3 Questions About KNX News Leaving 97.1 FM

On Tuesday, a surprise announcement came down: Audacy is moving KNX News off the 97.1 FM signal to make way for a new sports talk brand, 97.1 The Fan.

On May 11th, the new brand will hit the airwaves, with KNX News moving back to solely being heard on the 1070 AM signal.

It isn’t as if KNX has a long, illustrious history on the FM dial. The Audacy all-news brand first hit the 97.1 FM signal in December 2021.

So it isn’t the end of a longstanding brand like other moves the company has made in recent years. But it was surprising nonetheless. KNX is a heritage brand in Los Angeles and has been performing relatively well in the ratings. During March, the station featured a 4.1 share in the 6+ ratings, making it 6th in the market.

Generally, a sixth-place station isn’t ripe for a format change. Especially in a market like Los Angeles. But, Audacy is making a bold move. Which I ultimately commend them for. I’ll almost always champion taking big swings and missing rather than sitting on your hands and hoping that something good happens.

But it does bring up three questions in my mind that need asking.

1) Is this a shift in overall strategy by Audacy or just a one-off?

Audacy has put a lot of work into bringing strong AM radio brands to the FM dial. Whether it be sports, news/talk, or all-news, it has made it an emphasis in recent years to get those brands on FM.

There’s been a long line of stations that have moved from AM to FM in recent years. And I’ve championed them all. Because, as I’ve written many times, I think that AM radio is largely DOA. Outside of super large markets — and Los Angeles absolutely fits in that category — I just don’t think there’s a ton of value in having an AM-only signal or brand these days.

So why the change now? Is this a one-off, market/format-specific move, or is it a broader shift by the company? Do station personnel at WWJ 950 in Detroit or KYW in Philadelphia need to give up on hopes of getting a full-market FM signal?

Is there a newfound importance on the AM band at Audacy? I don’t ask that faceitiously. I think you could probably argue that with its heritage at 1070, KNX News makes a bunch of sense on the AM band. Couple that with a new format on the 97.1 FM signal, with another opportunity to generate revenue, and I can understand the move. But I’d be interested in knowing if this is a very specific case or if “We need to use our assets — namely, AM radio — to generate revenue in any way we can” is a new edict.

2) What does this say about the state of All-News at Audacy?

When you think about the news surrounding Audacy’s all-news brands over the past couple of years, it hasn’t been overly positive. 1080 KRLD went away from the all-news format in June 2024. WCBS 880 went away completely in August 2024.

It isn’t an Audacy brand as much as Audacy was tasked with selling and distributing it, but CBS News Radio is set to go away next month.

Sure, 1010 WINS got an FM simulcast on 92.3 FM. And by all accounts, it has gone spectacularly for the brand and the New York cluster. But was that just an outlier? A specific case where a brand with such an undeniable heritage and selling power works?

In the press release about the move, Chief Business Officer Chris Oliviero said that the launch of 97.1 The Fan “further strengthens Audacy as the unrivaled leader in sports audio.” He’s absolutely right. Audacy dominates the space.

But is that the only space Audacy wants to dominate? Because you could easily argue that the company also dominates the all-news space. Outside of some outliers like WTOP, WBZ, or NPR stations, Audacy owns the lion’s share of the big-time stations in the format.

Is diminishing KNX — and I don’t think that’s an unfair word to use — cementing Audacy as the leader in sports audio or hurting itself in the all-news world?

I don’t view this as a “sky is falling” type move, really. But I can’t help but wonder about the state of all-news radio at the company following this development.

3) Will a sports radio station ultimately cost more money to run than an all-news station?

All-News radio is expensive. Make no mistake about it. But sports isn’t much cheaper, either, is it? Sure, maybe a little bit in personnel costs. But all-news stations, generally, aren’t ponying up for rights fees, either.

If anyone in the business knows the answer to this question, it’s Chris Oliviero. He oversaw a cluster that had 880 WCBS, 1010 WINS, and WFAN for a long time to know the answer. Logic would say that the answer is, yes, an all-news brand is going to cost more.

But logic would also say that an all-news brand generates more revenue, too. When BIA Advisory Services lists out its top ten radio stations by revenue, do you know which format has the most stations? All-news. In 2023, WTOP, 1010 WINS, WBBM, and WCBS all made the top 10. There were two sports stations. Of those four all-news brands, they had the rights to exactly one pro sports franchise. WCBS was the home of MLB’s New York Mets.

Those two sports stations, which included 98.5 The Sports Hub in Boston and WFAN in New York? Well, The Hub has the New England Patriots, Boston Celtics, and Boston Bruins. WFAN has the New York Yankees, New York Giants, and the Brooklyn Nets.

I’d have to imagine that paying for the rights to three pro sports franchises costs more per year than a few writers, producers, and reporters. But I’ve been wrong before.

97.1 The Fan might not immediately compete for rights. I’d assume the station will announce it is the new FM home the Los Angeles Rams for the 2026 NFL season. I’d also imagine it has interest in becoming the home of the UCLA Bruins. But the company isn’t launching an FM sports station of the blue to not have or compete for the rights of the likes of the Rams, Lakers or Dodgers in the future.

It’s something that had never really been an option on KNX News. I have to think that it’s a hefty price tag that either equals or exceeds expenses on the current station.

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Garrett Searight

Garrett Searight is Barrett Media’s News Editor, which includes writing daily news stories, features, and opinion columns. He joined Barrett Media in 2022 after a decade leading several radio brands in several formats, as well as a 5-year stint working in local television. In addition to his work with Barrett Media, he is a radio and TV play-by-play broadcaster. Reach out to him at Garrett@BarrettMedia.com.