Audacy Launches 95.7 The Fan in Houston and Replaces 95.7 The Spot
More thoughts on this launch and a take from former Houston sports radio host Josh Inness.
This move gives Audacy’s local sports lineup, the potential to reach a much larger audience and completes the company’s stated goal of having an FM sports station in all of the top ten U.S. markets. For Houston sports fans, the appeal is pretty straightforward: the same local voices, analysis, and coverage of the Houston Texans is now available on an FM signal which should be easier to find and consume without the static.
95.7 The Fan will launch with the following on-air lineup:
6:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. CT: “Payne and Pendergast”
10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. CT: “In The Loop with John Lopez and Reggie Adetula”
2:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. CT: “The Drive with Stoerner and Hughley”
Nightly after Texans All Access: “Area 45 with Bijani and Creighton”
But what may be more intriguing is another part of the move. What happens to the rest of the Audacy Houston radio landscape? 610 will simulcast The Fan, but 95.7 The Spot is gone.
However 95.7 The Spot has been steadily climbing in ratings since the beginning of the year, posting five consecutive monthly gains and reaching second place among the demo of 25 to 54 listeners, which is its second best performance in the format.
Meanwhile, sister station Hot AC Mix 96.5 KHMX slipped from 4.2 to 4.0, while Sports Radio 610 KILT had already been declining ahead of the FM move, falling from 1.1 to 0.9 and then 0.7. So why not take over 96.5? (Audacy also owns Mega 101 and 100.3 The Bull.) Perhaps 95.7 is simply a stronger signal for sports and the Texans wanted the best FM signal for their broadcasts. Perhaps the media rights they negotiated with Audacy entailed an eventual FM broadcast. And perhaps Audacy and the Texans saw the move as a way to expand their reach with sports fans. In the other nine cities in the Top 10 markets across the country where Audacy has a sports station, it has very strong ratings across the board, especially in New York and Philadelphia. However, the numbers for 610 AM are not as strong. The only other game in town is iHeartMedia's SportsTalk 790.
Either way, giving up a station that has been gaining momentum raises an interesting question: was 95.7 the only practical option, or was there another signal Audacy could have used? The answer may ultimately come down to whether 95.7 The Fan can generate enough revenue to make the FM move worthwhile.
Admittedly the inspiration for this post comes from former Houston radio host Josh Inness. He has an interesting and (ex) plicit take on the situation in Houston. He feels the move to FM should have happened years ago when he was a part of 610. Inness now host mornings on the Active Rock station in Detroit, 106.7 WLLZ-FM.
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