You’re stuck on the 405. It’s 4:30 PM, the sun is reflecting off a sea of brake lights, and the Lakers just dropped a game they had no business losing. In that specific, agonizing moment of Los Angeles life, there is really only one place to go. You hit the preset. You find ESPN 710 AM Los Angeles.
It’s KSPN. But nobody calls it that.
For decades, sports talk radio in this city has been a crowded, noisy battlefield. You’ve got the national feeds, the FM pretenders, and the podcasts that pop up like weeds every single day. Yet, 710 AM remains the heavy hitter. It’s not just because they have the Lakers—though, let’s be honest, having Jeanie Buss’s squad on your airwaves is basically a license to print money in this town. It’s because the station has figured out the "secret sauce" of Southern California: it’s about personality over pedantry.
Honestly, if you want dry stats, go to a spreadsheet. If you want to hear someone argue passionately about whether a burrito is a sandwich or why the Dodgers’ bullpen is giving them an ulcer, you tune into Mason and Ireland.
The Power of the Flagship: Lakers and Rams
ESPN 710 AM Los Angeles isn't just a relay station for Bristol, Connecticut. It’s the home of the purple and gold. That’s the bedrock. When you are the flagship station for the Los Angeles Lakers, you aren’t just reporting on the news; you are the town square for the most famous basketball franchise on the planet.
Every night there’s a game, you hear the familiar cadence of John Ireland and Mychal Thompson. It’s a rhythmic, comfortable sound. Thompson—a two-time NBA champ himself—brings that "showtime" era credibility that can’t be faked. It’s authentic. And when the Los Angeles Rams returned to the city, 710 was there to catch the wave. They aren’t just broadcasting games; they’re hosting pre-game shows from the shadows of SoFi Stadium, capturing that specific brand of "new" LA football energy.
But here is the thing people miss. The games are the anchor, but the talk is the engine.
Without the local shows, the station would just be a high-frequency jukebox for sports scores. Instead, it’s a living, breathing conversation that reflects the diversity of the city. You have the grit of the valley, the polish of Santa Monica, and the die-hard passion of East LA all calling into the same line.
Mason and Ireland: The Dynamic That Refuses to Age
If you’ve lived in LA for more than five minutes, you know Steve Mason and John Ireland. They are the longest-running duo in the history of the station, and there’s a reason for that.
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They’re weird.
Seriously. Most sports radio hosts try to out-macho each other. They yell about "grit" and "toughness." Mason and Ireland spend a significant portion of their three-hour block talking about The Bachelor, their weird dietary habits, or "The Mandy Awards." It shouldn't work. On paper, it sounds like a mess. But it works because it’s exactly how sports fans actually talk. We don't just talk about the Lakers' defensive rotations; we talk about what we’re eating during the game and what movies we saw over the weekend.
John Ireland is the consummate professional, the voice of the Lakers, the guy who knows everyone in the building. Steve Mason is the wild card, the pop-culture obsessive, the guy who isn't afraid to take a contrarian stance just to see what happens. Their chemistry is the gold standard.
The Mid-Day Shift and the New Guard
The lineup has shifted over the years. We saw the departure of Max Kellerman long ago and the era of Marcellus Wiley. But currently, the station leans heavily on guys like Travis Rodgers and Allen Sliwa.
Travis is that relatable everyman who actually knows his stuff. He’s been around the LA sports scene forever, and he brings a certain "sports fan's sports fan" vibe to the morning. Then you have the afternoon transition. Sedano and Kap. Jorge Sedano brings that national ESPN polish, but he’s deeply rooted in the NBA scene. Scott Kaplan is the high-energy spark plug. Together, they bridge the gap between hard-hitting analysis and the kind of "bar talk" that makes sports radio addictive.
Why AM Radio Still Wins in a Digital World
You might ask: "Why 710 AM? Why not just a podcast?"
It’s about the "right now."
Podcasts are time-shifted. They’re polished. They’re edited. But when the Dodgers make a massive trade at 2:00 PM on a Tuesday, you don't want to wait for a podcast to drop. You want to hear the reaction now. You want to hear the phones light up. You want to hear the host's immediate, unvarnished take.
