KFWB (980 The Beast) Signs off Today by Alan Oda

(February 29, 2016) His own station received the award for Best Radio Anchor staff last month at the Southern California Sports Broadcasters luncheon, yet KNX sportscaster Randy Kerdoon offered what he acknowledged he would offer something different versus the usual acceptance speech. “Let’s all take a moment and acknowledge our colleagues at The Beast 980,” said Kerdoon, noting the recent sale of KFWB would result in “a lot of good people are going to be out of work.” An unusual tribute to a competing station, yet The Beast was unique from the very beginning. The radio home of the Clippers signs off tonight after 17-month run as an all-sports venue.

It was five years ago when KFWB was placed in an asset trust while CBS radio looked for a buyer for the heritage frequency. The station was once the home of Chuck Blore and Color Radio, before becoming the legendary “All News 98.” When CBS purchased KCAL/tv in 2002, the company exceeded the eight-station limit within a local market, which triggered the eventual sale of KFWB in January to Principle Broadcasting, backed by Mercury Partners for $8 million. The general consensus is the station will offer programming for the Southeast Asian community, similar to the company’s stations in Seattle and San Jose. 

“I had two goals as the Trustee of the station,” said Diane Sutter, who managed the Asset Trust. “The first was to make the station as successful as possible. The second was to sell the station. Both tasks were equally important” With five years of a news / talk format generating limited ratings, an alternative was being sought for AM 980.

There were already three local stations programming sports when The Beast first started on September 22, 2014. “We wanted to offer something that the audience couldn’t get anywhere else. Other stations were about national and network programs. We (instead) focused on local sports – there’s definitely an audience,” said Sutter. KFWB became the flagship station for the Clippers of the NBA and the MLS Galaxy, but it was about more than offering play-by-play. “L.A. has been viewed as not being a sports town. I view it as a town that had lots of sports. When done right, (we knew) people wanted a good sports station focused on local teams.”

“When we were putting the station together and developing our marketing plan, we wanted to focus on sports and the athletes. The best athletes are often called ‘beasts,’ so to distinguish ourselves from ‘The Ticket,’ ‘The Fan,’ and other sports stations, we adopted ‘The Beast 980’ as our identity,” said Sutter. “We also had an interesting app for listeners to stream both the Clippers and the Galaxy as well as our other shows. There was a podcast available every day, we had a great symbiotic relationship with the L.A. Times, which featured the podcast…we also had good word of mouth – the best fans are our fans who wanted to know about L.A. sports.” 

Among other features, The Beast 980 offered locally live and local sports-oriented morning program, hosted by Jeanne Zelasko (l) and Marques Johnson, before Johnson was succeeded by Los Angeles Times sports columnist Bill Plaschke (r). The station also offered a radio outlet for longtime KNBC/tv sports anchor Fred Roggin, who would eventually land in the afternoon drive slot.  “Our goal was to deliver really good L.A. sports content,” said pd Tom Lee. “We focused specifically on L.A. sports. We did that. We grew the station, we changed the lineup, we wanted to deliver the goods.”  Sports stations generally attract the Men 25-54 demographic. “We saw that (demo) coming down a little bit. We tried to identify in our research what a 35-year-old would be interested in, a 38-year-old, a 42-year-old – what were their sports interests,” said Lee. “We wanted to bring them information and entertainment. We were not specifically trying to appeal to a younger audience, we were appealing to the L.A. audience.”

“When The Beast first contacted me, they acknowledged the strength of KLAC (AM 570) and KSPN (ESPN LA / 710), but believed the appetite for sports on the radio was larger than two very strong stations,” recalled Roggin. “They believed The Beast would increase the overall sports share in the market.”

“I think we accomplished our goals to be live and local…when Plaschke came on board, we provided what the L.A. fan wanted, to follow the local teams,” said Zelasko. Co-host Plaschke said “we had an L.A. show for L.A. fans. We gave fans their teams, including USC basketball, UCLA football – we got quotes from players, it was something that was never seen done before…it was if Jeanne and I were sitting in front of a Starbucks talking about L.A. sports. It was so cool.” Though he was only there for five months, Plaschke observed how “people responded…we became more of a breakfast partner…we just sat at the table and talked…after the Super Bowl, we (instead) talked about UCLA recruiting and a story about the Lakers. That’s what L.A. fans wanted to hear…we were turning L.A. into a small neighborhood.” 

