880 CBS will be going away from all news format
- Thread starter MUTNAV
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Family radio WFME sold their 1560 AM site in Queens to a real estate developer for 51 million a few years ago! Nice profit BUT the station said they were going to come back on the air but never did and does not plan to at this time. Obviously no one wants a 1560 Am freq at this time in NY.
MTS2000des
5B2_BEE00 Czar
The biggest challenge for AM radio aside from compelling programming is the noise floor on the band is trash in most places because of garbage pail power supplies, LED lights- pretty much everything in the modern home makes it painful to listen to unless a station is nearby and blasting out thousands of watts.
In Atlanta most "high rating" AMers have full time FM transmitters, like WSB, who doesn't even mention their 750 clear channel 50kw in their name these days "News Talk 95-5 WSB". The other AMs have translators.
AM is dead because:
-Lack of programming
-Can't hear it anyway
In Atlanta most "high rating" AMers have full time FM transmitters, like WSB, who doesn't even mention their 750 clear channel 50kw in their name these days "News Talk 95-5 WSB". The other AMs have translators.
AM is dead because:
-Lack of programming
-Can't hear it anyway
Especially on AM where the property values of the land exceed the station worth.
In houston, they are doing a lot of diplexing of AM stations into single site master antennas and selling off the old station land.
As I mentioned, if the antennas are on "protected" land (Nature preserve, open spaces etc.) that can't be developed (and taxed as such), it might make financial sense.
Thanks
Joel
Well this bites the supreme big one. WCBS 880 gave you the news with no hint of political bias. I certainly preferred it over WINS which was too ‘sterile’ for me. WCBS was solid. Not too much, not too little. I deleted it from any presets that had it. I have no use for yet ANOTHER station in the New York City area with guys who don’t play sports *****ing about those who do.
It‘s really sad what Audacy has done to radio in this country. It’s as if they are TRYING to kill terrestrial radio. Especially AM which I believe is still valid and has better reach than FM and not subject to the moody whims of the internet infrastructure.
Whatever. Not much one can do about it except mourn.
It‘s really sad what Audacy has done to radio in this country. It’s as if they are TRYING to kill terrestrial radio. Especially AM which I believe is still valid and has better reach than FM and not subject to the moody whims of the internet infrastructure.
Whatever. Not much one can do about it except mourn.
I don't mean to be too conspiratorial-ist. But generally radio is listened to by people driving and working (although I listen for the fun of it). This is the last group of people that some would want to have access to news.
Thanks
Joel
Not sure about bias..they all have it to some degree, but I too grew up with wcbs and listened all over the northeast. I agree about the radio industry, but today is today and terrestrial radio has a place but much reduced from the past and as much as many of us liked and used AM radio, it is generally becoming not profitable in many markets and those are the sad facts. AM radio‘s reach really does not factor into plans very much anymore.
Broadcasting is still a business and must survive on profit. I do not like Audacity either, but they are motivated by the same market conditions and profitability requirements as other businesses which are radically different from even 10 years ago.
Well if I were to chose which one to dump it would have been WINS. Fewer folks would have missed that station.
OTA radio will still be here in the 2030's, AM radio included. The number of AM stations will decline, and FM will turn more religious and ethnic as the dominance of younger demographics -- who get their audio entertainment and news from their smartphone -- will increase.
Their days are numbered -- yes, definitely. All traditional media -- radio, TV, movies, newspapers, magazines -- are all being replaced. That's not going to stop.
But versions of them will still be around in the 2030's. 2040's? Your guess is probably as good as mine.
WCBS was one of the highest billing stations in the country. #10 in billing of all the 15K FM and AM stations in the US. But that wasn't good enough apparently. It's a case of all the opinions of the experts going 180 degrees away from what they say counts the most: billing.
Go figure.
Go figure.
The thing about any flavor of broadcasting be it AM, FM or TV is that the station is not there to entertain or provide a service to the listeners/watchers. Its there to generate revenue for whomever owns the station. They do this by trying to be your favorite station to drive eyes and ears, thus advertising dollars. When people do not come to your station, your advertisers see less value in your product. Then you lower your prices to try to fill advertising airtime or you run more commercials to try to make up the loss. Now you have to make cuts somewhere else. Perhaps you cant afford that syndicated show anymore or local air talent. So now you voice track your air staff. The listeners may not like this and you lose more. Now all of the sudden you are in a death spiral to bankruptcy.
If you are an AM property, you might learn the land your towers are sitting on wants to be purchased by a developer to make a new subdivision or a walmart. You run the numbers and discover this amount of money is far more than a year or two of advertising revenue would bring in and boom, file for off air status with the FCC and away you go.
The big boys are consolidating their towers and signals, the little guys just go away.
If you are an AM property, you might learn the land your towers are sitting on wants to be purchased by a developer to make a new subdivision or a walmart. You run the numbers and discover this amount of money is far more than a year or two of advertising revenue would bring in and boom, file for off air status with the FCC and away you go.
The big boys are consolidating their towers and signals, the little guys just go away.
I've been thinking of this, and it's always dangerous to try and predict the future....
How many times have "Tanks" been written off by military thinkers.
Thanks
Joel
mmckenna
I ♥ Ø
AM is still popular in some of the vast rural areas of the Western/Intermountain West parts of the country. FM is nice, but it doesn't get quite the same coverage as a good AM station. There are still some local AM stations running local programming, live DJ's, local news, etc.
But I agree, parts of the AM band are vast mess of wasted electrons. I was recently doing a very late night long drive through the very northern edge of California, and while there were many AM stations on the air, 50% of them were all airing the same reruns of Art Bell.
But I agree, parts of the AM band are vast mess of wasted electrons. I was recently doing a very late night long drive through the very northern edge of California, and while there were many AM stations on the air, 50% of them were all airing the same reruns of Art Bell.
There is merit to the KISS principle. It wasn't too long ago that some of the auto manufacturers were looking to rid their vehicles of AM radio but fortunately, there was push back. On many of my drives around the USA, I've seen signs directing drivers to local conditions via a local AM station. It's a simple and efficient way to distribute information when needed.
Are you sure they were reruns? Maybe it was the "REAL" Art Bell, broadcasting from deep within a hidden, undisclosed bunker. (They do make for entertaining listening sometimes)
mmckenna
I ♥ Ø
Unless he's wasting his opportunity to speak from beyond the grave about the 2000' presidential election, yes. I'd hope ol' Art would have something a bit more interesting to share….
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