Radio Discussions dialogue within forums

[TheBigA]

A lot of those (like the Audacy app) are seldom used though.

It's a growing area. This allows you to listen to a radio station that provides what you want in another city. That way you're not limited to the options in one area. There are limits to the number of stations in every city, and streaming removes those limits.

 

[exdjted]

The only thing I have heard positive is of Sirius XM.

You're comparing apples to oranges. Radio ISN'T SiriusXM.

They're subscription. We're not.
They don't answer to the FCC. We do.
They don't air EAS messages. They don't promote the local blood drive. They don't stay on-the-air during an ice storm and give you updates on weather and outages while running on a generator. We do.
They have 100 channels.We're hamstrung by an FCC that created the current mess with Docket 80-90 selling spectrum like TicTacs, and allowing stations to move hundreds of miles in order to shoehorn 1 more signal into a market with 70 stations already in it.
They can have niche channels. We're limited to a finite number of signals per market based on antiquated ownership rules. THAT'S what hampers more choice. NOT 2 or 3 companies owning every station. When you cram 50 signals into KC, you're still fighting for limited ad dollars. That's why there are so many similar formats. Everyone needs those ad dollars to pay the bills and the best way to do that is to get ratings that matter to agency buyers and serve the MOST listeners. You can't please everyone. SiriusXM can afford to have a channel that doesn't get huge numbers because they have 99 others to spread the cost over. We don't. That limitation stifles experimentation and innovation.

I doubt any listener agrees with what you say.

No, YOU don't agree.

Each station isn't worried about EVERY listener. They worry about THEIR listeners. As long as THEIR listeners stay, and keep their advertisers happy, that's what it's all about. No station will ever satisfy every listener. It's not possible or practical.

Mass Communications is about reaching the masses. Niche communications is about reaching a select few. Radio, by definition, is mass communications. Reaching the majority. 99.9% of Radio station owners need to make a profit, so they try to appeal to the majority.

In KC, to appeal to you and your preferences, I need roughly 180,000 tall_guy1's to draw from in order to get a shot at decent numbers in the book and that 1 or 2 of you report to Nielsen. That's all. Got 179,999 brothers and sisters with similar tastes?

I appreciate that you're passionate about Radio, but be a little practical too. People running stations aren't doing it for vanity. It's a business. I'd like to listen to Radio that only plays what I like. That's not Radio. For old farts like me, that's a jukebox. For younger listeners, that's Spotify or Pandora or whatever whippersnappers use.

Buy a Powerball ticket. The drawing this Saturday will net you roughly $184 million after taxes in KC. Steel City Media paid around $75 million for their cluster, so we'll say you can buy an FM in KC for $20 million all in. You program what you want, and track expenses for 24 months, then get back to us on how much you've made or lost. Deal?

 

[tall_guy1]

tall guy 1 - it seems you are a music explorer like me. Most all radio stations are after consensus within the targeted age group. For that radio is succeeding in doing that and they do listen and enjoy what they hear or they wouldn't listen. Nothing is perfect but it matters less what people say and more about what they do. I was at a client for a remote yesterday and in an hour we pulled over 300 listeners out of a county of 40,000 registering to win a $100 bill. The station plays the researched and proven songs, is run as if it's a major market station and is mostly voice-tracked but listeners say we play everything and they love us and our jocks. Yes, we still play Taylor and Miley as an Adult Contemporary and we play classic hits mixed in. The station amazes me because folks from high school through getting around with a walker listen. Never seen that before.

Hmmmm....that is interesting! That is good you play things that people seem to enjoy and resonates with a large age range and people enjoy listening to it. I was kind of thinking people just listened mainly as a captive audience because it is in their cars for free or as background music in a business, but it is good to see that people actually enjoy listening where you were.

 

[TheBigA]

I was kind of thinking people just listened mainly as a captive audience because it is in their cars for free

In this media environment, there is no such thing as a 'captive audience.' People make decisions to do one thing or another.

 

[CTListener]

You're comparing apples to oranges. Radio ISN'T SiriusXM.

They're subscription. We're not.
They don't answer to the FCC. We do.
They don't air EAS messages.

They do air plenty of EAS test squawks, though. I've never heard any actual emergency messages. I'd imagine those would be generic in nature for events that affect the entire nation. "An asteroid is approaching. Everyone dies in 30 minutes."

 

[exdjted]

They do air plenty of EAS test squawks, though. I've never heard any actual emergency messages. I'd imagine those would be generic in nature for events that affect the entire nation. "An asteroid is approaching. Everyone dies in 30 minutes."

