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Dear Abby writes about radio

PTBoardOp94

PTBoardOp94

<hr />
From uexpress.com/dearabby

DEAR ABBY: I have recently returned home from a 3,000-mile driving trip.

Why don't radio stations give their city of origin when they give their call letters/numbers? This would greatly help travelers who are driving through the area when it comes to traffic or weather problems. Sometimes a station will report a bad accident on the "outer belt" that drivers should avoid. But "outer belt" to what city? Am I approaching it, or is it behind me?

The same could be said about weather. The announcer may report a severe storm coming, but unless one knows what city is reporting, again, a traveler has no way of knowing if it's ahead or behind where he or she is driving.

Please help to get the word out regarding the safety value of this one-second addition to these broadcasts. Thank you on behalf of travelers everywhere. -- FRUSTRATED TRAVELER, MANSFIELD, OHIO
<hr />

Erm...right. Aside from legal IDs, it shouldn't be very hard to determine where the station you're listening to originates from.

1) Where are you? If you're in Seattle, you aren't listening to San Fransisco traffic.
2) Listen to advertising. Normally advertisers give their location.
3) News and weather usually have clues at the least
 
> Please help to get the word out regarding the safety value
> of this one-second addition to these broadcasts. Thank you
> on behalf of travelers everywhere. -- FRUSTRATED TRAVELER,
> MANSFIELD, OHIO

Bet: 50 cents says this guy had a satellite radio on...and forgot he did.
 
> Erm...right. Aside from legal IDs, it shouldn't be very
> hard to determine where the station you're listening to
> originates from.
>
> 1) Where are you? If you're in Seattle, you aren't
> listening to San Fransisco traffic.

There are Miami stations you can hear almost up to
Jacksonville. And this is is not unusual. You should
know this. How is a driver to know which is which
without waiting for an ID or discerning weather noise?

After dark, even more so.

> 2) Listen to advertising. Normally advertisers give their
> location.

Your answer is so simplistic to be meaningless.

You can be driving anywhere south of central Florida and
hear commercials or mentioning Boca, Plantation, Homestead,
Kendall, Lantana, Hollywood, Davie, Coconut Creek, Hialeah
Jupiter, or any of about 90 municipalities in the
three-county area making up southeast Florida.
None of them exactly household names.

If you aren't familiar with the area, you don't know if that
restaurant or accident is three miles away or 80.

News and weather? This is a geographically huge market.

We don't have local stations any more. I just addressed this here:
http://www.radio-info.com/mods/board?Post=636808&Board=usa and
http://www.radio-info.com/mods/board?Post=636843&Board=usa

The Miami-Fort Lauderdale market covers Miami-Dade County
(about the size of Delaware) and Broward County (about
the size of Rhode Island). There are cities mentioned on
the news on Miami stations that I haven't been near in 30
years.

And if you're driving near Lake Okeechobee, you can pick
up at least some stations in the Orlando and Tampa and
Fort Myers markets, probably just as well as those in the
Miami and Palm Beach markets. With dozens of more unfamiliar
cities mentioned.

> 3) News and weather usually have clues at the least

I am remembering DXing many years ago, and hearing one
clear channel (no, not CC) station that always mentioned
"center city weather" etc. I figured out what it was with
my Vane Jones Guide, but I don't remember now.

73s from 954<P ID="signature">______________
Prairie Home Companion Coming To Miami in Feb! South Florida Radio Pages (since 1995)</P>
 
> From uexpress.com/dearabby
>
> DEAR ABBY: I have recently returned home from a 3,000-mile
> driving trip.
>
- - - snip - - ->
>
> Erm...right. Aside from legal IDs, it shouldn't be very
> hard to determine where the station you're listening to
> originates from.
>
> 1) Where are you? If you're in Seattle, you aren't
> listening to San Fransisco traffic.
> 2) Listen to advertising. Normally advertisers give their
> location.
> 3) News and weather usually have clues at the least
>
Drove in Washington State recently. Am I listening to a station on the east side of Pudget Sound, or am I listening to a station in Olympia... or is it a station from Bellingham?

