News hounds on the L.A. FM dial are getting traded for sports fans. Audacy is pulling KNX’s all-news simulcast off 97.1 and flipping the frequency to a new sports-talk station called 97.1 The Fan, with the debut set for May 11. KNX’s around-the-clock news will stick with AM 1070 and the station’s streaming platforms, but the FM signal many Angelenos relied on for over-the-air headlines will pivot to wall-to-wall sports coverage instead. The shuffle redraws Los Angeles’ radio map as Audacy leans harder into sports ahead of a packed local and global sports calendar.
Audacy announced the move on Tuesday and said 97.1 will be rebranded as The Fan, positioning it as the first FM station in the Los Angeles market devoted entirely to sports talk. As reported by the Los Angeles Times, the company plans to throw the switch on the new format on May 11.
Why Audacy Is Flipping 97.1
Audacy executives frame the change as a way to crank out more local, live content tailored to Southern California sports fans and the advertisers chasing them. “We’re going to be providing twice as much original local L.A. content as we were previously,” Audacy chief business officer Chris Oliviero told the Los Angeles Times. Company leaders also pointed to major events - including the 2026 World Cup and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics - as fuel for growing listener demand for local sports coverage.
Where KNX Will Be Heard Now
Audacy says KNX will continue its all-news service on AM 1070, and listeners can still find the KNX brand on 97.1’s HD2 subchannel and through the Audacy app and other streaming options, according to MyNewsLA. The company also says The Fan will launch without live play-by-play of local teams at first, and has tapped Andrew Williams as brand manager to oversee the rollout, per Barrett Media.
Who These Challenges
The move instantly turns 97.1 into a direct challenger to iHeart’s AM 570 KLAC, which serves as the flagship station for the Dodgers and also carries coverage of the Clippers and UCLA athletics, according to iHeart. Trade coverage has framed Audacy’s flip as a straight-up grab for sports listeners and local ad dollars, and industry analysts note that planting a sports format on FM changes the competitive balance in Los Angeles, per Radio & Television Business Report.
Why Sports Make Business Sense For Audacy
Audacy already runs a national slate of Fan-branded sports stations and says adding Los Angeles completes its FM sports footprint across the top 10 U.S. markets - the kind of scale national advertisers like to see. Industry reporting notes that the company expects a multiplatform sports lineup to deliver higher engagement and stronger ad revenue than an FM news simulcast, according to Barrett Media.
What Listeners Should Know
97.1 The Fan is scheduled to sign on May 11 at 6:00 a.m. PT. Until then, KNX will keep its news coverage on AM 1070 and digital platforms. Audacy says it will roll out specific dayparts and local hosts in the coming weeks. Listeners who have been leaning on 97.1 FM for KNX’s news should plan on shifting to AM 1070 or the Audacy app to keep the all-news format in their daily routine, according to MyNewsLA.
