PLEASE PUT NEWS/TALK ON FM!

[spectacle]

I know it is a regular rumor to shoot down about KIRO moving to FM, but could these people PLEASE move the news/talk format to FM before it simply dies a static noise, HD incompatible, listeners age 50+ death on AM?

How freakin' long is it going to be before some programmer says "Duuuuuuuuuuuuh! KUOW and KPLU are killing most stations in the market with news and talk on FM, why don't we give a try on FM? Duuuuuuuuuuuuuuh!"

Sorry to be so sarcastic, but the confederate south has more news/talk stations on FM than the west coast does. Let us move to FM and simply dump AM in the ocean as Canada is doing, please? It's over, nothing new to hear on the medium wave front. It is over.

 

[Bongwater]

Let us move to FM and simply dump AM in the ocean as Canada is doing, please? It's over, nothing new to hear on the medium wave front. It is over.......

AM CAN be saved. It's still an old technology, but so is FM (dating to the '30s)

The problem with AM and WHY no one listens is VERY few people are DOING ANYTHING DECENT ON AM!!!

We tried mainstream news talk on FM (KIRO-FM 100.7, circa 1992-1997) and it sank like a rock. People in general want music on FM.

KUOW since the '80s was pretty much a news/talk station. And it's audience is more eclectic and sophistcated than KIRO and KOMO. KUOW's advantage isn't the side of the dial it's on, but the fact it goes deeper into the news reporting than just regurgitating headlines ad nauseum. You could put KUOW on AM in Seattle and it would still wipe out (or seriously hurt) the AM competition. Besides, it's voice, not music.

Speaking of music, with the exception of KKDZ 1250, KGRG 1330 and KWLE 1340, there is no current or alternative rock/pop on AM (and KGRG is classic alternative.) We CAN do better than this. Seattle has a proud heritage of AM rockers (KZAM-AM. KZOK-AM, KILO, KJET, KKZU....and of course KJR-AM and KOL-not KKOL.)

If an AM station can offer something that isn't re-hashed to death on FM, something that is truly cutting edge, it DOES have a chance in spite of the lower-fi. Besides, AM stations are just big tax write-offs anyway. Why not have fun with it?

 

[DangerousDan]

I spent Mardi Gras weekend in New Orleans and was surprised to hear they had TWO FM talk stations. One of them augmented their local talk with rebroadcasts/simulcasts of their AM talk sister station. The other supplemented their local talk with Fox TalkRadio. Lots of local talk in New Orleans on AM too, including a black station with all-black hosts.

I don't think the BUZZ had the right formula...but I think the time is right now for younger-skewing (and by younger I mean 35!) more irreverent talk radio. Hell, at least to get Dennis Miller on a better signal! You can't tell me that KBSG's flavor-of-the-week music mix would be missed or make less money than a well-programmed FM talk station!

 

[Bongwater]

I spent Mardi Gras weekend in New Orleans and was surprised to hear they had TWO FM talk stations. One of them augmented their local talk with rebroadcasts/simulcasts of their AM talk sister station......

That's WWL-FM 105.3.....I think that came about as an unexpected result of Hurricane Katrina. Had Katrina never happened, There would likely still be music on 105.3 MHz in The Big Easy....

 

[radioplayer]

Hey Larry,

I agree that WWL-FM got their "break" because of Katrina, but I really think that if someone in this town put a "good" news/talk station together on FM in Seattle, it WOULD work. The Buzz was really done on the cheap and the only reason it carried as long as it did was because Entercom's lack of focus in all their properties here AND because Leykis ruled on the Buzz. That kept just enough money going in the short term. Tom's show is now going flat and anyone trying this again is also going to fall flat in SEA if they think the same kind of programming would work again.

Look at LA; they have good talk and it does pretty well there. In SEA, we have KUOW which is mostly local during the day and it too, works well. A simulcast with an AM would also be a good approach, just like what they did in NOL.

I'd love to hear DJ Dan's ratings perspective on this concept. If good money could be made using this format, I'd think someone in the big office might want to visit this idea again.

I'm not saying that there wouldn't be challenges for Seattle. I do think that if anyone can do it, Bonneville has the experience and could make it work here.

 

[pbf1]

That's WWL-FM 105.3.....I think that came about as an unexpected result of Hurricane Katrina. Had Katrina never happened, There would likely still be music on 105.3 MHz in The Big Easy....

