KCBS has its 106.9 FM news simulcast. And KGO Radio has its...? Well, KGO, for all the talk about the need to compete with CBS, has virtually no chance to aquire an FM outlet and don't expect its new owner, Cumulus to step to the plate.
For one thing, Cumulus' FM properties in SF are all money makers, (107.7 The Bone and KFOG); adding an outpost for KGO at the expense of two of the more popular FM stations here would not benefit the Dickey brothers, and worse yet, cost significant money--that's never in the Cumulus corporate handbook.
KGO's news division is in an utter mess, most notably in the afternoon and only a bit better in the lucrative morning drive. KCBS kills KGO in the Arbitrons both AM and PM news blocks. Sure, KCBS has the benefit of an ancillary outlet like 106.9 FM both for ratings and as a news supplement for its AM flagship.
KGO, in its Cumulus form, will see a significant series of cutbacks in news; its talk shows, although mostly ratings losers with the exception of Ronn Owens, are still far cheaper to produce, (a producer, an engineer and host); the afternoon and morning news personnel number well over 40-50 people. That's a lot of money.
About a year ago I predicted that KGO, (then under the equally cost-conscious Citadel), would scrap its "Afternoon News" and replace it with a talk show. It hasn't happened and my critics have called me out for that prediction. OK, I was wrong, (time wise),but I'm still sticking with the eventual decision.
It's all about money. KGO is the only Cumulus property that has a PM news block. Both KABC in LA and WABC in NY have similar set-ups, (and bigger market share).
KGO, despite its precipitous drop in the local ratings, still manages to make money, although not the revenue it used to bring in, thanks largely to the depressed economy. Don't expect it to get any FM outlet soon.
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