UCLA Flagship Station KLAC-AM 570 Goes National -- Local Programming Just About Eliminated
by Achilles on Jan 21, 2009 2:47 PM PST
in Media Watch
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PrintThis post might not resonate for UCLA fans not living in Southern California. But it will for those still close to Westwood and even those living in far-flung places will intuit the relevance.
According to Tom Hoffarth, who writes the Farther Off The Wall blog for the Daily News, radio station 570 KLAC-AM is getting rid of all it's local programming via a merger with Fox Sports Radio and will replace all of its local shows with nationally-syndicated programs.
Dan Patrick started his show this morning on KLAC-AM (570) announcing there were 60 new affiliates.The promos on during Jim Rome's show this morning tout the new Steve Hartman-Chris Myers "Loose Cannons"-kinda tag team that will come on later today (noon to 3 p.m.).
It's all the local residue of Clear Channel Communications' decision Tuesday to cut some 1,850 jobs, or 9 percent of the work force nationwide, to save the company a reported $400 million. Most jobs dropped are in ad sales, and its billboard department, but it really slices through all departments.
With the KLAC consolidation of all-sports with Fox Sports Radio, more of our sources say that Vic "The Brick" Jacobs will now be a news update guy for Hartman-Myers and Petros Papadakis-Matt "Money" Smith. Will Tim Cates and Tony Bruno be back? Doesn't seem so. KLAC does the Lakers-Clippers game tonight, so they wouldn't be on tonight, or Thursday (when the Lakers face Washington) anyway. Listen to see if JT The Brick replaces him, probably starting Friday or Monday.
Why does this matter to UCLA sports fans. Well, KLAC is the flagship station for UCLA football and basketball and now that KLAC is all national shows, there will be no local coverage at all of UCLA sports.
At least the Loose Cannons Show (UCLA alum Steve Hartman, former Laker Mychal Thompson and Vic "The Brick Jacobs) and PMS - the local version - (Petros Papadakis and Matt Smith) talked Bruins. Both shows were seriously flawed -- not even counting Papadakis' USC pedigree, but at least they talked about UCLA sports and had UCLA players and coaches on as guests. Now, the Hartman-Meyers show and PMS (the national show) won't talk UCLA unless we are a national story.
How much do the nationally-syndicated Dan Patrick or Colin Cowherd talk UCLA?
Well, that's how much the other shows will talk UCLA.
So, the UCLA station will have no UCLA programming except the games and maybe a post game show. All we'll be left with is Chris Roberts and Tim Cates. That's actually depressing. (We'll also hear Don MacLean during broadcasts, which is a good thing. But I doubt we'll be hearing Maclean on the new PMS program, talking UCLA. Maclean was a frequent PMS guest in the past and was very good. Who knows if they'll still have him on and if they do, will be be talking about more general basketball topics?)
Meanwhile, one wonders what will happen at KSPN 710, the other halfway decent all sports talk station? They are the Trojans station. They are also going "national" with mostly all syndicated programming. According to Hoffarth, Chris Denholm and Brian Long will be on in the evenings and Steve Mason and UCLA-alum-turned-SC-fan John Ireland will be on in afternoon drive and possibly Doug Gottlieb will be on in the afternoon.
This means that the Mason-Ireland/Denholm-Long block will be free to talk about SC. KSPN can't abandon the L.A. market because they are building a studio at L.A. Live near ESPNZone and Staples Center. So, SC will have a voice on local radio (and will be associated with the popular Lakers at least subliminally) while there will be no UCLA associated shows on the air.
I don't know what the overall impact there might be on UCLA sports, I was not a fan of the old Cannons show, so I won't miss it much. But I'll miss the fact that they talked Bruins sports and I'll miss the fact that PMS will be talking less Bruins, too. I'll continue to avoid 710 when the Trojans are the topic.
