Do You Really Care About Radio?

[TheBigA]

The music was Top-40 but they clearly were advertising to another demo than the majority of their listeners. Dumb old advertisers. ;D

Bottom line though still is that radio didn't leave you. You changed. Radio is still basically doing what it did 40 years ago, and is aiming at the same audience. But you've aged out of the demo. Radio stations would love to program to you if they could figure out how to pay for it. If you have ideas, we'd love to hear it.

 

[HCochet]

The music was Top-40 but they clearly were advertising to another demo than the majority of their listeners. Dumb old advertisers. ;D

Bottom line though still is that radio didn't leave you. You changed. Radio is still basically doing what it did 40 years ago, and is aiming at the same audience. But you've aged out of the demo. Radio stations would love to program to you if they could figure out how to pay for it. If you have ideas, we'd love to hear it.

Radio left me. I liked KGO. As of about 1 year ago, radio left me (us). I can't find anything I like on radio anymore. I would pay to listen to the old KGO.
I don't really care for music on the radio, but I used to. Maybe 30 years ago. Been a fan of talk radio for a long time.

 

[TheBigA]

Radio left me. I liked KGO. As of about 1 year ago, radio left me (us). I can't find anything I like on radio anymore. I would pay to listen to the old KGO.

But you wouldn't pay enough to fill the gap between the actual costs and the ad revenue. That's why it's gone. No one would pay for it any more. I'm sure there are a lot of things that you used to do that aren't available anymore, basically because of cost.

 

[davideduardo]

I am constantly reminded of a major advertiser on my favorite teen radio station of my youth (KTKT 990 Tucson). The Seat Cover King probably advertised more than any other business in the late 50's yet I never owned a car (nor did the vast majority of my peers) and never bought a set of seat covers. The music was Top-40 but they clearly were advertising to another demo than the majority of their listeners. Dumb old advertisers. ;D

Even back in the 60's, Top 40 was not intended to be a teen format. While teens tended to drive such stations, the objective was to win the teens first and then capture the 18-34 crowd.

In smaller markets, like Tucson, there was no money to be made by being a teen station only.

Here is a ratings book for another smaller market, Roanoke, VA:

http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Ratings/Hooper-Roanoke.pdf

WROV, the Top 40 station, had a 55 share from noon to 6 PM... and that means that even if they got all the teens, they also were getting most of the folks under 40, too.

Then there is Chicago in '65

http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Ratings/Arbitron-1965-Chicago-April.pdf

Legendary WLS had a 10 share or so in mornings, but by 3 PM and onwards, they were in the 20 share range. But even in late afternoons, less than half the listeners were teens... many of the rest were 18-34 but in 35+ they also had very solid numbers.

So it was the Top 40 listener who had to keep a car a couple of years more than they wanted, or who wished to spiff up a used car who were the customers of the car interior place... not the teens.

 

[JEREMIAH]

David E is right on.

I was Top 40 in the '60's and early 70's, KXOA Sacramento, WCOL Columbus & WMEX Boston.
We ran many BIG TIME natonal spots for any product you can imagine maybe except Prescription Drugs, Beer, lots of beer(minimum drinking age 21) Boon's farm wine, too. Cars, Department stores. Movies lots of general appeal movies. Could it be we had broad adult demos?

Jerry Gordon

 

[michael hagerty]

There exists an aircheck of Elliott Field in afternoon drive on KFWB from January, 1961...three years into KFWB's huge success as a Top 40. At 5PM, he has (and according to the announcement on the aircheck, this was a daily feature) a Sinatra record "for sufferin' secretaries".

Every time Top 40 radio has been huge (and it goes in cycles) it's been a period when it was music the kids and their parents (especially mothers and daughters) could both listen to. CHR is in one of those phases right now. The numbers fall apart when the stations aim purely at teens (and in fact, that was a huge factor in driving older teens and young adults away from Top 40 and AM in general toward album rock on FM in the early 70s).

 

[DavidKaye]

Radio left me. I liked KGO. As of about 1 year ago, radio left me (us). I can't find anything I like on radio anymore. I would pay to listen to the old KGO.

