KAHM Owner/Manager Passes Away

[Prescott Joe]

Lew Silverstein, owner and manager of Prescott's KAHM and KYCA AM,
passed away on January 18, 2014 from complications of pneumonia.
Lew started at KTUC in Tucson and worked for many years as an
advertising salesman at KRIZ and KUPD in Phoenix. He purchased KYCA
in Prescott, AZ back in 1970 with the financial help of friends. He
was the voice of J.P. Mulligan on new/talk 1490 since 1971. Lew
created KAHM in 1981 with the intent of providing "Calm Music" to
Northern Arizona. He was an avid swimmer, earning many championships.
He was a founder of the Yavapai Humane Society here in Prescott and
led the charge to save homeless pets in the area. He certainly will be
missed.....

 

[umfan]

One of the best, and most enduring, outlets for easy listening/standards that remains. I hope this doesn't portend a format change. Is there any indication that his passing will lead to a sale of the station?

 

[Prescott Joe]

It is my understanding that KAHM had filed with the F.C.C. to move their transmitter
some 20 miles closer to Phoenix, providing a 60db signal into the north valley. KAHM
does have a 3kw transmitter on Badger Mtn, here in Prescott and a translator on 101.7
at the same location. One possibility is that the main transmitter at 102.1FM may
move closer to Phoenix and be sold. The secondary 3kw transmitter might just continue
with CALM music, possibly at 101.7 or perhaps a new frequency. Only time will tell for
certain.....

 

[Gregg.]

I know that KAHM listeners in the Phoenix area were upset when another station in Mexico near the Arizona border signed on at 102.1 a few years ago. That made it very difficult to pick up KAHM and led to the plan to move the transmitter closer to Phoenix.

I hope Silverstein's heirs will continue to run the Easy format. Often the death of the owner will prompt a format change in similar cases. The death of Roy Park of Park Communications led to the end of Easy Listening in NYC (WPAT-AM-FM) and other Easy stations owned by the company. The heirs sold off the stations.

It is amazing that in a market like Phoenix with so many retirees, there is no commercial station on the dial, AM or FM, playing soft music anymore. Clear Channel first moved Adult Standards KOY from 550 to 1230, then limited the Standards format to daytime, introducing Smooth Jazz at night, then switched the station to Business News last year.

 

[Prescott Joe]

Actually, KCMT, FM 102.1,Tucson, AZ interferes with KAHM's signal, though less than it
used to. If I understand correctly, KCMT was forced by the F.C.C. to reduce
power to about 15Kw Erp. KCMT broadcasts in Spanish, so it's easy to assume it
comes from Mexico. I agree that one of the largest metropolitan areas in the country
should have some kind of format to appeal to the many snowbirds and retirees in
"The Valley of The Sun." After all, many retirees and snowbirds have the disposable
income that advertises SHOULD be looking to attract.

 

[davideduardo]

Actually, KCMT, FM 102.1,Tucson, AZ interferes with KAHM's signal, though less than it
used to. If I understand correctly, KCMT was forced by the F.C.C. to reduce
power to about 15Kw Erp. KCMT broadcasts in Spanish, so it's easy to assume it
comes from Mexico. I agree that one of the largest metropolitan areas in the country
should have some kind of format to appeal to the many snowbirds and retirees in
"The Valley of The Sun." After all, many retirees and snowbirds have the disposable
income that advertises SHOULD be looking to attract.

The problem is that "snowbirds" are not participants in radio ratings... only permanent residents do, since the requirement is a commitment for up to 24 months of being a "metered household".

The number of retirees as a percentage of total residents has been decreasing for years as the overall population of the Phoenix MSA has expanded. In phact, Phoenix seldom is seen any more on the lists of "best places to retire".

Without ratings, advertisers have no metric for ad buying.

And formats like standards and Beautiful Music appeal to local residents more than snowbirds since most people in the demos that would like those formats is in their 70's and beyond and not likely to be moving around the country or the continent too much.

 

[Gregg.]

Well, I'm not suggesting a major 100,000 watt FM station focus on snowbirds and retirees. But with all the FM move-ins over the years, we can say Phoenix is an over-radioed market. In fact, one of the move-ins, a Hot AC, is now going to be simulcast with another FM station licensed to suburban Apache Jct. that they bought. Clearly the two stations weren't making it by themselves. You'd think someone would say, let's target the retirees, even if we have to do that by local selling to local mom and pop retailers, not agency sales.

I'm thinking that a move-in signal in Las Vegas plays Standards & Soft AC, 104.7 KJUL, licensed to Moapa Valley. Is Vegas's over-50 audience larger than Phoenix's? Nearby Tuscon has not one but two Adult Standards AMs, along with an AM that does 50s/60s Oldies. Why not Phoenix? I mean, would you rather be the market's third Country station or fourth Rock station, and hope an agency buys that deep?