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KVI To Flip To.....Regional Mexican?

TheX-KXRX said:
I think you hit the nail on the head in regard to reviving the AM band, if you were to hand pick some High School & College aged broadcasting grads and turn them lose in an AM station allowing them to do the branding and programming I would be willing to bet in the right city it would become an instant underground favorite with the youngsters and isn't that how FM got the upper hand back in the day?

Maybe it's time for AM to try a little role reversal and go youthful because it seems to me FM in Seattle has begun showing it's age a bit.....
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Sure if cursing and sexual content were allowed on on the airwaves, but they're not. If your son can buy the song uncensored on his IPod, what would his motivation be to listen to it in mono with the audio sounding like a bad phone call? Would a high school be able to afford the expenses of the land and associated costs with the most expensive way to broadast? Clear Channel tried to donate some of their AM stations to high schools and community colleges but had no takers once the school put pen to paper and found out how much the cost of operatioin would be.
 
It is revealing to listen to an AM/FM simulcast, comparing the AM sound to the FM sound. We send the same signal to our AM transmitter and FM translator via STL, and use a 9200 Optimod for the AM and a basic Inovonics single-band processor for the FM.

Whether it be our talk programs, or the occasional music program, the quality difference is quite audible.

I think sometimes our memories are fooling us as to the quality of the old AM transmissions.
 
I'm sure you've seen the posts on other boards from old-timers who defend the audio quality (or lack thereof) of AM radio, and who swear the quality is better, or could be, than portable devices around today.

Now I know that our hearing acuity decreases over time, but come on! I could be considered middle age and can really notice a difference between FM and AM, let alone AM vs. my IPod.

Now granted, I wasn't born when AM was the only form of broadcasting, but do remember when music was still on AM too. It sounded bad as compared to FM and sounds even worse today when up against inexpensive portable players. The thought that somehow AM radio can ever stack up against pretty much any other form of consumer device is completely delusional.

The only reason people listened to AM back in the day was because it was the only choice for free music. I'd be willing to bet that if given the choice back in the 50's or early 60's between AM and FM, or any other device, the average listener would not choose AM.
 
what clear channel AM outlets were offered for donation to schools?

what was the determined cost of operation? was this for non commercial purposes? as in no source of income, other than pledge drives to pay the bills.

there is no argument as to what sounds better AM or FM. but, any "live" AM or FM radio broadcast offers up a certain comraderie for its listeners, that an IPOD cant. whether hipster kids would run with it, if one of their cool dude peeps was programming, and in charge of the content, is the question. when i'm on the road nightly, i listen to my American truckin network show on AM 700 WLW cincinatti, via XM til 2 AM. pure comraderie of fellow drivers chiming in here...................my fellow buds!

talk radio on FM sucks...what a waste of an FM signal. my opinion. I've rarely gone back to listening to KIRO on FM, after decades of listenership at 710. does dori sound better on FM or AM? neither, but at least mono AM muffles things a bit in the talk dept.
 
Bill Wolfenbarger said:
It is revealing to listen to an AM/FM simulcast, comparing the AM sound to the FM sound. We send the same signal to our AM transmitter and FM translator via STL, and use a 9200 Optimod for the AM and a basic Inovonics single-band processor for the FM.

Whether it be our talk programs, or the occasional music program, the quality difference is quite audible.

I think sometimes our memories are fooling us as to the quality of the old AM transmissions.
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Or maybe the quality of your typical AM radio. The AM Stereo days proved AM had some potential life left in it. But it was how it was introduced that screwed it all up. (Competing systems of transmission/receiving.)

Older AM radios also sound MUCH better than AM radios today.
 
thanks boys for your input on the discussion............

yep, old fashioned AM radio is a challenge. but heres the deal: aint most no one got 18 million for an FM signal in the 14th largest market, er even 1 million +. so you think some redneck is gonna go meet with first broadcasting and convince them to hire me as a PD, to program johnny cash, merle haggard country and lose them some money on their 18 million dollar baby?

but, AM radio offers up a potential way for the independent broadcaster, to get his feet wet, and program a needed niche, whether it be talk, or even niche music (high school rock, or classic country).

boys, its kinda like a NASCAR analogy here. is an independent driver such as carl long, gonna sit and wait for the call he never gets from a big team owner like rick hendrick to drive one of his top cars, and compete for the win. or will he maybe bite the bullet, and run his own, or drive for another small independent team, and hope he just makes the field, and gets to have a taste of 200 mph at daytona.

if AM radio is eventually proven to have little value, and is a back marker in the books, the less it will be of value to the corporates. this will bring in the independent gamblers, who may actually be able to put something on the airwaves with value, such as alternative political talk, and perhaps more than just cookie cutter corporate pop music, dictated by consultants. whether the listeners, and advertisers will come along for the ride, is the challenge here, aint it?
 
scott salvatori said:
but, AM radio offers up a potential way for the independent broadcaster, to get his feet wet, and program a needed niche, whether it be talk, or even niche music (high school rock, or classic country).

boys, its kinda like a NASCAR analogy here.
if AM radio is eventually proven to have little value, and is a back marker in the books, the less it will be of value to the corporates. this will bring in the independent gamblers, who may actually be able to put something on the airwaves with value, such as alternative political talk, and perhaps more than just cookie cutter corporate pop music, dictated by consultants. whether the listeners, and advertisers will come along for the ride, is the challenge here, aint it?
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So Scott, have you ever paid to operate an AM station of any power? Do you know what the expense to potential revenue of an AM station in a major market is? What about a small market? No, instead you romanticize based on your past dealings with listening to AM as a youth having no idea of what it costs to operate an AM station which, next to TV, is the most expensive in cost per watt to run.
 
