Lately, I have been noticing that American FM stations no longer say the word "point" when announcing the frequency. In Springfield, Missouri, for instance, KTXR FM 101.3 says "one oh one three" instead of "one oh one point three." I find that to be sloppy because in other countries like the Philippines, their FM stations still say the word "point." IMHO it's more accurate to include the word "point" because if your radio has a digital tuner, there is actually a decimal point in the frequency, e.g. 101.3, not 1013.
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American FM stations not saying the word "point"
- Thread starter IBadget1
- Start date
I thought it was rather "catchy" when an Indianapolis broadcaster replaced the POINT with a DOT during the dot-com boom years.
I'm going to invoke a saying that I am not really fond of. Deck Chairs. With all the problems broadcasters face in keeping up with the direction the audience is going as they look at alternatives to radio in the form of podcasts, streaming, smart phones and everything else, for broadcast programmers to focus on the POINT in the station break or imaging seems to be like the guy re-arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.
But here is the validity in your post: We all deal with numbers differently. If I am going to give you a phone number, whether I write it and say it, it will come out 999 (pause) 999 (pause) 9999. Apparently that mental crutch is not important to some people. I hear commercials where a phone number comes out 9999 9999 99 or some other grouping. If you give me a phone number that way, my brain cannot visualize it "on the fly" and remember it long enough to walk across the room and write it down or dial it.
Is there any evidence that the average human being can memorize or visualize a radio station frequency better if it has a POINT nailed in there at the correct position? Or is that something only we who read FCC rules and tables even notice?
I'm going to invoke a saying that I am not really fond of. Deck Chairs. With all the problems broadcasters face in keeping up with the direction the audience is going as they look at alternatives to radio in the form of podcasts, streaming, smart phones and everything else, for broadcast programmers to focus on the POINT in the station break or imaging seems to be like the guy re-arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.
But here is the validity in your post: We all deal with numbers differently. If I am going to give you a phone number, whether I write it and say it, it will come out 999 (pause) 999 (pause) 9999. Apparently that mental crutch is not important to some people. I hear commercials where a phone number comes out 9999 9999 99 or some other grouping. If you give me a phone number that way, my brain cannot visualize it "on the fly" and remember it long enough to walk across the room and write it down or dial it.
Is there any evidence that the average human being can memorize or visualize a radio station frequency better if it has a POINT nailed in there at the correct position? Or is that something only we who read FCC rules and tables even notice?
Around here, only a few stations still include the "point" in the branding (those being FLY 92.3, B95.5, 98.3 WTRY, 100.3 The Point, 100.9 The Bridge, and 107.7 WGNA), while the rest either round the frequency (PYX 106, Q103) or just not use point at all (99.5 The River, 102.3 Kiss FM, 105.7 Crush FM, etc.)
I personally don't like rounding the frequency (ie. 107.7 or 107.9 rounding up to 108, etc.), if you must not use the decimal please use the lower number (107.7 or 107.9 rounding down to 107)
Also, FLY 92 and B95 later added on the ".3" and ".5" respectively in Albany, I believe
I personally don't like rounding the frequency (ie. 107.7 or 107.9 rounding up to 108, etc.), if you must not use the decimal please use the lower number (107.7 or 107.9 rounding down to 107)
Also, FLY 92 and B95 later added on the ".3" and ".5" respectively in Albany, I believe
But as we all learned in the 2nd grade, it's correct for .5, .7 & .9 to round UP. Rounding down would be the wrong way to go. I like rounding, personally. It sounds catchy. Of the Providence F.M.s 4 of the 6 major signals round off their frequency: 92 Pro-FM (92.3), 94HJY (94.1), B101 (101.5, SHOULD be "102") & Lite Rock 105 (105.1). Additionally, Hot 106 rounds off from 106.3. I like using the decimal points & never liked the "dot".
Ironically, it was a Seattle station, KXRX (now KJAQ) that introduced the "96 DOT 5" method of frequency IDing in 1987. I'm not sure exactly how they came up with that, but they were FAR ahead of their time.
Ever hear of Minneapolis' U-100? Their FM frequency was 101.3 MHz and their AM was 980 kHz, but they were located around the "100" (x10 for AM) of the analog AM/FM radio dials of their mid '70s heyday. And that was all that mattered to them.
Ever hear of Minneapolis' U-100? Their FM frequency was 101.3 MHz and their AM was 980 kHz, but they were located around the "100" (x10 for AM) of the analog AM/FM radio dials of their mid '70s heyday. And that was all that mattered to them.
The longstanding FM stations that have been on a frequency since the 1970s and early 1980s -- before the advent of digital tuners -- are probably the ones that still brand themselves as an integer frequency. Like Magic 105 in Little Rock (before it flipped) or KISR 93 in Fort Smith (which is actually 93.7 -- rounding fail).
Goat Rodeo Cowboy said:
Excellent points, GRC!! I can relate especially about the phone numbers. Here's another analogy....
I say "Twenty Eleven" while others might say "Two Thousand Eleven"
C
Charlie
Guest
I suppose the real question is do your listeners understand that, in most cases, an frequency has a decimal point anyway. There's more scope for errors our side of the water as AM frequencies are at 9KHz spacing. Older people I've noticed tend to have problems with the exact name of the station let alone the frequency "Radio Essex" was a popular term here - they actually meant BBC (Radio) Essex which wasn't named like other BBC local stations as it wanted to avoid confusion with it's commercial rival: Essex Radio.
Give the detail in the easiest way for people to take-in, digest and remember
"Radio Essex" was a popular term here - they actually meant BBC (Radio) Essex which wasn't named like other BBC local stations as it wanted to avoid confusion with it's commercial rival: Essex Radio.Give the detail in the easiest way for people to take-in, digest and remember
M
Martin Mac
Guest
I know at one point, Washington D.C. Rhythmic WPGC 95.5 (which is not only their call letters and dial, but slogan too) had a sign outside the booth in the station that said "DO NOT SAY THE POINT, ITS 95-5). The MD stated that he removed the point because it was a thing of the past, and this is the thing that people were doing these days. He also said it had something to do with the signal or HD radio, it's really fuzzy as to exactly why, but they made it an effort to not say the point.
Of course this was a year and some months ago, since then they've introduced it back into their slogan.
Of course this was a year and some months ago, since then they've introduced it back into their slogan.
C
cd637299
Guest
Didn't KZPS Dallas-Ft. Worth used to call themselves "Ninety two and a half?" How many point-fives still do that? (If they did, I'm sure their website would be a mouthful, so I doubt if any do it now, except if their site contains mainly the call letters.)
cd
cd
C
cd637299
Guest
In Sydney, Australia, there is 2KY on AM 1017 kHz, & 2UUS-FM "WSFM" on 101.7 MHz!!
I am sure that neither of them stress dial position!
cd
I am sure that neither of them stress dial position!
cd
cd637299 said:
The commercial AM and FM stations in the town of Muswellbrook north of Sydney are 2NM on AM 981 kHz and Power FM on 98.1 MHz. Both stations are owned by the same company so they have no problem with the coincidental frequency. I think Power FM says their frequency as Ninety Eight Point One and 2NM as Nine Eighty-One.
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