The issue may be that as years pass more and more newer cars can't pick it up, whereas a number of years back there were more cars with radios that tuned below the official FM band.
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Latest Chicago Radio Ratings
- Thread starter Dr Wayne
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The issue may be that as years pass more and more newer cars can't pick it up, whereas a number of years back there were more cars with radios that tuned below the official FM band.
Is this verifiable? I drive a 2008 VW and its original-equipment radio tunes down to 87.7, as did the OEM radio in the 2002 Saturn I had before. Do recent-model car radios stick to the official American FM broadcast band? Or are you referring to the old analog radios with slide-rule tuning, which disappeared from cars in the last millennium?
Why did manufacturers make the tuning range 87.7-107.9 to begin with?
"Why did manufacturers make the tuning range 87.7-107.9 to begin with?"
Probably because Channel 6 Analog Audio is on 87.75 MHz. It was an extermely popular thing to do when there was a nearby Channel 6. WJIM-TV 6 Lansing watchers within the Grade B contour used it as a TV Audio Tuner. I imagine that it was also popular for WITI 6 Milwaukee, and WPVI 6 Philadelphia, and XETV 6 Tijuana, BC, and many others.
The FM Band actually begins at 87.9 MHz, Channel 200.
Probably because Channel 6 Analog Audio is on 87.75 MHz. It was an extermely popular thing to do when there was a nearby Channel 6. WJIM-TV 6 Lansing watchers within the Grade B contour used it as a TV Audio Tuner. I imagine that it was also popular for WITI 6 Milwaukee, and WPVI 6 Philadelphia, and XETV 6 Tijuana, BC, and many others.
The FM Band actually begins at 87.9 MHz, Channel 200.
I think David is right. The main reason OEM radios - especially car radios - years ago offered 87.7 MHz as a listening option is because audio from analog TV channel 6 could be heard there.
Some telecasters who transmitted on RF channel 6 even used to promote the availability of their audio at 87.7 FM, especially as a source for news, weather, and sports play-by-play. Because nearly all TV stations in the U.S. (but for a select few LPTVs) now transmit both video and audio in digital mode, 87.7 FM's usefulness is now limited to markets like Chicago, where a "Franken" FM exists.
No Ford vehicle that I've ever owned or leased has had an OEM tuner that was capable of picking up 87.7 FM. I think every GM vehicle I've owned or leased but for one was capable of tuning in 87.7 FM.
Some telecasters who transmitted on RF channel 6 even used to promote the availability of their audio at 87.7 FM, especially as a source for news, weather, and sports play-by-play. Because nearly all TV stations in the U.S. (but for a select few LPTVs) now transmit both video and audio in digital mode, 87.7 FM's usefulness is now limited to markets like Chicago, where a "Franken" FM exists.
No Ford vehicle that I've ever owned or leased has had an OEM tuner that was capable of picking up 87.7 FM. I think every GM vehicle I've owned or leased but for one was capable of tuning in 87.7 FM.
Ford cars did have them start there in the 90s. Worked really well too.
Could you receive WJIM-TV/WLNS-TV 6 on 87.75 MHz where you lived over the years, MarkW? I could get it well in Genesee County with a short wire or telescoping whip antenna. In Macomb County, not so much barefoot, but with a large FM antenna 20-30 feet above the ground. In fact, back in the early 1960s, WJIM-FM 97.5 and the sound of WJIM-TV on 87.75 were two of the strongest FM signals in my area.
But still WRME was doing fine in the ratings until February, when it lost a share, and it stayed at that level last month. Hard to attribute that quick loss of audience to people buying new cars. More likely a panel change, or just the audience tiring of the format. These are very old and well-played songs.
The panel only changed by a normal 6% or so before and during February. However, a format that principally appeals to only one demo, 55 and over, is more sensitive to panel variations. So I would guess that a couple of core panelists left, and were replaced by lighter or non-listneners.
I do agree that the songs are well played. When I first got Sirius, right at the beginning because I managed five of the channels, I overdid the listening to the 50's, 60's and 70's channels. It got to the point that I nearly never even listen now.
I've later found that in other formats the narrow decades channels burn me out rather quickly. Same has happened with the gold based country channels, too.
Could it be that some of WRME's audience which is an older demo wanted to hear more news during the epidemic and switched to WBBM?
The one point drop was in February, and continued in March. But sure. Or they turned off the radio to watch TV.
I agree with the WBBM theory suggested earlier.
Faint & scratchy but listenable signal in the Grand Rapids area. Came in a bit better in the Ann Arbor area; would lock in on seek mode sometimes. 60 - 70 miles from the TX site was the usable range without using special equipment, I would say. Because the audio settings were tailored to TV viewership, the aural signal always sounded undermodulated compared to the FM radio stations located up the dial.
Faint & scratchy but listenable signal in the Grand Rapids area. Came in a bit better in the Ann Arbor area; would lock in on seek mode sometimes. 60 - 70 miles from the TX site was the usable range without using special equipment, I would say. Because the audio settings were tailored to TV viewership, the aural signal always sounded undermodulated compared to the FM radio stations located up the dial.
Yes. The two years I spent in various Northern AA locations, I frequently listened to WFMK, on a tower that was quite close to WJIM-TV/WLNS 6 tower. WFMK moved to the WITL tower, and the old WFMK tower is now used by WLGH Smile FM. I didnt have a TV, but people on the North and West side of the buildings received WILX 10 better than WWJ-TV/WDIV 4.
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....Or they followed Bob Sirott over to WGN.
As for the TV stations on Channel 6. "Back in the day" WDBO radio in Orlando actively promoted the fact that you could catch WDBO-TV channel 6 audio on 87.7FM.
I'm sure you remember well the days when we got WITI's audio on 87.7FM. I'm sure where you were it was even stronger than at my location--and it was pretty good here.
Looks like WLS AM is still sucking hind t1t. 21st in the market?
Guess B Shapiro hasn't moved the audience meter much.
Guess B Shapiro hasn't moved the audience meter much.
I have had the same problem with any Ford vehicle the last 10-15 years - the car radios don’t go below 87.9 FM. This is very annoying as you can not pick up 87.7 FM so that means METV FM gets no listenership in Ford vehicles. Last time I was in Chicago, I was in a Chevy rental vehicle and the FM radio was pretty good overall, but I noticed that 87.7 METV FM had a horrible signal and poor audio quality. Where I was staying in Northbrook, 87.7 was unlistenable. Don’t know if that was an issue with the station on 87.7 or the car radio itself.
The audio for METV-FM should be fine in Northbrook. I suspect it was the tuner. As you said some tuners just can't tune it in at all or very well.
None of this receiver-trouble speculation explains a sharp erosion in 6+ over a six-month period. What if WRME is up 0.7 in the next book? Would that mean a significant number of PPM wearers traded in their Fords for some other car with a radio capable of reception on 87.7?
No question their ratings are down. The question is to they start climbing back up after the covid-19 situation subsides and when will that happen?
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