My point is that they're not subject to the local and state requirements Radio is. Silver and Amber alerts.

Most people are so wrapped up in whatever's on their phone screen that the first time they'd realize the world is ending would be when they see the flash and feel the shockwave.

 

[vchimpanzee]

That's great. If you were Bill Gates wealthy, and wanted to buy a station and play an eclectic format of EDM and classic country, you could.

From the sound of some "country" songs they've managed to do that in a number of individual songs.

 

[vchimpanzee]

To be more specific, what kind of music do you like ? Could you give an example of a few of your favorite artists?
Based on what you previously said, I think that you like 70's hits than lean towards a pop-folk side. Artists like
Harry Chapin, Cat Stevens, The Carpenters, Maureen McGovern, etc. And, Starship from the 80's. (Nothing's Gonna Stop Us) Is that correct?

That sounds good to me. It's not everything I like, but that's a good list. There is only the one Starship song I like, though. Well, maybe "We Built This City". It's kind of loud for me, but the more I listen to "oldies" radio, the more I develop a taste for some, but not nearly all, of the louder songs.

 

[CTListener]

That sounds good to me. It's not everything I like, but that's a good list. There is only the one Starship song I like, though. Well, maybe "We Built This City". It's kind of loud for me, but the more I listen to "oldies" radio, the more I develop a taste for some, but not nearly all, of the louder songs.

Today's country music may not have everything you like, but Morgan Wallen channels Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings and even Gregg Allman in his latest single, "Everything I Love."

 

[vchimpanzee]

Today's country music may not have everything you like, but Morgan Wallen channels Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings and even Gregg Allman in his latest single, "Everything I Love."

Yeah, that's the good kind of country.

 

[Daryl Lynn L.A.]

I have to worry about what the advertiser will buy, what the majority of listeners will tune into, and I can't get bogged down by the 5% who will NEVER tune in because I don't play what they want to hear. That 5% didn't listen to me to discover their new favorite artist. That came from somewhere else, like social media or streaming. Chances are they also get their news that way, as well as shop that way. My revenue, at least the bulk of it, traditionally comes from right here in my town. I know some will argue that we're not cultivating the next generation of listeners. That may be true, to an extent, but we still have to cater to what we have at this point in time. Terrestrial Radio may not be here in 50 years, but I most definitely won't.

Look at the countless stations over the years who have made format changes to ALT or Rock or whatever with great fanfare by announcing it in all of the trades, only to quietly change formats over a weekend down the road when nobody buys enough ads to keep the lights on. It's great to have principles, but the IRS, the FCC, the banks, the power company and employees don't see principles as currency.

When it comes to music testing, and what eventually winds up on the air, it's simple: The majority wins. We can't please every listener. You will never get 100% consensus on every song. I realize it's frustrating that you may not have a station in your area that plays exactly what you want to hear. Hell, I'm 60 and I listen to Slipknot, Seether and Disturbed. There's not a station near me that plays anything like that. We're lousy with Country, AC, Classic Hits and Classic Rock. Whoops! That's the point.

Even if I bought a station tomorrow, and had enough money to play only what I want to hear, I would truthfully still put something on that the advertisers and the listeners with the disposable income want to hear, because even the wealthiest Radio station owner gets tired of losing money.

Don't take things personally. This is the first time that YOU have asked these questions or made these statements, but in the history of this discussion board, these same viewpoints and questions have been posed and asked hundreds, if not thousands of times, sometimes by the same few members ad infinitum. Ask away, and comment, and stick to your guns. Just like a music test, there will never be 100% agreement on ANY topic here, except for all of us wishing Frank Berry good health!

Many thanks to Ted and to all the other industry professionals here who took the time to provide patient and friendly answers.

 

[Daryl Lynn L.A.]

I like those, but also like EDM, eurodance and some soft rock. I listen to Kiesza quite a bit, which is a Canadian dance artist. Soft AC artists are always relaxing as well. Starship you cannot go wrong with. 70s/80s pop I like as well. I think I said a lot, but don't like the "Groundhog Day" aspect of radio. At least where I live it is worse than ever. Flowers has played for about 8 months every hour and stuff like Jack FM never varies much after years of listening. I am trying country, but am taking time to get into it. I am only dipping my toes into streaming with Youtube music , as a lot of my life I have used radio for music. My ideas don't seem to go anywhere, as apparently the songs they research and pass are the only possible songs that could ever be played 24/7/365.

