Looks like we are right again about a previous Radio Facts prediction. LA’s heritage KJLH has been bitten by the syndication bug and we are SO sorry to see this happen. As you know we want to see urban stations step AWAY from this concept. However, in this situation, the station had to make a move quickly.KJLH reps blame PPM inaccuracies for their decrease in numbers and as a result sharp revenue declines. They have laid off several employees and made changes to supplement the drastic revenue slump. PPM has surprisingly admitted there are inaccuracies in the LA system but the effort to fix the problem comes too late for the station’s need to survive.Some of our panel of experts say KJLH’s problems have been brewing for a while. The market has drastically changed and for the blacks who have not left the market altogether, a large percentage of those still in the market have moved out of KJLH’s broadcasting range. Los Angeles has seen a huge increase in the cost of living in LA proper over the last 8 years. Some urban radio experts also state Stevie Wonder may have shot himself in the foot by disrupting the flow of programming by being on the air every Thursday, when available, and viewing the station as his “Toy” instead of a viable business needing to compete in a VERY tough market for urban stations, Los Angeles.Whatever the case may be, the station which was usually around a 1.2 in the quarterly books fell to an average of .5 with the advent of PPM in the market. Wonder has been otherwise adamant about keeping the station syndication free. It has been rumored that he has been coming out of his own pocket to keep the station afloat over the last year. As I predicted Steve Harvey and Tom Joyner have been DYING to get back into the market but as Tom gets older Steve is the more appealing of the two and has won out according to our sources to replace Guy Black within the next few weeks.