There's also WRNO doing N/T on FM down there.

 

[DangerousDan]

There's also WRNO doing N/T on FM down there.

Yup, that's the second N/T FM station I was referring to. The most interesting thing is that they flipped after more than 30 years as a heritage classic rocker (WRNO stood for "We're the Rock of New Orleans"). They completely reinvented themselves in an advertising market which ain't exactly robust post-Katrina.

If they can do it, why not KBSG?

 

[Kelly]

Let us move to FM and simply dump AM in the ocean as Canada is doing, please? It's over, nothing new to hear on the medium wave front. It is over.......

AM CAN be saved. It's still an old technology, but so is FM (dating to the '30s)

The problem with AM and WHY no one listens is VERY few people are DOING ANYTHING DECENT ON AM!!!

We tried mainstream news talk on FM (KIRO-FM 100.7, circa 1992-1997) and it sank like a rock. People in general want music on FM.

KUOW since the '80s was pretty much a news/talk station. And it's audience is more eclectic and sophistcated than KIRO and KOMO. KUOW's advantage isn't the side of the dial it's on, but the fact it goes deeper into the news reporting than just regurgitating headlines ad nauseum. You could put KUOW on AM in Seattle and it would still wipe out (or seriously hurt) the AM competition. Besides, it's voice, not music.

Speaking of music, with the exception of KKDZ 1250, KGRG 1330 and KWLE 1340, there is no current or alternative rock/pop on AM (and KGRG is classic alternative.) We CAN do better than this. Seattle has a proud heritage of AM rockers (KZAM-AM. KZOK-AM, KILO, KJET, KKZU....and of course KJR-AM and KOL-not KKOL.)

If an AM station can offer something that isn't re-hashed to death on FM, something that is truly cutting edge, it DOES have a chance in spite of the lower-fi. Besides, AM stations are just big tax write-offs anyway. Why not have fun with it?

Larry, dude you should consider someday joining the 21st century already in progress...
The audio quality of AM is poor by todays standards, comparing IPODS or MP3 devices. And don't give me that old tired line of "gee my Delco car radio in 1968 sounded great!" As compared to what, wire transscription recordings?? Now add in terrestrial noise from that computer you're reading this on, and AM very quickly becomes an inferior way of communication. The specs say it all... Amplititude modulation with close to 40% distortion and frequency response out to 5kHz, or an IPOD with 1% distortion and frequency response to 20kHz? Wow now there's a tough decision if I were given the choice of what I'd like to listen to. In fact, many of the new car radios being introduced in 2009 don't even have AM tuner sections. Oh, and my son can make his own music playlist!! He can have much more "fun" than waiting for his favorite song to come on some crappy sounding AM mono radio!

Also trust me on this one Larry, with the cost of electricity and the property that it takes to support an AM transmission facility, nobody intentionally "writes off" a station.

AM should go full digital, and just bag the whole analog hybrid method. Even then, it could be too late.

 

[w9wi]

an inferior way of communication. The specs say it all... Amplititude modulation with close to 40% distortion and frequency response out to 5kHz, or an IPOD with 1% distortion and frequency response to 20kHz? Wow now there's

(40% distortion???)

AM should go full digital, and just bag the whole analog hybrid method. Even then, it could be too late.

In most markets the problem with AM is not audio quality, but coverage. Looking back to another reply, IMHO the reason there are more FM talkers down here in the South is that few Southern cities have more than one full-market AM signal. Ground conductivity stinks (so for a given number of watts, a station down here doesn't have much coverage) and powers and antenna patterns are severely limited by the fact that stations further north came first and had to be protected from interference.

Here in Nashville, WSM is the only full-market AM signal. In Louisville, it's only WHAS. In Atlanta, only WSB.

While HD Radio does arguably improve the audio quality of an AM station, it does nothing for the station's coverage.

 

[LITTLEBOYBLUE]

I get the impression you are all saying the same thing: Technology takes a back seat to content.

If the information available on KIRO/KOMO were done well on FM, people might gravitate there first (see KUOW). HD side channels have basically proven it's not JUST the technology that's attractive. Most people with iPods say the same thing...that's choice #1 for music, but many prefer the "companionship" of decent radio programming when it's not JUST about the music. Problem is the word "decent". (As an example...think of an out-of-market station you may like....you'd probably listen to the stream to hear the station even though the stream is substandard quality to the broadcast in most cases).

