Another Q&A: The future of 97.1 FM
Much has been written about today's rebranding of 97.1 FM, transitioning from simulcasting all-news KNX to becoming all-sports “The Fan.” Lance Venta at Radio Insight provided an excellent summary explaining why Audacy is making the change, another comprehensive story is offered by John Mamola at Barrett Media.
Nonetheless, I’ve had a few questions that prompted me to do some digging. So it’s once again time for another round of Questions and Answers, this time about 97.1 FM.
Wasn’t all-news KNX getting better ratings since adding an FM simulcast?
This is one of those “yes, but…” answers. We refer you to the aforementioned story by Radio Insight’s Lance Venta. Still, at the risk of being redundant, what happened is KNX’s audience did grow, but in the wrong demographic. It appears the audience gain skewed toward older listeners, not the prized 25-54 demo. Compared to their sister stations across the country, KNX has underperformed – the LA outlet was #18 with the younger listeners, while sister stations have better ratings with 25-54, examples include WINS-New York (#9), WBBM-Chicago and KCBS-San Francisco (#13).
And again risking redundancy, the 6+ Nielsen ratings which are broadly reported are essentially “beauty contest” numbers. Bragging rights aside, advertisers are more focused on the ratings associated with specific demographic groups. Age, gender, listener zip codes, etc. are just some of the details of interest.
Can KNX survive as an AM-only outlet?
Again, this is a mixed situation. At least 30 – 40 percent of KNX’s audience stayed loyal to 1070 AM, largely older listeners who weren’t reached by the FM signal. But once again, younger listeners aren’t likely to listen to AM not just because of sound quality (or lack thereof), but because there’s largely little awareness of AM by anyone younger than 50. It’s also noted that KNX will continue to be available on 97.1 FM HD2 (not completely irrelevant, but still unfamiliar to most).
What about streaming? Will that be a viable alternative?
Maybe. To their credit, Audacy (parent company of KNX) formed a partnership with iHeart’s streaming platform, which will allow KNX (and other Audacy stations) to be heard on their competitor’s app. It likely won’t be enough to make up for the lost FM audience, but it’s an another option in addition to 1070 AM.
As for the iHeart app, perhaps corporate heard the criticism about the Audacy app – that almost no one knows what it is. Note the original name of the app was Radio.com, yet I’m sure some decision maker decided anything associated with "radio" was dated. The problem is the vast majority of people think of the word “Odyssey” when they hear “Audacy,” and they’re not aware of either as an audio platform.
So let’s turn to 97.1 The Fan. What are they going to be about?
In reviewing the lineup, just about all of their six hosts (three two-personality teams) have significant roots in LA. Plus this is all live and local, a bit different than the syndicated offerings heard on the competition. AM 570 (KLAC) features Dan Patrick and Colin Cowherd, while 710 ESPN (KSPN) offers Rich Eisen in key timeslots. Then again, some well-established local veterans are also heard on these stations – Fred Roggin, Steve Mason, John Ireland, Petros Papadakis, Matt “Money” Smith, among others.
Fred Roggin, Rodney Peete, Steve Mason, John Ireland,
A quick rundown of the new shows on 97.1 FM, note that all of the hosts have direct tie-ins to Southern California, several migrating from other Audacy-related properties:
Mornings: Derek Fisher and Cody Decker. Fisher is well known for his heroics with the Lakers. I did meet him once, a true gentleman but also a bit quiet off mic. Maybe it was just that day. We’ll see what he has to offer, especially beyond basketball. Decker is a retired major leaguer, an alum of both Santa Monica High School and UCLA. He also was working for BetQL, the sports wagering network partly owned by Audacy.
Middays: Brock Vereen and Alex Curry. A former NFL safety, Vereen is a football analyst seen on both CBS Sports and the Big Ten Network respectively. He also is the Director of Business Development at E-Sports Television (ESTV) based in Pasadena. Born and raised in Manhattan Beach, Curry is a TV host for Angels Weekly & Kings Live on Fox Sports West and has appeared on NBC’s Red Bull Signature Series covering “action sports” (think snowboarding, mountain biking, freestyle motocross, etc.).
Afternoons: Doug McKain and Bill Reiter. Known as “D-Mac,” McKain is a LA native who attended UCLA. He’s been part of Westwood One’s coverage of the NFL, but also is a streaming host for the Lakers and the Rams. McKain is also part of the online Dodgers Nation, based in South Pasadena. Reiter was once heard on AM 570 teamed up with Leeann Tweeden from 2014 – 2016. Starting as a print journalist after graduating from the University of Missouri-Columbia, he hosted the “Reiter Than You” show on CBS Sports Radio for nine years. After his show was cancelled, Reiter continued his program online.
