CBS BLOWING UP 'FRESH' TO SIMULCAST WBBM-AM NEWS

[Tom Wells]

Okie dokie. Suffice it to say that's not normal.

What's not normal about putting in the upgraded, optional audio system into a vehicle?

What's not perfectly normal about taking out an AM car radio and putting in an AM/FM?

Also I was built before the cars got downsized and I grew into a great big adult somhow.
I wasn't warned to stop growing at age 13 so I'd be able to fit into cars in the future that somehow
weren't going to be able to accommodate fully grown adults.

Buying a car from a corporation from another country, where all the profit goes the another country,
when your own country is in some kind of deep "-cession" is not normal.
Going into debt over items with insane depreciation in not normal.

They may be accepted in today's insane world, but I reject such choices.

 

[radiogooroo]

Oh I think they're paying attention as less & less AM stations are bothering to use it.

Sorry to disappoint you, but no. The failure rate for the original AM HD encoders was very high. I suspect most are going offline as they experience failures. They're not worth fixing as there are no HD listeners.

I assure you - it has absolutely nothing to do with you. You're not even a blip on corporate radio's radar. If you're ever discussed at all, it's in the tin foil hat context.

 

[radioman148]

Oh I think they're paying attention as less & less AM stations are bothering to use it.

Sorry to disappoint you, but no. The failure rate for the original AM HD encoders was very high. I suspect most are going offline as they experience failures. They're not worth fixing as there are no HD listeners.

I assure you - it has absolutely nothing to do with you. You're not even a blip on corporate radio's radar. If you're ever discussed at all, it's in the tin foil hat context.

Thank you for making my point that there are no HD listeners.

 

[radiogooroo]

Thank you for making my point that there are no HD listeners.

That was your point? I thought your point was that important people were actually paying attention to your non-stop whine fest. (They're not BTW.)

I'd totally concede that HD has virtually no listenership.

 

[Word!]

UGh been flipping back n forth from am to fm during my 2-3 hour drives for the last few nights, and i just dont like the FM audio quality on 105.9. I really prefer listening to WBBM on 780 still.

I'm not sure what it is..... well one thing the overall 105.9 level seems to be set too low. I have to turn up the volume on FM then switch back to AM and turn the vol down. It feels very strange to me to hear FM news, to me sounds like small town FM news or talk station..... boring, lackluster, missing something like music beds behind the talk. I can really appreciate AM talk now alot more.

Everytime they say 105 POINT 9 the next thing i think they are going to say is WCKG i just cant get that out of my head! Its going to take a minute for 105 POINT 9 WBBM to click....

I agree WBBM calls should switch to 105.9 but that will be a historic event as to what goes on 96.3 since they've been on there since the stone age.

 

[radioman148]

Thank you for making my point that there are no HD listeners.

That was your point? I thought your point was that important people were actually paying attention to your non-stop whine fest. (They're not BTW.)

I'd totally concede that HD has virtually no listenership.

Agreed.

 

[radioman148]

UGh been flipping back n forth from am to fm during my 2-3 hour drives for the last few nights, and i just dont like the FM audio quality on 105.9. I really prefer listening to WBBM on 780 still.

I'm not sure what it is..... well one thing the overall 105.9 level seems to be set too low. I have to turn up the volume on FM then switch back to AM and turn the vol down. It feels very strange to me to hear FM news, to me sounds like small town FM news or talk station..... boring, lackluster, missing something like music beds behind the talk. I can really appreciate AM talk now alot more.

Everytime they say 105 POINT 9 the next thing i think they are going to say is WCKG i just cant get that out of my head! Its going to take a minute for 105 POINT 9 WBBM to click....

I agree WBBM calls should switch to 105.9 but that will be a historic event as to what goes on 96.3 since they've been on there since the stone age.

I think 105.9 sounds fine, but everybody has a different ear. I guess they'll be happy if we listen on AM or FM.

 

[atlantaboy]

I can't believe Chicago is losing two music stations to two news/talk stations - it's a sad day for music fans up there

 

[radioman148]

I can't believe Chicago is losing two music stations to two news/talk stations - it's a sad day for music fans up there

It is sad, but but as we all know it's all about the $

 

[Schroedingers Cat]

The benefits of simulcast of WBBM on FM are clearly less than WXYT in Detroit, which is what some executives are comparing this to. WBBM(AM) has a decidedly superior signal in the market, WXYT(AM) has a clearly inferior signal in the market. I don't think the ratings increase will be nearly as impressive with 105.9 as they are with WXYT-FM 97.1.

