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WSB 750 AM listeners

I know there has been talk in several threads wondering what WSB’s listenership is on AM vs. FM. I don’t have those numbers, but Jared Yamamoto (producer of the The Von Haessler Doctrine) mentioned during a special marking WSB’s 100th anniversary, that more people listen online than listen on the AM signal.

That would explain why they’ve dropped all references to 750 in their marketing.
 
On one of their shows they mentioned that the AM audience is 10% of total cume. I would think that's a little low, as the AM gets out further even it the daytime, but maybe not.
 
On one of their shows they mentioned that the AM audience is 10% of total cume. I would think that's a little low, as the AM gets out further even it the daytime, but maybe not.
gets out better to the radio nerd or dxer but most people are listening on shitty car radios (automakers have done am radio no favors) or crappy home radios.... under the counter stuff, boombox,es etc
 
On one of their shows they mentioned that the AM audience is 10% of total cume. I would think that's a little low, as the AM gets out further even it the daytime, but maybe not.
Any such metric would only include the Atlanta Nielsen survey, which means signal more than 30-40 miles from downtown Atlanta does not matter.
 
On one of their shows they mentioned that the AM audience is 10% of total cume. I would think that's a little low, as the AM gets out further even it the daytime, but maybe not.
They were likely referring to the Atlanta radio market listening, not rural unrated areas. The FM actually does better than the AM daytime in many parts of the Metro Survey Area.
 
gets out better to the radio nerd or dxer but most people are listening on shitty car radios (automakers have done am radio no favors) or crappy home radios.... under the counter stuff, boombox,es etc
There are some car radios that actually do a fine job of Dxing, but most boomboxes and home stereo systems suck at even pulling in locals. I've always wondered why the "whole home" sound systems don't invest in even a basic whip antenna. It doesn't even need to be that long, just that it is an actual metallic antenna with good conductivity on FM, and possibly a ferrite coil loop on AM.
 
There are some car radios that actually do a fine job of Dxing, but most boomboxes and home stereo systems suck at even pulling in locals. I've always wondered why the "whole home" sound systems don't invest in even a basic whip antenna. It doesn't even need to be that long, just that it is an actual metallic antenna with good conductivity on FM, and possibly a ferrite coil loop on AM.
I have a 1962 RCA stereo console that has great AM and FM reception day and night, local and DX (well, as long as you turn off the LED lights and other sources of RFI for AM), with a built in T twin-lead antenna for FM and a ferrite AM antenna. After dark, WSM will come in just as clear as WSB.

Didn't Tesla get rid of AM radios in their cars because the RFI from all the electric motors and electronics was just too much to overcome?

My 2017 Pioneer stereo receiver came with neither; I attached a T twin-lead antenna for FM and it works well with good selectivity on the smaller stations like TOSOTR and WXKT, but the only thing I have for AM is a small wire loop and even with that all I get on AM are the usual suspects in Gwinnett--WSB, WDUN, WCNN, and the WPLO Regional Mexican station out of Lawrenceville, and none of them particularly well.

When I was having to commute in the morning in the dark, I would listen to WLS and WLW in my 2013 Honda. Came in great until the sun started coming up. But during the day it has a hell of a time pulling in any local-channel AM stations like WFOM.
 
A few random thoughts:

I really like to listen to WCBS or WBZ during the evening drive home because of the detailed news (more than the headlines). Miss the old WGST several decades ago that had a similar local format.

There are a few AM stations that have now gone all-digital. I've been to several tech presentations that show good results with noise mitigation. I've heard many of the new cars already have digital AM now. Perhaps a good opportunity to get a AM station cheap and convert to digital for future (?). The FM band in major markets is so crowded, there is little room for expansion.

Not much to be done with the bad Atlanta ground conductivity. Sky wave propagation at night is not very dependent on the ground conductivity.
 
Any such metric would only include the Atlanta Nielsen survey, which means signal more than 30-40 miles from downtown Atlanta does not matter.
Atlanta is the poster child for urban sprawl. I have seen a PPM device in the Jasper GA worn by an employee at The Speed Burger (a local eatery a couple of miles from the 4 lane) over 50 miles north of Atlanta. Georgia Power is burying most of their power lines around here which has helped 750 a lot but 95.5 still works up here better up to a couple of miles north of Talking Rock and then 95.5 is on and off static depending if you are on a hill top or not. There at times the skywave will cancel 750 north of Ellijay during cold weather during the day. I personally believe when 750 is less than 5% look for it to go all digital to save on the power bill.
 
Atlanta is the poster child for urban sprawl. I have seen a PPM device in the Jasper GA worn by an employee at The Speed Burger (a local eatery a couple of miles from the 4 lane) over 50 miles north of Atlanta.
That's some major distance! Normally, the FM dial will change dramatically after 35 miles, and AM by 60 miles.
Georgia Power is burying most of their power lines around here
As they should.
which has helped 750 a lot but 95.5 still works up here better up to a couple of miles north of Talking Rock and then 95.5 is on and off static depending if you are on a hill top or not. There at times the skywave will cancel 750 north of Ellijay during cold weather during the day. I personally believe when 750 is less than 5% look for it to go all digital to save on the power bill.
If only Atlanta's ground Conductivity didn't suck.
 
That's some major distance! Normally, the FM dial will change dramatically after 35 miles, and AM by 60 miles.
Depending on topology at both ends, Jasper is starting to get in range of some Chattanooga stations. Of course, Chattanooga's topology makes some of their stations unlistenable a short distance out of town, with the ridges and valleys.

In addition, Chattanooga has a LOT of Class A and Class C3 FMs, plus more than the usual number of translators and LPFMs (especially given the size of its metro area), and the short-spacing that goes along with that. Probably the legacy of a minimal number of full power allocations back in the day. I think Chattanooga has less than half the C1s and bigger that Atlanta has.

I can get WUSY 100.7 in Gwinnett on a day when the DXing is good or even mediocre. But WUSY is a C0 with 363m HAAT.
 
Depending on topology at both ends, Jasper is starting to get in range of some Chattanooga stations. Of course, Chattanooga's topology makes some of their stations unlistenable a short distance out of town, with the ridges and valleys.
The key issue here is that Pickens County is in the Atlanta radio MSA.

The radio market is made up of these counties Barrow, Bartow, Carroll, Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, Coweta, De Kalb, Douglas, Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinenett, Henry, Newton, Paulding, Pickens, Rockdale, Spalding, Walton.
 
I always thought Cox would do 750 the way they dismd in Orlando and Jacksonville, move the News/Talk move to the big FM and the AM becomes sports.
 
750 might get ESPN if Cox made it part of channel 2's ABC network deal. Of course ESPN's commercials now are being heard on 680 the Fan which giving 92.9 some issues. Also 680 has a FM signal which might give the Fan an advantage.
 
I always thought Cox would do 750 the way they dismd in Orlando and Jacksonville, move the News/Talk move to the big FM and the AM becomes sports.
Kind of unlikely. The Atlanta market has 2 Sports stations, one a full signal FM, that are ratings challenged. Also, WSB is such a historic station. That doesn't mean they wouldn't change it at some point, but I doubt Sports would be an option.
 
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