The station provided ancillary programming as the flagship station for the Clippers. Plaschke said “we would talk Clippers like any other (L.A.) team, but the Clippers were equal for the first time with the other teams.” Play-by-play veteran Ralph Lawler was featured every morning during the show, “something he so long deserved…before The Beast, the Clippers were rarely talked about. We flew the Clipper flag next to the Dodgers and the Lakers. That flag will drop unless someone picks it up. It’s not just about (the play-by-play), it’s about giving the Clippers exposure like other teams,” said Plaschke. Roggin added “it was the first time a Clippers actually had a home that was dedicated to them.”

 

Lee said “we had a good relationship with the Clippers. We had ‘Fast Break Fridays’ where we featured a Clippers player every week. Fred Roggin talked to Brian Seiman every game day, and we offered ‘Hard Core Clippers’ before each game…if I needed something I could pick up the phone to the Clippers, and they could pick up the phone and contact me.” Lee added carrying the Clippers and offering play-by-play “(was) effective in increasing the station’s cume.” 

The biggest local sports story in recent memory has been the return of the NFL to Los Angeles after a 20 year hiatus. “We got into the grass-roots of the story…Fred was on top of the story for the entire year, Jeanne used (the many) contacts she had, particularly with the Chargers, Bill had all sorts of connections through the Times, (midday host) Chris Meyers was also connected to everything going on…we’re proud of the way we covered and reported the story.” 

“The Beast covered the NFL to L.A. like nobody’s business,” said Zelasko. “Marques Johnson was the first person to talk about something going on in Inglewood. We beat that drum every day…we didn’t change the story, but we covered it thoroughly.” Sutter said “we made a contribution to sports” with the station’s coverage of the story.

 

Roggin (l) featured conversations with those involved in the negotiations, including regular interviews with the Mayors of both Inglewood and Carson as the NFL considered two potential stadium venues and three possible teams. “No one really paid attention to the possibility of the NFL truly returning in the early stages, while I found it to be a fascinating drama.  We started talking about it on a daily basis and realized people were tuning in for it.”   “It was unique content that the audience started demanding.  There was a new twist or turn every day.  We were able to take people inside what was going on by bringing the decision makers and power brokers on as guests.  It gave us an identity and allowed us the chance to build an audience,” said Roggin.   Lee said “the NFL drives the ratings of sports talk stations. The presence of the Rams in L.A. will drive the ratings even more for all local sports stations. The team will give (all sports stations) more quality things to talk about, whether they carry the play-by-play is irrelevant.”

The only syndicated program offered during the day was Jim Rome via the CBS Sports Radio Network. Sutter viewed Rome as someone with great local appeal. “We were thrilled to have Jim Rome. He broadcasts from Southern California, he lives in Calabasas, he has been an integral part of local sports radio…he’s a great partner with us, including his participation with station events.” 

“L.A. has been viewed as not big on sports,” said Sutter. “I view it as a town that has lots of sports. When done right, people want a sports station that focuses on the local.” Plaschke said “the ratings showed people responded…that’s what makes it so sad for me. We were on the verge of bringing something significant to L.A. radio.”  

Lee said “We had so many plans for 2016, we had laid the groundwork to fulfill our (programming) strategy…the fact was we came in and showed significant ratings increases, (that) there’s room for four stations in the market. KFWB found its niche. We saw significant ratings growth in all dayparts, and we were well positioned for the Clippers as they headed to the playoffs.” 

“We’re all a bit frustrated with the end (of The Beast), I thought we were making something old new again,” said Zelasko, referring to her previous work at San Diego’s powerhouse XTRA Sports 690, “which (also) focused on local teams with less emphasis on national sports…I was there when Chet Forte and Jim Rome were there, we had enough to talk about local sports without having to (rely) on national programs.” 

“We hope someone was listening – specifically, a ‘someone’ who’d be really smart to present sports via local shows,” said Plaschke. “Someone could buy a struggling station and re-introduce the audience to ‘live, local, late breaking sports talk.’ – I would like to see the philosophy (of The Beast 980) continue.” He went so far as to suggest Clippers owner Steve Balmer could have purchased KFWB and continue having The Beast 980 serve as the team’s flagship station. 

When asked about the future of AM radio, Sutter said “all sports on AM works. People are still listening to the radio in their car. AM still has a vibrant future.” 

“AM radio has been declared dead for the past 20-30 years,” said Lee. “You’re now competing against FM, satellite, podcasts, there’s more competition than ever before. Music formats won’t succeed on AM, but there’s a significant audience for spoken word when the content is right. It really resides on who delivers good content.” 

