Audacy has announced it will flip CHR “97.1 Now” KNOU Los Angeles to News simulcasting 1070 KNX at 3pm today.
The move marks the second time this year that the company has revamped 97.1. The station dropped its “Amp Radio” KAMP branding in April to relaunch as “97.1 Now“. KNX joins its All-News sister stations in Chicago, Philadelphia and San Francisco simulcasting on full-powered FM signals. Only 950 WWJ Detroit and the duo of 880 WCBS and 1010 WINS New York remain AM only.
With the move to FM, KNX is removing the word “radio” from its brand in favor of “KNX News” to emphasize its multi-platform distribution. KNX currently ranks tenth in the Los Angeles market with a 2.9 share. KNOU goes out tied for 28th place with a 1.4 share.
All of the current “97.1 Now” airstaff will remain with the company. The “Morning Mess” is based at “Live 101.5” KALV Phoenix and remains there. Detroit based midday host Julia and Los Angeles based afternoon host Bru are heard on all but one of Audacy’s CHR stations across the country.
Listen to the launch of “KNX News 97.1” at FormatChange.com.
Audacy today announced the launch of KNX News 97.1 FM in Los Angeles. Beginning at 3:00 p.m. PT, the station will serve as an FM simulcast of KNX 1070 Newsradio (KNX-AM), Southern California’s only 24-hour local news and traffic station.
“For over 100 years, KNX has been the station Southern California has depended on for breaking news, important events and life changing moments,” said Jeff Federman, Audacy’s regional president. “With spoken word audio consumption at an all-time high, this move allows us to significantly upgrade the existing KNX brand and create a news destination for a new generation. KNX is a powerful and trusted brand in this market, and we look forward to delivering the same award-winning content on crystal-clear FM radio.”
The launch underscores Audacy’s commitment to its local news brands, reflective via a multiplatform transformation announced earlier this year. The station will launch with a two-minute tribute to some of the station’s biggest headlines over the last 100 years, which you can watch above.
The 97.1 FM signal was previously home to 97.1 NOW (KNOU-FM).
