As the days wind down toward summer in Southern California, Audacy’s 97.1 The Fan is just beginning its sports radio tenure in the City of Angels. Last Monday, the first all-sports radio station on the FM dial began airing across Los Angeles. The launch came after months of discussion, planning, and resource allocation led by The Fan’s brand manager, Andrew Williams.
“Just after the new year, I got approached about the opportunity,” said Williams after stating there had been whispers and rumors about the opportunity for some time. “It wasn’t too long after that when I presented a thesis to Jeff Federman (Audacy West Regional President), Jeff Sottolano (Audacy Chief Programming Officer), Chris Oliviero (Audacy Chief Business Officer), and Chris Kinard (Audacy Sports Format Vice President). It kind of took off from there after I told them about my vision for what 97.1 The Fan can be.”
The presentation was followed by months of discussions, travel, conference calls, and auditions for Audacy’s latest play in FM sports radio. The challenge was unique compared to others under the Audacy umbrella. Instead of shifting an entity with a proven concept to FM, the radio station would become what Williams called a “startup.”
Williams leaned on his vision while crafting the station’s weekday lineup. He wanted talent that resonated with the vibes and culture that make Los Angeles a truly unique sports market.
“The biggest thing for me was the lineup has to be either local people or people with major ties to the city. LA is a different market than anywhere in the country. I’m from the east coast originally. I know the east coast sounds different than the west coast. Because it has to,” explained Williams.
Over the months it took to assemble the pieces that comprised 97.1 The Fan, Williams explained that he frequently flew west from his Washington, D.C.-area home to attend in-person auditions. Over time, many different types of talent auditioned, which made selecting the right candidates difficult.
A Lineup Selected for LA
Following the announcement of the station’s formation, many speculated about how the lineup could appeal to the market’s large Latino population, one of the more passionate and unique characteristics of LA sports culture. Williams stated that he held that demographic aspect in high regard during the audition process, despite not ultimately selecting talent who shared that background.
“We auditioned a lot of different people with different ethnicities and genders across the board. At the end of the day, the best people on air are the ones we brought in. The ones who fit each other the best,” noted Williams. “Obviously, we recognize how big that Latino fanbase is. We want to make sure they feel welcomed and included in everything we’re doing. We’re not blind, it’s part of the LA culture.”
What Williams announced in early May was a lineup featuring a mix of former athletes, LA legends, and respected voices, both male and female. Many also maintain media roles outside of their work on 97.1 The Fan.
For instance, Derek Fisher hosts morning drive while also serving as an analyst for NBC Sports’ NBA coverage. Midday host Alex Curry has roles with local television stations, while her co-host, Brock Vereen, calls college football games for the Big Ten Network.
Williams says the expectation is that every talent with outside work will continue balancing those responsibilities with their duties at 97.1 The Fan.
“It’s going to be a balance. Obviously, I want 97.1 The Fan to be their daily priority. But we must be real in the year of 2026. A lot of people have multiple media jobs. But that helps us for exposure,” said Williams. “Through the vetting process and talking with them as I do one-on-one, they know the daily expectations of a radio show… They know what it takes to come on every day to do the job. Then also have other responsibilities as well.”
Those outside responsibilities could also lead to expanded digital content under the Audacy podcast network. Williams revealed that afternoon host Doug McKain will soon launch a Dodgers-specific podcast under the 97.1 The Fan umbrella, with additional on-demand content also in development.
Answering Early Questions
Even while the current focus remains on ensuring the on-air product and talent perform at a high level, Williams is keeping an eye on future expansion. While some doubt the Los Angeles market can support four sports radio brands, Williams understands he can only control what is within his reach.
“I don’t know if I have a clear answer on why LA can support that many sports radio brands,” said Williams. “I want to win; that’s my mindset with everything. Otherwise, why would we do it… The more people we can have working right now in sports radio is a great thing. The fact that Audacy has so many stations on the FM dial shows that we’re in an extremely healthy place.”
The goal for Williams is to continue building the station piece by piece. While he initially hoped to have a full-time evening host in place by launch, he says he expects to fill that role in the near future. Williams is also in the process of hiring a digital lead to help grow the brand’s multi-platform strategy and compete with established brands in the market.
