I was thinking about exactly this while I read through this thread. I was recently in an Uber and the driver listened to KYW NewsRadio the entire time. (Strange in and of itself since every other Uber driver seems to be forced under contract to listen exclusively to 106.1 The Breeze!) Once we got out of the city and into South Jersey, I noticed fleeting moments of static on 103.9 FM. While creeping toward the light at Evesham Rd & Rt. 73 (Marlton, Burlington County), we lost the station completely. The driver hit a pre-set button and up popped 1060 AM, surprisingly bright and crystal clear.I don't think you folks are taking into account that the FM signal does NOT cover all of the Philadelphia area. Would you staff an all-news station with dozens of anchors, reporters, producers and other support personnel on a 270 watt FM signal?
Sure, if you are getting a clear signal on the FM frequency, that's where you tune in. But if you are further away from Center City, you use the AM signal. 270 watts only goes so far.
It was an interesting little dichotomy: At the time, the station was making constant references to 103.9 being your alternative to the static on 1060. In this instance, we needed 1060 as an alternative to the static on 103.9. Now is all of this to say that they station should keep mentioning 1060? Not really: Everyone who needs to know that they're on 1060 already knows it. (On our last functional days on earth, we'll still hear the "ten-sixteeeee" part in our heads even though the jingle leaves it out!) But think about who the station wants (needs) to attract with the FM simulcast (i.e., the younger set). Those folks will turn the radio off before they'd switch from 103.9 to 1060. They're only vaguely aware that there even is an AM band. Promoting 1060 is almost like promoting the Pony Express. (Although lately, I suspect my mail would arrive faster via pony.)
