KCMO AM - Company ad recommends listening to the stream

[davideduardo]

In the case of AM radio stations, the added cost of maintaining and operating the transmitting hardware to provide a directional signal could be eliminated by using a low power omni signal at night (maybe up the power some for daytime, still omni) and promote streaming the AM radio station.

With crowded AM channels, going non-directional means very low power... often well below 1000 watts.

Major market radio stations don't consider electric bills to be a significant expense. Those stations that do reduce power are doing so because they lost their transmitter site or the site became so valuable they literally could not keep from selling it and the rebuilding cost of land, engineering and getting permits was not practical.

Many if not most cases where a station does cut power occur where the station has a translator and the AM is only needed to keep the translator operating and, otherwise, the AM is valueless in covering the market. In those cases, the AM is only operated to justify the translator.

But to save on the light bill is not the objective in nearly all of these cases.

 

[davideduardo]

They're usually replaced by different ads only for people streaming outside the local area. Although it depends on the streaming platform.

But the local stream has to obey agency account instructions of "do not stream" even locally if they don't want to pay the added SAG-AFTRA charges.

 

[davideduardo]

WKIX Raleigh NC reduced nighttime power so it could give up its directional antenna.

The AM was not producing much, and the land was too valuable. The night signal does not cover much of the metro at high power at night. Remember, in most jurisdictions land can be reappraise for taxes and the payments are just not worth maintaining an AM station today.

Some of those 30's and 40's era directional stations have 30, 40 acres of land. You just can't rebuild them in today's world. They are worth more dead than alive.

In recent books, AM radio in Raleigh/Durham has gotten well under 4% of all listening and nearly all of that listening has been by people over 55. It just was not worth trying to build a new site, which would have run into the millions of dollars, for a station that bills only a few hundred thousand a year.

 

[xmtrland]

If a 50Kw AM station wants to save power they just need to use MDCL. Not really worth using under 10KW. For a 50KW site that has a closed air handling system. They can see some savings from the initial power the transmitter uses plus savings on cooling the room. I know of several 50KW stations that use MDCL and have had zero listener complaints.

 

[SomeRadioGuy]

If a 50Kw AM station wants to save power they just need to use MDCL. Not really worth using under 10KW. For a 50KW site that has a closed air handling system. They can see some savings from the initial power the transmitter uses plus savings on cooling the room. I know of several 50KW stations that use MDCL and have had zero listener complaints.

Two 10KW AM's here in Alaska use it, but when you pay 75 cents kwh or more for electricity, its worth it

 

[Kelly A]

If a 50Kw AM station wants to save power they just need to use MDCL.

Oh sure, that will make up for the loss of listeners and coverage due to increasing terrestrial noise.

Not really worth using under 10KW. For a 50KW site that has a closed air handling system. They can see some savings from the initial power the transmitter uses plus savings on cooling the room. I know of several 50KW stations that use MDCL and have had zero listener complaints.

Since you've been running it for a while now, what have been the actual utility savings?

 

[xmtrland]

$1k a month on average. Helps offset the cost of mowing the field.

 

[Kelly A]

$1k a month on average. Helps offset the cost of mowing the field.

You pay people to mow the field?? Here all this time I thought that was considered other duties as assigned for Steve.

 

[SomeRadioGuy]

You pay people to mow the field?? Here all this time I thought that was considered other duties as assigned for Steve.

I have to mow.. im just thankful its a small yard... i dont argue, i put in my earbuds and push the mower.. good exercise

 

[xmtrland]

20 acres is a bit big for the mighty Huskavarna. I mow close in around the building but the field needs a bigger tractor. When my dad helped take care of the site we bailed the field. I used to help mow and bail back then. It takes a good day to mow that field.

The other site has sheep that we let graze to keep the grass down. And the one behind the old K2 has Goats. You used to pay to have the Vashon field at Dillworth mowed when you worked for Fisher.

 

[Kelly A]

The other site has sheep that we let graze to keep the grass down. And the one behind the old K2 has Goats. You used to pay to have the Vashon field at Dillworth mowed when you worked for Fisher.

Mainly because Bob had age-related health issues. But, a strapping, in shape LPFM mogul like you? Come on!

 

[davideduardo]

$1k a month on average. Helps offset the cost of mowing the field.

When I owned transmitter sites I paid the cows and goats nothing to mow the fields. Actually made a profit. Bought them as calves and sold them after a year to the stockyard.

 

[gr8oldies]

I have to mow.. im just thankful its a small yard... i dont argue, i put in my earbuds and push the mower.. good exercise

Your mowing season is what, a month?

 

[SomeRadioGuy]

Your mowing season is what, a month?

June to September.. but you have to do it about every week, grass grows fast here

 

[ZantennaG1]

i put in my earbuds

I have got to try this, thanks!

 

[ZantennaG1]

Just to reiterate for those in the back: If a station was in that deep financially, they would turn over the keys well before really reducing power. The cost reduction would be minuscule.

If a 50Kw AM station wants to save power they just need to use MDCL. Not really worth using under 10KW. For a 50KW site that has a closed air handling system. They can see some savings from the initial power the transmitter uses plus savings on cooling the room. I know of several 50KW stations that use MDCL and have had zero listener complaints.

That sounds like an amazing idea!

 

[wadio]

I have to mow.. im just thankful its a small yard... i dont argue, i put in my earbuds and push the mower.. good exercise

I have about 1/2 acre and I too plug in my earbuds when I mow the lawn.

My Nest WiFi covers the yard very well, but the phone switches from one WiFi point to another as I walk back and forth. This is not a problem when listening to stations without pre-roll ads, but the ones that have them are interrupted by the same ad every time I turn a corner.

Guess which stations I listen to.

 

[kfbkfb]

Currently listening to KCMO-AM, just heard an ad citing a few major news events in US history and the ad closed by saying "Radio - The Original Social Media", haven't heard the "listen to the stream ad" for some time.

This sounds like a tag line that was created by a national ad company (or the NAB), but I guess it could have been devised locally.


Kirk Bayne

 

[TheBigA]

This sounds like a tag line that was created by a national ad company (or the NAB), but I guess it could have been devised locally.

Maybe it's this guy:

Radio: The Original Social Medium - Radio Ink

(By Barry Cohen) Salespeople! You need to tell your clients that everything they love about the Internet (and social media), you have right in that little box with the speakers in it. You see, radio has always been a social medium. In fact, it was the original social medium.

radioink.com

 

[kfbkfb]

IIRC, that phrase was mentioned here in RD.com too...(BTW - USENET is the original computer based social media system )


Kirk Bayne