TVradioguru said:
Do you know what the expense to potential revenue of an AM station in a major market is? What about a small market? No, instead you romanticize based on your past dealings with listening to AM as a youth having no idea of what it costs to operate an AM station which, next to TV, is the most expensive in cost per watt to run.
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There you go again, Guru - letting the facts destroy a perfectly good fantasy. How dare you? ::)
 
I always assumed when people were talking quality of AM it was based on the old tube radios that really DID have some kick-ass bottom in them. Conversion to the "solid state" era cut about 15 years out of our turn-on-your-radio life cycle; but also cut some serious frequency response!
 
Wow so I guess what all are saying is AM radio IS dead.... Might as well just unplug them all and turn out the lights... It's amazing how I can read post after post after about how AM still has a lot of life and value and radio is not dead.... The minute somebody tosses out an unconventional idea it get pounced upon and dismissed....

Of course maybe that is the real problem with radio today, the people running things have become so attached to their formulas and out of the box cookie cutter approach to radio they can't comprehend any out of the box idea's working or being viable....

Why do you think podcasting and Internet broadcasting are so popular with younger people? It's not the delivery method of these broadcasts because as all the experts on here have been so kind to point out everyone has a radio and it's totally free.... They love podcasting and Internet radio because their peers have access to broadcast and as Scott stated above young people like to identify with the music and the people programming it....

And of course everyone is quick to jump on the signal quality bandwagon but that has to be the weakest of your arguments when you consider how many AM stations there are out there playing music... Again young people won't tune in purely for the music they will tune in to feel like they are part of the community and they will discover new music which will find it's way to their mobile devices for times when they do want to purely enjoy the music...

I might not own an $18 million transmitter who nobody is listening to but if I did I certainly would be willing to think out of the box and consider alternative methods...

So by all means continue to crap on my ideas at least they stir up conversation...
 
Well said KXRX. Posters here want people to take risks with radio, then someone does and its trashed. While the kvi change is not going completely out of the box, the idea of putting music back on AM, hiring real live local talent and investing in a station is admirable. Will it work, who knows. The oldies audience might be least adverse to theAM dial. At least it isn't syndicated talk, or canned music which fills most AM radio these days. With FM becoming jukeboxes it is cool that someone is experimenting with AM, rather than just turning it off or to syndicated. Worth the the try? I'll tune in Monday just to see, maybe it will be a button.
 
They normally went "local" at 5am on Monday mornings, so maybe that would be the logical time. BTW, I have seen a couple of announcements that they would introduce the new jocks in January, so it sounds like wall to wall oldies for the next 6 weeks. Or will they just kick with Xmas tunes Monday AM? No commercials, just Merry Xmas the next six weeks might get a few folks actually listening to AM for music again. Plus it would marginally piss off Sandusky and Crista, so much the better.
 
so anyway, me and some fellow beer drinkin, hell raiser, arm chair coaches, were sitting in the local yuppified sports bar on sunday, watchin the seahawks game, yellin at the TV, and yelling at the coach for the decisions, and moves he made. then some tall, slick looking fellers in suits, w/seahawk logos, and dark glasses come up to us, and get in our face. here they start yelling and mocking us like drill instructers that "we aint no coaches, and will never be a seahawks coaches". thanks for the reality check boys!!

you self proclaimed TV, and/or radio guru's "mr board of director" are some interesting fellers. keep the negative AM radio chit chat coming. if your successful in your crystal ball predictions, the AM radio price, in the years ahead, will be just about right for the independent investor groups, and a phoenix can rise from the corporate ashes.

at any rate, good luck to KVI with the experiment.

wow, music on the AM. we was just talkin' about that the last few months or so..........
 
SRP said:
TVradioguru said:
Do you know what the expense to potential revenue of an AM station in a major market is? What about a small market? No, instead you romanticize based on your past dealings with listening to AM as a youth having no idea of what it costs to operate an AM station which, next to TV, is the most expensive in cost per watt to run.
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There you go again, Guru - letting the facts destroy a perfectly good fantasy. How dare you? ::)
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Who needs imagination and vision for AM radio when you can have curmudgeonry and treachery? ;D
 
Bongwater said:
SRP said:
TVradioguru said:
Do you know what the expense to potential revenue of an AM station in a major market is? What about a small market? No, instead you romanticize based on your past dealings with listening to AM as a youth having no idea of what it costs to operate an AM station which, next to TV, is the most expensive in cost per watt to run.
Click to expand...

There you go again, Guru - letting the facts destroy a perfectly good fantasy. How dare you? ::)
Click to expand...

Who needs imagination and vision for AM radio when you can have curmudgeonry and treachery? ;D
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You can make all the snide remarks you want to. Judging by past posts, those people you quoted seem to have a firmer grasp of the environment of today's radio that you seem to have.
 
Scoobyfan1 said:
KXRX said:
Looks like it is here....

www.kvi.com
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Indeed, and for anyone wondering the first song played on the new KVI: My Girl by the Temptations
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I've been listening online for over a half hour now (during the 10:00 hour EST) and while there have yet to be any major surprises (with the possible exception of "She's a Bad Mamma Jamma" by Carl Carlton), they seem to be covering the era from the '60s to the early '80s.
 
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