(There is another sports station in town, KLAA 830. They don't do sports all the time. I personally hate it. Their main sports host is the rabidly-anti-Bruin, Oregon alum Dave Smith. I'm completely serious when I say that given a choice between Trojan Talk and Dave Smith, I'd listen to Trojan Talk, that's how bad his show is. Luckly, KLAA has the worst signal in Los Angeles.)
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Actually, for being the UCLA flagship
570 was certainly not proUCLA. Hartman is up there with Ireland in the trojan traitor category. I don’t think I am going to miss anything on 570. Dan Patrick was the most pro UCLA guy of the bunch (Pro CRN, Pro MJD), and he’s not going anywhere…
"when you've seen how big the world is, how can you make due with this?"
by silverlakebruin on Jan 21, 2009 3:41 PM PST reply actions
I would add I heard more of CRN and MJD on Patrick then
on the local shows. The local shows fellated Pete 24/7
"when you've seen how big the world is, how can you make due with this?"
by silverlakebruin on Jan 21, 2009 3:41 PM PST up reply actions
I don't disagree ...
but now there is no UCLA programming and the national shows will still, ahem, fellate Pete Carroll.
Look, I agree that those shows weren’t great — I was kind when I said they were “flawed” — I could have been much more explicit.
But at least they talked UCLA once in a while.
Go Bruins
KLAC disappears
I just listened to the intro of the “new” PMS and they were giving their bios to the audience. They mentioned Donnie Mac being on the show but you’re right, you can’t count on a lot of Bruins talk any more. At least Hartman hosted Ben Howland and Ric Neuheisel on the program every couple of weeks. It is bloody awful
loose cannons
was actually a decent show though 90% of the time they talked about the lakers id say the other 10% was between us, sc and dodgers/lakers. Regardless still a good show to listen to in my opinion
Very interesting . . .
I, too, heard the PMS show on the way home and heard the end of the Hartman/Myers show.
We will loose a certain amount of focus on our Bruins that we had with the local jockies, but I think I’ll take a wait and see attitude. Both Hartman and PMS seemed to emphasize that there would still be a local flavor to their respective broadcasts (probably more SC than us). So, while change can be uneasy, I’ll wait and see whether there is the amount of noticeable change in focus as has been predicted here.
A brisk 27 degrees in Pullman now. Hope our boys brought their overcoats.
Go Bruins.
FWIW
i’ve always enjoyed both shows, especially PMS…you can’t take the cannons too seriously but it’s good entertainment if nothing else…
anyhow, Petros is NOT a USC homer…i’m a devoted follower to the show and he calls out USC when they deserve to be called out….i think people don’t like him here because he chews out CRN for how he handles Craft and basically says that our team isn’t that good, but hey, we weren’t this year and we’ll be better sooner rather than later…
they did say today that Donnie Mac will continue to be on the show and that they will continue to have an “LA” feel to it, but all of you are probably right in saying that we won’t get as much coverage on their show before…
anyhow, if you get a chance to listen to their radio of the pac-10 tournament, it’s hilarious…P may not know his basketball but his analysis is hilarious…
here’s to hoping they continue to get DMac on to talk more than “Youth Baseball, BBQs, and Golf”
matsumoto class of '05
I didn't see this coming
The only bit of info I heard about this was on Monday Money said that the phone numbers will change, but thats it. I didn’t hear The Loose Cannons make any announcements…curious how the callers will respond to the new show.
As for KLAC..I like Dan Patrick, sometimes hate Jim Rome, love PMS (not for the news/analysis but just the entertainment..I’ll miss Vic’s BAMBOO), and don’t really care about PMS. I’m gonna miss the Loose Cannons the most..they’re easily the most entertaining radio of the day.
You think you got problems......
The only way Pepperdine got any coverage at all was through Mychal Thompson, who’s son plays on the Waves. Not that more coverage would be a good thing the way we’re playing! :)
It does suck that the Bruin Flagship station will have little or no coverage outside of the game-day broadcasts.
I may work with the Waves, but I'm still a Bruin!
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