Air1 and K-Love has such a small play list they are hard to listen to to for very long. Even if you only would listen a couple times a year you would hear the same few songs each time.
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AAA 103.7 KHJK sold to EMF.
- Thread starter xmusicmatt
- Start date
stan said:
There is a loophole in the translator rules that allows noncommercial stations to be fed via means other than off-air by distant stations. That rule was intended for public radio networks to feed translators in remote areas of their states, but after Moody Bible Network figured out you could use it to feed any non-comm anywhere via satellite and it held up after being challenged before the FCC, loads of religious broadcasters have used it to build networks off of one or two primary non-comm stations. That's how Calvary Chapel rebroadcasts Twin Falls, ID and American Family Radio rebroadcasts a Mississippi station nationwide.
It's not what the rule was intended for, but there's no way to change the rule without killing several state radio networks out west and cutting off some small communities from the rest of their state, so the FCC will leave it alone.
johndavis said:
90% correct. The rule allows noncommercial translators in the reserved part of the FM band to be fed via means other than over-the-air. Noncommercial translators at 92.1 and above must still be fed off-air or obtain a waiver, though FCC rules do allow an exception for noncoms to the rule prohibiting common ownership of translators when the translator is outside the parent station's city grade signal contour.
EMF's purchase of a full-power station in the San Antonio area was mentioned earlier. Here's the main studio waiver request for KZAR 97.7 (formerly KLTO-FM): https://licensing.fcc.gov/cdbs/CDBS...?appn=101438954&qnum=5050©num=1&exhcnum=1
By claiming a "serious financial burden" they got the MSW.
By claiming a "serious financial burden" they got the MSW.
brian.marchand said:
Of course, when you see an EMF station in the top 5 in competitive markets like Kansas City or Denver, you might conclude that a short playlist of the best songs works really well... as it does in nearly every other music format.
Thanks for your comments Josh and Dave about how small play lists generate more listeners. I have heard that a lot on these boards so I know it has to be true. I'm guessing the average listener is a causal listener and for ccm is a woman in her 30's may mostly listen in her car half paying attention and wants the hits when she is driving. And maybe she may listen a little at home with the music in the background. So she may not always be listening closely. My wife tells me she listens mostly for the music and does not always pay attention to the words. I always pay attention to the words if a song has words.
Perhaps also because many people today turn the radio on to hear something they like and are familiar with no matter how many times it is on? Although I hate hearing the same few songs every few hours all year long. If they want variety maybe they will buy the album or download it?
But I think most people who follow radio as a hobby on this board are more than casual listeners and listen longer and pay more attention to the songs and so prefer more variety although we are not the majority. So we like to have a place to express our opinion. I do not even like most ccm anymore partly because of the small play lists plus other reasons. I prefer classical music now.
My point in posting was that some people on this message board may be excited about having Air1 in Houston but may get tired of it soon as those on this site seem to be different than the average listener.
Perhaps also because many people today turn the radio on to hear something they like and are familiar with no matter how many times it is on? Although I hate hearing the same few songs every few hours all year long. If they want variety maybe they will buy the album or download it?
But I think most people who follow radio as a hobby on this board are more than casual listeners and listen longer and pay more attention to the songs and so prefer more variety although we are not the majority. So we like to have a place to express our opinion. I do not even like most ccm anymore partly because of the small play lists plus other reasons. I prefer classical music now.
My point in posting was that some people on this message board may be excited about having Air1 in Houston but may get tired of it soon as those on this site seem to be different than the average listener.
brian.marchand said:
Or maybe there are those who do not want the current format to go away as this is the only comm station in Houston that is worth listening to. The Buzz is active rock, Rice Radio is gone.
I am a casual listener, but I don't want to listen to top 40, country, rap, religious or classic rock. I want my alternative rock and no, I don't want to mess with Pandora or iPods in the car as I don't need more distractions from the road. Ugh! I'll just turn off the radio here. What's the use?