Just because a station has a named format doesn't mean it always has to stay between those boundaries. KZOZ, for example, as "Classic Rock" rarely plays a classic rock tune in the morning --- but the show has a huge following because they put a lot of work into lining up guests and making it entertaining. In the days of (a) cut expenses (b) make content generic so it can be programmed "centrally"; and even (c) morning shows no longer sacred and can be cut to meet the bottom line ... the industry is not going to hold an audience until it goes back to putting content ahead of technology.

 

[djdan]

To answer the ratings question earlier in the thread. All talk, aimed younger on FM, has not worked effectively. Most of the Free-FM stations are gone and similar versions like the Buzz in Seattle among others failed to deliver ratings or advertising dollars.

What appears to work is News simulcasts on FM. The combo number is higher and younger. Bonneville has done this in three markets, Entercom in two that I know of. It makes sense with a non-performing FM stick to simulcast. The question is will KIRO/KBSG make more money as a simulcast or as seperate stations. However if the FM can perform, it is a waste of an FM signal to simulcast.

Hope that answers the revenue question.

 

[TakeItFromMe]

We got enough news/talk in this damn town and talk sounds just fine on AM.
I would take KBSG SOFT AC and run right down WARM's throat. Bonneville invented the format
I'd take THE END Classic Rock and music intensive. Entercom would have Active, Classic and AAA locked up ;D
If it were me I'd take KBKS hip hop, fire the jocks and run music up against KUBE 8)

Don't waste FM's on talk when there are still great music options. 8)

 

[radioplayer]

Thanks Dan for your perspective-appreciate that!

As for the the comment about format changes on FM, I agree that it would be great to see KBKS go up against KUBE too, but the suits will not allow that in this climate....after all, that would invite risk.

We got enough news/talk in this damn town and talk sounds just fine on AM.
I would take KBSG SOFT AC and run right down WARM's throat. Bonneville invented the format
I'd take THE END Classic Rock and music intensive. Entercom would have Active, Classic and AAA locked up ;D
If it were me I'd take KBKS hip hop, fire the jocks and run music up against KUBE 8)

Don't waste FM's on talk when there are still great music options. 8)

In my experience, this market would rather play it safe than seriously compete. You do have a great point about FM's here....it would be neat to see some serious competition again on the dial, but you also have to understand that the suits are looking for 100% easy money w/o having to spend a lot of $$ on promotion or quality staff nowadays....that's why the whole business has become so predictable, boring and flat w/regards to overall programming. It's also another good reason why more and more people are going to the internet for their music choice.

 

[Darkon]

We got enough news/talk in this damn town and talk sounds just fine on AM.
I would take KBSG SOFT AC and run right down WARM's throat. Bonneville invented the format
I'd take THE END Classic Rock and music intensive. Entercom would have Active, Classic and AAA locked up ;D
If it were me I'd take KBKS hip hop, fire the jocks and run music up against KUBE 8)

Don't waste FM's on talk when there are still great music options. 8)

again with the emoticons in your posts.....WOW. You are an emoticon junkie aren't ya. I do agree with you about flipping KBSG and going after Warm. However taking the End and going classic rock thus entercom would have classic rock locked up? Uh I don't think so. KZOK dominates. Does Entercom have the cash right now to flip a station relaunch a new one and spend the money to market it right. Right now when dollars are tight in an economy that is in the midst of stagflation? Don' t think so. Besides The End serves as a good flanking station to KISW to ward off the monkey or should anyone else try to move in. The End needs to be almost like Jack. Jockless and run tons of Gold with some new tunes mixed in with some good imaging and let audio vault run that thing.

 

[djspills]

AM should go full digital, and just bag the whole analog hybrid method. Even then, it could be too late.

I think it's been too late for AM for a long time. I think saying that FM still has a lot of great music options is an overstatement.

 

[Steenman]

KZOK-FM Bob and Co nothing bu talk 6a-10a. KISW FM BJ and Co. all talk 6-10a, 3p-6p, KUBE FM T-Man and Co. all talk 6a-10a, KUOW FM, news talk pretty much all day long, KPLU, news AM and PM drive, KNDD FM Loveline evening talk, KISW FM Leykis talk evenings, KBKS FM mostly talk in the morning. That's hours and hours of talk, a good portion locally originated. Did I miss some part of the question?