Part of Williams’ vision included a fully live and local lineup. All talent and staff would work inside Audacy’s Los Angeles studios. Williams said that philosophy heavily influenced the decision not to add syndication to the the weekday lineup after internal discussions. That included a potential return of Jim Rome to the Los Angeles market.
“One hundred percent it [Jim Rome] was part of the conversation. I had a giant spreadsheet with talent and shows. Obviously, with our relationship with Westwood One Sports, it was brought up,” explained Williams. “I wanted all our people in this building. They are in this studio and conversing around the halls. That means something in the sense of trying to build something brand new.”
Another element surrounding Rome’s potential inclusion involved the difficulty of removing syndicated programming later if the station wanted to pivot toward a local voice.
“In my mind, if you go down that route, it’s very hard to go ask if we could take this off and get to a local voice that may make more sense,” said Williams. “I want us to all build something special together.”
Engaging The LA Sports Fan
As the station moves deeper into the summer months, Williams says his goal is to get the station out into the community through face-to-face marketing with Los Angeles sports fans. The hope is to fully establish brand awareness before the NFL season begins.
The station currently does not have an official franchise partnership aligned with the brand. Williams said he is not placing a timeline on when the station could acquire broadcast rights with one of the area’s many collegiate or professional franchises.
Williams says his daily responsibilities include monitoring programming, communicating with producers, and hiring digital talent. He is also focused on developing innovative ways to market the station’s multi-platform approach. That effort is especially important in a commuter-heavy city like Los Angeles.
“When I was flying out here for auditions, I would take a lot of Ubers. Everybody, it seemed, was listening to the radio in the car. That was more fuel for the fire of this project as to why it’s going to work,” noted Williams.
The messaging rotation is planned and executed like clockwork. Multiple times per hour, the station promotes not only the FM signal, but also its video and on-demand audio distribution online. Cross-promotions continue running across other Audacy stations in the market to drive tune-in. Already, Williams says he is seeing results from the promotional effort, with plans underway to further fine-tune both the listening and viewing experience.
Defining Success
Success doesn’t happen overnight. Williams, a radio veteran himself, understands that building success takes time. However, he wouldn’t reveal what success might look like one year after the launch of 97.1 The Fan. Williams says he understands much of that success will begin with revenue.
“I’m having daily conversations with our sales team. Think about it, they haven’t sold sports before in Los Angeles,” explained Williams. “It’s so new here for everybody, but they’re so aggressive in the best possible way… Our talent also understands this is a startup. They know they have to sell themselves too, which all are on board with. We need to be green and healthy. That’s the goal.”
In a media landscape where many legacy brands are shrinking, cutting costs, or questioning radio’s long-term future. The launch of 97.1 The Fan represents something increasingly rare — belief.
Belief that local sports radio still matters. Belief that Los Angeles listeners still want connection, personality, and community tied to their teams. And perhaps most importantly, belief that building something from the ground up is still worth the risk.
For Andrew Williams, this isn’t simply about launching another station into an already crowded market. It’s about creating a culture, sound, and brand that reflects Los Angeles while embracing modern sports media habits. Podcasts, video, social content, live events, and radio are no longer separate lanes. They are all part of the same ecosystem.
Whether 97.1 The Fan ultimately becomes a major player in the market remains to be seen. Success in sports radio, especially in Los Angeles, is measured over years, not months.
But for now, Audacy took a swing. In a business increasingly driven by caution and consolidation. That alone makes 97.1 The Fan one of the more fascinating sports radio experiments in America.
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John Mamola is Barrett Media’s sports editor and daily sports columnist. He brings over two decades of experience (Chicago, Tampa/St Petersburg) in the broadcast industry with expertise in brand management, sales, promotions, producing, imaging, hosting, talent coaching, talent development, web development, social media strategy and design, video production, creative writing, partnership building, communication/networking with a long track record of growth and success. He is a five-time recognized top 20 program director in a major market via Barrett Medi’s Top 20 series and has been honored internally multiple times as station/brand of the year (Tampa, FL) and employee of the month (Tampa, FL) by iHeartMedia. Connect with John by email at John@BarrettMedia.com.
