Misc.

[dbdigital]

Well, it's good to see the Part15.us website back up even though most of the content is still not available yet.

On the site there is the weblink to Radio Sausalito (CA) which, as far as I know, is the only part 15 FM station to successfully cover most of its town (using a system of transmitters located in the alleyways of the Sausalito). However, the owner has received several threats from co-channel KZST in Santa Rosa stating that the station would file a complaint of interference with the FCC if Radio Sausalito didn't shut down. KZST's 60 dbm contour map clearly shows that it's signal nowhere near reaches Sausalito. RS owner, Jonathan Westerling, has stated that he is switching the station to AM and that RS will have better coverage (probably going with Rangemasters). Interestingly, he received this threat after his station was profiled in the San Francisco Chronicle. Prior to that he had been on the air for nearly five years. So publicity can be a double-edged sword for Part-15 broadcasters.

There is also an interesting article in Playlist entitled, "Youth Prefers iPods to Radio", a fact that is not news to broadcasters but the statistics are alarming nonetheless. 85% of the 12-24 year olds in the study said they preferred MP3 players to radio and 54% preferred internet radio to terrestrial. The article also suggests some remedies.

http://playlistmag.com/weblogs/ipodblog/2005/12/radioduh/index.php

And corporate radio thinks HD Radio is going to stop this trend and save them when, in fact, most people don't even know what HD Radio is. But it does seem clear that a web-streaming component is necessary for serious Part-15 broadcasters.

db

 

[radiopilot]

> Well, it's good to see the Part15.us website back up even
> though most of the content is still not available yet.
>
> On the site there is the weblink to Radio Sausalito (CA)
> which, as far as I know, is the only part 15 FM station to
> successfully cover most of its town (using a system of
> transmitters located in the alleyways of the Sausalito).
> However, the owner has received several threats from
> co-channel KZST in Santa Rosa stating that the station would
> file a complaint of interference with the FCC if Radio
> Sausalito didn't shut down. KZST's 60 dbm contour map
> clearly shows that it's signal nowhere near reaches
> Sausalito. RS owner, Jonathan Westerling, has stated that
> he is switching the station to AM and that RS will have
> better coverage (probably going with Rangemasters).
> Interestingly, he received this threat after his station was
> profiled in the San Francisco Chronicle. Prior to that he
> had been on the air for nearly five years. So publicity can
> be a double-edged sword for Part-15 broadcasters.
>
> There is also an interesting article in Playlist entitled,
> "Youth Prefers iPods to Radio", a fact that is not news to
> broadcasters but the statistics are alarming nonetheless.
> 85% of the 12-24 year olds in the study said they preferred
> MP3 players to radio and 54% preferred internet radio to
> terrestrial. The article also suggests some remedies.
>
http:/> /playlistmag.com/weblogs/ipodblog/2005/12/radioduh/index.php
>
>
> And corporate radio thinks HD Radio is going to stop this
> trend and save them when, in fact, most people don't even
> know what HD Radio is. But it does seem clear that a
> web-streaming component is necessary for serious Part-15
> broadcasters.
>
> db
>

It's sad to see this atrocity to Radio Sausalito.... these people don't know when to stop!

About the Ipods and youths... I believe I stated that earlier.

Radiopilot

 

[radioboy]

> Well, it's good to see the Part15.us website back up even
> though most of the content is still not available yet.
>
> On the site there is the weblink to Radio Sausalito (CA)
> which, as far as I know, is the only part 15 FM station to
> successfully cover most of its town (using a system of
> transmitters located in the alleyways of the Sausalito).
> However, the owner has received several threats from
> co-channel KZST in Santa Rosa stating that the station would
> file a complaint of interference with the FCC if Radio
> Sausalito didn't shut down. KZST's 60 dbm contour map
> clearly shows that it's signal nowhere near reaches
> Sausalito. RS owner, Jonathan Westerling, has stated that
> he is switching the station to AM and that RS will have
> better coverage (probably going with Rangemasters).
> Interestingly, he received this threat after his station was
> profiled in the San Francisco Chronicle. Prior to that he
> had been on the air for nearly five years. So publicity can
> be a double-edged sword for Part-15 broadcasters.
>
> There is also an interesting article in Playlist entitled,
> "Youth Prefers iPods to Radio", a fact that is not news to
> broadcasters but the statistics are alarming nonetheless.
> 85% of the 12-24 year olds in the study said they preferred
> MP3 players to radio and 54% preferred internet radio to
> terrestrial. The article also suggests some remedies.
>
http:/> /playlistmag.com/weblogs/ipodblog/2005/12/radioduh/index.php
>
>
> And corporate radio thinks HD Radio is going to stop this
> trend and save them when, in fact, most people don't even
> know what HD Radio is. But it does seem clear that a
> web-streaming component is necessary for serious Part-15
> broadcasters.
>
> db
>
Amen to that last paragraph, db!