If I'm driving from Knoxville to Chicago and I've been out 2,3, 3-1/2 hours... am I listening to Lexington, am I listening to Cincinatti, or do I have Louisville.... or do I have a station in Hazard that has too much ego to admit they areen't from any metro area but want to sound like one of the big boys?

If I'm driving from Detroit to Chicago... do I have Ann Arbor, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo or Lansing. They aren't gonna tell me. The news is likely to be a national network news and a big part of the commercials are trade-out national ads to pay for the sattelite service.

So here I am... they tell me they have a report of traffic tied up on "the Outer Loop" and I have no idea if they are talking about the outer loop I am about to get on, or some outer loop 150 miles away.

The writer to Dear Abby has a valid point. Half the stations in this country don't have a clue!
 
> > Please help to get the word out regarding the safety value
>
> > of this one-second addition to these broadcasts. Thank you
>
> > on behalf of travelers everywhere. -- FRUSTRATED TRAVELER,
>
> > MANSFIELD, OHIO
>
> Bet: 50 cents says this guy had a satellite radio on...and
> forgot he did.

Huh? Satellite radio weather and traffic channels display the city name prominently on the display. The writers problem is actually solved by satellite radio.

That said, "Frustrated Traveler" doesn't really have a reason to complain. If you're traveling, it's on you to know where you are and which roads are which. Stations shouldn't have to bother explaining things for the 1% of the audience that doesn't get it. They get no credit in Arbitron for travelers passing through anyway.
 
> That said, "Frustrated Traveler" doesn't really have a
> reason to complain. If you're traveling, it's on you to
> know where you are and which roads are which. Stations
> shouldn't have to bother explaining things for the 1% of the
> audience that doesn't get it. They get no credit in
> Arbitron for travelers passing through anyway.


Yeah, those stupid listeners. Everyone should have frequencies and locations memorized.
 
> If I'm driving from Knoxville to Chicago and I've been out
> 2,3, 3-1/2 hours... am I listening to Lexington, am I
> listening to Cincinatti, or do I have Louisville.... or do
> I have a station in Hazard that has too much ego to admit
> they areen't from any metro area but want to sound like one
> of the big boys?

I've made that drive... I have a friend who lives in Sevierville... I don't recall getting Cincy stations but you'll get Lousiville & Lexington stations at the same time.

Of course, there's also the fact that once you get into Indiana it's all flat land up I-65.. I was listening to some Lousiville rock station clear up to Indianapolis. (Along with some small stations that I happened to "seek" upon along the way)

-A<P ID="signature">______________

</P>
 
> > That said, "Frustrated Traveler" doesn't really have a
> > reason to complain. If you're traveling, it's on you to
> > know where you are and which roads are which. Stations
> > shouldn't have to bother explaining things for the 1% of
> the
> > audience that doesn't get it. They get no credit in
> > Arbitron for travelers passing through anyway.
>
>
> Yeah, those stupid listeners. Everyone should have
> frequencies and locations memorized.
>
I think, Jim, his point was that for most people listening, the area and its landmarks are a given. And that listeners taveling through don't impact the station enough to cater to them.

Having said that, if you can't tell what city the station's in, it's probably a lousy radio station....stripped of its identity and made to sound like a generic piece of crap by a corporate memo....or just lazy programming.
 
Re: Dear Abby writes about radio... and doesn't have a clue

> > > That said, "Frustrated Traveler" doesn't really have a
> > > reason to complain. If you're traveling, it's on you to
>
> > > know where you are and which roads are which. Stations
> > > shouldn't have to bother explaining things for the 1% of
>
> > the
> > > audience that doesn't get it. They get no credit in
> > > Arbitron for travelers passing through anyway.
> >
> >
> > Yeah, those stupid listeners. Everyone should have
> > frequencies and locations memorized.
> >
>

Let's remember one thing: local radio stations are designed to serve 1) their city of license, and 2) their primary listening area.

