Los Angeles ? Cowboy crooners know that more country music is sold in Los Angeles than anywhere else, a distinction on display Thursday night when singers Faith Hill and Tim McGraw opened the first of three sold-out shows at the Staples Center.

But Los Angeles listeners would have trouble finding Hill, McGraw or any other twangy troubadours on the radio dial: Thursday, the city lost its last country music channel when KZLA-FM (93.9), self-billed as “America’s most listened-to country station,” changed its format for the first time in 25 years – to a pop format focusing on beat-heavy R&B and dance tunes.

The Burbank-based station’s shift is part of a national trend. Although country fans have long been well-served in Texas, Indiana and other landlocked states, during the past decade stations have completely disappeared in New York, San Francisco and a half-dozen other coastal markets.