Tall Guy: Thank you for your reply. I see that you have eclectic and wide-ranging tastes in music ! You are a true connoisseur. From a standpoint of cultural aesthetics, that's great. But it requires that you get your music from a variety of sources. Just as no single restaurant in town can put hundreds of entrees on its menu, neither can any single radio station provide for a wide range of musical tastes. So, from my listener point of view, here are some ideas:

1. I agree w/ you that many ( but not all) radio stations in the midwest are bland and boring. So, go beyond the midwest by listening to stations that stream on your computer, phone, tablet, etc. That gives you access to literally thousands of stations in the U.S. and around the world. I would imagine there are a lot of stations in Canada that play Kiesza's music, as Canadian stations are obligated in some part to feature Canadian artists.

2. Look for "specialty shows" on rock or alternative stations that feature a certain decade or time frame of music. These shows are often in weekend time slots. For example, KLOS 95.5 in L.A. used to have a Sunday morning show called "Breakfast With the Beatles." They played Beatles music for 3 hours straight. They may still do this. ( I don't mean that you have to listen to Beatles music. That's just an example). Also, listener-supported stations often have specialty shows featuring a certain genre or time frame.

3. The most eclectic format I can think of in commercial radio is the Jack stations. But if you feel that they always play the same songs, then you need a service with more wide-ranging songs. So a Sirius subscription is one option. For about $10.99 a month, you can get lots of different formats on all your electronic devices. You have a much greater selection than commercial radio provides.

4. Same thing with "Music Choice" channels on cable tv. If you sign up with Comcast/Xfinity, or Cox, or other big cable companies, you can get at least 25 different music formats, each with extensive playlists( No commercials!) . Like you, I enjoy a wide range of songs and selections. So I listen to Music Choice a lot. There's a channel for everything, even long-lost genres like Beautiful Music, or Classic Country, or 50's Doo-Wop, or EDM, or.....anything. I was glad to pay for that subscription, which made me happy. You would have fun going through all those channels.

As a listener, this is what I've learned here: Radio is a business where it is important to make a profit. As such, it has to look after the bottom line and cannot please everyone, as much as station owners would like to do that. They know that most of their listeners will tune in for short bursts and will expect to hear hit songs ( which is why they play "Flowers" so often). It's a competitive business. It's really not set up to serve listeners like you and me with extensive tastes.

So, in summary, you and I, and people like us, will do a lot better by putting aside some money out of our budget to support our musical tastes. It is necessary, and it is money well spent. JMO -- Daryl

 

[tall_guy1]

Tall Guy: Thank you for your reply. I see that you have eclectic and wide-ranging tastes in music ! You are a true connoisseur. From a standpoint of cultural aesthetics, that's great. But it requires that you get your music from a variety of sources. Just as no single restaurant in town can put hundreds of entrees on its menu, neither can any single radio station provide for a wide range of musical tastes. So, from my listener point of view, here are some ideas:

1. I agree w/ you that many ( but not all) radio stations in the midwest are bland and boring. So, go beyond the midwest by listening to stations that stream on your computer, phone, tablet, etc. That gives you access to literally thousands of stations in the U.S. and around the world. I would imagine there are a lot of stations in Canada that play Kiesza's music, as Canadian stations are obligated in some part to feature Canadian artists.

2. Look for "specialty shows" on rock or alternative stations that feature a certain decade or time frame of music. These shows are often in weekend time slots. For example, KLOS 95.5 in L.A. used to have a Sunday morning show called "Breakfast With the Beatles." They played Beatles music for 3 hours straight. They may still do this. ( I don't mean that you have to listen to Beatles music. That's just an example). Also, listener-supported stations often have specialty shows featuring a certain genre or time frame.

3. The most eclectic format I can think of in commercial radio is the Jack stations. But if you feel that they always play the same songs, then you need a service with more wide-ranging songs. So a Sirius subscription is one option. For about $10.99 a month, you can get lots of different formats on all your electronic devices. You have a much greater selection than commercial radio provides.

4. Same thing with "Music Choice" channels on cable tv. If you sign up with Comcast/Xfinity, or Cox, or other big cable companies, you can get at least 25 different music formats, each with extensive playlists( No commercials!) . Like you, I enjoy a wide range of songs and selections. So I listen to Music Choice a lot. There's a channel for everything, even long-lost genres like Beautiful Music, or Classic Country, or 50's Doo-Wop, or EDM, or.....anything. I was glad to pay for that subscription, which made me happy. You would have fun going through all those channels.