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There is a visceral quality to live radio that digital platforms haven't quite replicated. ESPN 710 AM Los Angeles leverages this by being hyper-local. When they go to a commercial break, you aren’t hearing national ads for insurance you can’t buy; you’re hearing about a car dealership in Van Nuys or a law firm in Long Beach. It feels like home.
The signal itself—710—is surprisingly robust. While many AM stations struggle with interference in the concrete canyons of DTLA, 710 cuts through fairly well. And for those who can't deal with the static, the station has been aggressive about its digital footprint. They’re on the ESPN LA app, they’re on TuneIn, and they’ve mastered the art of the "podcast replay," where they chop up their daily shows for people who missed the live broadcast.
The "Lakers Exceptionalism" Factor
We have to talk about the Lakers more. We just have to.
In New York, it’s a baseball town. In Green Bay, it’s football. In LA, the Lakers are the sun, and every other team is just a planet orbiting them. 710 AM understands this better than anyone. During the LeBron James era, the station became the de facto headquarters for "LeBron-ology."
Every tweet, every cryptic Instagram post, every missed free throw—it all gets dissected on 710. Some critics say they talk about the Lakers too much. To those critics, I’d say: Have you looked at the ratings?
The station’s partnership with the team allows for incredible access. You get the coaches, the players, and the front-office executives. This isn't just "speculation" radio; it's "informed" radio. When someone like Ramona Shelburne—one of the best in the business—hops on the air, she’s bringing actual reporting, not just "hot takes."
Navigating the Competition
It hasn't always been easy. For years, AM 570 LA Sports (the home of the Dodgers) has been the primary rival. It’s a classic Coke vs. Pepsi situation. 570 has the Dodgers; 710 has the Lakers.
While 570 often plays it a bit more "traditional" in terms of sports talk, 710 has leaned into the "entertainment" side of the equation. They recognize that sports in Los Angeles are part of the entertainment industry. The fans here are celebrities, the owners are moguls, and the games are premieres.
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This rivalry is actually good for the listener. It forces both stations to be better. It forces them to hunt for better guests and craft sharper segments. But 710 often wins on the "hangout" factor. You feel like you’re friends with the hosts. You know their kids' names, their favorite restaurants, and what they think about the latest Marvel movie.
The Future of 710 AM: Adaptation
The reality of 2026 is that the "AM" part of the name is becoming a legacy brand. Most younger listeners are streaming the station through their phones or smart speakers.
The station has adapted by becoming a content house. They produce video clips for social media that go viral. They host live events—like the massive "All-Star Friday Night"—where fans can actually meet the hosts. They’ve realized that being a "radio station" isn't enough anymore. You have to be a brand.
But at its core, the appeal is the same as it was in the 90s. It’s about the voice in your car. It’s about that sense of community when the city is frustrated or elated. When the Rams won the Super Bowl, 710 was the soundtrack of the parade. When Kobe Bryant passed away, 710 was the place where the city went to mourn collectively, listeners calling in through tears to share memories.
That is something an algorithm can’t do.
Actionable Steps for the Ultimate Listener Experience
If you want to get the most out of ESPN 710 AM Los Angeles, don't just graze the surface. There are better ways to engage with the content than just scanning the dial.
- Download the ESPN LA App: The AM signal is fine, but the app feed is crystal clear and includes "rewind" features. If you missed the first 20 minutes of Mason and Ireland because of a meeting, you can just slide the bar back.
- Follow the Producers: Often, the funniest content comes from the "behind the scenes" staff. People like Greg Bergman or Morales have their own followings because they are the ones poking the bear and making the shows dynamic.
- Check the YouTube Channel: They’ve started filming the shows. Seeing the physical reactions of the hosts during a heated argument adds an entirely new layer to the experience.
- Listen to the "Post-Game" Local Shows: Don't switch off the second the game ends. The local post-game shows—especially after a Lakers loss—are some of the most entertaining, raw hours of radio you will ever hear.
- Attend the Live Remotes: Keep an eye on their social media for "remote" broadcasts. Whether it's at a Buffalo Wild Wings or a casino, meeting the hosts in person changes how you hear them on the air. It makes the "community" aspect real.
At the end of the day, 710 AM survives because Los Angeles is a city of commuters. As long as there is traffic on the 10, the 110, and the 405, there will be a need for voices that make the crawl feel a little less lonely. It’s sports, sure. But more than that, it’s the sound of the city talking to itself.