Rice Radio is on HD radio in Houston so buy an HD radio and you may have to go online to buy one or several. That is what I did. I like classical music and most of the classical radio where I live and for that matter across the country is now just on HD radios. I have an HD radio in my car and several at home. If a radio does not have HD I get rid of it. If I could not get classical on HD I would get XM/Sirius. So that is your second option.
R
rbrucecarter5
Guest
brian.marchand said:
Well, we may have different musical tastes but the end result is the same. Houston radio has become so bad we just do without. So does my wife, most of her family, and most people I know at work and at church. That's a lot of disallusioned people.
Personally, I wish it was one of the stupid foreign language outlets going Air-1, I like 103.7 too. And the small play list of Air-1 is a small consolation. I wish KSBJ had bought it for NGEN, because NGEN really is creative, huge playlist, and very listenable. But that is my personal taste. I'm a classical fan, too. But I realize a lot of people lost their station when 91.7 came on the air, so it came at a price, too.
As far as HD goes, yes, there are two HD formats of some interest, the oldies on 107.5 and NGEN on KSBJ. I'll suffer through reception problems in North Houston on 99.5 in my car. There is no point getting an HD radio, as NGEN will be on 99.5, weak though it will be, classical is on 91.7, and oldies - well satellite does that better than suffering through KEYH splatter on KONO 860, or weak KHVL, or endless fishing chatter on 99.9, or weak signal on 92.5.
I know a lot of people don't want to fuss with streaming or pandora while driving, but with a dock on the iPhone and dedicated apps it works. If it goes down I don't fiddle with it, I just go to satellite.
I've had to face the fact I'm way out of touch with what is on the radio. Its no consolation to me that I know tons of people who feel the same. Houston radio programmers will just blissfully go on doing their corporate focus group thing, ignorant of the slow erosion of general satisfaction with the radio dial, slicing up pieces of an ever shrinking pie. From what I can tell, it is that way in most markets. If you don't like mindless slob sports, foreign language chatter, the piddle drivel and swill of liberal and conservative talk radio, endless modern country wannabes (Taylor exempted by special disposition), ugly urban hate / drug / sex rap, short list top-40, and - whatever 107.5 and 106.9 are, I can't figure it out and they sure as heaven can't figure it out themselves - then turn off the radio because you won't find it here.
What I do find is music by decades on satellite, 50's, 60's, and 70's with music that inspired most of today's artists and was a heck of a lot more creative. I've got three channels of classical, show tunes, movie tunes. I've got classic rock - REAL classic rock on two channels. Top-40 stations from LA and New York who do have large playlists. I've got mellow / light / rock from people who do a better job than KODA. I've got many specialty channels, Elvis, Grateful Dead, Pink Floyd coming up. I've got a dozen mix and blend type channels to suit many different moods. So satellite, although I have to pay, is offering me many diverse formats that could be done over the air - but aren't. I can understand why stations want to program for ratings, and if people want slob sports, Christian Delilah 24/7, top-40 with 20 songs on the playlist - and they can sell commercials, great. People do NOT know what they are missing or something, because radio used to be something much more. Something better - a slogan shamelessly stolen from KSBJ before they arrogantly started saying "God Listens (to us, you should too)" At least that is the implication to me. Really rubs me the wrong way. I'd really prefer "something better" again. Or " we are the station that humbly plays what YOU want, not what Bill Gothard approves". But that is another thread about Christian radio. Suffice it to say I'd love nothing better than NGEN on 89.3. Oldies on either 106.9 or 107.5. Real classic rock on 93.7. Top-40 - KIIS style - on 104.1. Don't know what constitutes real country today but I do know WSM plays it at night and I like that type of country. Kudos to 91.7, finally I don't have to miss WRR so much. Little adjustments on frequencies we already got would go a long way to peak my interest in radio again. Now I just basically collect radios that sit gathering dust on display shelves, and remember the time I could hear the greats of rock and roll coming out of the speakers from McLendon stations, WLS, KOMA, WABC. Now - all silent. So - from a former radio addict - it is time to go silent myself for the night. And remember when radio was relevant, fun, and creative.
rbrucecarter5 said:
Time for you to move to Austin.
