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KCMO AM - Company ad recommends listening to the stream

kfbkfb

kfbkfb

Within the last hour, on KCMO AM, I heard an ad that specifically said that AM and FM were old school and to listen to KCMO with a streaming device or app.

Maybe this is the future - the radio stations lower their transmitter power as much as they can (to save a little money - in the case of AM, maybe they don't have a directional pattern at night, just a very low power omnidirectional signal 24/7) and stream their content (in stereo where applicable).


Kirk Bayne
 
kfbkfb said:
Maybe this is the future - the radio stations lower their transmitter power as much as they can (to save a little money - in the case of AM,
Click to expand...

Nobody I know is lowering their transmitter power to save money. Keep in mind that streaming stations must pay digital music royalties to SoundExchange. Even talk stations must pay something for "incidental music." Those addition music royalties are far greater than their transmission costs.

People are streaming because they have their phones, but don't carry transistor radios anymore. So stations encourage streaming local stations in order to compete with non-local streaming services. It's all being done to let people know they don't need an additional device to listen to local radio. Reaching people where they are with devices they already have.
 
In the case of AM radio stations, the added cost of maintaining and operating the transmitting hardware to provide a directional signal could be eliminated by using a low power omni signal at night (maybe up the power some for daytime, still omni) and promote streaming the AM radio station.


Kirk Bayne
 
kfbkfb said:
In the case of AM radio stations, the added cost of maintaining and operating the transmitting hardware
Click to expand...

If the cost is really an issue, you get a bigger return by selling the AM tower land and diplexing on another site. That's what Cumulus did in DC. They got about $75 million for the land, which is a whole lot more than they'd save by your suggestion.

insidetowers.com

Cumulus Closes Sale of Former WMAL Tower Site - Inside Towers

UPDATE Cumulus Media said this week it closed on the sale of the former tower site for WMAL-AM. The sale of the approximately 75-acre parcel of land in Bethesda, MD to home developer Toll Brothers generated gross proceeds of $74.1 million. Cumulus received $5 million from the sale in 2019, and...
insidetowers.com insidetowers.com

In any case, that's not why they're encouraging streaming.
 
kfbkfb said:
In the case of AM radio stations, the added cost of maintaining and operating the transmitting hardware to provide a directional signal could be eliminated by using a low power omni signal at night (maybe up the power some for daytime, still omni) and promote streaming the AM radio station.


Kirk Bayne
Click to expand...

You arent going to save a massive ton of money by lowering power.... youll save some. But to save alot, and its not even that much... you'd have ot go from like 10kw night to 10 watts night.

and if that much money makes a difference to you, youre in a lot more trouble then just lowering power will save you from.

Nice idea in theory, but not really practically , once again, Kirk.
 
kfbkfb said:
Within the last hour, on KCMO AM, I heard an ad that specifically said that AM and FM were old school and to listen to KCMO with a streaming device or app.

Maybe this is the future - the radio stations lower their transmitter power as much as they can (to save a little money - in the case of AM, maybe they don't have a directional pattern at night, just a very low power omnidirectional signal 24/7) and stream their content (in stereo where applicable).
Click to expand...
Licensee's must stay within licensed power tolerances. One can't simply reduce power to save utility usage. That, and SomeRadioGuy mentioned; if someone could reduce power, even 50%, that wouldn't equate to a 50% utility savings.
Considering the increasing levels of terrestrial noise, seems to me going down in power is the completely wrong direction.
 
To possibly coin a new radio station description - the token radio station (since apparently people aren't listening to FM or AM radio that much).

In the case of AM, due to the ever increasing background noise in the "AM"' band, just operate at a low transmitter power (renegotiate the license), shut down any FM translators and constantly promote streaming as a good listening option (transmit an omni signal at all times, then many AMs in a radio market could move to 1 tower).


Kirk Bayne
 
kfbkfb said:
To possibly coin a new radio station description - the token radio station (since apparently people aren't listening to FM or AM radio that much).
Click to expand...

Huh? What are you talking about? KCMO-FM is #1 in Kansas City, with over 400,000 listeners.

kfbkfb said:
In the case of AM, due to the ever increasing background noise in the "AM"' band, just operate at a low transmitter power (renegotiate the license),
Click to expand...

Huh? "Renegotiate the license?" What are you talking about? Have you ever dealt with the government?

You're trying to solve problems that don't exist. No one at KCMO is complaining about the cost of operating their transmitter. This is something you've made up. They are simply offering another option to using a traditional radio. I doubt very much that anyone said AM & FM are "old school."
 
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Are you a paid lobbyist? Most of your post involve stations paying more fees. Either through licensing technology or music royalty payments. I could see the music industry going after stations that have their very low power token station. Argument being that since the FCC licensed facility does not provide a true city grade coverage they are using the signal to skirt paying what a true streaming station would pay in royalties.

Or having to pay council to modify a license.
 
It was KCMO AM, the ad did specifically say that AM and FM were old school (the words AM, FM and old school were used).

Why spend the money to have the transmitting hardware for directional (AM) signals, just shut down this hardware and drop the night power and send an omni signal that covers the same area as the shortest distance from the transmitter of the directional signal.


Kirk Bayne
 
Easier said that done. They have to pay to do a downgrade. That hardware they are using is paid for. Your just finding more ways for the station to spend money. Who are you lobbying for?
 
xmtrland said:
Are you a paid lobbyist?
Click to expand...
I'm just a consumer (to the computer industry, I'm an end user).

I was quite surprised to hear a radio station owner/company created radio ad saying that the very tech I was using to hear the ad was old school.


Kirk Bayne
 
xmtrland said:
Who are you lobbying for?
Click to expand...
I'm not a lobbyist, it's just interesting for me to follow tech advancements and to discuss ways this new tech can change the existing systems.

(some entrepreneur will likely come along, take a look at some new tech and figure out a way to make a profit using it, exsiting tech may suffer reduced profits as a result)


Kirk Bayne
 
kfbkfb said:
Why spend the money to have the transmitting hardware for directional (AM) signals,
Click to expand...

One thing has nothing to do with the other. As I said you're creating a problem that doesn't exist.

They're advising listeners of other ways to listen. That doesn't mean they want to save money on their signal.
 
kfbkfb said:
I'm not a lobbyist, it's just interesting for me to follow tech advancements and to discuss ways this new tech can change the existing systems.
Click to expand...
Nothing you're suggesting in this thread would be a tech advancement. If anything, it's the other way around.
It's not like some station would be able to sell their directional antenna systems. And it would certainly be a downgrade to what listening would be left to the AM station. As mentioned; stations are located within a channel for that class of station. The station is licensed at that frequency and power. You can't just go to the FCC and downgrade a station licensed to a particular class.
kfbkfb said:
(some entrepreneur will likely come along, take a look at some new tech and figure out a way to make a profit using it, exsiting tech may suffer reduced profits as a result)
Click to expand...
Uh, they're already promoting streaming as an alternative to OTA radio. Isn't that something different?
 
How do broadcast advertisers feel about stations sending listeners to steaming platforms where their ads will be replaced by different ads?

The account execs must have a hard time selling ads on "old school media."
 
wadio said:
How do broadcast advertisers feel about stations sending listeners to steaming platforms where their ads will be replaced by different ads?
Click to expand...

They're usually replaced by different ads only for people streaming outside the local area. Although it depends on the streaming platform.
 
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