This was Plaschke’s first regular gig on L.A. radio. “It was like a family over there. It wasn’t a slick Hollywood, big city production – we were more like WKRP in Cincinnati, a backyard radio station, a place where people could hear about their hometown,” he said. 

“I was surprised how much I missed radio,” said Zelasko, who once provided updates for Mason and Ireland on XTRA. “I think there’s some misunderstanding. Everyone was very honest. We were getting ready to cover the NFL, (but) we knew the station was in trust. The Beast and CBS have been awesome.” She said she will continue to be seen on Fox Sports West, including the network’s Clippers broadcasts.

Roggin has had extensive experience with Los Angeles sports talk radio, most recently as part of morning drive at KLAC. He described KFWB as “an overall good effort by well-intentioned people. The Beast provided many with opportunities and allowed them to gain valuable experience.  By the time all the bugs had been worked out and things were on an upward trajectory, the game was over.” He added “it was an uphill battle from the start…(yet) the thing I take away from all of this is there’s a robust thirst for information and perspective. The audience wants to be entertained and informed.” 

“I’m very proud of what we did in a short time,” said Lee. “We had very good people put their heart and soul into the station. When one door closes, another door opens. Thank you to everyone.” 

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2015 Year in Review by LARadio Senior Correspondent Alan Oda

(Ed. Note: Normally the Year in Review is done around New Year’s. This edition is offered during Chinese New Years. You’re right, it’s a poor excuse for being late. Hope you believe in better late than never.)

Weathering the Cumulus Clouds: It’s the personification of the children’s game “Musical Chairs” over at KABC. A year ago, Bryan Suits was brought in to challenge Rush Limbaugh. The latter no longer dominates the local ratings, and the former found himself out of a job last January. The underrated Doug McIntyre was extended an hour, while Peter Tilden, the station’s utility man (apparently), moves from nights to mid-mornings. Dr. Drew Pinsky and Psycho Mike Catherwood take the midday slot, former middayers Jilian Barberie and John Phillips slide into afternoon drive after the December 2013 departure of Larry Elder. Follow all that?

Meanwhile, after being lost in the middle of the pack throughout most of the year, sister station KLOS has been making inroads on the competition, specifically KSWD (The Sound / 100.3), though the now-Entercom-owned Classic Rock station is still in the lead. And does the edition of Jonesy’s Jukebox (hosted by former Sex Pistol and Iggy Pop guitarist Steve Jones) offer a clue about the future direction of KLOS?  

As for 100.3/The Sound, it’s noteworthy that former KLOS morning host Mark Thompson, half of the former team of Mark and Brian, now is in the same time slot but moving up the dial. The station’s Andy Chanley was part of the AM program, having been seen wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with the words “NOT BRIAN.” Mark has been missed, indeed. 

One more Cumulus note: In a major management shakeup, both of the Dickey brothers – John and Lew – are no longer at the helm of the company, with the stock reduced to junk status. Daily Breeze radio columnist Richard Wagoner has strong opinions of the Dickeys, his work can be found at www.socalradiowaves.com. 

The Rams aren’t the Only Ones Relocating: Kurt Alexander, better known as Big Boy, waded through legal wrangling to move his “neighborhood” (whoops, he can’t use that term) from KPWR (POWER 106) to the revamped 92.3, now known as KRRL (REAL 92.3). The station formerly known as HOT 92.3 saw a ratings bump with Big Boy and a new hip-hop format. Meanwhile, KPWR owner Emmis Broadcasting has seen ratings slide for their long-time urban station, from a perennial top 10 perch to somewhere in the middle of the pack.

Adios: There is no denying the significance of Spanish media in Southern California. One of the true pioneers was Teddy Fregoso (l). His radio legacy includes starting one of the first Spanish language stations, San Gabriel’s KALI, and bringing the Dodgers and Jaime Jarrin to Spanish baseball fans. And that’s just what he did for radio. His passing at the age of 90 ended seven decades of work as a true broadcast innovator.

