Boston AM IBOC AIRCHECK

[mimo]

I haven't heard any IBOC hash coming from WMVP at all, ever, at night. I noticed MANY stations that had it off over the weekend. I haven't heard any from WGN, WJR or WBBM in the past couple of nights, nor WGY for that matter. This makes me a happy puppy, it was nice to hear some clarity at those numbers again.

 

[davideduardo]

AM IS a very viable service, and it always will be. It may only have 25 to 30% of the listening audience in the larger northeast cities (and less elsewhere), but that's a good reason to keep it going.

AM, nationally, has about 19% of listening, and about 5% in 18-34; almost all the listenership is over 55, with what little is in the actual sales demographics almost all in 45-54.

In Houston, AM gets 12% of total listening. In New York, it is 18.7% in 12+, and 13.4% in 25-54 and 7.2% in 18-34. The under-55 shares are decreasing each year as the audience ages, and very few new AM listeners are appearing.

 

[JIBGUY]

.AM, nationally, has about 19% of listening, and about 5% in 18-34; almost all the listenership is over 55, with what little is in the actual sales demographics almost all in 45-54.

In Houston, AM gets 12% of total listening. In New York, it is 18.7% in 12+, and 13.4% in 25-54 and 7.2% in 18-34. The under-55 shares are decreasing each year as the audience ages, and very few new AM listeners are appearing.

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As corporate FM radio gets worse and worse, programming-wise, listeners will re-discover AM radio, and with better receivers, and after IBOC fails, AM will bounce back with some younger demos. In the meantime, perhaps prices for AM stations will go down enough for some real people to buy them, and then program them in an interesting way to bring listeners. The corporate suits are all after the same audience with the same music, resulting in media-mediocrity. Real people will specialize more in niche programming; not TOO narrow, but definitely not on the other end, what the corporate suits are giving us.

 

[JohnnyElectron]

I thank God for Radio Disney, as it is one way to force people (with kids) to find the "AM" button on their car radios again!

It must be working for Disney, or they wouldn't be pumping money into these stations like they are (new 50KW in Detroit 2 years ago).

 

[mimo]

It's about the programming, plain and simple. Places with lousy AM stations have lousy AM ratings. No one wants to hear the brokered religious programming, or other assorted garbage that many stations programme. I've talked to many people UNDER 25 who said that they would check out AM if it featured something they like. There's a perception out there that AM isn't ALLOWED to play new music. When WJNZ 1680 in Grand Rapids was an urban station, they developped a huge audience of teens in Eastern Iowa. In the town I lived in, kids would drive around cranking it. I heard one kid talk about it. He was 16, telling his friends that he discovered a rap station on AM. I introduced people I knew who were into that music to the station. Although Rap isn't my cup of tea, I gave them credit for bringing some people back to the band, including people who didn't even know it existed. An ex of mine was shocked with WJNZ, she told me she didn't know AM was allowed to play new music of any kind. I also showed her KCJJ (a local signal). Her next words were "I'm going to need to start listening to AM". GOOD programming and HEAVY promotion will bring the audience. The words of a well respected teenager will bring listeners the advertising doesn't reach. Broadcasters need to figure out how to reach those teenagers. They're the ones who've abandoned radio completely and are listening to iPods and Internet radio. ¿Why? Because no one programmes to them. Radio Disney was a smart idea. Like or Hate the programming, Kids like it, and they don't care about whether it's AM or FM. All they care about is that it's for them.

 

[RadioFixerCLE]

Funny, WADO gets some of its highest shares at night. And the HD will be back... the exciter went back to the factory to avoide some problems we found in another market that caused considerable difficulty.

David, with due respect, night-time (Mets and Giants games) and the overnight rancheras and norteñas are the only things worth listening on 1280 AM. Maybe you guys should simulcast 92.7 on 1280 for the overnight hours.

So that's why it's been off at night, huh?

 

[RadioFixerCLE]

AM, nationally, has about 19% of listening, and about 5% in 18-34; almost all the listenership is over 55, with what little is in the actual sales demographics almost all in 45-54.

In Houston, AM gets 12% of total listening. In New York, it is 18.7% in 12+, and 13.4% in 25-54 and 7.2% in 18-34. The under-55 shares are decreasing each year as the audience ages, and very few new AM listeners are appearing.

Then why not do what your competition SBS did about 10 years back? Dump all your AM stations and focus solely on FM?

I'd be happy to take WADO off your hands if it's not worth anything. ;D

 

[JohnnyElectron]

HD report from Ohio:
Able to get PAD info from WBZ, but only a brief HD lock on a Directed tabletop at 11PM; but could NOT get even PAD data from a single Detroit AM HD tonight!? Strange.