I'm not sure what you're talking about. Gil Gross is on KKSF Newstalk 910 weekdays from 4 to 7pm. Len Tillem is on KKSF weekdays 3 to 4pm. Gil Gross told me that there will be more local talk after the first of the year. John Rothmann comes in from time to time to do political analysis. Ed Baxter has daily commentaries (good ones, too.) James Gabbert has subbed for Gil on KKSF. Bill Wattenburg now has a syndicated Sunday night show on KKSF from 7 to 10pm. Leo Laporte's syndicated computer talkshow runs on KKSF now just as it ran on KGO.

So, really, the only KGO hosts missing are Ray Taliaferro and Gene Burns. All the rest are either still on KGO or are on KKSF. So, that's the to-do?

 

[DavidKaye]

Even back in the 60's, Top 40 was not intended to be a teen format. While teens tended to drive such stations, the objective was to win the teens first and then capture the 18-34 crowd.

Indeed, the Top 40 days of KYA, KEWB, and KFRC had ads for jewelers (anybody remember Gensler-Lee Diamonds?), housing lenders (Morris Plan, Household Finance, etc), dresses for young adult women (Mode O'Day), car dealers, etc., lots of things that teens wouldn't interested in or couldn't afford.

KEWB also had jingles that identified mothers as their target.

"Who keeps you apprised of the latest craze?
And calms you down on those hectic days?
Who keeps you company by the hour,
On the road or in the shower?
Or out in the yard,
Or washing your hose,
Or kissing your darling's sweet little nose?"

In this case "washing your hose" means washing out women's stockings.
Listen to the original KEWB jingles here to hear this stuff; http://www.bayarearadio.org/audio/kewb/KEWB_Johnny-Mann-Custom-Jingles.ram

 

[HCochet]

Radio left me. I liked KGO. As of about 1 year ago, radio left me (us). I can't find anything I like on radio anymore. I would pay to listen to the old KGO.

I'm not sure what you're talking about. Gil Gross is on KKSF Newstalk 910 weekdays from 4 to 7pm. Len Tillem is on KKSF weekdays 3 to 4pm. Gil Gross told me that there will be more local talk after the first of the year. John Rothmann comes in from time to time to do political analysis. Ed Baxter has daily commentaries (good ones, too.) James Gabbert has subbed for Gil on KKSF. Bill Wattenburg now has a syndicated Sunday night show on KKSF from 7 to 10pm. Leo Laporte's syndicated computer talkshow runs on KKSF now just as it ran on KGO.

So, really, the only KGO hosts missing are Ray Taliaferro and Gene Burns. All the rest are either still on KGO or are on KKSF. So, that's the to-do?

But sir, sir, Ray is gone & he was the best. I don't get 910 on any of my home radios. (I get it in the car, but not at home). At bedtime, I always (used to) turn on the radio which was permanently set to KGO, and leave it on. The radio would turn off after 60 minutes. If I was awake, I'd reset it for another 60. If/when I wake up in the middle of the night (1, 2, 4 am whatever), I'd turn it back on. That's when I'd listen to the king. King Ray. The apotheosis of all talk show hosts, radio and/or TV.

 

[DavidKaye]

But sir, sir, Ray is gone & he was the best. I don't get 910 on any of my home radios. (I get it in the car, but not at home).

Where on earth do you live? True that their post-sunset signal is poor, but daytime they reach from Chico to Salinas. And they're available online to any smartphone or computer.

I think Gil Gross is WAY better on KKSF 910 than he was on KGO.

 

[HCochet]

But sir, sir, Ray is gone & he was the best. I don't get 910 on any of my home radios. (I get it in the car, but not at home).

Where on earth do you live? True that their post-sunset signal is poor, but daytime they reach from Chico to Salinas. And they're available online to any smartphone or computer.

I think Gil Gross is WAY better on KKSF 910 than he was on KGO.

Where do I live? Somewhere outside of the KSFO decent signal.
I don't have a smartphone. I hope I get one in the next 12 months. Maybe I'll find on on Dec 25?
I don't want to use my computer for a clock radio. I have my clock radio by my bed and it's been fine there all my life.
I don't leave the computer running all the time. It's not by the bed, it doesn't have a handy on/off buton. It's noisy. I couldn't sleep with it running.

