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Clash of the Titans

S

SirRoxalot

The latest round of FM translator applications really jams some signals into the local FM band. You can search the list yourself at:

https://radioinsight.com/headlines/122972/looking-873-new-translator-applications/

Some highlights? As previously discussed:

94.1 BUFFALO NY KIMTRON, INC. WDCZ Buffalo

New this round:

95.5 LANCASTER NY DOME BROADCASTING, INC. WXRL Lancaster
100.7 SPRINGVILLE NY HAWK COMMUNICATIONS LTD WSPQ Springville

It surprises me that WHLD didn't apply for an FM translator. I know Cumulus is bankrupt, but it would seem that a translator for WHLD-AM would add value if they decided to sell, and frequencies are running out fast.

Speaking of frequencies, why does WBUF - with 76KW of FM power blasting off the tower behind Channel 4 on Elmwood - need TWO FM translators? They've got one in Niagara Falls, and one off the old WUFO tower on LaSalle Ave. in the city. With the FM band as crowded as it is, can anybody challenge those allocations?
 
Well, this really sucks. CBC Radio 2 is at 94.1. This won’t affect listeners at home who have access to the station through the internet. But I would occasionally listen to 94.1 on my car radio. If this application is accepted, CBC will be overpowered by religious crap already booming into this market at 99.5. Yeah, this is really serving the public. CBC 2’s afternoon music programming is outstanding. Great personalities. When Gord Downie died, CBC 2 covered his storied career like no other station. This is just wrong!
 
The CRTC started it by blowing most Buffalo signals out of Toronto by authorizing LPFMs on or near Buffalo frequencies. A lot of Toronto listeners were miffed, but it allowed for a bunch of niche programming in the Toronto area.

Pretty soon (if not already) you'll be able to listen in your car anyway. You probably already can if you've got their CBC radio app. How long before "Alexa" and others invade the dashboard?
 
SirRoxalot said:
The CRTC started it by blowing most Buffalo signals out of Toronto by authorizing LPFMs on or near Buffalo frequencies. A lot of Toronto listeners were miffed, but it allowed for a bunch of niche programming in the Toronto area.

Pretty soon (if not already) you'll be able to listen in your car anyway. You probably already can if you've got their CBC radio app. How long before "Alexa" and others invade the dashboard?
Click to expand...

This is a great point. I think that ALEXA is the new radio boom box of the future. Since Christmas, the WECK online steaming, which reflects Alexa has gone up ten fold, to about 1,900 max per day. Alexa has a big part to do with that. I welcome Alexa. Just more re-inventing of the way we listen to radio and other things. It is exciting.
 
Is "ALEXA" being used collectively to include Goggle Home (and/or others)? When I looked for a home assistant, I chose Google home because it is more user friendly for a "regular" person. The audio quality of Google Home is much better than Alexa, too. Plus it's search capability far outstrips Alexa. Possibly, i just don't know the magic path yet, but I don't think I can listen to WECK on Google Home(?).
 
My statement used "Alexa" as an example of a smart speaker/app. Google home should be able to play a radio station if it's available on one of the major streaming services. I don't know about WECK, but try saying "Hey, Google, play W H T T". If that doesn't work, try “Play WHTT on iHeartRadio”. It looks like WECK is on tunein.com, so try "Hey, Google, play W E C K on tunein".

https://support.google.com/googlehome/answer/7071793?hl=en
 
WEDG regularly runs promos touting using Alexa to, as they put it, "enable the 103.3 the Edge skill". (I'd bet the other Cumulus stations do much the same.)
 
Mark1981 said:
Well, this really sucks. CBC Radio 2 is at 94.1. This won’t affect listeners at home who have access to the station through the internet. But I would occasionally listen to 94.1 on my car radio. If this application is accepted, CBC will be overpowered by religious crap already booming into this market at 99.5. Yeah, this is really serving the public. CBC 2’s afternoon music programming is outstanding. Great personalities. When Gord Downie died, CBC 2 covered his storied career like no other station. This is just wrong!
Click to expand...
Amen, brother Mark! More flotsam and jetsam washing up on what once was a pristine beach that attracted many visitors.

All this talk about translators and their alleged benefit to AM stations discounts the fact that a 250 watt translator is not going to save AM radio. In all likelihood, it will prolong AM's demise, serving nothing more than a temporary life preserver for AM stations attempting to survive in an increasingly choppy sea, which now includes Alexa and other smart sound devices. Early indications show that unique program suppliers such as NPR lead all others in being "called up." As these smart sound devices proliferate and become even easier to use, local broadcasters may be surprised and dismayed to find that listeners aren't calling up their stations, but stations and audio sources from distant cities and countries, as well as podcasts, audio books and "how to" tutorials, including foreign language instruction and interpreting. It's already been shown that listeners aren't searching for ten unit commercial breaks. In all likelihood, Alexa and smart sound devices will lead to greater challenges for OTA radio and subsequently, more audience fragmentation. More headwinds to come. Secure the deck and adjust the mainsail accordingly.
 
Element9 said:
local broadcasters may be surprised and dismayed to find that listeners aren't calling up their stations, but stations and audio sources from distant cities and countries, as well as podcasts, audio books and "how to" tutorials, including foreign language instruction and interpreting.
Click to expand...

Gee whatever happened to the conventional wisdom that everyone wanted live & local from radio. If they really want "distant cities," then local stations certainly have access to that content from within their ownership groups.
 
TheBigA said:
Gee whatever happened to the conventional wisdom that everyone wanted live & local from radio. If they really want "distant cities," then local stations certainly have access to that content from within their ownership groups.
Click to expand...

Maybe people want content that's not being offered by commercial Radio. Perhaps the problem is banal and "cookie cutter" formats that clog the airwaves. Times & technology have changed. There used to be only 3 TV Networks. Now listeners & viewers have more access to better content...
 
tbolt909 said:
Maybe people want content that's not being offered by commercial Radio.
Click to expand...

For them, there's WBFO. But what I was referring to was that I'm finding that people in one city want to listen to the commercial stations in other cities. They don't want to have their listening experience dictated by geography. That's possible now. If you work at a radio station, and you're creating great content, there's no reason that content needs to be restricted to your home town. The rule used to be "live & local," and now it is "great content wins." If you're doing a great radio show in Missoula, and someone wants to hear it in Buffalo, they can. That wasn't possible 50 years ago. The problem is the money is coming from the local city. The outside market listening doesn't count in ratings.
 
But.....but.....everybody wants to listen to a local DJ, and imagine him sitting in a booth, downtown, sipping a locally brewed latte and talking about everything going on in town. At least according to 75% of every post on this board and its predecessors
 
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