KFAN Moving To 100.3 FM; KTLK Going To 1130 AM

Bringing the sports station to the FM band is one thing... but news/talk on FM is another trend, and Clear Channel appears to be reversing the latter trend by moving its talk format to KFAN's current spot on the AM band. The switch is expected to happen sometime before the Vikings season opener.
http://www.minnpost.com/braublog/2011/08/05/30572/kfan_to_become_fm_station_ktlk_goes_am

Well, we know who flinched first.

DBS HAD to be considering FM sports, even if the article doesn't think that. CBS has 14 all sports, several of them on FM, and discussion Cn the Cleveland board has CBS putting together an all-night show for their sports station. WLTE is desperately underperforming. It had to be on the table for 102.9. No longer.

Unless they're really scrambling at 625 2nd Av. to beat CC to the punch. That would be tough.

Um, am I the only one who realizes that KTLK cannot move to AM? Why not you ask? Go to either radiostationworld, radio-locator, or 100kw and look up the callsign for an 1150 AM in Los Angeles, CA. And, since you can't have KTLK-FM-AM, KTLK-FM won't be going anywhere.

theradiokid said:

Um, am I the only one who realizes that KTLK cannot move to AM? Why not you ask? Go to either radiostationworld, radio-locator, or 100kw and look up the callsign for an 1150 AM in Los Angeles, CA. And, since you can't have KTLK-FM-AM, KTLK-FM won't be going anywhere.

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I figure 1130 will either change call letters, OR, ask/pay the existing KTLK to change *its* call letters. It can be done now.

cd

No need to ask, or pay: CC owns both KTLK-FM and KTLK(AM)...but they don't own KFAN-FM, down in Texas.

In this age of PPM ratings, where listener recall of callsigns is irrelevant, it's even money that they don't bother switching them. CBS didn't bother changing WCFS-FM in Chicago when it switched from "Fresh" to a simulcast of all-news WBBM(AM) last week...

Rumor became fact. http://www.startribune.com/entertainment/tv/127301658.html

Here's the article. Interestingly, KTLK will go to CC's new translator at 102.5, not 103.5, where KFAN has been.

Sports talk and play-by-play radio is about to make a significant invasion of the FM airwaves in the Twin Cities area.

KFAN (1130 AM) will swap signals next Monday with fellow Clear Channel property KTLK (100.3 FM), which has a conservative politics format.

KFAN late-afternoon host Dan Barreiro praised the imminent move during his show Monday, noting the richer quality of the signal's sound and its ability to deflect listener criticism that the station can be difficult to hear at night in some areas.

KFAN is the home of the Minnesota Vikings game broadcasts. The station also will start carrying Minnesota Wild and Minnesota Gophers football games this coming season.

Along with taking over the 1130 AM signal, KTLK also will be heard at 102.5 FM.

Another shoe, or cleat, drops: 690 to 103.5

An astute web surfer noted that www.thescore690.com now redirects to www.thescore1035.com. AM 690 is Clear Channel's daytime only signal that is being given to the Minority Media and Telecommunications Council that offers Fox Sports and Yahoo! Sports. 103.5 was KFAN's AM on FM through HD.

690's signal has moved over to 107.9 HD2 to get ready for the switch.

Scott Fybush said:

No need to ask, or pay: CC owns both KTLK-FM and KTLK(AM)...but they don't own KFAN-FM, down in Texas.

In this age of PPM ratings, where listener recall of callsigns is irrelevant, it's even money that they don't bother switching them. CBS didn't bother changing WCFS-FM in Chicago when it switched from "Fresh" to a simulcast of all-news WBBM(AM) last week...

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To make up for the obvious inability to move the KFAN calls to FM, why not dub 100.3 KFXN-FM? The KFAN (AM) calls can then be "parked" at KWEB/Rochester MN, a CC-owned KFAN affiliate.

Heck, why not rename 1130 KDWB? They have the rights to those calls, even though it won't mean a damn thing. Lol.

