Radio AM to FM

Radio AM to FM: November 3, 2000

KABC gets older ...

KABC's (790 AM) bloodletting -- er, 40th talk birthday celebration continues with the announcement that late morning host Dennis Prager will exit the station at the end of his 9 am to 12 noon shift on Friday, November 10th.

The move ends an 18-year relationship with KABC that culminated with a syndication deal for the host that began just one year ago.

It appears that syndication was the problem. While the KABC press release claims that Prager's syndicator would cease carrying his show on December 29th, the reason KABC programmer Eric Braverman gives for not continuing Prager's association is Prager's desire to continue with a syndicated program.

"I do not feel that continuing with a syndicated Prager show during the day was in the best interest of the radio station or our listeners," Braverman said. "However, I respect Dennis' desire to continue doing a syndicated show and I wish him well."

KABC will thus move some people around. Effective November 13th, the all-new KABC Morning Show with the kind and gentle Dave and Amy will run until 10 am, followed by Al Rantel from 10 am to 1 pm. Gloria Allred and Mark Taylor take over at 1:00, with Larry Elder continuing in his regular slot at 3:00. At least for now.

And what of Prager? He's going where all ex-KABC syndicated hosts go: KIEV (870 AM), the station that sucks any chance of success out of every host it touches. Don't ask me why, but it does. Too bad ... I kind of like Prager's show. Listen for him in his old KABC time slot (9 am to 12 noon) beginning November 13th.

And In Other News

Continuing with the KABC fun-fest, Dr. Toni Grant returns to the station that made her famous (well, that and her role on ABC-TV's Police Squad! -- In Color), again beginning November 13th at 9 pm.

Dr. Toni is quite an entertaining host. After years and years of doing her thing, she's become so jaded that she likes to focus on really strange behaviors of the human race. Even if those strange behaviors have nothing to do with the caller's problem.

Good Sport

Every all-sports station that has ever broadcast in Los Angeles has been a dismal failure, at least ratings-wise. Joe McDonnell wants to change that by programming the all-new all-sports KRLA (1110 AM) beginning December 1st.

Of course the station will most likely carry primarily ESPN prepackaged, syndicated shows. But he does have direct control over one time slot and two personalities: himself and Doug Krikorian, who will move their McDonnell-Douglas program from KABC Sundays to KRLA weekday afternoons.

If McDonnell is given enough power, he might ... and I stress might ... be able to pull it off. He is one of the few sports guys in Los Angeles who not only has insider information -- good, accurate insider information -- he also knows how to attract an actual audience. No other sports talk host in Los Angeles has ever been able to accomplish that feat.

KRLA may be the one sports station to watch.

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