Radio LAN (probably FM)

[kfbkfb]

Wikipedia info states that some (USA) music FMs have low power repeaters for extending their content to more remote areas (or into terrain that's a problem for radio reception).

FCC rules would likely have to be changed, but it seems economical to have a regional radio "network" for, say, the top 5 music stations (different formats) in a given metro area, maybe for a radius of a few hundred miles.

Taking Kansas City MO for example, a regional Local Area Network could include Topeka KS, Des Moines IA, Columbia MO.

Each station (full power FM stations on different frequencies) in the regional network would have an optout for local traffic/weather reports, but have centralized music content from a single studio (in KC, in my example).


Kirk Bayne

 

[PTBoardOp94]

No rules need changed. Broadcasters are free to syndicate content however they see fit, provided they have permission from the creator(s) of the shows.

 

[b-turner]

Satellite delivered formats have been around since 1980 providing stations with a format and air talent. Breaks for commercials and/or news (some breaks optional) have been doing something similar. One group of stations I listened to out of North Platte, Nebraska ran satellite but utilized air talent voices with no just IDs but weather forecasts, PSAs and such giving the stations are rather live feel. I've heard many using the IDs but not weathercasts, community announcements and time and temperature as well.

 

[kfbkfb]

With all the cost cutting in radio, I'm surprised these satellite music services aren't more widely used, I don't care if the "oldies" station here in KC is playing the same song at the same time as a station in Des Moines and Columbia (from my example), I just want to hear the songs.


Kirk Bayne

 

[davideduardo]

With all the cost cutting in radio, I'm surprised these satellite music services aren't more widely used, I don't care if the "oldies" station here in KC is playing the same song at the same time as a station in Des Moines and Columbia (from my example), I just want to hear the songs.

Satellite delivery is pretty old-school now. Syndicated formats are distributed today as workparts on the Internet, and at each station the structured format assembles music, DJs, spots, weather and the like adapts it to station commercial loads and service elements and delivers it seamlessly to the transmitter.

This is the same system used to assemble the Seacreast show and many other syndicated morning or personality shows, all built from workparts made in advance with even the "live" elements done a few moments before and assembled locally at each station.

 

[davideduardo]

Wikipedia info states that some (USA) music FMs have low power repeaters for extending their content to more remote areas (or into terrain that's a problem for radio reception).

FCC rules would likely have to be changed, but it seems economical to have a regional radio "network" for, say, the top 5 music stations (different formats) in a given metro area, maybe for a radius of a few hundred miles.

That already happens. Often, if the same owner controls a group of stations in different markets, they will share programming on multiple stations. In other cases, shows like Bobby Bones are distributed to many stations. And thousands of stations take full formats distributed online and play them locally.

But there is not much of a market to 100% repeat full stations nationally or regionally as radio advertising is bought at the market, not the national level. So stations take formats and shows and assemble them locally. We've been doing that in one way or another for about 90 years or so going back to the original Red, Blue and CBS networks.

Taking Kansas City MO for example, a regional Local Area Network could include Topeka KS, Des Moines IA, Columbia MO.

For many shows and formats, they do that now.

Each station (full power FM stations on different frequencies) in the regional network would have an optout for local traffic/weather reports, but have centralized music content from a single studio (in KC, in my example).

As b-turner and others have said, that is being done in a variety of ways already. It's just that there is no market for repeating a whole Tulsa station in Kansas City or something similar because of the way ads are sold.

In nearly every country in Latin America and most in Europe, music stations are national, with one studio and one format for the whole nation. In those countries, however, radio is predominantly bought nationally. In fact, when Metromedia did a very fine all news station in Berlin and got big ratings, it made no money as ad agencies there only bought national radio. Different strokes for different folks.

 

[PTBoardOp94]

With all the cost cutting in radio, I'm surprised these satellite music services aren't more widely used, I don't care if the "oldies" station here in KC is playing the same song at the same time as a station in Des Moines and Columbia (from my example), I just want to hear the songs.

Arguably, satellite music delivery is declining. The domain of the satellite formats in the 80s and 90s was small markets, and bad stations or marginal formats (standards, smooth jazz) in larger markets.

Today I can't think of a station in a top 50 market where a satellite music format is running (obviously excluding K-Love). I'm not all-knowing, so that doesn't mean they don't exist, but they are really scarce.

What is on the rise are:
- Internet delivered shows and formats, like David explained
- Stations that produce formats locally or regionally, either with no jocks or primarily voice-tracked jocks.

Both are an improvement over the pure satellite model.

 

[kfbkfb]

A bottom line question:

Have radio listener surveys indicated that listeners are more likely to listen to a station with a celebrity (apparently) hosting a daypart rather than satellite delivered music with a unknown host?


Kirk Bayne

 

[TheBigA]

Wikipedia info states that some (USA) music FMs have low power repeaters for extending their content to more remote areas (or into terrain that's a problem for radio reception).

I actually experienced that exact thing recently. I was driving in a very remote, rural area. Not even a gas station for miles. All of a sudden a radio station popped up on a frequency that I had tuned in. The station imaging gave a different frequency, so obviously this was a repeater designed to fill this hole in their coverage. I only was able to receive it for about ten miles before it went away.

But sure, what you describe is what Audacy is doing right now in its Alt and Country formats. They have west coast talent, and east coast talent.

Today I can't think of a station in a top 50 market where a satellite music format is running (obviously excluding K-Love). I'm not all-knowing, so that doesn't mean they don't exist, but they are really scarce.

A big part of that has to do with ownership. The big radio companies own most of the stations in Top 50 markets, and they will either cover with in house VT or their own syndication. Why give inventory to a satellite company? That was the thinking behind the invention of VT almost 30 years ago. Since then, as you say, the satellite companies primarily target small markets. But that gives them thousands of small single-owner stations that need cheap content. Recently, a new satellite company popped up, so there's obviously still money to be made:

Redirecting...

 

[SomeRadioGuy]

I actually experienced that exact thing recently. I was driving in a very remote, rural area. Not even a gas station for miles. All of a sudden a radio station popped up on a frequency that I had tuned in. The station imaging gave a different frequency, so obviously this was a repeater designed to fill this hole in their coverage. I only was able to receive it for about ten miles before it went away.

But sure, what you describe is what Audacy is doing right now in its Alt and Country formats. They have west coast talent, and east coast talent.



A big part of that has to do with ownership. The big radio companies own most of the stations in Top 50 markets, and they will either cover with in house VT or their own syndication. Why give inventory to a satellite company? That was the thinking behind the invention of VT almost 30 years ago. Since then, as you say, the satellite companies primarily target small markets. But that gives them thousands of small single-owner stations that need cheap content. Recently, a new satellite company popped up, so there's obviously still money to be made:

Redirecting...

Local Radio Networks has been around for 5 years and is primarily not on satellite. It functions like a voicetracked service, but is obviously intended to sound "live". the computers with the music and the imaging sit at the stations studios and the voicetracks get pushed to the computer. A station can elect to take the generic tracks or depending on what they pay/barter for, they can get localized tracks that only go to them.

That being said, in the last year or two, LRN did go up[ on the satellite with some formats for stations who didnt want/have time for such a customized solution. LRN also distributes the Jack FM format now.

Paul Walker
LRN's 7 day a week overnight classic country talent
*speaking as an individual, not a company representative