And that's sort of sad.
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Does the Score finally hit fm
- Thread starter RadioRonnie285
- Start date
Not really. I am interested in the story of radio... its history. But when I owned or managed or programmed stations, I was interested in the future, not the past.
Example: When some folks at KLVE wanted to "celebrate" its 30th anniversary with a concert, I opposed that because it would make the station sound old. Did anyone there drive a 30 year old car? Or have a 30 year old refrigerator or TV? Nope.
So we celebrated not past years but the start of another year of bringing the best music to you!
I learned that when on a budget I bought one of my first cars... I looked at that year's models, and the seller noted I was concerned by the price. He said "we have the same color and model in last year's model, brand new. I argued price, and they did the customary "let me check with the manager". The manager came in and saw my price point, then said "I'm not running a museum here. I'll give it to you for that price if you get it out of here today".
Point taken. He did not want customers looking at older cars, as he had less of a mark on them. Same with station history.
Good article featuring comments from Mitch Rosen:
barrettmedia.com
Why Mitch Rosen Feels the Time Was Right for 670 The Score To Add 104.3 FM
"When Chris Oliviero and Kelli Turner took over the reigns in management at Audacy, I think this was a priority for Chicago."
barrettmedia.com
On the topic of call letters, I think it's a forgone conclusion 104.3 will become WSCR-FM (just like 104.3 in Miami recently became WQAM-FM).
It would not surprise me to see the WBMX-FM call sign move to 96.3 FM. After all, that set of calls is compatible with the "B96" branding. Such a maneuver would then allow the WBBM-FM calls to be migrated to 105.9 FM, allowing the functionally obsolete WCFS-FM calls to either be retired or shifted to some throwaway station in a different town to be warehoused. (WCFS = "Chicago's Fresh," harkening back to 105.9's unsuccessful run as a Bright AC station.)
It would not surprise me to see the WBMX-FM call sign move to 96.3 FM. After all, that set of calls is compatible with the "B96" branding. Such a maneuver would then allow the WBBM-FM calls to be migrated to 105.9 FM, allowing the functionally obsolete WCFS-FM calls to either be retired or shifted to some throwaway station in a different town to be warehoused. (WCFS = "Chicago's Fresh," harkening back to 105.9's unsuccessful run as a Bright AC station.)
What I don't get is the mistaken impression Mitch has that Chicago FMs cover more / better than AM stations. In fact, the Chicago AMs used to "make the book" in places like Rockford, Milwaukee, South Bend and other nearby rated markets. The FMs barely cover the MSA.Good article featuring comments from Mitch Rosen:
Why Mitch Rosen Feels the Time Was Right for 670 The Score To Add 104.3 FM
"When Chris Oliviero and Kelli Turner took over the reigns in management at Audacy, I think this was a priority for Chicago."
Sure, most Chicago AMs don't cover distant markets, but ones like 560, 670, 780, 820, 1000, 1160, 890
I think maybe the word he was going for was more "reach" than "coverage." We all know how few normies (not us geeks on message boards) ever sample AM or even know the band still exists. The reach SCR will have on FM will be the ability to listen without battling downtown noise that even can impact the 50kw clear channels. That reach will also include an uptick in incidental listening from people just flipping around on the FM band that would never flip to AM to do so. And with Nielsen's new threshold of 3 minutes of listening to get a quarter hour, this could be a huge bump for the brand.
I live on the state border with Wisconsin, which forces me to listen to WOJO rather than WVIV like I'd prefer. And you can forget about WLEY.
The signal for most Chicago FM stations typically fades past Racine, WI, the exception being the Drive with it's 96.9 simulcast.
In the car, Kenosha seems to be the cutoff point for both Chicago and Milwaukee's major FMs. Stations in both markets fade out quick beyond there in each direction. HD for the Chicago FMs goes as far as Gurnee, about five miles south of the state line.
WWDV (96.9), the northern signal for The Drive (WDRV 97.1 in Chicago) is licensed to Zion, just south of the state line, and it's transmitter is located in Pleasant Prairie, a suburb located between Kenosha and the state line. HD fizzles out just north of Racine, and the analog signal cuts off at I-94, roughly the halfway point of Milwaukee County. Still, it typically gets around a 2 share in the Milwaukee-Racine ratings book, even with the strong presence of WKLH (Kenosha is considered part of the Chicago book).
75 years for WFMT, going back to its original incarnation on 105.9 (they moved to 98.7 in 1954.)
I definitely see what you’re saying. Over the years has there been data that shows the later generation of Hispanic citizens in town listen to sports stations? Just going off the demographic of Dodgers fans and all fans in L.A., it majority Hispanic.
Many of the Hispanic/Latino community in LA is composed of first-generation immigrants, though, who usually don't take interest in major American sports leagues, making it difficult for Sports radio to have the same impact in LA as it does in Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia etc.
A lot of folks in Chicago proper live or work in high rises.
AM radio reception, as I'm sure you know, is terrible in such buildings unless the receiver is situated near an outer wall (near a window is even better).
AM is also difficult to receive inside of many industrial buildings.
Then, there's the fact most folks under age 40 never listen to AM radio for any reason ever.
When the leading sports station in my market moved from AM to FM, the AQH share doubled within 2 years from pre-move levels. Today, that same station is perennially #1 in most male demos and is also #1 overall throughout most of the year when counting streaming share.
