Well that's who still listens to AM radio so classical might be one of the few formats that can still get an audience. There are lots of people in that age group whose hearing has declined to the point where AM sound quality is probably fine for them, and some listen through hearing aids anyway. Other than that, at least the AM signal gives the station an on-air presence and brand awareness in the market and the hi-fi seekers may be reminded to fire up the stream if not HD Radio.
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And KSUR's next move: All Classical
- Thread starter davideduardo
- Start date
Well that's who still listens to AM radio so classical might be one of the few formats that can still get an audience. There are lots of people in that age group whose hearing has declined to the point where AM sound quality is probably fine for them, and some listen through hearing aids anyway. Other than that, at least the AM signal gives the station an on-air presence and brand awareness in the market and the hi-fi seekers may be reminded to fire up the stream if not HD Radio.
It's been about half a century since classical music has been at all acceptable on AM. It does not matter what age a person is... they know FM sounds a lot better than AM for music which is why most music disappeared from AM by the end of the 80's... over 30 years ago.
I agree with Scot Fybush: if there is any plan behind this other than saving money, it has to be the potential for all-digital AM with that format.
If anything, AM sounds more muffled to persons with impaired hearing while FM is clearer. And, if the idea is to reach those in higher income groups... those are folks who have hearing aids which compensate for hearing loss and they pretty much restore "normal" ranges of hearing.
Interestingly, at one point some years back I bought hearing aids and had them programmed with a variety of settings to mimic male and female "normal" hearing for middle and older ages within our target but adjusted to my ears. The hearing aids could simulate any desired attenuation (of course, we did it in reverse) and helped us avoid audio processing that might be offensive or irritating to some.
I worked at an FM station where the owner, who was in his 60s or 70s, had the normal hearing loss for that age which takes out the high ends. He insisted on setting the processing so it sounded good to him, which made it sound like a tin can to everyone else.
saul is old, rich and can afford to do what he likes.. knowing the station wont make much money or any ratings.. if i were him, i cant say i wouldnt do the same thing.. and so would everyone else here. come on, our dreams are to run a radio station however we wanted, programming our favorite music. at least some of our dreams
and if he sold off to a foreign language or religious broadcaster, wed then complain about that, that english language/music was gone from yet another dial spot.
Somebody shudda' bought him those hearing aids they sell on the PI TV ads. Everyone chips in $25 and they guarantee employment for a bit longer.
As I’m sure you know, hearing aids don’t work like glasses. They improve your hearing, but it doesn’t sound like it would to someone with normal hearing.
Ex #1 had severe hearing loss in her right ear, and her method for dealing with it in the car was to put the balance of the speakers entirely on the left side. Whenever I’d drive her car, I’d turn on the radio and get blasted out until I moved the balance back to the center. Not sure if that was worse or if it was that she usually put it on country and western!
Ex #1 had severe hearing loss in her right ear, and her method for dealing with it in the car was to put the balance of the speakers entirely on the left side. Whenever I’d drive her car, I’d turn on the radio and get blasted out until I moved the balance back to the center. Not sure if that was worse or if it was that she usually put it on country and western!
hearing aids are basically equalizers with an amplifier. They compensate for hearing loss by compensating in bands. A well designed one adjusts to try to restore normal hearing.
If your ex had hearing aids, they would balance the ears individually.
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The land the towers sit on will only increase in value. If Saul wants to ride it out (and try to cap his career by being the pioneer of digital AM), more power to him. When the time comes to cash in, he'll do fine. The license is not where the money is.
I'm not sure that the site will appreciate much. It's in Pacoima, in proximity to the "Gangs 'r Us" areas of the NE San Fernando Valley.
There is considerable concern in the LA area that there is going to be a severe drop in mid-range prices as so many middle-income persons who can are leaving the area for either another state of a less urban area of CA. Where I am, prices for properties in the $600 k to $1.5 million are up by about 20% since the beginning of the virus, mostly pushed by exiles from the LA area.
Beyond the value of Saul's land up there, this may have a significant effect on formats that have less ethnic group appeal as this appears to be a significant example of what is somewhat insensitively called "white flight".
Note for those out of California: prices in nicer areas of LA (as one example) for a two bedroom 1900 sq foot poorly engineered and built condo can be around $800,000 or more. My sister's larger and much nicer condo in a fine suburb of Cleveland is valued at around $150,000.
I explain all this because some of the cost of living and urban instability issues may considerably effect radio listening and even population of some metros; my neighborhood has two new residents who have permanently left Seattle.
That kind of "urban flight" typically affects older people who aren't necessarily targets for commercial radio stations.
I'm seeing that in mid-level folks in their 30's and 40's in radio. They can work from home anywhere. And air staff is building home studios and voicetracking multiple stations from home in a lower tax state with less congestion and pollution.
Another new neighbor does financing for high-damage lawsuits. She had offices in LA and New York: both are permanently closed and her other associates have relocated to AZ and TN. And I'm seeing consultants and lawyers and the like leaving large metros and expensive or conflict-prone states.
My daughter, an attorney in international law, is looking to move to Chile as she says there is nothing she does that she can't do from anywhere in the world.