Most radio stations don't care about people passing through their town. If they spend a few days, then maybe - otherwise no.

Who pays for radio air time? Advertisers. Take Phoenix for an example. A local car dealership is paying big bucks to be on the radio. The dealer doesn't expect a person who's blowing through town on I-10 to suddenly get the urge to buy a new car. The only Phoenix businesses likely to be impacted by that driver are things like fast food joints and gas stations. It's highly unlikely that the I-10 driver is going to be lured to any one of those businesses because of a local radio spot.

So why would a radio station use precious airtime to reiterate it's location for the benfit of someone who is rarely, if ever, going to patronize the businesses that pay the station's bills? Not to mention that travelers don't exactly fill out ratings diaries either.

The suggestion to constantly remind listeners of what city or region they're in might help the occasional traveler, but would probably annoy the local audience.
Imagine this patter:

"Sheryl Crow on the Peak 98-7, Phoenix! Join the Peak, Phoenix this weekend for the Cruse Auto Auction in Scottsdale. 98-7 the Peak, Phoenix is sponsoring game booths, door prizes and you could get the chance to win a brand new 98-7 the Peak, Phoenix Ford Fusion! It's all from 98-7 the Peak, Phoenix!"

Silly.
 
Re: Dear Abby writes about radio... and doesn't have a clue

> "Sheryl Crow on the Peak 98-7, Phoenix! Join the Peak,
> Phoenix this weekend for the Cruse Auto Auction in
> Scottsdale. 98-7 the Peak, Phoenix is sponsoring game
> booths, door prizes and you could get the chance to win a
> brand new 98-7 the Peak, Phoenix Ford Fusion! It's all from
> 98-7 the Peak, Phoenix!"

LOL! Thank you.

In true emergency situations, stations are very good about giving out locations. They will specify exactly which counties are affected and repeat that information.

The Dear Abby writer just seems annoyed that he got stuck in traffic on the Washington beltway because the radio told him the Baltimore beltway was a-ok. Traffic is not an emergency situation, neither is light rain.

The writer is annoyed because he was inconvenienced, but it is entirely his fault for not being prepared. He should either suck it up or take steps to deal with it instead of expecting radio stations to shun everyone else and cater to his specific needs. Information about radio station locations is available everywhere: websites, books, computer software. If the writer had a AAA Tourbook (lists news/talk stations for major cities) or DeLorme mapping software (lists all radio stations), he would have been fine. If he's got some money to spend, get a radio with RDS, or XM NavTraffic.

And I agree with the first poster that he should have picked up on on-air clues about a station's location. Weather reports almost always list a number of cities with temperatures, or at least the major city's airport. Commercials are a dead giveaway as well. I've IDed many a station just from commercials while DXing.
 
Dear Abby writes about radio... and some posters haven't got a clue

> Let's remember one thing: local radio stations are designed
> to serve 1) their city of license, and 2) their primary
> listening area.
>
> Most radio stations don't care about people passing through
> their town. If they spend a few days, then maybe -
> otherwise no.

Is the phrase "public interest, convenience, and
necessity" still relevant in the 21st century?

Or, in this day of GPS, is every traveler expected
to know exactly what market they're in at all times,
plus the names of nearby cities and highways and
geographical features?

In that case, radio has lost its sole advantage over
canned music.

73s from 954<P ID="signature">______________
Prairie Home Companion Coming To Miami in Feb! South Florida Radio Pages (since 1995)</P>
 
Re: Dear Abby writes about radio... and some posters haven't got a clue

> > Let's remember one thing: local radio stations are
> designed
> > to serve 1) their city of license, and 2) their primary
> > listening area.
> >
> > Most radio stations don't care about people passing
> through
> > their town. If they spend a few days, then maybe -
> > otherwise no.
>
> Is the phrase "public interest, convenience, and
> necessity" still relevant in the 21st century?
>
> Or, in this day of GPS, is every traveler expected
> to know exactly what market they're in at all times,
> plus the names of nearby cities and highways and
> geographical features?
>
> In that case, radio has lost its sole advantage over
> canned music.
>
> 73s from 954
>


You're right.....We SHOULD pay more attention to travelers. It's part of the public interest, convenience and necessity.