I live in an area that has the dubious distinction of being one of the "worst rated AM markets in the U.S." HD Radio won't change a thing if they keep the same tired, boring, satellite-fed programs they have now. 5 AM stations capture LESS than 5% of the total radio audience.

Which is what made one of my tests interesting. I ran some P.I. spots on my station. And got 5 to 7 responses a month, on my Part-15. They were only worth a few bucks each in response, but still, it was encouraging.

I had the web component first and then added the Part 15. The stream has
around 400 listeners per month, a small but loyal fan base of listeners to classic country with a few currents blended in (and country Christmas at the moment.)

It does seem like you kind of need both the Part 15 and the web stream to compete in any kind of way. I've been going since July of 2001 so I guess our
mere existence that long is a success, of sorts.<P ID="signature">______________
Proudly remembering the days of the hometown "country giant" radio stations now at
http://www.live365.com/stations/alanmccall</P>

 

[radio8z]

My take is that part15 stations are not the threat that broadcast radio faces. Personally, I do not listen much because BC radio does not provide anything that I will go out of my way to hear. Couple that with the frequent (24 minutes an hour) and obtrusive advertising, I choose not to tune in. They are doing it to themselves and blaming part15 operators? Nonsense. Do they really believe part15 is a threat?

If you did not grow up in the 50's and 60's you may not want to read on. My favorite station was WING in Dayton, Ohio. What they did was provide a sense of community and made me feel as if I belonged. I lived out in the country, far from Dayton, yet WING kept me connected. They would take call in dedications and announce our names on the air. It was great. We even paid some of their DJ's to come to our modest country school (total all grade enrollment 600) and do Saturday sock hops. Anyone remember why it was called a sock hop? (The rate was $100 for four hours.) It was really neat to meet these folks. When we heard them on the air we felt that we were listening to our friends. I have not felt connected like this to any station since the late 60's. It was perceived as a real teen community where everyone who listened felt personally involved. That feeling is long gone.

One of the top rated stations where I now live has many hours of call in talk. This does connect the listeners to a community and probably has a lot to do with their success, though it makes for very boring listening.

So, it doesn't surprise me that teens are now turning to other nonbroadcast sources for their entertainment. I still do not believe that a BC station is really threatened by part15. They apparently have no clue as to what their real problems are and why listeners are bailing out. I have mentioned just one of many problems.

Neil

 

[dbdigital]

>
> It's sad to see this atrocity to Radio Sausalito.... these
> people don't know when to stop!
>
> About the Ipods and youths... I believe I stated that
> earlier.
>
> Radiopilot
>

True. It's sheer meanness on KZST's part. Even at 54dbm its highly doubtful the station's signal can reach Sausalito because hills separate Sausalito from Santa Rosa.

But according to Mr.Westerling, each of his transmitters was rated at 100mw which, as we know, is too high for part-15 FM. So I think he voluntarily shut down to avoid a possible fine should the FCC investigate. The station continues to web-stream though.

db

 

[dbdigital]

> > db
> >
> Amen to that last paragraph, db!
>
> I live in an area that has the dubious distinction of being
> one of the "worst rated AM markets in the U.S." HD Radio
> won't change a thing if they keep the same tired, boring,
> satellite-fed programs they have now. 5 AM stations capture
> LESS than 5% of the total radio audience.
>
> Which is what made one of my tests interesting. I ran some
> P.I. spots on my station. And got 5 to 7 responses a month,
> on my Part-15. They were only worth a few bucks each in
> response, but still, it was encouraging.
>
> I had the web component first and then added the Part 15.
> The stream has
> around 400 listeners per month, a small but loyal fan base
> of listeners to classic country with a few currents blended
> in (and country Christmas at the moment.)
>
> It does seem like you kind of need both the Part 15 and the
> web stream to compete in any kind of way. I've been going
> since July of 2001 so I guess our
> mere existence that long is a success, of sorts.
>

400 listeners is truly impressive!

I was doing the math yesterday on web-streaming vs. part-15 and came up with these models. Admittedly math was never my best subject so feel free to correct this.

