KABC Format Change

[deepstblu]

Next questions: Have any major-market stations had a "half-and-half" format with, for example, music airing for 12 hours and then talk for 12 hours? Would one format garner much bigger numbers than the other format, to the point where that format would become full-time? And have any 24-hour stations had such low ratings during the overnight hours that they decided to stay off the air during those hours? I'd love to see the Los Angeles radio ratings for the midnight-to-6 hours. Does any company monitor those hours?

The last time I remember anything like that, Steve, was when full service AC stations were transitioning to talk in the late 70s...it was temporary, but KMPC did it for a few months in '79.

B97 in New Orleans did this in the mid-90s. They were talk during day, CHR late at night and on weekends. They went back to CHR not too long later.

Back east, New Jersey 101.5 is a talk station that's been saying "on weekends, the music comes out to play" for 20 years or more. It's always been oldies/classic hits, running music from 7PM Friday to 11:59 PM Sunday.

Noncommercial WRTI Philadelphia is classical days/jazz nights; on its HD2 the pattern is reversed. The station was all jazz until Philly's commercial classical station, WFLN, left the air in the '90s.

 

[semoochie]

"I'm not sure there's a there there for Beautiful anymore, no matter the market." I used the word "was" because I don't travel much anymore and am unfamiliar with what small town stations are doing these days. I doubt if they use a clock format anymore. There are so many other options everywhere.

 

[Thomps2525]

A history of the beautiful music format---and, surprisingly, it wasn't written by Jim Hilliker!---is at http://www.percyfaithpages.org/A Brief History of Beautiful Music Radio.pdf

KWXY in Cathedral City calls itself a "beautiful music" station although the playlist is mostly MOR vocals.....and Kenny G. But I wonder if such a format on KABC would work better than the talk format.

http://www.kwxy.com/

 

[michael hagerty]

A history of the beautiful music format---and, surprisingly, it wasn't written by Jim Hilliker!---is at http://www.percyfaithpages.org/A Brief History of Beautiful Music Radio.pdf

KWXY in Cathedral City calls itself a "beautiful music" station although the playlist is mostly MOR vocals.....and Kenny G. But I wonder if such a format on KABC would work better than the talk format.

http://www.kwxy.com/

Is this where I point out that there are tons of businesses catering to people between the ages 65 and 130 in Palm Springs that you can maybe sell local direct advertising to and then contast that with the demographics of the people living inside KABC's usable signal?

 

[Thomps2525]

Are you telling me that all the 65-to-130-year-old people who listened to George Putnam didn't switch to KABC after Putnam died in 2008? Well, never mind then.

 

[michael hagerty]

Are you telling me that all the 65-to-130-year-old people who listened to George Putnam didn't switch to KABC after Putnam died in 2008? Well, never mind then.

Well, they did, but only until Paul Harvey died in 2009.

Then they all moved to Palm Springs.

 

[Thomps2525]

Michael, thank you for giving us.....the rest of the story. Good day!

 

[davideduardo]

A history of the beautiful music format---and, surprisingly, it wasn't written by Jim Hilliker!---is at http://www.percyfaithpages.org/A Brief History of Beautiful Music Radio.pdf

KWXY in Cathedral City calls itself a "beautiful music" station although the playlist is mostly MOR vocals.....and Kenny G. But I wonder if such a format on KABC would work better than the talk format.

KWXY is a low power high band AM (it used to be FM but migrated when the owner sold it) and it barely covers Palm Spings to Cat City. IOW it misses two-thirds of the market. It is a hybrid, but is more of a con temporized standards station than anything else.

 

[davideduardo]

"I'm not sure there's a there there for Beautiful anymore, no matter the market." I used the word "was" because I don't travel much anymore and am unfamiliar with what small town stations are doing these days. I doubt if they use a clock format anymore. There are so many other options everywhere.

KCLM in Prescott is close to pure Beautiful.

 

[michael hagerty]

"I'm not sure there's a there there for Beautiful anymore, no matter the market." I used the word "was" because I don't travel much anymore and am unfamiliar with what small town stations are doing these days. I doubt if they use a clock format anymore. There are so many other options everywhere.

KCLM in Prescott is close to pure Beautiful.

One of the only opportunities to respectfully correct David...

The calls are KAHM. They call it "Calm". And it's actually quite good.

