Los Angeles Talk Radio, KABC, KFI

SAVING KABC

What Can Be Done To Fix This Once-Proud Talker?







Though it certainly isn't as important as a wildfire threatening longtime Los Angeles landmarks, a blaze of a different sort may have put an end to the Southland's longtime talk radio ratings war.

And with a major corporate merger underway, changes are certain to be the result.

In a way, the race between longtime heritage talker KABC and Clear Channel's KFI ended several years ago, with the latter taking full control of the market. At the same time, KABC held on to enough of its audience to maintain itself as an ongoing concern.

Now, however, the ABC- owned outlet is dead in the water, with a ratings plunge so severe that a major revamp now seems one hundred percent likely. For the station's current leadership, the timing couldn't be worse, as the merger between ABC Radio and Citadel Communications is soon expected to close.

With new managers at the top, there's no doubt they'll take a stab at saving KABC, but is it already too late?


The numbers paint an ugly picture: according to recently released Winter 2007 Arbitron Ratings figures, KABC has lost 40% of its overall audience in the key 25-54 audience demographic.

Worse, every show on the schedule took huge hits, starting with McIntyre In The Morning, which fell 50%. Now below a 1.0 share of the audience, it is pulling in just a quarter of rival Bill Handel's KFI listenership.

From there, it's nothing but carnage, extending to the late night hours, which was down 86%. Afternoon drive host Larry Elder took the smallest hit, down just 8%.

Meanwhile, KFI's Rush Limbaugh was up 11%, while morning host Handel and Dr Laura (noon-3pm) saw single- digit increases. The station's afternoon drive and evening programs fell slightly.

While KABC has been in trouble for a number of years, the damage is now so severe that one has to wonder what Citadel might do in order to salvage its new investment.

It's not as though KABC has stayed out of the headlines: its hosts have been targeted by hate groups and sued, while recent lineup changes have angered longtime fans.


Given this background, what do you believe could be done to save KABC from total collapse? Feel free to leave a comment below.


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