If The Score can get its talk programming back to the same level it once was, I see little reason why it cannot be a 3.5 share (or better) radio station on a routine basis, and I see little reason why it cannot be an 8 or 9 share radio station (or better) in key male demos.
I'm not disputing that number, but KLAC makes lots of money. KSPN does pretty well too. In a market that size with that many sports franchises, there is demand even if the audience pool, percentage wise is small.
The demographics in Miami aren't that much better than LA and yet Audacy blew up rock there to put "The Joe" (WQAM) on FM.
In Los Angeles ,it is inevitable sports will be on FM... but will it be in 2026, 2027, or 2028?
The Score's 670 AM signal that you hear today will not be the same AM signal you'll be hearing mid year. If your living on Chicago's north side or northern suburbs, the 670 AM signal will still be clean and noise free with the impending move to Desplaines with a much shorter 228 Ft stick.
The further south you go particularly towards Joliet and Kankakee, the Score's AM signal will be way more subject to noise and static crashes than the more superior AM signal on 670 AM that you receive today from the legacy Army Trail Road site with the big 750 Ft stick. The move to 104.4 FM's primary HD 1 signal does nothing to address the potential signal issues in the far south and southwest suburbs as 104.4 FM signal starts to fade out in these areas. The Score will be more dependent in these areas on streaming as what ESPN 1000 has to do currently with a weaker signal in the far northern suburbs of Chicago.
The further south you go particularly towards Joliet and Kankakee, the Score's AM signal will be way more subject to noise and static crashes than the more superior AM signal on 670 AM that you receive today from the legacy Army Trail Road site with the big 750 Ft stick. The move to 104.4 FM's primary HD 1 signal does nothing to address the potential signal issues in the far south and southwest suburbs as 104.4 FM signal starts to fade out in these areas. The Score will be more dependent in these areas on streaming as what ESPN 1000 has to do currently with a weaker signal in the far northern suburbs of Chicago.
I was last in the Chicago area in the mid 90s. I made it a point to hit as many of the legendary AM transmitter sites as I could to get pictures. I assume there's some that have been moved to the Sears/Willis/whatever tower name it is this decade but I avoided that area as much as I could. I thought New York traffic was bad until I got to Chicago but Boston can give both towns a lesson in how to be horrible drivers.
About 20 years ago when HD radio started to be introduced, WSCR AM had their HD signal on the air during White Sox games. If you were using the radio broadcast as a play by play companion at the ball park, there was a 8 second delay from what you saw live on the field vs. what was actually happening before your very eyes.
I'm assuming an HD signal on FM will have the same inherent delay built into it as well. HD encoding will need to be turned off during live play by play for 104.3 in order to avoid this inherent delay. The AM side has pulled the plug on the HD signal for at least the last 8 to 10 years. Streaming internet audio via your phone will have an even greater delay than the over the air HD signal.
I'm assuming an HD signal on FM will have the same inherent delay built into it as well. HD encoding will need to be turned off during live play by play for 104.3 in order to avoid this inherent delay. The AM side has pulled the plug on the HD signal for at least the last 8 to 10 years. Streaming internet audio via your phone will have an even greater delay than the over the air HD signal.
Miami is also a case where all the English-language formats that do well with Hispanics are already taken. Sports might not do that well with Hispanics, but unlike Alternative it bills well even if the ratings aren't there.
In contrast, Audacy and iHeart's FM stations are both doing well in Los Angeles and it's not worth blowing up one of them for sports.
The other areas that may be affected are on the Eastern shore of Lake Michigan, where many influential Chicago Area people vacation and take weekend trips. This stretches from New Buffalo to points as far as Grand Haven. Those areas will also be in a fading zone for WSCR and WBBM from the short towers and transmitters at 2355 Ballard Rd. in Des Plaines. Keep in mind that the fading times frequently stretch into the "Critical Hours", 2 hours after Sunrise and 2 hours before Sunset. In December and January, this sometimes lasts all Day.
Some people have some unkind names for those "jet setters" that often go to Michigan for short breaks several times a year, found at this link.
www.chicagomag.com
Some people have some unkind names for those "jet setters" that often go to Michigan for short breaks several times a year, found at this link.
How Illinoisans Became FIPs
From Ernest Hemingway, to Carl Sandburg, to Richard M. Daley, to Roger Ebert, Illinoisans have slowly conquered our neighboring shores.
www.chicagomag.com
But Chicago FMs come in quite well on the Michigan shoreline and a few miles inland. Analog TV did as well. Digital is a different animal, not only in power but in directionality in some cases.The other areas that may be affected are on the Eastern shore of Lake Michigan, where many influential Chicago Area people vacation and take weekend trips. This stretches from New Buffalo to points as far as Grand Haven. Those areas will also be in a fading zone for WSCR and WBBM from the short towers and transmitters at 2355 Ballard Rd. in Des Plaines. Keep in mind that the fading times frequently stretch into the "Critical Hours", 2 hours after Sunrise and 2 hours before Sunset. In December and January, this sometimes lasts all Day.
Some people have some unkind names for those "jet setters" that often go to Michigan for short breaks several times a year, found at this link.
How Illinoisans Became FIPs
From Ernest Hemingway, to Carl Sandburg, to Richard M. Daley, to Roger Ebert, Illinoisans have slowly conquered our neighboring shores.