Update 8/22: The staff of KFWB has begun informing listeners that today is the final day of the station’s News/Talk format as the station will flip to Sports on Monday, August 25.
The station will run the CBS Sports Radio national lineup for two weeks before debuting some local programming on Monday, September 8. KFWB has slowly been revealing its programming plans under new PD Owen Murphy. The Los Angeles based Jim Rome will be heard live from 9am to 12pm, USC produced “Trojans Live” featuring football coach Steve Sarkisian will air Tuesdays from 6-7pm, and the station will carry Westwood One’s package of Sunday night, Monday night, and Thursday night NFL football along with NCAA football and the NCAA basketball tournament.
Update 7/27: LARadio.com reports that the staffers of KFWB have been given five weeks notice as the station will flip to Sports around September 1.
Most KFWB staffers have been given five weeks notice as station prepares to launch CBS Sports Radio around September 1.
— Don Barrett (@barrettLARadio) July 26, 2014
That has been semi-confirmed by KFWB itself:
The new AM 980 shakes up the #LA #sports scene in September.
— The Beast 980 (@TheBeast980) July 25, 2014
Original Report 7/24: Los Angeles will be shortly be gaining another Sports outlet.
With an official announcement expected at any time, the KFWB License Trust is planning to pull the plug on the News/Talk format of 980 KFWB Los Angeles and flip the station to Sports.
980Beast.com, 980TheBeast.com, Beast980.com, FeedTheBeast980.com, LABeast980.com, LATheBeast980.com, and TheBeast980.com along with their .net and .org equivalents were all registered earlier this week. The same person responsible for their registrations also acquired 980Fan.com, Fan980.com, and TheFanLA.com in April. Those domains joined additional Fan oriented domains registered in 2012.
Already the flagship station for the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers, the flip of KFWB to Sports will enable CBS Sports Radio and The Jim Rome Show to be cleared in the market. It will join a crowded sports radio marketplace including Clear Channel’s 570 KLAC, ESPN’s 710 KSPN, and the Los Angeles Angeles of Anaheim’s 830 KLAA.
Best known for its long run as “News 98“, KFWB dropped its All-News programming outside of drive times in 2009. The station currently clears some Sports Talk from WestwoodOne’s NBC Sports Radio at night. KFWB is owned by CBS, but is operated independent of the company by a trust managed by Shootingstar, Inc due to CBS being over the ownership limits with its other 5 FMs, 1 AM, and 2 TV stations in the Los Angeles market.
johndavis 
Michael Hagerty 
Eric Jon Magnuson 
Nathan Obral 
Dr. Akbar 
Joseph_Gallant 
Anyone remember those awful “101 Things to do With a Dead Cat” books from long ago?
I think we should ask for suggestions and do a “101 Things to do with a Dead AM Station” volume.
Would there be a chapter on Car Tunes and K-Traffic?
I’m thinking this is a pre-emptive move to keep KABC from following up their KIngs deal with Jim Rome, etc. Fun to see a trust that’s been sitting on what’s left attempting good old-fashioned radio programming strategy. Not sure it will end up mattering (that signal only goes so far today).
There has been a bit of speculation (such as from Tom Taylor; see http://us6.campaign-archive2.com/?u=78b390ff9f5b002e3f050238c&id=42c3e67513) that Cumulus could end up (at least) operating a Sports-formatted KFWB via an LMA. Beyond that, I doubt that Cumulus would risk having any of its primary talk shows (especially Savage) go without a clearance in L.A.
Still, KABC’s Kings deal adds a new wrinkle; maybe the Kings prefer having a non-Sports flagship, as long as it removes the possibility of conflicts with another team.
What station is more ‘dead,’ KABC or KFWB? Or both?
You give us 22 minutes, we’ll give you a Beast!
What will KFWB-980 broadcast tomorrow and Sunday (August 23rd and 24th)?
Or will they run a stunt those two days??
Contractually obligated brokered programming, that’s what. KFWB was all-brokered, all weekend, and had been ever since it was placed in the KFWB Trust.
This weekend would have ended whatever show contracts remained.