Live 365's Premium Pro package provides 15,000 listener hrs. per month for about $500.00 including license fees to ASCAP, BMI etc. That's about 22 simultaneous listeners 24/7. Shoutcast at 150K bandwidth would give a station about 6 simultaneous listeners, slightly more if the program was not stereo and more heavily compressed.

If a Part-15 AM station covered a one mile radius in a metropolitan area that would equal roughly 140 blocks. If each block had 24 houses that would be 3360 homes. If each home had two occupants that would amount to 6720 potential listeners.

So, it appears that Part-15 AM is more cost effective on a dollar per listener basis. Of course, the reality is that only a fraction of that number would actually be listening and web-streaming is the only way for a Part-15 station to achieve greater distance.

db

 

[wkbam1690]

We even paid some of their DJ's to come to our
> modest country school (total all grade enrollment 600) and
> do Saturday sock hops. Anyone remember why it was called a
> sock hop? (The rate was $100 for four hours.) It was
> really neat to meet these folks. When we heard them on the
> air we felt that we were listening to our friends. I have
> not felt connected like this to any station since the late
> 60's. It was perceived as a real teen community where
> everyone who listened felt personally involved. That
> feeling is long gone.
>

Most of these dances were held in the school auditorium and to prevent damage to the wood floor, dancers had to remove their shoes, thus the "sock hop".
(I'm old

 

[radiopilot]

> >
> > It's sad to see this atrocity to Radio Sausalito.... these
>
> > people don't know when to stop!
> >
> > About the Ipods and youths... I believe I stated that
> > earlier.
> >
> > Radiopilot
> >
>
> True. It's sheer meanness on KZST's part. Even at 54dbm its
> highly doubtful the station's signal can reach Sausalito
> because hills separate Sausalito from Santa Rosa.
>
> But according to Mr.Westerling, each of his transmitters was
> rated at 100mw which, as we know, is too high for part-15
> FM. So I think he voluntarily shut down to avoid a possible
> fine should the FCC investigate. The station continues to
> web-stream though.
>
> db
>

According to some here 100mw is legal power, but I didn't say that.

Radiopilot

 

[radiopilot]

> > > db
> > >
> > Amen to that last paragraph, db!
> >
> > I live in an area that has the dubious distinction of
> being
> > one of the "worst rated AM markets in the U.S." HD Radio
> > won't change a thing if they keep the same tired, boring,
> > satellite-fed programs they have now. 5 AM stations
> capture
> > LESS than 5% of the total radio audience.
> >
> > Which is what made one of my tests interesting. I ran some
>
> > P.I. spots on my station. And got 5 to 7 responses a
> month,
> > on my Part-15. They were only worth a few bucks each in
> > response, but still, it was encouraging.
> >
> > I had the web component first and then added the Part 15.
> > The stream has
> > around 400 listeners per month, a small but loyal fan base
>
> > of listeners to classic country with a few currents
> blended
> > in (and country Christmas at the moment.)
> >
> > It does seem like you kind of need both the Part 15 and
> the
> > web stream to compete in any kind of way. I've been going
> > since July of 2001 so I guess our
> > mere existence that long is a success, of sorts.
> >
>
> 400 listeners is truly impressive!
>
> I was doing the math yesterday on web-streaming vs. part-15
> and came up with these models. Admittedly math was never my
> best subject so feel free to correct this.
>
> Live 365's Premium Pro package provides 15,000.00 listener
> hrs. per month for about $500.00 including license fees to
> ASCAP, BMI etc. That's about 22 simultaneous listeners 24/7.
> Shoutcast at 150K bandwidth would give a station about 6
> simultaneous listeners, slightly more if the program was not
> stereo and more heavily compressed.
>
> If a Part-15 AM station covered a one mile radius in a
> metropolitan area that would equal roughly 140 blocks. If
> each block had 24 houses that would be 3360 homes. If each
> home had two occupants that would amount to 6720 potential
> listeners.
>
> So, it appears that Part-15 AM is more cost effective. Of
> course, the reality is that only a fraction of that number
> would actually be listening and web-streaming is the only
> way for a Part-15 station to achieve greater distance.
>
> db
>

db,

This all sounds good, but with all the internet streams out there who is to say that any part15 station with streaming is getting the 15,000 listeners a month, it could be way less than that, I use SkyFM.com whenever I can to listen and see what the latest trends are in music, and the average is perhaps 1000 day, that's good for a music streaming site over 5 years old.

Radiopilot