KAZG on the air at 6:20 a.m.!

[DrAkbar]

Nurse Jeff and I came up with another brilliant Lumberyard 14~Forty contest: Guess when this lame topic will hit 3000 posts! We're talking with Pppppreston Westmoreland about officiating the contest and doing a live remote with Captain Stupor at Ponderosa Lumber. Food provided by the Big Road Apple, but of course!

 

[oldiesfan6479]

I had a lamp timer in the 1980s that was more accurate than
the one in the lumberyard.

Thursday April 26:

Sign-on 0555:35, 5 kw, no ID (of course), music JIP (of course).
ID ran at 0601.

Sign-off 1855:31, no ID (really?), carrier cut mid-song (surely you jest).

About eight seconds per day, do we drift away (not Dobie Gray).

 

[bizwriter84]

Serious Question -- I would like to understand the financial logic behind a station like KAZG. It's music on AM (not a recipe for hi-fi listening). Basically no personalities or jocks. And, as you note, the "lamptimer" orchestration of power-up and power-down is always good for a chuckle.

Is it basically that they have really low overhead, but enough listeners to justify charging for advertising, and thus come out ahead?

The real puzzle: why is it cost effective to run under 100 watts at night? Honestly -- who listens to AM radio music at night anyway, so who would pay to advertise to that non-constituency?

I'm fascinated by radio ... I'd love to know the business thinking behind this sort of station.

 

[KeithE4]

Serious Question -- I would like to understand the financial logic behind a station like KAZG. It's music on AM (not a recipe for hi-fi listening). Basically no personalities or jocks. And, as you note, the "lamptimer" orchestration of power-up and power-down is always good for a chuckle.

Is it basically that they have really low overhead, but enough listeners to justify charging for advertising, and thus come out ahead?

I doubt if Gumpdusky's charging anything to advertise on 1440. My guess is that they're giving that station away for free if the advertiser buys on KDUS, KDKB, KUPD, or KSLX. The only money they actually make from KAZG is probably from the time they sell to Pacifica and to the occasional Colon-Blow infomercial that for some reason doesn't get on KFNX. Maybe the guy from the East Valley Radio Network can verify.

The real puzzle: why is it cost effective to run under 100 watts at night? Honestly -- who listens to AM radio music at night anyway, so who would pay to advertise to that non-constituency?

They've been a daytimer since their 1956 sign-on, although they've been licensed for 24-hour operation since the late '80s or so, with a mighty 52 watts non-directional nighttime power and (only recently) 500 watts pre-sunrise. The lamp timer is used to turn the transmitter on and off and to switch the power level at sunrise. They never operate at night.

I'm fascinated by radio ... I'd love to know the business thinking behind this sort of station.

There's a reason we call their owner "Gumpdusky." I doubt there is much that resembles "business thinking" there. ;D

 

[oldiesfan6479]

Friday (is Hawaiian shirt day) April 27:

Sign-on 0555:27, 5 kw, no ID, music JIP. ID at 0601:55.

Sign-off 1855:22, no ID, carrier cut mid-song--which may be
a blessing in disguise as the song was the 8475th airing
(KOOL and KAZG combined) of I'm A Believer.

 

[bizwriter84]

Re: [thumbs up] KAZG on the air at 6:20 a.m.!

You all are having fun poking holes in WAZG -- and I'm laughing, too -- and I did wonder how they make any money.

But you know, I kinda like the alternative of listening to a station that is not polished. I mean, I enjoyed looking for pirates on shortwave, and for those old 10 watt FM stations that they used let schools run. I like trying to hear ASU's AM station (KASC, The Blaze, on 1260 Khz), with their completely divergent music shows and their newbie announcers struggling to get through the copy they apparently haven't pre-read.

I like WAZG cuz it delivers what it promises: oldies, just like we were back in the 1960s, except with no chatter from a boss jock.

Here's one solid gold vote -- and one button programmed in my car -- for WAZG

 

[pattiwacki]

Serious Question -- I would like to understand the financial logic behind a station like KAZG. It's music on AM (not a recipe for hi-fi listening). Basically no personalities or jocks. And, as you note, the "lamptimer" orchestration of power-up and power-down is always good for a chuckle.

Is it basically that they have really low overhead, but enough listeners to justify charging for advertising, and thus come out ahead?

The real puzzle: why is it cost effective to run under 100 watts at night? Honestly -- who listens to AM radio music at night anyway, so who would pay to advertise to that non-constituency?

I'm fascinated by radio ... I'd love to know the business thinking behind this sort of station.

Serious Question -- I would like to understand the financial logic behind a station like KAZG. It's music on AM (not a recipe for hi-fi listening). Basically no personalities or jocks. And, as you note, the "lamptimer" orchestration of power-up and power-down is always good for a chuckle.

Is it basically that they have really low overhead, but enough listeners to justify charging for advertising, and thus come out ahead?

I doubt if Gumpdusky's charging anything to advertise on 1440. My guess is that they're giving that station away for free if the advertiser buys on KDUS, KDKB, KUPD, or KSLX. The only money they actually make from KAZG is probably from the time they sell to Pacifica and to the occasional Colon-Blow infomercial that for some reason doesn't get on KFNX. Maybe the guy from the East Valley Radio Network can verify.

The real puzzle: why is it cost effective to run under 100 watts at night? Honestly -- who listens to AM radio music at night anyway, so who would pay to advertise to that non-constituency?

