI also bills well on AM, so they're only going to migrate it to FM if and when they are confident that the billing of the KFI FM would exceed what the AM currently bills plus what KHHT or KYSR or which ever station they flip currently bills. CC isn't going to leave money on the table because some people want to hear KFI on FM.

I believe that KYSR and KHHT bill around the same, but with KYSR trending down and KHHT trending up, CC might be more confident in the future of Hot, even if it were to move to 98.7.

The flip to FM would be to preserve the high billing of the format, younger skewing audiences would most likely listen to a format on FM than AM and bring in new listeners that will be attractive to advertisers. Staying on AM won't increase ad sales, yet just make them flatline.

 

[Buckethead]

Let me repeat.
KFI is the number 2 station in the market.
You think they're going to bump off a station like 98.7 or Hot to help KFI beat the number one station which is KISS FM which THEY OWN?

You all on crack here?

 

[ChannelFlipper]

I think the main reason why CC has not yet made the move here in LA is that KFI has no serious talk competitor who is in a position to successfully beat them to the punch by moving to the FM dial first. Since KABC is such as disaster, there is no way Citadel (or even Cumulus for that matter) can take them FM because they would have to take out KLOS to do so, and that is simply not happening.

Same for both KNX and KFWB. Both formats skew older than KFI, so they would most likely not see significant improvement on the FM dial, and which one of CBS' FM cash cows would they take out to do it anyway? Of course KFWB is not technically in the mix, it is the poor step-child of LA radio, banished to trustee status for seemingly an eternity.

So as long as CC's bottom FM properties are performing better than the incremental revenue a simulcast of KFI would bring (regardless if at a given point in time that property is KHHT, KYSR, or something else), than CC has no short-term case to move. They do have a long-term case to move as David has alluded to, so they will move when the long-term case outweighs the short-term case. Next summer could well be that time, but I doubt it will happen any sooner, and the way things are going, it could still be much later even than that.

 

[AM FM listener]

I think the main reason why CC has not yet made the move here in LA is that KFI has no serious talk competitor who is in a position to successfully beat them to the punch by moving to the FM dial first. Since KABC is such as disaster, there is no way Citadel (or even Cumulus for that matter) can take them FM because they would have to take out KLOS to do so, and that is simply not happening.

Same for both KNX and KFWB. Both formats skew older than KFI, so they would most likely not see significant improvement on the FM dial, and which one of CBS' FM cash cows would they take out to do it anyway? Of course KFWB is not technically in the mix, it is the poor step-child of LA radio, banished to trustee status for seemingly an eternity.

So as long as CC's bottom FM properties are performing better than the incremental revenue a simulcast of KFI would bring (regardless if at a given point in time that property is KHHT, KYSR, or something else), than CC has no short-term case to move. They do have a long-term case to move as David has alluded to, so they will move when the long-term case outweighs the short-term case. Next summer could well be that time, but I doubt it will happen any sooner, and the way things are going, it could still be much later even than that.

I wonder though if CBS might consider simulcasting KNX on 94.7 FM one day. I would figure The Wave's audience is pretty old, which limits billings.

 

[Buckethead]

That is entirely feasible.

 

[ercjncpr]

Nope, or at lease not likely.

The angry white male/cop shop stuff they do on local shows probably won't make it on L.A.'s FM band. Handel is entertaining and could carry on FM. The station would need to be tweaked a lot to catch on there.

Generally, stations that do well on AM which add FM or move to FM make major gains in 35-54 as well as increasing 12+.

KFI is one of the best performing news/talk stations in the US if you consider that the market contains perhaps 25% folks who never use English language radio... to name just one factor. If it were on FM, a large group of potential listeners who just don't like AM would join the cume.

The only tweaking KFI needs is to have someone in engineering set the router to direct the programming to one of the Wilson sites.

Yeah, love it or hate it (and I am one of the haters), KFI is unique, they have found their mix/niche as proven by the ratings over the last several years. Even, if I, a die-hard political lefty, were to suddenly take over KFI, I would not change a thing...I would lose big $$ and have tons of angry listeners at my GM or PD doors if I did.

 

[OC Radio Geek]

Let me repeat.
KFI is the number 2 station in the market.
You think they're going to bump off a station like 98.7 or Hot to help KFI beat the number one station which is KISS FM which THEY OWN?

You all on crack here?

AMEN brother 8)

 

[ChannelFlipper]

Let me repeat.
KFI is the number 2 station in the market.
You think they're going to bump off a station like 98.7 or Hot to help KFI beat the number one station which is KISS FM which THEY OWN?

You all on crack here?

AMEN brother 8)

They could care less which station is "Number 1". They care about cash flows, and the key to maximizing cash flow is "money demos", which is the basis upon which most spots are bought and sold . If they thought the revenue growth from enhanced money demos exceeded the money foregone on the replaced station, they would do it in a heartbeat. Do you really think CC cares which of their stations is Number 1 vs. number 2?

How does 1. KIIS, 2. KFI really differ from 1. KFI, 2. KIIS? This is not entirely a theoretical question as KFI has indeed come in #1 in the 6+ beauty contest before.

 

[MarioMania]

Where is KNX in this??

What number are they in the LA area??