As a listener, this is what I've learned here: Radio is a business where it is important to make a profit. As such, it has to look after the bottom line and cannot please everyone, as much as station owners would like to do that. They know that most of their listeners will tune in for short bursts and will expect to hear hit songs ( which is why they play "Flowers" so often). It's a competitive business. It's really not set up to serve listeners like you and me with extensive tastes.

So, in summary, you and I, and people like us, will do a lot better by putting aside some money out of our budget to support our musical tastes. It is necessary, and it is money well spent. JMO -- Daryl

Good response! Yes, I stream some Canadian stations and hear Kiesza on there. I have started to use Youtube Music as it comes with Youtube Premium, so hopefully there I can find more things I enjoy! It is good I am not the only one with differed tastes.

 

[vchimpanzee]

3. The most eclectic format I can think of in commercial radio is the Jack stations. But if you feel that they always play the same songs, then you need a service with more wide-ranging songs. So a Sirius subscription is one option. For about $10.99 a month, you can get lots of different formats on all your electronic devices. You have a much greater selection than commercial radio provides.

And I need it. Sirius/XM does not have a pop channel with the variety of music I enjoy. Willie's Place is probably close to what I like in country. For everything else it would take seven or eight channels to hear it all. Or there is a very small station in one of the smallest markets for which there are Nielsen ratings, whose owner I am guessing just plays what he likes, although many of the songs are on a list of songs which were very familiar because Wikipedia says the station once used Stardust. This station streams and on many days I can listen for three or four hours and hear only one or two songs that make me turn it off, and not a lot of repetition because the playlist is so big. Even the unfamiliar songs have become familiar for the most part. That doesn't happen to everyone with my particular taste.

4. Same thing with "Music Choice" channels on cable tv. If you sign up with Comcast/Xfinity, or Cox, or other big cable companies, you can get at least 25 different music formats, each with extensive playlists( No commercials!) . Like you, I enjoy a wide range of songs and selections. So I listen to Music Choice a lot. There's a channel for everything, even long-lost genres like Beautiful Music, or Classic Country, or 50's Doo-Wop, or EDM, or.....anything. I was glad to pay for that subscription, which made me happy. You would have fun going through all those channels.

I'm sure it costs a lot. I have the basic basic package. At least in 2004, when I asked, I was told this really good music that was used on one channel came from Music Choice. Rela Estate classifieds had it when there wasn't other music, though each company had its own annoying music before the presentations themselves, which used Music Choice.

 

[tall_guy1]

And I need it. Sirius/XM does not have a pop channel with the variety of music I enjoy. Willie's Place is probably close to what I like in country. For everything else it would take seven or eight channels to hear it all. Or there is a very small station in one of the smallest markets for which there are Nielsen ratings, whose owner I am guessing just plays what he likes, although many of the songs are on a list of songs which were very familiar because Wikipedia says the station once used Stardust. This station streams and on many days I can listen for three or four hours and hear only one or two songs that make me turn it off, and not a lot of repetition because the playlist is so big. Even the unfamiliar songs have become familiar for the most part. That doesn't happen to everyone with my particular taste.

I'm sure it costs a lot. I have the basic basic package. At least in 2004, when I asked, I was told this really good music that was used on one channel came from Music Choice. Rela Estate classifieds had it when there wasn't other music, though each company had its own annoying music before the presentations themselves, which used Music Choice.

I have only rented a car with Sirius and having a combination of channels which you can find stuff (even if not on one) still is nice.

 

[DOB]

I'd gladly pay 100 bucks a month for SXM as it's programming currently is, IF the sound quality was 1/10th as good as terrestrial radio processing sounds.
I've heard music on AM that sounds better.
I can create an mp3 file at 64kbps that sounds 10x better.
It's really a shame because they have many channels with excellent programming....sound quality cannot be underestimated, just as simple, basic maths skills shouldn't be. 😂

 

[Kelly A]

I'd gladly pay 100 bucks a month for SXM as it's programming currently is, IF the sound quality was 1/10th as good as terrestrial radio processing sounds.
I've heard music on AM that sounds better.
I can create an mp3 file at 64kbps that sounds 10x better.
It's really a shame because they have many channels with excellent programming....sound quality cannot be underestimated, just as simple, basic maths skills shouldn't be. 😂

The XM and streams sound every bit as good as FM, if not better. Sirius has long struggled with bitrate issues, but since the replacement of their satellites a few years ago, there have been marked improvements in their more popular music channels. Their streaming apps for iPhone and Android are even better than satellite.
Have you listened to it in the last two years?