 

[radioman148]

The benefits of simulcast of WBBM on FM are clearly less than WXYT in Detroit, which is what some executives are comparing this to. WBBM(AM) has a decidedly superior signal in the market, WXYT(AM) has a clearly inferior signal in the market. I don't think the ratings increase will be nearly as impressive with 105.9 as they are with WXYT-FM 97.1.

KCBS-AM has a big signal in the San Francisco market & their FM simulcast is doing very well.

 

[dave73]

The benefits of simulcast of WBBM on FM are clearly less than WXYT in Detroit, which is what some executives are comparing this to. WBBM(AM) has a decidedly superior signal in the market, WXYT(AM) has a clearly inferior signal in the market. I don't think the ratings increase will be nearly as impressive with 105.9 as they are with WXYT-FM 97.1.

WXYT-AM's signal is mainly inferior at night, with all the nulls it has. The FM signal reaches the areas that the AM doesn't at night. I remember getting a faint signal of WXYT-AM on most nights, until WWCA Gary, IN signed back on in December 2003. That station was off the air for 9 years. For Chicago, AM isn't heard in certain buildings, & that's where the FM will mainly benefit. Otherwise, WBBM-AM covers more area than WCFS-FM ever will, & will get the bulk of the ratings. Besides, those who live in parts of Lansing & parts of southern Calumet City will have problems hearing 105.9, due to 106.3 stomping on their signal (especially those closest to 106.3's tower).

 

[radioman148]

The benefits of simulcast of WBBM on FM are clearly less than WXYT in Detroit, which is what some executives are comparing this to. WBBM(AM) has a decidedly superior signal in the market, WXYT(AM) has a clearly inferior signal in the market. I don't think the ratings increase will be nearly as impressive with 105.9 as they are with WXYT-FM 97.1.

WXYT-AM's signal is mainly inferior at night, with all the nulls it has. The FM signal reaches the areas that the AM doesn't at night. I remember getting a faint signal of WXYT-AM on most nights, until WWCA Gary, IN signed back on in December 2003. That station was off the air for 9 years. For Chicago, AM isn't heard in certain buildings, & that's where the FM will mainly benefit. Otherwise, WBBM-AM covers more area than WCFS-FM ever will, & will get the bulk of the ratings. Besides, those who live in parts of Lansing & parts of southern Calumet City will have problems hearing 105.9, due to 106.3 stomping on their signal (especially those closest to 106.3's tower).

You're right The FM will help greatly downtown.

 

[audioguy]

Personally, I think WBBM sounds great on FM. Way better than on AM, due to the fact that the sound quality of the AM is muddy and is buried under a pile of hiss. I certainly wish CBS Radio would wake up, end their slavish devotion to the disaster that is HD Radio, and turn it off. They would sound 100% better!

I would imagine that the vast majority of WBBM's listeners are within 40 miles or so of downtown Chicago and will be able to hear the FM just fine. They don't need the AM anymore. It would be great if somebody with a lot of money would buy it and put a music format on it. Remember, WBBM means "World's Best Broadcast Music"! A 24-hour classical AM station would be music to my ears!

I have to wonder out loud what kind of an impact this will have on the remaining AM listenership. For example, will stations like WGN suffer if people no longer tune to 780 for the news? I think WBBM's move to FM gives people one less reason to listen to AM at all, and that can't be good news for the rest of the AM crowd.

 

[Schroedingers Cat]

As long as there are few simulcasts of the AMs, I don't think FM is going to replace it. You can't get 105.9 hundreds of miles away under normal conditions. Each signal has its place.

Back to WXYT, there are a bunch of nulls in the daytime also. Its the fading that is most annoying. That could have been dealt with with near 1/2 wave towers. Even if it were not 50 kW input, the signal could be better.

 

[radioman148]

Personally, I think WBBM sounds great on FM. Way better than on AM, due to the fact that the sound quality of the AM is muddy and is buried under a pile of hiss. I certainly wish CBS Radio would wake up, end their slavish devotion to the disaster that is HD Radio, and turn it off. They would sound 100% better!