Never Ever Garish: When Gary Owens signed off for the last time in February, signaled the end of another era in L.A. Radio. For all of those who claim to be the King of All Media, it was Owens who was present on what’s now known as multiple platforms. From being one of the Swinging Gentlemen on KFWB to KMPC and The Station of the Stars, he performed announcer duties on NBC’s Laugh-In, was superhero Roger Ramjet, and “Powdered Toast Man,” hosted The Gong Show (where it was pointed out he was the first person ever replaced by Chuck Barris, which gave Owens a good chuckle), voiced more than 30,000 (!) commercials, was part of the lineup of the Music of Your Life network, succeeded Murray the K on Soundtrack of the Sixties¸ released comedy albums, wrote books (including How to Make a Million Dollars with Your Voice [or Lose Your Tonsils Trying]),  and brought class to everything he did. The man who wore a Friedrich Nietzche t-shirt while playing basketball earned his status when he was voted the best of Los Angeles Radio People. Earl C. Festoon has reported his last roundup on the freeways, and the Story Lady has closed her book.

A Big Loss, Indeed: The loss of Joe McDonnell leaves a huge void in the L.A. sports scene, and that’s not only because of his persona as “Big Joe.” He was known for calling out what he saw was hypocrisy and injustice in the sports world and beyond – ask him about the JFK assassination and prepare for an unabridged history lesson. He criticized many, yet still maintained these same targets as friends, a rare feat. He called out his beloved Lakers for bad decisions (anyone remember “Del [Harris] must go!”), and was wary of former Dodgers owner Frank McCourt from the very beginning. Yet both teams helped cover the cost of his memorial services. Just know that Joe now has the best seat in the house to watch every game he desires. And a quick shout-out to his wife Elizabeth, whom Joe loved to his very last day.

There were other significant passings, among them Scott Mason, part of the short-lived, yet well remembered Top 40 outlets KKDJ and KIQQ and Storer Broadcasting’s KGBS-AM and KHTZ/fm. He rejoined KKDJ boss Rick Carroll at alternative rocker KROQ as the station’s chief engineer. His efforts helped take a station with a then less-than-ideal signal to eventually becoming the number one billing station in the country. Thanks to the generosity of Gene Baxter, half the duo of KROQ’s Kevin & Bean, Baxter’s donation of a kidney allowed Mason to enjoy and relish a few more years.

She was probably best known for her time at progressive rocker KLOS (including time as the station’s morning host) and later KLSX, but smoky-voiced Shana (LiVigni) was also a pioneer of Top 40 radio, being the first female to be hired at San Francisco’s legendary KFRC, before moving down south to sister station KHJ. She moved back to her native Michigan to start her company called Barefoot Entertainment, later starting a new career as a Personal Assistant and Healthy Living coach. Shana is gone way too early at the age of 62.

KIIS and Ryan Seacrest Not Staying Idol: As the year progressed, the reincarnation of Dick Clark, also known as Ryan Seacrest continued his multi-platform winning. He again hosted Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve, producing the guilty pleasure known as Keeping Up with the Kardashians, still doing the (morning) drive at KIIS/fm. Yet even the most successful evolve. His gig as the host of American Idol ends in 2016, after a 15 year run. Ellen K, whom Ryan referred to as his “radio wife,” moved up the dial to sister station KOST to occupy the AM slot. Mark Wallengren now gets to sleep in as he takes over the afternoon shift.

The (K-)Earth Continues to Spin: Landing in the top spot of the local ratings, perhaps the first time in a long time, K-Earth decided not to embrace the cliché of “leave well enough alone.” “Shotgun” Tom Kelly was reassigned to weekends, while Christina Kelley, Charlie Tuna, and Jay Gardner were all sent to “the beach” as it’s said in the radio world. The CBS station continues to successfully spin a mix of primarily 80s hits, though for those longing for the older classics require the purchase of an HD radio (yes, the product still exists) to listen to K-Earth HD2.  The CBS Broadcast Center on the Miracle Mile had other activity. Ken Charles, veteran of KFBK (a.k.a. the original home of Rush Limbaugh) filled the program director role at all-News KNX, picking up the pace but also eliminating standard fare, such as “KNX News time is…” and the multi-decade Korg (not the radio station) synthesized traffic sounder. Lisa May was dropped from mornings with KROQ’s Kevin & Bean (replaced by former KTLA Morning News feature reporter Allie MacKay), but soon landed at KLOS to join the steadily growing listenership of Heidi and Frank. Longtime newsman Boyd R. Britton, perhaps better known as “Doc on the ROQ” hasn’t yet found a platform on the radio after being let go from the ROQ, but has his pulpit to keep him busy. The WAVE (KTWV) saw its ratings rebound, adding some of the old-school hits which disappeared when HOT 92.3 disappeared.