Here is what we got in Austin:
KMFA 89.3 Classical
KKMJ HD-2 95.5 Oldies
KXBT 98.9 Classic Hits/Oldies
KVET HD-2 98.1 Jammin 103.1 Old School
KROX 101x Alternative Hypersonic on Saturdays EDM
KBPA 103.5 Adult Hits Bob FM
KBPA 103.5 HD2 and streaming Dance Mega
KFMK 105.9 Christian AC Spirit 105.9
K-Love 106.3
and yes the top 40's are crappy and have short play lists but who cares when we have a slew a great stations.
Better than San Antonio's Classic Rock wannabes and Top 40 (20) this and that.
I miss the 90s Houston when Houston had a genre for everyone in radio.
Now when you go down to Houston you think you are in Mexico with a large number of the stations in Spanish.
Does Houston have good OTA TV? San Antonio does, they have ME-TV and we don't, we used to have Retro TV and that became Telemundo.
103.7 coverage area for Houston is a joke. I pick up rimshot translator 103.1 good on my walkman (except for the power lines) but when I lived in SW Houston 103.7 would only be somewhat listenable to on a car stereo.
I have to admit that maybe because I'm in my 50s I can see what has brought radio to the point it is. I saw it changing about 30 years ago. Stations were trying to 'one up' their competition. The looked at things listeners didn't care for. They began slicing here or there and what was irritating to some groups was eliminated. Over the years most of the DJ chatter and certainly the artistic liberties of on air talent became very restricted. Playlists became formulas.
I describe it this way: Radio was less restrictive prior to the 1980s in music playlists and on air sound. Radio was like the 31 flavor ice cream store. It seemed if one flavor wasn't faring too well, they'd add another flavor and so forth. In the 1980s, flavors that gave the ice cream shop distinction were taken from the menu. Now we are approaching just plain vanilla. After all, everybody likes vanilla, right? Sure, vanilla is everyone's choice versus no ice cream at all but we find ourselves with a craving for Tin Roof or Cookies and Cream instead.
Now that we have built the box and worked our way in the box, how do we get out? Radio had to build the box. We had reached the point we had to carve a niche in the market to maximize success but did we take it too far? Perhaps. Maybe it is more like what an early boss told me about programming in a small market: the idea is to be the best choice on the dial...the lesser of all evils, versus most people's favorite station. Have we reached the point formats are so splintered that the audience demands these splintered formats? Is mass appeal dead because there are so many options?
Has radio done what TV has done? 100 channels and nothing good is on?
I describe it this way: Radio was less restrictive prior to the 1980s in music playlists and on air sound. Radio was like the 31 flavor ice cream store. It seemed if one flavor wasn't faring too well, they'd add another flavor and so forth. In the 1980s, flavors that gave the ice cream shop distinction were taken from the menu. Now we are approaching just plain vanilla. After all, everybody likes vanilla, right? Sure, vanilla is everyone's choice versus no ice cream at all but we find ourselves with a craving for Tin Roof or Cookies and Cream instead.
Now that we have built the box and worked our way in the box, how do we get out? Radio had to build the box. We had reached the point we had to carve a niche in the market to maximize success but did we take it too far? Perhaps. Maybe it is more like what an early boss told me about programming in a small market: the idea is to be the best choice on the dial...the lesser of all evils, versus most people's favorite station. Have we reached the point formats are so splintered that the audience demands these splintered formats? Is mass appeal dead because there are so many options?
Has radio done what TV has done? 100 channels and nothing good is on?
