They’ve gone ahead and determined the late, great KFWB will redress itself up as a fully formatted local and national all-sports station starting bright and early Monday morning.
Here’s to “The Beast 980” not becoming our beast of burden.
Having already loaded up the last couple of weeks with a CBS Sports Radio lineup that got Jim Rome finally planted in the 9 a.m.-to-noon L.A. slot (as his network contract stipulates), the station caretakers have figured out how to insert more L.A.-centric hosts to provide as much local spin as needed.
The proof will be whether it can cut through the noise already created by competitors KLAC-AM (790), KSPN-AM (710) and KLAA-AM (830), as well as those who check in on San Diego-centric XEPRS-AM/The Mighty 1090.
Not that the experts flipping the switch on this venture need our suggestions on how to make an impact in this market, but we’ll give them anyway:
1. Reconsider this “Beast” mentality
We can appreciate the optimistic, shot-of-adrenaline approach to getting out of the gate. But isn’t this kind of strange timing to get into “Beast Mode” when you’ve got a sports culture trying to tame inhumane acts of violence off the playing field?
Besides, it comes off as something that could overpromise and underdeliver with a bold logo and a tagline: We feed on L.A. Sports.
“I don’t want to insult people who make that kind of connection, but I really do like the name,” said new morning co-host Jeanne Zelasko, a former Fox Sports anchor/reporter who came up in morning radio years ago at the Mighty 690 in San Diego and also when Fox Radio launched 12 years ago. “With everything connected to the NFL right now, it’s more ‘criminal’ or ‘violent act.’ ‘Beast’ never came to my mind.
“It sounds like the company line, but the wonderful thing about morning sports is feeding off all the teams.”
Traditional dictionaries refer to a “beast” as something villainous, rogue or miscreant. Yet the Urban Dictionary defines it as slang for someone who is very good at something.
One of the other web domains secured by the KFWB Trust some years ago for this rebranding included TheFanLA.com and 980Fan.com — we were fans of that.
2. Play it smart
This region and legion of listeners deserve intelligent discussion.
How will that happen?
The station promos from mid-day host Fred Roggin have been along the lines: “It’s a whole new show and a different approach — I’m not sure what that’ll be, but I’ve got time to figure it out.”
The tone may be set by Zelasko paired up with former UCLA and Clippers star Marques Johnson in the 5:30-9 a.m. weekday slot.
After Rome and Roggin, there’s former NFL, University of Oregon and Sylmar High standout tight end George Wrighster (he of the famous Violet’s Cupcake business in Pasadena and Valencia) goes on with Brett Winterble in the key 3-7 p.m. drive time spot.
A program called “L.A. Sports Today” airs from 7-9 p.m., with a condensed replay of the CBS Sports’ Doug Gottlieb afternoon show going from 9-11 p.m. The network lineup featuring Damon Amendolara (11 p.m.-3 a.m.) and Tiki Barber, Brandon Tierney and Dana Jacobson (3-5:30 a.m.) fill the rest of the 24 hours.
Here’s hoping Roggin and his Beastie Boys (and girls) will be true to their own personalities and convictions if they want to cultivate a loyal, intelligent listening base. Otherwise, there remains a handful of fully capable out-of-work local sports-talk show hosts who already know how things work.
3. Ride the new-wave Clippers as far as possible
Having succumbed to being the home base for the NBA’s poster child of ineptitude was no act of community service the past few years. The time is ripe to hit a reset button for all concerned.
As much as KSPN may overdo it with the Lakers, or even KLAC with the Dodgers (a contract extension is expected to be announced when the season ends), 980 might consider having Clippers owner Steve Ballmer on as many shows as possible.
4. Find more local teams to jump on board
The Kings’ recent signing on with KABC-AM (790) starting next season may seem like a missed opportunity, even if there were conflicts with the Clippers’ schedule, but some kind of grab like that needs to be the next step in a year-round foundation.
Latching onto Westwood One’s NFL package, as has been done, won’t hurt. Redirecting The Angels’ sporadic simulcasts from Orange County-based KLAA could be pursued. So would investigating the creation of a high school football Friday night series.
5. Respect the letters
The @KFWB Twitter account disappeared Thursday, replaced by @TheBeast980. Yet the KFWB history means something.
We go back to the early 1990s, when Gene Autry decided to usher his beloved KMPC-AM (710) into the all-sports trend at the time, hiring big names to join Jim Healy in trying to recreate what had been going on with New York’s WFAN, and compete locally with the burgeoning Mighty 690 lineup.
KMPC lasted only two years with mismanagement, miscalculations and panic attacks.
Here’s to KFWB being taken into the 21st century in a little more dignified way.
RECORD, PAUSE, DELETE
Gauging the media’s high- and low-level marks of the week, and what’s ahead:
The late, great Dodgers coverage
Starting with Fox taking Saturday’s game against the Cubs at Wrigley Field (Channel 11, 10 a.m., with Matt Vasgersian, John Smoltz and Jon Paul Morosi), all but one Dodger game (Sunday at Chicago, only on SportNet L.A.) will be available on TV to Southern California viewers no matter what cable or dish provider they have, for as far as the team goes in the playoffs. The Time Warner Cable orchestration of having the final six regular-season games — it could be cut to five if Fox takes the last Saturday game — is small consolation to the season-long rights-fee issue that has seen nearly three-quarters of the region blacked out from Dodgers games in 2014, after the launch of the team-owned channel that has been handed off in distribution negotiating to TWC Sports execs. Consider these KDOC games a TWC walk of shame, especially after it has taken out full-page newspaper ads claiming that they are “putting fans first” with this arranged marriage. No irony in that the final telecast Sunday is of the Dodgers’ Fan Appreciation Day from Dodger Stadium. So this is how you appreciate your fans? Maybe during the KDOC broadcasts that interrupt its regular repeats of the ABC/TBS sitcom “Cougartown” and starts with the three-game series against San Francisco on Monday, Vin Scully can do a retrospective of the season that most missed. What this KDOC coverage will eventually prove, as it includes the SportsNet LA pre- and postgame shows, is this gesture should have taken place maybe in April, May and June — giving viewers a taste of what the coverage looks like and perhaps enticing them to switch over to TWC. You don’t miss what you never see, right? TWC plans more wraparound coverage of the Dodgers games in the playoffs as well. Looking forward, Dodgers’ playoff games would take place on ESPN (an Oct. 1 wild-card game), Fox Sports 1 or the MLB Network (during the National League Division Series) and then Fox-Channel 11 (during the NL Championship Series and World Series). The Angels’ involvement in American League playoff games would all be on TBS until the World Series that would begin Oct. 21. And then KDOC can go back to claiming itself to be the home of the MLS’ Chivas USA squad.
More media notes on Tom Hoffarth’s blog: www.insidesocal.com/tomhoffarth
