...2007

[ajhenderson]

With sports being an exception, the folks who listen to AM are getting increasingly older - too old, in fact, for advertisers to pay much attention to them anymore. Over the long term (10 more years maybe), there is little future for mass-market AM radio outside of a few big-city 50 kW non-directional blowtorches - something Phoenix does not possess, while DFW does. We don't have a WBAP, WGN, or KFI here and probably never will.

It's only that Mickey Mouse presently calls the shots on our only full-time 50kW. Too bad it's heard better in West Covina than in parts of the valley.

 

[KeithE4]

It's only that Mickey Mouse presently calls the shots on our only full-time 50kW. Too bad it's heard better in West Covina than in parts of the valley.

It's also unratable, therefore non-sellable (if Disney were inclined use it for something other than a 24/7 pseudo-infomercial for their own brand) since 99% of KMIK's listening audience is under 12. A total waste of 50,000 watts, directional or not.

 

[oldiesfan6479]

It's only that Mickey Mouse presently calls the shots on our only full-time 50kW. Too bad it's heard better in West Covina than in parts of the valley.

San Diego perhaps, but not likely West Covina.

KMIK 1580 Tempe and KBLA 1580 Santa Monica (the old KDAY, XMTR site at 1700 North Alvarado in El Lay) protect each other at night.

 

[ajhenderson]

The point was that one full-time 50kW (and only two daytime 50kWs) exist in the valley, obviously far fewer than mentioned than those (on lower frequencies) in LA, Chicago, NYC, even SF or Dallas.

I'm aware of KBLA and also aware that it gets torn to shreds, partly by KMIK, throughout a good chunk of the LA market and most of the IE at night. They have an eastern null around Downey.

 

[EDwalker]

Its also unratable, therefore non-sellable (if Disney were inclined use it for something other than a 24/7 pseudo-infomercial for their own brand) since 99% of KMIK's listening audience is under 12. A total waste of 50,000 watts, directional or not.

Thats what Disney is inclined to do. I don't know whether thats a total waste of 50,000 watts though. It sounds like a limitation of the rating services, not that the station might be serving the under 12 audience. The same argument could be made for non-comms too! Just might not be your cup o' tea, perhaps.

 

[KeithE4]

KMIK does run local ads

Thats what Disney is inclined to do. I don't know whether thats a total waste of 50,000 watts though. It sounds like a limitation of the rating services, not that the station might be serving the under 12 audience. The same argument could be made for non-comms too! Just might not be your cup o' tea, perhaps.

Amazingly, KMIK does run some ads geared at adults. Tuning across the dial on the way to work this morning, I heard ads for Ikea (mentioning the Tempe store specifically) and Empire Carpets on 1580 at about 6:40 AM. Obviously little kids won't be buying furniture or carpeting, so I have to assume that Disney expects parents to be within earshot of their kids' radios.

But even so, how many kids (and their parents) are actually listening? How many kids even know what the AM dial is (there are a few RD stations on FM but not many)? Overall, it's still a waste of 50 kW even with some local advertising.

 

[davideduardo]

The point was that one full-time 50kW (and only two daytime 50kWs) exist in the valley, obviously far fewer than mentioned than those (on lower frequencies) in LA, Chicago, NYC, even SF or Dallas.

I'm aware of KBLA and also aware that it gets torn to shreds, partly by KMIK, throughout a good chunk of the LA market and most of the IE at night. They have an eastern null around Downey.

Phoenix has a population of aobut 60 thousand when the major AM allocations were made... this is why there are only a couple of viable AMs in the market.

Downy is SOUTH of KBLA, not east. The null to the SSE on KBLA at night is due to the primary allocation on 1580, XEDM, a 50 kw non-directional station in Hermosillo, Sonora. KBLA also protects a (non-existent) station in Québec, so the night lobe shoots from around Boyle Heights over Santa Monica and out to sea.

Nearly no LA AMs cover the IE at night. Really, only KFI and KNX do any kind of job at all, and both get chopped up by interference (co-channels from Mexico) in the eastern parts of the market, like Redlands and Morneno Valley.

 

[zumahans]

Wouldn't KFI want to build a big stick further east, say, in Chino, for that reason?

Or is the ground conductivity out there among the mobile home parks poor?

 

[KeithE4]

Phoenix has a population of aobut 60 thousand when the major AM allocations were made... this is why there are only a couple of viable AMs in the market.

Actually, the Phoenix metro (Maricopa County) population was 186,000 in 1940. The city of Phoenix was about 65,000 that year.

When the NARBA frequency changes happened a year later, there were only 3 stations in the city: KOY 550 (moved from 1390 in 1940), KTAR 620, and KPHO 1200 (moved to 1230 with NARBA and to 910 in 1949) - and none in the outlying areas. No other stations came on the air until after WW2. Between 1946 and 1964, 18 AM stations went on the air. None of those were 50,000 even during the day except for KYND 1580 (now KMIK), and it was a daytimer until sometime in the '80s.

All of the stations that weren't daytimers had good nighttime coverage of the metro as defined in that era (approximately a 15-mile radius from downtown Phoenix in 1960, as opposed to a 40-mile radius today). They couldn't upgrade in most cases and don't get the job done by today's standards.

 

[NewtotheNasti]

That's great Phoenix radio history, where'd you get that info???

Always enjoy your posts, have a great holiday!

 

[thirdtickket]

KMIK traces its lineage to KYND, Tempe, then in 1967 Buck Owens bought it and changed the calls to KTUF-1580, in 1978 to KNIX-AM. It was a daytimer up until early 1980 when the 5 stick array was constructed in Mesa (near the 202 Freeway) and then KNIX-AM went 24 hours, I believe the power was 50k daytime , 10K nighttime directional.

Up until 1980 KNIX-AM simulcast with KNIX-FM 102.5. In 1980, the AM had its very own fulltime airstaff for a few years.....then it later became KCWW, Real Country.

By the way, KNIX-AM experiemented with an AM STEREO signal when they went 24 hours...a novelty that did not catch on....! I know, because I was working at KNIX at the time of the change.

Buck sold KNIX-AM before selling 102.5 FM and KEZ to Jacor/Clear Channel in 1999.