Still plenty of AM/FM radios available on Amazon, though. Some with HD but most not. Given the prices, I doubt that too many are decent AM performers and they might overload on FM in areas like Phoenix with over a dozen 100 kW stations. But they are there.
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Dump the AM and keep the Translator?
- Thread starter DrAkbar
- Start date
Still plenty of AM/FM radios available on Amazon, though. Some with HD but most not. Given the prices, I doubt that too many are decent AM performers and they might overload on FM in areas like Phoenix with over a dozen 100 kW stations. But they are there.
It's also annoying during the D'Backs season when they play a game on the East Coast and park it on 620 because they think Burns & Gambo can bring more listeners than a baseball game. One of the slap-dash solutions to this would be for Bonneville to buy the Sierra H. rimshots and turn 101.1 into "Arizona Sports 2." Their slogan can be "at least it's better than AM."
The Suns are going to be a train wreck again this coming season, and they'll most likely be pushing ASU football to the AM if they do have games scheduled at the same time. Too bad that Bonneville can't change sports priorities at a moment's notice. As long as their current programming team of Ryan and Rod are overseeing their sports side, these backwards policies will continue.
This is still available at Best Buy B&M stores (lacks AM and has poor battery life though).
https://www.bestbuy.com/site/insignia-tabletop-hd-radio-black/4888900.p?skuId=4888900
It's a tabletop HD radio. As you say no AM reception. The HD is why the battery life is poor.
IMHO $50 is a lot to pay for a limited use device. A black plastic am/fm should cost no more than $20.
You can buy an Amazon Echo Dot for $30 at the same store. Which would you buy?
There's also the Sangean HDR-14. AM/FM HD with great selectivity and much better battery life than the Insignia, available at Fry's Electronics but it's still $75.
As for Echos and Google Homes replacing AM/FM receivers, if broadcasters want listeners to take streaming seriously, they wouldn't go lowest price possible with streaming providers (see Securenet Systems) and work with a reliable, decent-sounding streaming provider. Streaming providers are like broadcast transmitters, you need to spend a little more for reliability.
As I've said in another thread, it seems only two owners are serious about streaming: iHeart and Entercom. The rest seem to consider it an afterthought.
I don't think the other radio companies seem to understand the situation with radio receivers, or are motivated to capture the growing number of Echo users. I doubt the masses are going to rush out and spend $75 on an AM/FM table radio. Compare ad budgets between the Echo and the Sangean.
Does Sangean even advertise anymore now that the two national magazines for radio buffs -- Popular Communications and Monitoring Times -- are long gone?
You have to WANT to buy them. Meanwhile, what do you see on the Amazon homepage? The Echo.
That's the disconnect: The companies that own AM & FM stations aren't promoting sales of AM & FM radios.
Then again, why should they, since the companies that own AM & FM stations don't make radios.
Speaking of AMs with translators, did someone at KQFN forget an extra zero when applying for their license to cover their new facilities? The FCC lists them as being licensed for 5,000 watts daytime instead of the 50,000 watts listed on their CP. Oops!
https://transition.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/amq?call=KQFN
https://transition.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/amq?call=KQFN
Radio Locator shows Kwiffin at 5kw day and 95 watts at night. Perhaps CRC has come to the realization that 50kw at 15~Eighty doesn't get any more listeners than 5kw? And if you've got two translators, why do you need so much power on Ancient Modulation? Which gets us back to the topic of this Media Hut posting: dump the AM and keep the translator.
They're sure proud of their 5,000...er...50,000 watt AM in the age of declining AM listenership, though. Or they would brand themselves "99.3/95.9 The Fanatic."
http://www.1580thefanatic.com/about-us/
Last month, the FCC rejected their application to operate that way. So they're in violation:
http://www.insideradio.com/free/fcc...cle_38f52816-c09d-11e8-89e3-4f650eada196.html
Strange goings on with KVSL AM1470 in Show Low. It is on the air but appears to be running extremely low power and can barely be heard in parts of Show Low even during daytime. Signal is so weak that it does not reach nearby Lakeside/Pinetop. Audio quality is exceptionally terrible. But instead of simulcasting K300CL 107.9 (Rewind 108) Show Low, 1470 is simulcasting K263CA 100.5 (K-Bear) Taylor, AZ.
This from K-Bear's website:
"After years of work, we have finally launched the new K-Bear 100. Our friends at 99.7 were nice enough to donate the name and format to KVSL so we can continue a great radio station at a new dial position."
So does KVSL now have two translators, after essentially dumping the AM?
This from K-Bear's website:
"After years of work, we have finally launched the new K-Bear 100. Our friends at 99.7 were nice enough to donate the name and format to KVSL so we can continue a great radio station at a new dial position."
So does KVSL now have two translators, after essentially dumping the AM?
I might be getting this wrong but I understand a LPFM appeared with a format that seemed to attract lots of interest among listeners. An AM station in town wanted to use their format. As I was told, the LPFM let them have the format and the LPFM went to a country format. I got the impression someone with the LPFM might have a part time gig maintaining that format on the AM station. Lots of folks don't get the FCC only has an issue with licensees (ie: you can be a GM at an AM/FM combo and president of the board of a LPFM because as GM you are working for the owner of the AM/FM combo versus being the guy named on the AM/FM combo license). Could it be the AM in question adopted the former LPFM's format while the LPFM opted for the former AM's format?
The LPFM, KPKX 99.7 (The Bear), was a country format but is now off the air. A similar format (K-Bear) has appeared on translator 100.5 and is being simulcast on 1470 (KVSL). Unless there has been a recent ownership transfer, KVSL (1470) has a translator on 107.9 (Rewind 108) which had been simulcasting 1470 when it was operating with 5,000 watts.
1470 is so weak (my guess is one watt or less) and the audio is so bad that no one is trying to make a go of that AM.
The Bear: https://radio-locator.com/info/KPKX-FL
K-Bear: http://kbear100.com/station_info.htm
1470 is so weak (my guess is one watt or less) and the audio is so bad that no one is trying to make a go of that AM.
The Bear: https://radio-locator.com/info/KPKX-FL
K-Bear: http://kbear100.com/station_info.htm
They've got an STA to operate 14~Seventy at 87 watts because the transmitter "is having problems staying at full power". In a sidebar to the authorization, the FCC told the licensee that they expect KVSL to be cranking out 5kw as soon as possible. hmmmm...that STA was granted on September 21, 2018. Guess ASAP has a different meaning in Show Low than it has here in Buckeye.
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No way is 1470 cranking out 87 watts. More like .87 watt. I've got a pretty sensitive AM car radio and completely lost their AM signal before I exited the Show Low city limits on the southeast side of town. This was during the early afternoon on Thursday and is the same extremely weak signal that I heard a month ago on a previous visit.
Must be a long wire on the ground to put out that crappy of a signal. If you check out the sale agreement for the station, KVSL's stick is on leased land - month to month. They got a 5k Nautel and an unused 1k in the deal. But if you don't have a transmitter site, those transmitters don't do you much good. This explains why they were so eager to petition the FCC to dump the AM, and use the translator like a local station.
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