That is because KFPT and KCBL are sports stations, and I bet the owners feel there are more listeners for those types of formats versus oldies music. It seems to me the sports stations get more respect than talk or music stations.
I also, believe AM radio is more vulnerable to noise. THAT the reason for AM radio dying. I am surprised by now, AM radio has not been improved in terms of sound quality, especially with all of the new technology there is out there these days.
Well we do know one thing. The people who own KFPT, KYNO, consider KYNO to have the better signal, at least in places where people actually are. Before 940 became "the local sports leader" that format was carried by the same owners (well half of them really) on 1430, they bought KFPT when the local CBS cluster was sold to Peak Broadcasting, and no I don't know if Peak sold it to them or CBS. Either way KFPT was always "the deuce", they are valuing the oldies and Fresno Grizzlies games over the secondary sports content heard on KFPT. KFPT is actually simulcasting 940 ESPN (KFIG, but no one calls it that) much of the day. KFPT exists for when the A's play at the same time as the Giants (apply the same to football, basketball, hockey on a slow sport day), or any sport happens during a Fresno State game. Also when a person doesn't give two whatevers about local sports talk they could listen to the ESPN network feed on KFPT. KCBL sounds great where you can hear it, but it is only 1000 watts so that isn't very far, and that is my point about value. All three stations sound just fine in the metro Fresno/Clovis area. Which one would sell for the most money? Format doesn't matter. KYNO seems to have the best range, where people actually live, but get stepped on at sunrise, sunset.
As far as the viability of AM radio, the only things that seem to be doing fine on it are sports and ethnic. If oldies was even much of a format anymore KYNO would be 105.5. It's not really noise for people in cities, we have a whole generation now who never even thought to push the BAND button, and yes most AM radios sound horrible no matter how much effort the station puts in the sound processing. I have a few radios that some AM stations (good processing) sound really good on, but I would rarely choose even the good AM stations over FM's playing the same thing.