One additional note: Reiter was recently profiled by Barrett Media, who described him as known “for his candid, no-holds-barred style on-air, grounded in his newspaper reporting roots.” He has been compared to Jim Rome, Reiter considered a smart sports talk host like Rome yet lacking the latter's sense of ironic humor. Speaking of Jim Rome (again, note the attempt at a segue)…
Jim Rome – a SoCal native – has been missing from the local airwaves. Why isn’t he part of 97.1 The Fan?
At first thought, Rome is a well known name to the local sports radio audience, from his “Jungle” emanating from XTRA Sports 690 in the 90s and continuing on CBS Sports Radio, (sorta) the forerunner of Audacy’s sports programming. Technically, Rome has been on the LA airwaves via the HD3 channel on JACK-FM (KCBS-FM), which means almost no one was listening in SoCal. Rome was also a prominent part of the short-lived “The Beast 980” (KFWB) during their brief all-sports era from 2014 – 2016. The Calabasas High School graduate moved from a station with a signal across the border to achieving national prominence, both on radio and TV.
Yet that absence from more locally accessible platforms has kept Rome’s profile low-key if not ignored. Arguably Rome’s national presence is also suffering – his TV simulcast on the CBS Sports Network was dropped in 2024, plus he was moved from his traditional mid-morning slot to noon to 3 PM locally, which is PM drive on the East Coast. Many former affiliates chose their local afternoon shows over Rome. His show is now heard on only 60 stations nationwide (plus Sirius XM), compared to the hundreds of stations once offering Rome via syndication.
Still, Rome is someone that’d be quickly recognized by LA sports radio listeners, though it would be a "somewhat" live-and-local offering,
Will 97.1 The Fan score with the local audience?
OK, excuse the pun. Audacy sees the success of their WFAN-New York and WIP-FM Philadelphia, plus other ratings leading sports outlets such as KNBR-San Francisco, WBZ-FM-Boston, all attracting the prized 25-54 male audience. Audacy has long wanted to have a sports station in LA.
Still, common wisdom is LA is one of the most unique radio markets in the country. From the days of Boss Radio KHJ to the success of talk radio KABC, the rebooting of top 40 radio with CHR KIIS-FM, soft hits AC (and all-Christmas) KOST – the list goes on. One observer notes the local dial sees more success with innovation rather than duplication.
Also noted is The Fan begins without the rights to broadcast any of the local teams. The Rams currently offer their play-by-play simulcast on Audacy’s JACK-FM, yet The Fan is in direct competition with the Rams’ flagship station 710 ESPN. Both USC (KSPN) and UCLA (KABC) are covered. The only franchise without a local flagship is the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings, their games heard on the ESPN LA app (only selected games are heard on AM 710).
That being said, sports is considered one of the few growth areas for traditional media. There’s a reason linear TV is willing to pay billions for the rights to air the NFL, NBA, and MLB. Radio should be no exception, although again LA can be the exception to the rule.
Back to KNX. What’s going to happen to the heritage station?
Information programming is largely resilient format. Even on AM, it can still be profitable, at least in the major markets. Although WINS-New York now has an FM simulcast, the station was still a ratings leader – the addition of 92.3 FM was more to fill in the signal voids of 1010 AM in some New York suburbs.
It’s been years since KFWB dropped all-news, plus KNX likely grabbed some listeners from KFI, particularly during the Pacific Palisades and Altadena wildfires. But to reiterate, the ratings in the prized 25-54 demographic continued to be anemic for KNX.
Once again, LA is a unique market. Whereas NPR stations are ratings leaders in other markets (KQED-San Francisco), plus all-news outlets have success across different age groups (WTOP-FM-Washington DC, the aforementioned WINS-New York), Los Angeles is different. KNX isn’t losing money, but it’s not generating enough for Audacy.
What surprised the staff at KNX was they’d heard the rumors about Audacy wanting an all-sports outlet locally, but they thought it was going to be on 1070 AM. Almost no one in LA expected they would drop all-news on 97.1 FM. We were told no one in SoCal had any input about dropping the FM in favor of the AM.
Staffers are apparently concerned for their futures. One cynic believes Audacy wants KNX to lose audience to justify more cutbacks. Other rumors include having KNX use Bloomberg Radio for middays. Remember, it was a corporate decision to create an awkward simulcast between KNX and sister station KCBS-San Francisco for overnights as a cost-saving move.
Like anything, we’ll see what 97.1 FM The Fan has to offer. But we’re not willing to set the odds on their success.
A personal note: My 98-year-old Dad passed peacefully last week after battling Alzheimer's Disease for the last year. Whatever I've accomplshed is because my Dad ensured I'd had everything I needed to succeed. Right now, I picture him fishing while enjoying a pint of ice cream.
My deepest condolences, Alan. How amazing your Dad got 98 years. May his memory be a blessing.
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