 

[Thomps2525]

WAVV---yes, it's pronounced "Wave"---in Marco, Florida, is a mix of beautiful music and MOR. They still play Caravelli, Percy Faith, Pete Fountain, Peter Nero, Henry Mancini, Ronnie Aldrich and the Boston Pops! They also play Jimmy Buffett because, after all, it's Florida.

http://www.wavv101.com/station.html

 

[michael hagerty]

WAVV---yes, it's pronounced "Wave"---in Marco, Florida, is a mix of beautiful music and MOR. They still play Caravelli, Percy Faith, Pete Fountain, Peter Nero, Henry Mancini, Ronnie Aldrich and the Boston Pops! They also play Jimmy Buffett because, after all, it's Florida.

http://www.wavv101.com/station.html

"And in our last 25 minute set of Beautiful Music, we heard 7 instrumental covers of songs made popular by other artists and Jimmy Buffett's "Why Don't We Get Drunk And Screw." Thundershowers through the afternoon with a high of 85..."

 

[Thomps2525]

"...and only one listener called to complain about the Jimmy Buffett song because most of our other listeners were put to sleep by the previous seven instrumentals."

 

[davideduardo]

One of the only opportunities to respectfully correct David...

The calls are KAHM. They call it "Calm". And it's actually quite good.

I should have checked that. I just remembered it being called "Calm" when I'd scan across it in the car. Monster signal, and now moving to a site that will sort of serve Phoenix.

 

[davideduardo]

"...and only one listener called to complain about the Jimmy Buffett song because most of our other listeners were put to sleep by the previous seven instrumentals."

Reminds me of a story from the 70's when Cecil Heftel owned 13-Q and, IIRC, "Wish" in Pittsburg. (It may not be "Wish" but it was definitely an SRP beautiful music station).

The FM was, as major market SRP stations had to be, live. They ran the matched flow reels, and then did one of those "All day, all night, all nice... Wish... FM 109.4" or some such.

The announcers sat there for 15 minutes of the Hollyridge Strings and Caravelli, and napped. So one of the 13-Q jocks took an SRP tape, edited out the vocal that was midway into each set, and put in something on the order of an Iron Butterfly or Steppenwolf album cut.

The FM announcer did not even notice it...

 

[Mediafrog+]

One of the only opportunities to respectfully correct David...

The calls are KAHM. They call it "Calm". And it's actually quite good.

I should have checked that. I just remembered it being called "Calm" when I'd scan across it in the car. Monster signal, and now moving to a site that will sort of serve Phoenix.

KAHM hasn't changed much in the past 30 years. I first heard it while visiting Prescott in the early 1980's when the station was a brand new Class A on 103.9. Was all instrumental back then, but they've added light vocals in recent years. The station streams, but you will need the correct audio player or app depending on your device.

 

[DrAkbar]

KAHM hasn't changed much in the past 30 years. I first heard it while visiting Prescott in the early 1980's when the station was a brand new Class A on 103.9. Was all instrumental back then, but they've added light vocals in recent years. The station streams, but you will need the correct audio player or app depending on your device.

Their website automatically streams KAHM music: www.kahm.info And if you can't get enough of the 101 Strings, try the Tune In app (a bigger pain in the ass to navigate than I ♥ Radio, but more selections) Select North America, United States, Arizona, Flagstaff-Prescott, then page 3. Simple, huh? For the most part, the music is pretty clean.. but the studio background noise would have driven Jim Schulke up the wall!

What any of this has to do with KABC is beyond Nurse Jeff and me. But hey, there's a void in El Lay since KPOL abandoned the format on 15~Forty. hmmmmm...is this an opportunity knocking on Cumulus' door ???

 

[SuperRadioFan]

Tune In CAN be simple Dr A.... Let me school ya.... Go to 'Browse' key in KAHM and their icon appears. Click on it and you'll immediately hear the wonderful strings. Yes simple. It works for most calls or station "names"

 

[davideduardo]

hmmmmm...is this an opportunity knocking on Cumulus' door ???

Nah. It's just a zombie that escaped from the set of World War Z and who has been wandering around LA ever since looking for a media job.

Knock-knock.

Since the previous generation of zombies all go promoted to corporate positions, he/she/it is hopeful of a career with a chance to grow.

 

[hm insulators]

"I'm not sure there's a there there for Beautiful anymore, no matter the market." I used the word "was" because I don't travel much anymore and am unfamiliar with what small town stations are doing these days. I doubt if they use a clock format anymore. There are so many other options everywhere.

KCLM in Prescott is close to pure Beautiful.

One of the only opportunities to respectfully correct David...

The calls are KAHM. They call it "Calm". And it's actually quite good.

It has a strong signal in Phoenix, too. I stumbled upon it by accident while trying to find something to replace KUPD on my car radio and thought it was a local Phoenix station and I was amazed that there is even a station that still broadcasts what I call "Dentist's Office Music." I shook my head and moved on.