I think you nailed it. Once everyone went to those niche formats, they only ended up with niche audiences. There seemed to be this mentality that if you tried to please everyone, you wouldn't please anybody. Full service radio stations, even in small markets, disappeared. The first thing to go was the top-of-the hour local newscast and the news/sports people. Remote broadcasts from a local dancehall or club went away. Only Saturday morning car dealer remotes were left. Then, the overnight jocks that we used to stay up listening to when our parents thought we had gone to bed. Next, they eliminated the midday shift. Now, it seems they've eliminated the afternoon drive in a lot of markets. About all that's left is a morning drive, and it's been sterilized and homogenized to the point that it doesn't remotely qualify as entertainment. No more morning zoos. I don't think they can destroy local radio any better than they have.
If 103.7 becomes Air1, it will be a positive for the market, as that musical genre is currently unavailable. If it is K-Love, it will be too similar to KSBJ.
Oddly, the current AAA format on 103.7 might actually become more interesting and varied before the format flip, now that Cumulus has no long-term interest in the station. Sometimes in such situations the playlist gets thrown wide open.
In San Antonio, it took around 14 weeks from the sale announcement of 97.7 to the actual format flip to EMF proramming. So I expect a change on 103.7 around Labor Day, barring any early lease agreement.
Somewhat sorry to see the AAA format go, as it was one of the few tolerable formats for me on Houston radio.
Oddly, the current AAA format on 103.7 might actually become more interesting and varied before the format flip, now that Cumulus has no long-term interest in the station. Sometimes in such situations the playlist gets thrown wide open.
In San Antonio, it took around 14 weeks from the sale announcement of 97.7 to the actual format flip to EMF proramming. So I expect a change on 103.7 around Labor Day, barring any early lease agreement.
Somewhat sorry to see the AAA format go, as it was one of the few tolerable formats for me on Houston radio.
Funny, as an observer from Buffalo
this thread went from - station sold in houston,
to what is wrong with radio (and pop40 today)...
im smack dab in the middle, (age 38) however
one thing has remained constant on the radio dial
when u are young, as DJ Jazzy Jeff/Fresh Prince sang:
"Parents just don't understand"
and when you become "grandfathered" into your golden years:
You will tell "kids" today it was better when they were young,
after growing up -30 years ago and
listening to the decades, "sounds" the same to me...
Guess the sign was right when I read it as a teenager,
"kid: move out while you still know everything"
(and laugh at it when I am an adult)
this thread went from - station sold in houston,
to what is wrong with radio (and pop40 today)...
im smack dab in the middle, (age 38) however
one thing has remained constant on the radio dial
when u are young, as DJ Jazzy Jeff/Fresh Prince sang:
"Parents just don't understand"
and when you become "grandfathered" into your golden years:
You will tell "kids" today it was better when they were young,
after growing up -30 years ago and
listening to the decades, "sounds" the same to me...
Guess the sign was right when I read it as a teenager,
"kid: move out while you still know everything"
(and laugh at it when I am an adult)
EJM said:
I think you are correct. When I first saw this deal, I figured the Golden Triangle was a significant part of the appeal. EMF (and other listener-supported networks) are uniquely capable of taking advantage of a signal like KHJK. Rimshots and signals that cover multiple markets are problematic to commercial operators because ads are virtually always sold on a market-by-market basis. One market gets bought and the other market(s) gets thrown in for free.
If you are non-commercial and only have one set of customers (the donating listeners) instead of two (listeners + advertisers), then it doesn't really matter where the listeners come from. You also don't have to worry about losing focus trying to serve more than one market (and at the expense of alienating the other).
P
purpledevil
Guest
Ryan Williams said:
...and if that is the case then kudos to EMF. 103.7 has no business targetting this market with the signal it sends this way in the first place.
P
purpledevil
Guest
stan said:
I am surprised to read that from you. I am hoping, and perhaps blindly, that this will be the first domino to fall in returning Beaumont's and Port Arthur's stations BACK to the Triangle. I personally would like to see 97.5 give some local presence back to Beaumont once David Gow takes control of the station. Wishful thinking on my part, nonetheless, something that I think is well overdue. The eastern rimshots have never been successful targetting Houston, at least ratings wise.
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