Wright County Guy said:

...CBS HAD to be considering FM sports... WLTE is desperately underperforming. It had to be on the table for 102.9. No longer...

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Interesting observation... Of course, there's always the possibility that 102.9 could go back to its "roots" as WCCO-FM, if you know what I mean... :

Nathan Obral said:

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Heck, why not rename 1130 KDWB? They have the rights to those calls, even though it won't mean a damn thing. Lol.

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Then Borgan can flip WDGY calls back to 630, and everybody in the Twin Cities over the age of 50 would truly die a little inside.

Whoops: From KTLKFM.com (posted today, August 12):

UPDATE: Due to a delay in gaining FCC approval for the new FM signals, the simulcast of Twin Cities News Talk on 102.5 FM has been delayed until further notice. Broadcasts online and on 1130 AM are not affected.

You've got to be kidding.

Wright County Guy said:

Whoops: From KTLKFM.com (posted today, August 12):

UPDATE: Due to a delay in gaining FCC approval for the new FM signals, the simulcast of Twin Cities News Talk on 102.5 FM has been delayed until further notice. Broadcasts online and on 1130 AM are not affected.

You've got to be kidding.

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This is why you don't announce a format flip before things have been approved. And a little birdie tells me it could be months for them to even look at it.

For you call-letter information: KTLK-FM is now KFXN-FM, which matches CC's AM-690.

KFAN-AM will become KTCN (for Twin Cities Newstalk).

WTCN, IMO, would have been an historical fit, seeing that the call letters have a long history in the market ( AM 1250/1280 1934-1964; Channel 4, 1959-1952; Channel 11, 1953-1985; AM 1220, 1985-1993 ) originally standing for Twin Cities Newspapers.

From http://northpine.com/broadcast

The Twin Cities saw their first FM format change in five years Monday as Clear Channel's KFAN/1130 and KTLK-FM/100.3 swapped formats ahead of the NFL season. KFAN's Sports-talk format moved to 100.3 as KFXN-FM (there's already a KFAN-FM in Texas). KTLK-FM's Conservative News/Talk format moved to 1130 as "Twin Cities News/Talk". Its callsign is still officially KFAN for now, but the station says on it's Facebook page that'll be changed to KTCN later this month.

[EDIT*-citation truncated as excerpt exceeds that permitted under Fair Use doctrine]

Wright County Guy said:

For you call-letter information: KTLK-FM is now KFXN-FM, which matches CC's AM-690.

KFAN-AM will become KTCN (for Twin Cities Newstalk).

WTCN, IMO, would have been an historical fit, seeing that the call letters have a long history in the market ( AM 1250/1280 1934-1964; Channel 4, 1959-1952; Channel 11, 1953-1985; AM 1220, 1985-1993 ) originally standing for Twin Cities Newspapers.

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FWIW, the WTCN calls are currently used by a low-power TV station in West Palm Beach, Florida.

I would also not be shocked to see the KFAN (AM) calls get "parked" onto one of the KFAN network stations that CC still owns (KKXL/Grand Forks? KWEB/Rochester?). They'd be nuts to just let them go.

Nathan Obral said:

.

I would also not be shocked to see the KFAN (AM) calls get "parked" onto one of the KFAN network stations that CC still owns (KKXL/Grand Forks? KWEB/Rochester?). They'd be nuts to just let them go.

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Nice call, Nathan! KFAN is now on 1270 in Rochester, retiring KWEB, a long-standing set of calls.

mnradiofan said:

Wright County Guy said:

Whoops: From KTLKFM.com (posted today, August 12):

UPDATE: Due to a delay in gaining FCC approval for the new FM signals, the simulcast of Twin Cities News Talk on 102.5 FM has been delayed until further notice. Broadcasts online and on 1130 AM are not affected.

You've got to be kidding.

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This is why you don't announce a format flip before things have been approved. And a little birdie tells me it could be months for them to even look at it.

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Or years. We've now passed the one-year mark with no 102.5 simulcast, and no other moves by Clear Channel.