They've been a daytimer since their 1956 sign-on, although they've been licensed for 24-hour operation since the late '80s or so, with a mighty 52 watts non-directional nighttime power and (only recently) 500 watts pre-sunrise. The lamp timer is used to turn the transmitter on and off and to switch the power level at sunrise. They never operate at night.

I'm fascinated by radio ... I'd love to know the business thinking behind this sort of station.

There's a reason we call their owner "Gumpdusky." I doubt there is much that resembles "business thinking" there. ;D

 

[pattiwacki]

I listen to music on AM, KTNN 660, The Navojo Nation, KSAZ when they showcase the Ronstadts and other Arizona folkies, when the music or the host is good, I don't care about a little interference. That's why I couldn't get all the posts about KT'R sounding so good on FM. If the content is just adequate, a smooth background isn't going to imorove the show .

 

[Radioguy2006]

I check out Lumberyard 1440 at 6:30 PM there was no oldies music on this station. I think they turn off the transmitter or the music itself.

 

[oldiesfan6479]

The above post is--amazingly enough--somewhat on the mark.

At 6:50pm there was carrier only with dead air, so this must have
been going on back to 6:30 if not earlier. Did the mid-afternoon
wind and dust storm knock a dish off of the lumberyard tower?

Saturday April 28:

Sign-on 0555:18, 5 kw, no ID, music JIP. ID aired at 0600:40.

Sign-off 1855:13--when the lamp timer took the aforementioned
dead air carrier off the air. "No ID" goes of course without saying.

 

[oldiesfan6479]

Gumpdusky sure had a bad day at the lumberyard today.

Apparently something approaching four hours of dead air
this morning, and this evening...?

Sunday April 29:

Sign-on 0555:10, 5 kw, dead air carrier only, no ID. The special
extended Programa Silencio En Domingo continued for possibly
close to four hours, as carrier only was noted at 0603, 0804
and as late as 0945. I wonder if they ran any TOH legal IDs
during this time? : Program material (oldies) finally heard in my
next check at 1003. A minute or so later KAZG ran a legal ID,
then into an infomercial.

Sign-off--unknown! When I turned on Lumberyard 1440 at 1846 to
await the anticipated almost five minutes early sign-off (courtesy
of our fave lamp timer), they were already off the air. Static city
coming through the ether.

 

[Radioguy2006]

Today this morning I was listening to Lumberyard 1440 at 9:00 AM at 68th St and Thomas Rd. This guy talking about the new product called Qho2 on the radio infomercial.

Dr. Akbar say Nurse Jeff need to take over your radio station with the LMA.

The new radio station call Dr. Akbar Lumberyard 1440 "All LUMBER NOISE ALL THE TIMES"

 

[oldiesfan6479]

"I hold in my hand the final envelope." (Carnac)

As cheers erupt from some--maybe even the Gumpdusky braintrust--
I should explain that since May with it's 0530 sign-on/power up
rolls in tomorrow, I will be unable to log the morning events at
Lumberyard 1440, assuming they (attempt to) come on the air then,
or whenever the lamp timer thinks it's 0530. ;D

Keith--last year (May-August) did they sign on at the allowed monthly
time or did they stick with 0600?

For Monday April 30:

Sign-on 0555:01, 5 kw, carrier only, no ID (natch). Still dead air
at 0606, however by the next check at 0617 music was on.

Sign-off 1854:57, no ID, carrier cut during song.

 

[HHalland]

Lamp Timer, Lamp Timer, Lamp Timer, Lamp Timer....

there.

That makes 175 times that the phrase Lamp Timer is on this board.

Crap that makes 176..darn it all

 

[Radioguy2006]

I find out the location of Lumberyard 1440 AM "Arizona Gold"

Is located at Ponderosa Lumber Co.

The Address is 6425 E. Thomas Rd. Scottsdale, AZ 85251
The corner of Thomas Rd and 64th Street.
Phone number is: (480) 947-7765
Fax number is: (480) 947-4354

Web site is: http://www.ponderosalumber.com

Ponderosa Lumber Co is here since 1964.

 

[pberger]

Just for the record:

On Wed, May 2, on air at 525:09, music in progress ID at 528:53

Somebody must have adjusted the lamp timer:

Thurs, on air at 529:35, music in progress........ID at 530:01!! Congrats!

What will tomorrow bring?

 

[oldiesfan6479]

Thurs, on air at 529:35, music in progress........ID at 530:01!!

I had 0529:30, but my eyes were barely open so maybe I didn't get
a true "read" of the atomic clock. ;D

But as to the ID, it wasn't...legal that is. Steam ended right around
0530 and they jingled into the DC5, but it was only an "Arizona Gold,
KAZG"-type jingle, nothing with a legal ID in it.

So while the lamp timer was finally reset to something resembling real
time, Lumberyard 1440 is still skirting the legal ID at sign-on/off issue.

 

[pberger]

Their timer is still kreeping up: today they signed on full power with music in progress at 05:28:24.

Their jingle ID came on at 05:30:54. At least they are somewhat consistent.

 

[DrAkbar]

Check out the latest issue of Phoenix Magazine for a hard hitting article on the East Valley Network as heard on Lumberyard 14~Forty. Not any more, though!

 

[Radioguy2006]

Lumberyard 1440 AM sign off around 7:30 and 7:40 PM without the station ID.

Gumpdusky need to broadcast the station ID on Lumberyard 1440 before the station went off the air for the night.

Lumberyard 1440 "Home of Oldies all the times without the DJ's on the station"