KLAC turns off talk for updated standards format. (Up Front).

When Clear Channel Communications Inc. breaks out its new format for KLAC-AM (570) on Dec. 12, it will be all about Ol' Blue Eyes.

Not only is that date the 87th anniversary of Frank Sinatra's birth, but KLAC plans to resuscitate its former standards format with 48 straight hours of Sinatra tunes.

More importantly, the station is betting that a return to classic oldies -- and a middle-aged connection with the Rat Pack -- will reverse a persistent ratings slide that only got worse with the station's switch to talk.

"We were just wrong to transition out of our standards format two years ago," KLAC Station Manager Greg Ashlock told a group of advertisers and media during a promotional event for the changeover on Nov. 15 at the Wiltern Theatre. "We overestimated what the talk radio demand was."

In fact, talk remains the fastest growing format in national radio. But KLAC was never able to gain a foothold in the crowded local talk radio field, which is led by its Clear Channel sister station, KFI-AM (640) and Walt Disney Co.-owned KABC-AM (790).

Now Clear Channel wants KLAC to be more competitive in the 35-plus market by capturing news and talk listeners before they leave the AM dial, as well as luring listeners from other oldies stations.

Befitting the nation's largest owner and operator of radio stations, Clear Channel is making a production out of announcing the KLAC transition. That includes a new name of sorts, "Fabulous 570" and heavy cross promotion on some of the company's eight other local radio stations. KLAC also has a slick new logo that borrows liberally from the "Welcome to Las Vegas" sign, and a new tag line -- "Now That's Music" -- that originated with the mother of Clear Channel's Los Angeles market president, Roy Laughlin.

"When my mother hears Frank Sinatra she always says, 'now that's music,"' Laughlin said. "In one way we're trying to make it youthful and attractive, and in another way we're trying to keep it very real. These are classic songs."

Younger slant

Although most of the music will be from the 1930s through 1950s, youthfulness is a component of the marketing campaign. Besides Sinatra, Dean Martin, Ella Fitzgerald and Tony Bennett and some swing, KLAC will add more contemporary artists to its lineup, including Harry Connick Jr., Norah Jones and Rod Stewart, who recently recorded an album of standards that has been selling well.

"When you think of the new Hollywood, 'Oceans Eleven,' the Ford Thunderbird, Las Vegas, we want to capture that vibe," Laughlin said.

In recent years, KLAC's best ratings have come from Los Angeles Lakers broadcasts. The station will continue airing Lakers games and is counting on winning music listeners in the 35 to 50 age group who have been tuning out the station once the games are over.

But with the death of longtime Lakers broadcaster Chick Hearn and the team off to a miserable start, many expect the station to see a dip in game ratings.

KLAC's new format puts it into direct competition only with low rated and low-powered KSUR-AM (1260).

"They're going for a niche that's not really covered. In my opinion, it can't hurt," said Amy Nizich, executive vice president at media buyer Initiative Media in Los Angeles. "It looks like they are also hoping to whittle away audience from some of the other oldie stations like KRTH (FM 101)."

Nizich will recommend the new KLAC to clients, but she questioned whether the station would attract many listeners under 50.

Keeping an audience

With a meager 1.1 share, KLAC finished 29th among 44 local radio stations in the most recent Arbitron survey period, which covered July through September. The next lowest Clear Channel station was KBIG-FM (104.3), which had a 2.2 rating.

"KLAC would do very well to pick up audience in the 35-plus and keep it past Lakers games," said one local radio executive. "The challenge they have to overcome is that there are very few people around 35 who listen to the AM band (for music). They have to develop new habits for their audience and that's time consuming and expensive to do."

None of the KLAC talk personalities, including longtime local broadcaster Michael Jackson, has been picked up by other Clear Channel stations.

Oscar Atondo, president of media buyer South Coast Media, based in Orange County, said he believes the format change has merit.

"I don't think there was any room for another talk station in Los Angeles," said Atondo, whose firm buys advertising for clients like Pacific Ford in Long Beach and the Laser Dermatology Institute. "I think this format has some economic potential. It gives you an older, more stable audience that will put them in a better position than where they've been."

Laughlin said he had no doubt that would be the case.

"This is a nice compliment to our (Los Angeles) cluster, if you look at KRTH, Arrow (KCBS-FM, 93.1) and the Wave (KTWV-FM, 94.7), they have a firmer hold on the 35-plus than we do' Laughlin said. "This is an opportunity for us to pull some of that audience."

RELATED ARTICLE: What of Michael Jackson?

VETERAN Los Angeles radio personality Michael Jackson will be without a home on the local dial for the first time in almost 40 years when KLAC-AM (570) makes it switch from talk to standards on Dec. 12.

Jackson, who jumped to KLAC early last year after a short stint at KR LA-AM (870) -- and before that more than 20 years at KABC-AM (790) -- said he was disappointed by the turn of events at Clear Channel Communications Inc.-owned KLAC. He said he was having talks with other local stations about moving his show.

Jackson, who is under contract to KLAC for another six months, declined to say which stations he was talking to.

"I'm enormously disappointed because it was working. My show was sold out and our ratings in the 45-plus group, our target audience, were strong," Jackson said.

Los Angeles Market President Roy Laughlin said he hoped to find a spot for Jackson in the Clear Channel chain. "We would like to keep a relationship," he said.

If Jackson does land at another station, his options would be Clear Channel sister-station KFI-AM (640), the highest rated talk station in Los Angeles, KABC or KRLA. But Laughlin said there were no plans to move Jackson to KFI.

Jackson called his 18 months at KLAC the most fun he's had doing radio. "It really is a wonderful group of people," he said.

Still, he said things might have been different had Clear Channel devoted more marketing muscle to the station and given the format time to mature. "You have to make an investment if you want returns. And they didn't do any promotion," he said.