Alpha Media purge reaches Sherman/Denison/far north Dallas suburbs

[davideduardo]

Keep in mind that, after 1975, you could not get separate measurements for Dallas and Ft. Worth. AM stations were designed to cover one or the other but not both. Even 50 years ago, only three or four AM's covered both Dallas and Ft. Worth 24 hours-a-day. AM died more quickly in DFW than in most areas for that reason.

Remember, AM "died" or faded off faster in a number of markets where there were few good AM signals.... Cleveland, Miami, Atlanta, Phoenix, Washington DC, are just a couple of examples of where large metros or growing populations gave FM a huge advantage.

 

[Huff]

Keep in mind that, after 1975, you could not get separate measurements for Dallas and Ft. Worth. AM stations were designed to cover one or the other but not both. Even 50 years ago, only three or four AM's covered both Dallas and Ft. Worth 24 hours-a-day. AM died more quickly in DFW than in most areas for that reason.

The Dallas and Fort Worth markets were combined starting with the Oct/Nov 1973 survey. Arbitron continued to produce separate Dallas and Fort Worth surveys for subscribers only through 1982, though those quickly grew of less and less significance. The 1973 merger meant Markets #17 and #49 were suddenly Market #10, and that meant a flood of new ad dollars. Even before then, the writing was on the wall as the FMs that weren't on Cedar Hill (yet), scrambled to move there and cover both cities.

Prior to 1970, only the 3 FMs on the Hill Tower (92.5, 96.3 and 97.9) plus KVIL-FM transmitted from Cedar Hill. They were joined by:
1970: 100.3
1971: 102.1, 105.3
1972: 102.9
1973: 97.1
1976: 99.5
(94.1, 94.9, 98.7, 101.1, 104.5, 106.1 and 107.5 would move to Cedar Hill much later due to a variety of issues.)
Dallas/Fort Worth was also ideal terrain for FM, as the signals from Cedar Hill blanket the market without any topographic obstructions. Especially in the days before digital tuners, that went a long way toward helping FM's growth. DFW was one of the first ten markets to surpass 50% in FM listening, doing so in late 1976.

 

[Mediafrog+]

Prior to 1970, only the 3 FMs on the Hill Tower (92.5, 96.3 and 97.9) plus KVIL-FM transmitted from Cedar Hill.

Should note at that time 92.5, 96.3 and 97.9 were co-owned with the CBS, NBC and ABC DFW TV affiliates respectively.

(94.1, 94.9, 98.7, 101.1, 104.5, 106.1 and 107.5 would move to Cedar Hill much later due to a variety of issues.)

The move of stations to Cedar Hill emphasized the signal deficiencies of those stations that hadn’t made the move yet. In Tarrant County in the mid 1970s 98.7, 101.1 and 104.5 were noticeably weaker than the Cedar Hill signals. They did fine on a good quality receiver, but were almost drowned out on cheap portable radios. Same thing in Dallas County with 94.9 and 107.5.

Dallas/Fort Worth was also ideal terrain for FM, as the signals from Cedar Hill blanket the market without any topographic obstructions. Especially in the days before digital tuners, that went a long way toward helping FM's growth. DFW was one of the first ten markets to surpass 50% in FM listening, doing so in late 1976.

Didn’t hurt that there was a very nice variety of quality formats on DFW FM in the mid 1970s.

 

[TheBigA]

Should note at that time 92.5, 96.3 and 97.9 were co-owned with the CBS, NBC and ABC DFW TV affiliates respectively.

Didn’t hurt that there was a very nice variety of quality formats on DFW FM in the mid 1970s.

And should also note that all three of the networks owned major record labels at the time, creating and promoting music that they wanted to get played on their owned & operated radio stations. By the end of the 80s, Columbia & RCA were sold to foreign companies, and ABC had already told its label.

 

[TMiller]

I recall being a fan of KFJZ back in the mid-70s. Very well programmed, good talent and a very ample commercial load.

I got my first fulltime on air job in 1978 on the border. By the time I returned to the metro in 1980, KFJZ was still top 40 but the talent sounded more small market and the commercial load barely half what it had been maybe 4 years prior when I was listening to the likes of Mark Stevens (later Stevens & Pruett of KLOL fame in Houston). The former dominant AMs fell and fell quickly to the FM dial. It likely didn't help that KFJZ FM, Z-97, had been top 40 for a few years, launching commercial free for, I think 3 months or so before airing commercials. The first letter to arrive when the first commercial aired with the time and business name won, I think, $10,000 (maybe $25,000...memory if fuzzy). Z-97 made such an impact their competitors even addressed it. I recall the evening jock on KLIF fielding a call from a listener who asked about it. The jock said 'they will have commercials soon enough'.

Radio in general is going the way many AM stations went once FM listening took over.

I'm lucky. The North Texas station I work is insanely popular given there are 50 signals you can get on your radio. We rely on local businesses and they feel they must include us as part of their marketing because the station has just over 1 in 4 in the county listening. I've worked stations where I had to explain the station I worked for when cold calling. I say who I work for or they see my shirt and there's instant respect. Here I walk in a business with my shirt with station logo and about 1/3rd of the time a customer of that business says hello and says they listen. Those shirts are a hell of a sales tool. I am not saying what we are doing here will change radio. The truth is, we are not a normal station. There are not a whole bunch of stations like us.

What station do you work for?

 

[b-turner]

Now I work in Gainesville at KGAF. We have 24/7 covered with voice tracking or live with almost entirely major market talent my owner worked with.

 

[LibertyNT]

Now I work in Gainesville at KGAF. We have 24/7 covered with voice tracking or live with almost entirely major market talent my owner worked with.

KGAF is one of the most solid sounding small town stations I've ever heard. I'd be lying if I said we didn't try to copy it where I was. Glad yall got that hum fixed on 92.3.

 

[Kelly A]

The current path most companies seem to be utilizing seems to be leading to a downward spiral, and even with the new forms of digital media that have emerged in the past couple of decades, it doesn’t have to be that way.

So, other than being on Facebook, what do you suggest to make it 'not that way'?