Sporting news move makes L.A. epicenter of jock talk: bombast, strong opinions drive growing and lucrative market.

The Los Angeles Lakers haven't been to the finals since Shaq left, the Dodgers couldn't make it to the World Series and Los Angeles doesn't even have an NFL team.

But when it comes to talking about sports on the radio, L.A. is now No. 1.

Los Angeles' status as the capital of the burgeoning sports talk world was cemented last week when Sporting News Radio said it will shift production of its nationally syndicated radio shows here from Chicago.

Already, Clear Channel Communications Corp. broadcasts its flagship program, the Jim Rome Show, from its studios here. Cable TV sports network ESPN, owned by Burbank-based Walt Disney Co., also has extensive local radio operations, as does the syndicate Westwood One Sports.

The Sporting News will move partly because the network already has a presence here. KMPC-AM (Channel 1540) is an owned and operated station, and four of the network's shows already originate in L.A.

"The purpose in moving to Los Angles for us was that we already have a number of shows based there and moving the remainder made a lot of sense. It provides consistency in our operations and access to entertainment resources," said President Clancy Woods. "It's a town built to serve the needs of the entertainment industry--advertising media, filmed entertainment and the rest of it. We see some similarities to the sports industry and we want to take advantage of the tremendous opportunities there."

The steady convergence of sports and entertainment over the last decade makes show business a magnet for both interview subjects and hosts.

"The inherent attraction is Hollywood. Just like most athletes want to be actors or recording artists, so too do talk radio personalities," said David Carter, executive director of the USC Sports Business Institute.

No one personifies the trend more than Rome. His L.A.-based program airs on more than 185 stations each weekday and attracts more than 2 million listeners. He has successfully crossed over to television on ESPN, a pattern repeated by other sports talkers. He had a cameo in the Michael Jordan movie "Space Jam," has appeared in music videos, and even released a CD of the best sound bites from his show.

Business bonanza

The L.A. location makes even more sense on the business side. According to the Southern California Broadcasters Association, local advertisers spent more than $1 billion in radio last year. "Southern California is the largest radio market in the world for everybody," said Woods.

But getting a share of that pie means going up against big-name competitors. The Disney-owned KSPN-AM (710) carries ESPN programs and currently ranks as the top sports-talk station in the market with a 0.8 share. Other competitors include KLAC-AM (570) owned by Clear Channel, and KWKW-AM (1330), a Spanish-language station owned by L.A.-based Lotus Communications Inc.

Until recently the relatively small Sporting News had to struggle against its media-giant competitors, but in September the entire Sporting News operation was acquired by a unit of New York-based Advance Publications Inc., which is affiliated with the Newhouse media empire. The previous owner was an investment firm controlled by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen.

Woods said the move to Los Angeles was in the works before the acquisition. The move will not affect the non-radio Sporting News products, such as the weekly news magazine published in St. Louis.

Currently, the Sporting News offices and KMPC are located on 28th Street in Santa Monica. The company is reviewing its real estate options both in Santa Monica and elsewhere in the county.

Fans bring ads

According to Arbitron Inc., the "all sports" radio format has increased its listener share by 26 percent in the last four years. During an average 15-minute period, more than half a million people are listening to the format across the nation.

Most of those listeners are male, making sports talk an attractive targeted medium for advertisers. Better yet, the passion of the fans for the subject matter works to the advertisers' favor.

A study by MediaMark Research Inc. found that "avid" sports fans had an average annual income of $67,000, while "passive" fans made $46,900 and "non-fans" only brought home $42,100.

Companies that can harness the sports passion can drive sales. For example, sports talk radio listeners are the most active downloaders of podcasts, according to online research firm MediaSpan. Nearly a quarter (24 percent) of sports talk fans go online at least weekly to download podcasts of their favorite programs, more than any other radio genre.

"The listenership this format delivers is coveted because of their age, passion and loyalty," said Carter at USC. He added that compared to other types of sports programming, talk is more affordable and easier to manage, given its set times and relatively stable audience.

As the new media revolution moves forward, the convergence between sports, news and show business looks likely to intensify, playing to the strengths of the sports talk format. "The 24-7 news world, which certainly includes sports, has helped foster a seemingly never-ending dialogue," said Carter.

"As the sports media world has expanded over the last decade, fans have been able to live more vicariously than ever through sports, and talk radio has contributed to their perceived connection to the sports world. Plus, they like to be heard--even if the majority of their comments are rants and raves."

By JOEL RUSSELL

Staff Reporter