(rolls eyes)

Now you need to excuse me. I need to warm up the Philco so I can catch Mutual news before Winchell comes on.
 
Re: Dear Abby writes about radio... and some posters haven't got a clue

> You're right.....We SHOULD pay more attention to travelers.
> It's part of the public interest, convenience and necessity.
>
>
> (rolls eyes)
>
> Now you need to excuse me. I need to warm up the Philco so I
> can catch Mutual news before Winchell comes on.

I take it by your analogy that you consider PICN to be outdated?

If so, then by what other standard do you suggest hinging the entire broadcast regulatory system, as well as station allocation? If your answer is anything but allocation anarchy, you have implicitly recognized PICN's value.
 
Re: Dear Abby writes about radio... and some posters haven't got a clue

> > > Let's remember one thing: local radio stations are
> > designed
> > > to serve 1) their city of license, and 2) their primary
> > > listening area.
> > >
> > > Most radio stations don't care about people passing
> > through
> > > their town. If they spend a few days, then maybe -
> > > otherwise no.
> >
> > Is the phrase "public interest, convenience, and
> > necessity" still relevant in the 21st century?
> >
> > Or, in this day of GPS, is every traveler expected
> > to know exactly what market they're in at all times,
> > plus the names of nearby cities and highways and
> > geographical features?
> >
> > In that case, radio has lost its sole advantage over
> > canned music.
> >
> > 73s from 954
> >
> You're right.....We SHOULD pay more attention to travelers.
> It's part of the public interest, convenience and necessity.
>
> (rolls eyes)
>
> Now you need to excuse me. I need to warm up the Philco so I
> can catch Mutual news before Winchell comes on.

Anyone who thinks that AM/FM radio is solely a medium for commercials...

1. should have a great future in phone sales

2. is a hero to people who sell satellite radio, CDs, and MP3 players

3. is part of the reason for radio's decline

4. would get Newton Minow pissed

4. all of the above <font size=5>X</font><P ID="signature">______________
Prairie Home Companion Coming To Miami in Feb! South Florida Radio Pages (since 1995)</P>
 
Re: Dear Abby writes about radio... and doesn't have a clue

> > "Sheryl Crow on the Peak 98-7, Phoenix! Join the Peak,
> > Phoenix this weekend for the Cruse Auto Auction in
> > Scottsdale. 98-7 the Peak, Phoenix is sponsoring game
> > booths, door prizes and you could get the chance to win a
> > brand new 98-7 the Peak, Phoenix Ford Fusion! It's all
> from
> > 98-7 the Peak, Phoenix!"
>
> LOL! Thank you.
>
> In true emergency situations, stations are very good about
> giving out locations. They will specify exactly which
> counties are affected and repeat that information.
>
> The Dear Abby writer just seems annoyed that he got stuck in
> traffic on the Washington beltway because the radio told him
> the Baltimore beltway was a-ok. Traffic is not an emergency
> situation, neither is light rain.
>
> The writer is annoyed because he was inconvenienced, but it
> is entirely his fault for not being prepared. He should
> either suck it up or take steps to deal with it instead of
> expecting radio stations to shun everyone else and cater to
> his specific needs. Information about radio station
> locations is available everywhere: websites, books, computer
> software. If the writer had a AAA Tourbook (lists news/talk
> stations for major cities) or DeLorme mapping software
> (lists all radio stations), he would have been fine. If
> he's got some money to spend, get a radio with RDS, or XM
> NavTraffic.
>
> And I agree with the first poster that he should have picked
> up on on-air clues about a station's location. Weather
> reports almost always list a number of cities with
> temperatures, or at least the major city's airport.
> Commercials are a dead giveaway as well. I've IDed many a
> station just from commercials while DXing.
>


All these factors aside, the bottom line seems to be that some listeners still expect a product that radio, alone, is no longer willing to give them.
 
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