 

[davideduardo]

But sir, sir, Ray is gone & he was the best. I don't get 910 on any of my home radios. (I get it in the car, but not at home).

Where on earth do you live? True that their post-sunset signal is poor, but daytime they reach from Chico to Salinas. And they're available online to any smartphone or computer.

Mr Cochet's post points out a fact of radio... that we can get both AM and FM signals in the car at considerably greater distance than in the home.

Since the diary gave data on the ZIP Codes of both at-home and at-work listening (and that listening represents nearly 70% of all listening), I undertook a project a few years ago to plot listening against signal strength.

In urban areas, it requires between 10 mV/m and 15 mV/m to get any reported home and work listening. Obviously, this is because average listeners don't put up with noise, and urban noise levels prevent listening where the signal is weaker than this.

Sinse KKSF has no 10 mV/m signal anywhere in Santa Clara County, I understand why the mentioned poster can't listen on a normal home AM receiver.

 

[MC]

I care more about my waffle iron than my radio

 

[HCochet]

I care more about my waffle iron than my radio

Then why are you here?
And do you visit a waffle iron Internet message board?

 

[LKellerIII]

I care more about my waffle iron than my radio

Then why are you here?
And do you visit a waffle iron Internet message board?

wafflediscussions.com. You can also discuss pancakes and crepes.

 

[Tom Wells]

I care more about my waffle iron than my radio

Is it a square or a round waffle iron? We inherited a nice double-round chrome electric waffle iron from the 1940's
that I spent a few hours on rewiring internally and I even found an original NOS cloth braided, black-with-red tics
power cord. The power cord even had the original red UL tag on it.

It's as nice as some of my radios, but I only have one waffle iron, and many radios.

Tell us about your waffle iron. Does it have a temp gauge, or one of those lights that's supposed to go out when
they're done? Is it electric, or one you set on top of the gas stove and have to flip over?

 

[landtuna]

I'm waffling as to whether I go pancakes or french toast. ;D

 

[HCochet]

I'm waffling as to whether I go pancakes or french toast. ;D

I like the chocolate chocolate pancakes at IHOP. Chocolate batter with chocolate chips. But have only had them twice in my life. Don't go to IHOP much.
Waffles are great for dinner with an over medium fried egg and lots of bacon, unlike some people, I don't like getting syrup on the eggs or bacon.
Scrambles on Almaden Expressway makes a great breakfast. Love their Italian sausage but don't get the chicken fried steak. It's like cardboard.
I always get the eggs, Italian sausage, hash browns, and pancakes. It's a lot to eat. I barely finish it. I almost never buy waffles. I eat home made or not at all. They are good at restaurants, but it's just not what I usually choose.
I think it's nice to finish a big breakfast (hashbrowns, bacon, 3 eggs) with a pancake or two. Lots of butter and syrup. Mix the slightly runny egg yolk with the potatoes and bacon. The only way to eat those items.

 

[LKellerIII]

I care more about my waffle iron than my radio

Is it a square or a round waffle iron? We inherited a nice double-round chrome electric waffle iron from the 1940's
that I spent a few hours on rewiring internally and I even found an original NOS cloth braided, black-with-red tics
power cord. The power cord even had the original red UL tag on it.

It's as nice as some of my radios, but I only have one waffle iron, and many radios.

Tell us about your waffle iron. Does it have a temp gauge, or one of those lights that's supposed to go out when
they're done? Is it electric, or one you set on top of the gas stove and have to flip over?

Squarish, but rounded at the corners. Belgian style. Has the light that goes out. Electric.

I covet your antique waffle iron.

Landtuna - no true waffle or pancake aficionado would let the acronym "IHOP" cross their lips. You are officially drummed off of this thread.

Have we done enough to be taken "Off the Air" yet?

 

[landtuna]

Landtuna - no true waffle or pancake aficionado would let the acronym "IHOP" cross their lips. You are officially drummed off of this thread.

But, but, but.....it wasn't me who mentioned the 'I' word. It has been several decades since I've been to .....er......<ihop>.

I make homemade Belgian waffles (is that a mutually exclusive term?) and put a fried egg on top. And top that with Maple Syrup and real butter. Then I go to the drug store and buy a quart of insulin and two dozen statin pills. ;D