Maybe We’re Missing a Little Something Extra

After KMAX-FM in Pasadena dropped its sports format at midnight Monday, the next day the station was playing what sounded like noise from a construction site. Or maybe it was just the noise of another L.A. sports-talk station being jack-hammered.

The main problem seems to be that L.A. is just not a good sports-talk town, and pinpointing why isn’t easy.

Maybe there are too many transients here and the local teams don’t have a strong enough following.

Maybe KMAX-FM was poorly managed, as some from the inside claimed. But many of the same people had the same complaints about all-sports KMPC before it was sold.

Or maybe the competition from the south has played more of a role in the failure of KMPC and KMAX than some people want to acknowledge.

“We steal a 2 or 3 share of the sports audiences in Los Angeles,” said Howard Freedman, XTRA program director. “That’s a pretty good chunk.

“What we offer is a talented lineup and stability. We’re not always shuffling people in and out. Our main people have been here for a while.”

In the most recent Arbitron ratings book, XTRA got L.A. shares of 2.6 and 2.9 for its midday and afternoon shows in men 18-plus; KMAX failed to register a blip.

XTRA’s problem, at least in recent months, is its nighttime signal in Los Angeles, and getting it improved seems to be taking longer than it should.

Still, Freedman said, “It’s time we got some credit. We’re kicking butt in L.A., yet you people up there say, well, you’re just a San Diego station. But that’s not true. We’re the flagship station for UCLA and the Kings, and half of our talent is based in Los Angeles.”

Asked if he was interested in any of the KMAX on-air people who are now out of work, Freedman said, “Possibly Bob Golic in a utility role, but no one else.

“Those people didn’t give it a lot of thought when they were slamming us, knowing there aren’t too many paths to take if you’re a sports-talk host. They should have realized that they’d someday be coming to us looking for a job.”

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Add talk radio: It’s not that Los Angeles is without its own sports talk.

KABC’s “Sportstalk” returned Jan. 22, with former Dodger pitcher Jim Gott the main host. On Wednesday night, Gott and sidekick Geoff Witcher held a lively discussion on athletes and their media obligations.

Irv Kaze celebrates the fifth anniversary of his Friday night KIEV show tonight at 6:15. His longevity indicates there is room for nice guys in sports-talk radio, which should be reassuring to XTRA’s John “the Coach” Kentera.

North of L.A., KAVL (610) changed to an all-sports format last September. Now Sportsradio 610, it seems to be succeeding on a smaller scale.

But the lone L.A.-based all-sports station is now Simi Valley’s KWNK (670), formally owned by XTRA and currently working on strengthening its signal.

KWNK has picked up the Ice Dogs for the remainder of their International Hockey League season, and KWNK General Manager Bill Cabranes late Thursday worked out a deal for his station to begin carrying KMAX’s midday syndicated show with Golic and Rich Herrera, possibly as soon as Monday.

Cabranes said a deal to carry ESPN radio’s “The Fabulous Sports Babe” fell through a few weeks ago and he is not interested in anyone else from the KMAX lineup.

KWNK will add a new horse racing show next Wednesday, “Down the Stretch” with Harold Cowan, at 7:15 a.m. It will lead into handicapper Gordon Jones’ 7:30 show.

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Recommended viewing: “Never Give Up: the Jimmy V Story,” a Sports Illustrated Television movie starring Anthony LaPaglia as the late Jim Valvano, on CBS Tuesday at 9 p.m. Conspicuously absent from the film is a Dick Vitale character. “We just had to make some choices,” producer Lynn Raynor said.

TV-Radio Notes

Channel 9 is televising tonight’s Freeway Series game at Anaheim Stadium, but Channel 5 is not televising the games from Dodger Stadium. . . . Fox has regular-season NHL coverage Sunday at noon, and the computer-enhanced puck returns. But the glow will now be white instead of blue and the comet-like tail will be white instead of red and will not appear as often. . . . For its coverage of the LPGA Nabisco Dinah Shore tournament at Mission Hills this weekend, ABC will use the new DME Rangefinder to determine distances. It was also used by ESPN at the recent senior tournament at Newport Beach. . . . Saturday’s “NBA Inside Stuff” on Channel 4 at 10:30 a.m. will be the 200th show for co-hosts Ahmad Rashad and Willow Bay. . . . For the record: CBS’ Michele Tafoya attended Redondo Beach Aviation High but graduated from Manhattan Beach Mira Costa after Aviation was closed.

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Tuning In

A sampling of L . A . ratings for sports programs March 23-24, according to the A.C. Nielsen Co.

SATURDAY, March 23

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Event Ch. Rating Figure skating: world championships 7 14.2 Figure skating: daytime session 7 5.6 NCAA: Massachusetts-Georgetown 2 5.3 NCAA: Kentucky-Wake Forest 2 4.0 Boxing: McCall-Stanton 11 3.8 Boxing: Jimenez-Martinez 9 3.6 Gymnastics: Atlanta event 4 3.4 Baseball: Dodgers-New York Mets 5 3.0 Bowling: Texas tournament 7 2.7 Golf: New Orleans tournament 4 2.2 Golf: Legends tournament 7 1.5

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SUNDAY, March 24

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Event Ch. Rating NCAA: Mississippi State-Cincinnati 2 5.8 NCAA: Syracuse-Kansas 2 5.3 NBA: San Antonio-Indiana 4 4.0 Baseball: Dodgers-Florida 5 3.0 NBA: Clippers-Phoenix 13 2.3 Golf: New Orleans tournament 4 2.1 Auto racing: Phoenix 200 7 1.7 Golf: Legends tournament 7 1.6

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