I've lived in a lot of places, and what I've seen is that when groups of people move to new areas in search of low taxes and less conflict, they find the problems they left will follow them to their new locations. It's starting to happen in North Carolina, Georgia, Texas, and Tennessee. Local taxes are going up, and street traffic is increasing. And sure, it might affect local radio, although I find that some new residents will simply stream the stations they left behind.
Off topic, so as a site admin feel free to move this to its own thread - you have often cited your extensive time in Quito, and here cited your daughter eyeing a move to Chile. As someone, like you, who has lived abroad for many years, I'd love to hear your benchmarking of life in Cali vs. quality of life abroad. I often cite to others how there is a palpable joie de vivre found in other societies that is rarely sensed here. What are your opinions of the life experienced here vs. elsewhere? Any specific examples of differences that are prominent in your mind to highlight the misconception Americans have about life in other places?
The perfect example is Austin, TX. 25 years ago it was a lovely place, combining the state government and a great university and some of the prettiest landscapes in all the state.
Mix with a doubling of the population, inadequate planning for roads and highways and other significant changes and you have a pretty dreadful place today... it is becoming Philadelphia without the cold winters.
We've pretty much decided that if we were to move at all, it would be to a location outside the US. And, at least, that is a good excuse to travel once this virus is dominated... or that is the excuse we are making for ourselves! First stop, Vancouver. Second, Santiago.
Moving to socialist Vancouver??? David, I am SHOCKED, I tell you!
JK, it's lovely. But very expensive. I now live 14 miles south of the border and am looking forward to being a regular tourist in Van City once the border opens.
In 2022.
JK, it's lovely. But very expensive. I now live 14 miles south of the border and am looking forward to being a regular tourist in Van City once the border opens.
In 2022.
Scott mentioned the AM digital, and there is a newspaper report on Saul being a first adaptor to the changes and choosing classical. As I stated, you have a man who has stayed the course, often on his own terms, against the corporate giants. He is smart street and this has not changed with age. So, as I said, all this unabated copycat commenting on him just randomly picking his format because he is old and rich does not fit with his personality and guys like this don’t loose money for the heck of it. Ever. Now, whether the conversion to this weeks version of “the awesome new AM frontier as dictated by the FCC” will work is certainly an area for debate and discussion. He sees classical, with good sound quality and online, as a small niche that can make more money than oldies and I think it will do better, but how much better will depend on his leadership and his son and daughters ability to make this a success. It will be tough, but if think if anyone can make even a few dollars, it will be Saul. Again, remember, he has to have one of the most lean operational stations in the market. All the corporate commercial stations have to cover a lot of smaller market fiascos.
You guys are right on a few issues of basic city and state abandonment. LA is having a HUGE mass exodus of people who can still afford to leave. But David, I think you are a little intense when you claim Austin is a miserable place to live. Nashville and Austin are similar in size and growth. Many people are moving to both cities and yes, the majority of the people moving to Nashville appreciate the quality of life. Traffic was an issue. Not as much with COVID. Taxes are another issue, given our mayor is raising taxes over 30% without cutting any of the waste. He will be run out of town on a rail. He will also end up pushing those who can least afford to stay out of the county to outlying counties as they are forced to cash in their houses and the new residents and developers will pay premiums and build larger houses. In a sense, it will actually improve some of the crime issues and cause more growth. I see and hear literally 100 plus move in stories a WEEK in Nashville, just myself. It is pretty amazing and while not perfect, better than a decline of middle and upper class residents fleeing the cities. In truth, I hate to see what has become of a state and great thriving cities in California. The revolt is not possible, so those than can are moving. It will be interesting to see places like Nashville in a decade. I think the move-ins will be smart one who saw the rise of bad government and adapt to the local less is best model.
And this, right here, is what people don't think of when they move to a state for the lower tax burden. As a native Californian who spent 36 years of my life in Nevada and Arizona (9 in Nevada, 27 in Arizona), I can tell you that first-hand.
The low-tax states don't plan for money they have no intention of spending in the first place. Eventually, that catches up to you. Faster in those places, actually, because of the influx of people looking to live more cheaply.
When I moved to Reno in 1977, the metro population was 163,000. It's 504,000 today.
When I moved to Las Vegas in 1984, the metro population was 530,000. It's 2.6 million today.
When I moved to Phoenix in 1986, the metro population was 1.7 million. It's 4.5 million today.
That kind of growth requires next-level infrastructure and planning. And all that costs money, often money the state doesn't have.
In Tennessee, we have growth in Nashville, Knoxville and Chattanooga, and a deep red one-party-rule Republican/Trumpist state government that doesn't want to spend any money, especially on education. That doesn't bode well.
Which state($), blue or red, bode well in the realm of public education? Few. Sadly, this is NOT just a city, state or federal issue. It is a national issue. So, seriously, more taxes and more spending over and over for decades have produced failing results in many cases. I agree, it is unacceptable and the status quo has to go. When you add up what it actually costs to “educate” a student in a public school in Nashville for one year, it is close to the tuition of many private schools. Sorry, don’t mean to get so off topic, but students going to American schools that are bug and rat infested, falling down and then they get a fraction of the education and are scared for their own safety truly is a national disaster.
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