Barter Up: Tune into the AM and FM bands – particularly on weekends – and the proliferation of infomercials keeps increasing. Personally, I’ve not purchased any of the dietary supplements (which means I’ll die someday) nor participating in novel investment opportunities (which means I’ll die someday and I’ll die poor). What’s missing is the opportunity for new talent to do the Saturday and Sunday shifts to develop and someday do the coveted weekday shifts. At least there’s still appointment listening, including Mimi Chen’s “Peace, Love, and Sunday Mornings” and Chris Carter hosting “Breakfast with the Beatles” – unfortunately, the two best weekend offerings are in overlapping time slots.

So How Does This Rate?: Ever since the introduction of the Portable People Meters (PPM), the high tech successor to ratings diaries, Nielsen (previously Arbitron) has fended off one criticism after another, from claims of overall undersampling to concerns that not enough of the Spanish audience was wearing the PPM devices. Now comes Voltaire, technology from the Telos Alliance, which boosts the “silent” signal received by the PPM devices – and potentially (unfairly?) boosts a station’s ratings. Nielsen doesn’t need another challenge to the accuracy of PPM. Remember last year’s debacle, when an entire month’s worth of ratings were almost negated because of the undue influence of just two (2) ratings families?

Hear Ache (Redux!): Kudos to The Beast 980’s Fred Roggin who was on top of every aspect of the story about the Rams returning to L.A. Too bad the sale of KFWB means The Beast will roar no more...Former KFI middayer Bill Carroll didn’t have to scream to get his point across, wishing him well as he continues on Toronto’s CFMJ. Gary Hoffmann and Shannon Farren (l), whose extended shift technically “replaced” Carroll, are filling in nicely…Will JACK/fm (KCBS/fm) sound the same, now that Freddie Snakeskin is no longer there to write the clever and snarky liners?...Hats off to The WAVE’s (KTWV) Talaya Trigueros, K-EARTH’s (KRTH) Jim Carson and GO Country 105’s (KKGO) Paul Freeman, all admirable not just for their longevity on the local airwaves, but because all still provide quality and consistency…The LARadio “Fountain of Youth Award” should be given to Art Laboe and retired…Speaking of retirements,  the team of Tom Haule and Linda Nunez (Linda is still – fortunately – working at the Newsradio outlet) is missed especially when there’s breaking news…Is this really Vin Scully’s last season?…One of the best late-night programs is somewhat ironically hosted by AMP Radio’s (KAMP) morning host Carson Daly…ALT 98.7 (KYSR) was actually tied for ratings with heritage rocker KROQ for the first time a few months ago, though The ROQ has regained the lead…Good ratings don’t guarantee your job, as ESPN L.A.’s (KSPN) Mike Thompson found out…Will KPCC ever have the same ratings success as San Francisco’s KQED/fm and San Diego’s KPBS? Why is public radio news / talk not as successful in L.A.?... Petros Papadakis is now as well known for his TV work as he is for being half of KLAC’s afternoon drive with Matt “Money” Smith…A 12.3 (!) rating explains why KOST turns their playlist to all-Christmas every year…Listening to The Answer (KRLA) has been fascinating with the current Republican candidates for President…The Dodgers move their Spanish broadcasts back to 50,000 watt powerhouse KTNQ, still the station is near the bottom of the ratings…With the underrated Valentine starting off the day, MYfm (KBIG) continues to be almost stealth with its continued success…There are a number of people visiting Dave Ramsey at Financial Peace Plaza, even though KEIB’s ratings have been less than stellar…My dog and I still cherish having KUSC available through the day.

I Wish I was Don Barrett: As he reposts his past columns, it’s amazing how much work Don Barrett put into LARadio.com over the many years of the site. None of us – no matter how passionate or interested we are in the AM/FM medium – will ever equal what he offered. With the lovely Cherie by his side, Mr. Barrett deservedly continues to enjoy life one day at a time. And no one finds more inappropriately funny cartoons to share.   As to those of you wondering what’s with the new content on a site supposedly retired – in spite of some very encouraging words (thank you Mike Kinosian!), it was quickly apparent there was no way I could keep up my own website or blog on a daily or even weekly basis, but I still had the itch to keep writing about my favorite medium of entertainment and information. So Mr. Barrett is indulging me and allowing me to post periodic offerings of new material here at LARadio.com as long as this outlet is available. Rita Wilde, I promise to FINALLY do that long-awaited profile.   Hoping 2016 is going well for you and yours! - Alan Oda