In so many other markets, the sports stations have moved from AM To FM. What is it about the LA market that has prevented a similar transition?
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Why Hasn't Sports Moved to FM in LA?
- Thread starter tjguitar85
- Start date
The FMs in those cities' corporate clusters are usually strong money-demo performers in music formats and the Audacys and iHearts of the radio world don't want to sacrifice one of them for sports, especially if the chain has built a "wall of women" for its advertisers to spend on.
I'll also direct you to the comments of the owner of LA's KSPN, who also owns WMVP Chicago and WEPN New York:
radioinsight.com
For that reason, they'll be relinquishing their FM simulcast in August.
Good Karma Brands To End 98.7 New York LMA In 2024 - RadioInsight
Good Karma Brands will conclude its LMA of Emmis Communications’ “98.7 ESPN” WEPN-FM New York when its contract comes to an end in August 2024. The programming on the station will relocate back to 1050 WEPN and their digital platforms when the deal comes to an end around August 31, 2024. 1050...
radioinsight.com
For that reason, they'll be relinquishing their FM simulcast in August.
In addition to what TheBigA and CTListener noted, two of the AM sports signals in L.A. have ownership ties to teams---the Dodgers have part ownership in KLAC (570) and Angels owner Artie Moreno owns KLAA (830).
So here is the thing I think about talk radio in general on FM. I live in Canada and have done some traveling. There was an all news format that moved over to FM while keeping the AM station. It was near Ottawa and it was meant to boost the signal but it failed. Miserably. The company turned off the AM transmitter. Played Christmas music for almost 2 months than went back to the format it used to be before. What actually happened there was country 101.1 FM moved to 92.3 and 101.1 became the news/talk. When it ended, 101.1 became country again, then a few days later 92.3 went to Santa Radio and its now back to Jack FM. The talk didn't sound much better on FM compared to AM. You could tell it was an AM station and the sound was not great. It sounded like it was not processed well and seemed cheaply run.
In Calgary they flipped a classic rock station to a rebroadcast of the local AM talk station.They now broadcast as an FM station with a rebroadcast on AM. The station flipped to attract a younger demo, because more people under the age of 40 would listen to FM over AM. Well the station still sounds geared to the 55+ demo. Ratings wise they are doing better, but they still do not attract me or a lot of people my age to it. My father in law who is almost 70 doesn't even listen to that station and he is in the demo.
Most people I know that listen to radio listen to music. If they want talk they listen to podcasts, or watch YouTube videos. Even for me when I listen to my sports radio I am listening to it on an app. I mostly listen to sports radio from Vancouver and I live in Toronto. So I cannot pick up local Vancouver radio here. Some of the sports shows in Vancouver are also broadcast in Toronto as well but for the most part my main programming comes from Vancouver.
So for me it doesn't matter what frequency the station is broadcasting on. They could be an internet only stream and it wouldn't make a difference for me. I would listen either way.
However with all that being said, there are some markets in the US that have so many stations, all competing for the same listeners. You only have a limited number of listeners and it is hard for some stations to compete. Thats why there are some stations that stopped hiring people and just run automated for most of the day. Or they play the wheel of format every year or two because they can't figure out how to crawl out of the basement. If it were me running a station like that I would probably consider an FM sports or talk station just to try to get out of the ratings basement
In Calgary they flipped a classic rock station to a rebroadcast of the local AM talk station.They now broadcast as an FM station with a rebroadcast on AM. The station flipped to attract a younger demo, because more people under the age of 40 would listen to FM over AM. Well the station still sounds geared to the 55+ demo. Ratings wise they are doing better, but they still do not attract me or a lot of people my age to it. My father in law who is almost 70 doesn't even listen to that station and he is in the demo.
Most people I know that listen to radio listen to music. If they want talk they listen to podcasts, or watch YouTube videos. Even for me when I listen to my sports radio I am listening to it on an app. I mostly listen to sports radio from Vancouver and I live in Toronto. So I cannot pick up local Vancouver radio here. Some of the sports shows in Vancouver are also broadcast in Toronto as well but for the most part my main programming comes from Vancouver.
So for me it doesn't matter what frequency the station is broadcasting on. They could be an internet only stream and it wouldn't make a difference for me. I would listen either way.
However with all that being said, there are some markets in the US that have so many stations, all competing for the same listeners. You only have a limited number of listeners and it is hard for some stations to compete. Thats why there are some stations that stopped hiring people and just run automated for most of the day. Or they play the wheel of format every year or two because they can't figure out how to crawl out of the basement. If it were me running a station like that I would probably consider an FM sports or talk station just to try to get out of the ratings basement
If ratings are the goal (and they're not) just look at the LA ratings list, and only one talk or sports station is in the Top 10. It's on AM.
I don't think success or failure is determined by whether the station is AM or FM. The other issue is expense. Any local sports or talk station will require a lot of expense in staff. Of course the alternative is run a syndicated format all day. But those don't seem to do much in the ratings.
It should be added that KLAC has been simulcasting on 98.7 HD-2 for a long time now.
And KLAC is a partnership between the Dodgers and iHeart, owner of 98.7.
If a tree falls in the woods ...
In my humble opinion just about any Mt Wilson signal would have been a better choice to simulcast KLAC (or anything else for that matter). I live in a canyon in the Santa Monica Mountains adjacent to the southwest SFV. Even though we are not line-of-sight and over 30 miles from Wilson, the signal (as a example) from little 600 watt 89.3 is more reliable than 75,000 watt 98.7 from Briarcrest Pk, that has to travel through about 12 miles of rock to get to our location.
They are not programming to the canyons in the Santa Monica Mountains.
...not sure what you mean...
Those canyons are in the Los Angeles Metro Survey Area, so "sure they are".
What the KSPN folks believe is the future of radio isn't FM...it's streaming. That's where they're investing their money now.
That's what iHeart is thinking as well. That's why they're not rushing to simulcast KFI. They can't blow up an FM.
David, you were a programmer in LA for decades. Did you ever once ask yourself, "Is my programming correct, and signal strong enough to be penetrating the canyons of the Santa Monica mountains to fully serve the tiny population that lives there? I am going to go out on a limb and say the correct answer is "no".
Thomas wants them to change the simulcast station they are currently broadcasting on from a weak HD channel to a full Wilson frequency that can penetrate 12 miles of rock to get to his house. They are not going to do that. You wouldn't either.
Nothing against Thomas, I have my programming preferences and I would like to be them to be super-served too. I also live in reality and know they won't be.
Although I would be curious to see what it would be like. Sports doesn’t unite Los Angeles, like it does other cities. It would be a waste of a signal to bring sports to FM. I’d be content with KABC finally doing the right thing and flipping to sports. I wish there was a sports radio show in L.A. that focused on high school sports along with other topics. They could carve a niche.
That’s why I don’t get why audacy flipped 97.1 to knx. They had the “wall of women” they could’ve possibly wanted with Amp/Wave