I would imagine that the vast majority of WBBM's listeners are within 40 miles or so of downtown Chicago and will be able to hear the FM just fine. They don't need the AM anymore. It would be great if somebody with a lot of money would buy it and put a music format on it. Remember, WBBM means "World's Best Broadcast Music"! A 24-hour classical AM station would be music to my ears!

I have to wonder out loud what kind of an impact this will have on the remaining AM listenership. For example, will stations like WGN suffer if people no longer tune to 780 for the news? I think WBBM's move to FM gives people one less reason to listen to AM at all, and that can't be good news for the rest of the AM crowd.

I wish they'd turn off the AM-HD so I could hear WABC again.

 

[radiorob2.0]

Personally, I think WBBM sounds great on FM. Way better than on AM, due to the fact that the sound quality of the AM is muddy and is buried under a pile of hiss. I certainly wish CBS Radio would wake up, end their slavish devotion to the disaster that is HD Radio, and turn it off. They would sound 100% better!

I would imagine that the vast majority of WBBM's listeners are within 40 miles or so of downtown Chicago and will be able to hear the FM just fine. They don't need the AM anymore. It would be great if somebody with a lot of money would buy it and put a music format on it. Remember, WBBM means "World's Best Broadcast Music"! A 24-hour classical AM station would be music to my ears!

I have to wonder out loud what kind of an impact this will have on the remaining AM listenership. For example, will stations like WGN suffer if people no longer tune to 780 for the news? I think WBBM's move to FM gives people one less reason to listen to AM at all, and that can't be good news for the rest of the AM crowd.

Classical just won't work on AM. Ninety-nine percent of the receivers are narrow band and proper processing for the format won't make it through the noise.

So what is next? Cumulus flip flops 890 and 94.7 or simulcast the talk format on 94.7 and blows up oldies. If either happens WGN might have a problem.

 

[radioman148]

Personally, I think WBBM sounds great on FM. Way better than on AM, due to the fact that the sound quality of the AM is muddy and is buried under a pile of hiss. I certainly wish CBS Radio would wake up, end their slavish devotion to the disaster that is HD Radio, and turn it off. They would sound 100% better!

I would imagine that the vast majority of WBBM's listeners are within 40 miles or so of downtown Chicago and will be able to hear the FM just fine. They don't need the AM anymore. It would be great if somebody with a lot of money would buy it and put a music format on it. Remember, WBBM means "World's Best Broadcast Music"! A 24-hour classical AM station would be music to my ears!

I have to wonder out loud what kind of an impact this will have on the remaining AM listenership. For example, will stations like WGN suffer if people no longer tune to 780 for the news? I think WBBM's move to FM gives people one less reason to listen to AM at all, and that can't be good news for the rest of the AM crowd.

Classical just won't work on AM. Ninety-nine percent of the receivers are narrow band and proper processing for the format won't make it through the noise.

So what is next? Cumulus flip flops 890 and 94.7 or simulcast the talk format on 94.7 and blows up oldies. If either happens WGN might have a problem.

If Cumulus blows up oldies they're stupid, but they've been stupid before.

 

[asugeorge1]

Remember, WBBM means "World's Best Broadcast Music"!

I think WBBM originally meant "World's Best Battery Maker" in reference to the Mallory Battery Company. Over the years, WBBM was also known as "We Broadcast Better Music" and "World's Best Broadcast Medium."

Perhaps this could be clarified by someone who was around back in 1923 and remembers when the FCC assigned the original call letters.

 

[KeithE4]

Remember, WBBM means "World's Best Broadcast Music"!

I think WBBM originally meant "World's Best Battery Maker" in reference to the Mallory Battery Company. Over the years, WBBM was also known as "We Broadcast Better Music" and "World's Best Broadcast Medium."

Perhaps this could be clarified by someone who was around back in 1923 and remembers when the FCC assigned the original call letters.

The WBBM call letters were sequentially assigned. All call letters in the W-series were W*B*, after exhausting the W*A* series earlier. The slogan just happened to fit what the Department of Commerce (the FRC wasn't created until 1927; the FCC replaced it in 1934) gave them.

WMAQ was also sequentially assigned (part of the W*A* series). The slogan "We Must Ask Questions" just happened to work out for them. IIRC, the Feds didn't allow requested callsigns until 1924. WGN and WLS were requested by the Chicago Tribune and Sears, respectively, that year.