People in broadcasting don't really want the expanded FM band because both AM and FM are in decline with consumers preferring to get their entertainment off of multi-use devices like smartphones and tablets; they are not buying new "radios".
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**Possible** flight from 950 for WWJ??
- Thread starter 1L6E6VHF
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People in broadcasting don't really want the expanded FM band because both AM and FM are in decline with consumers preferring to get their entertainment off of multi-use devices like smartphones and tablets; they are not buying new "radios".
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FredLeonard
Guest
The young demos increasingly don't go to radio for traffic. They can get customer reports on GPS units, smartphones or dashboard units. They've already abandoned radio for school closings. Weather: Just look at your smartphone. Same for news. Putting all news on FM wouldn't change the fact that younger people are already embracing newer, better options.
And public radio (Morning Edition, All Things Considered, etc) doesn't get younger demos either - and they already are on FM and always have been. NPR News keeps trying to dumb down and tart up and it hasn't done anything except upset long-time listeners.
The all news format is approaching 54 years old. The world has changed and the format is becoming as obsolete as medium wave and amplitude modulation.
Stations considering FM are not looking for Millenials. They are looking at improving 35-54 and 45-54. How Millenials behave is not a concern today.
Those shows in markets where the Public Radio station is a decent operation do very well in 35-54. Similarly, when KCBS in San Francisco added an FM signal, the 35-54 demos improved dramatically,
Top 50 is now 62 years old, and the world has changed and people still like a station that plays the hits.
This may sound OT at this point, but the thread did have to do with a failed sale of WFDF when I started it.
Chew on this bumper I heard on WFDF just hours ago: "It couldn't be stopped. Your favorite radio station is back, Radio Disney!"
What a mess if RD suddenly decided not to dismantle their AM network after all.
Chew on this bumper I heard on WFDF just hours ago: "It couldn't be stopped. Your favorite radio station is back, Radio Disney!"
What a mess if RD suddenly decided not to dismantle their AM network after all.
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Not to mention that Millenials have no disposable income and likely never will.
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Eric B
Guest
re: Radio Disney bumper
You know...that statement reminds me of a publicity stunt WMMS-100.7 Cleveland, OH pulled back in the late 1990s. All through the month of October, they claimed they were changing formats at the end of the month. Then, once November came...nothing happened. Business as usual. Turned out to be nothing more than just a PR stunt.
Having said that...this kind of makes me wonder if this is just an effort on Disney's part in trying to get them more noticed. Stranger things than that have happened.
Also, kind of off topic, but they would almost certainly NEVER get the amount they sank into WFDF. Think of it -- real estate, engineering, construction, and of course, they had to buy WFRO and silence that (AND turn its license back to the FCC) so that they could move WFDF into the Detroit area. I shudder to think of how much it all cost, once they finally flipped the switch to activate the new transmitter.
Food for thought.
--Eric B
Carleton, MI
You know...that statement reminds me of a publicity stunt WMMS-100.7 Cleveland, OH pulled back in the late 1990s. All through the month of October, they claimed they were changing formats at the end of the month. Then, once November came...nothing happened. Business as usual. Turned out to be nothing more than just a PR stunt.
Having said that...this kind of makes me wonder if this is just an effort on Disney's part in trying to get them more noticed. Stranger things than that have happened.
Also, kind of off topic, but they would almost certainly NEVER get the amount they sank into WFDF. Think of it -- real estate, engineering, construction, and of course, they had to buy WFRO and silence that (AND turn its license back to the FCC) so that they could move WFDF into the Detroit area. I shudder to think of how much it all cost, once they finally flipped the switch to activate the new transmitter.
Food for thought.
--Eric B
Carleton, MI
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FredLeonard
Guest
Eric, now that you mention it: Disney sold off the ABC Radio Network and the ABC owned stations but decided to keep Radio Disney (and stations) and ESPN Radio and stations. Keeping ESPN makes sense but Radio Disney? It was never a big money-maker and the idea of targeting kids (post millennials) with a music format on AM radio seemed doomed from the start. Their parents probably don't know from nothing about AM and these kids grew up with music players and Internet access. Maybe some genius through their own radio network would be a way to promote the Disney "brand" and Disney movies but they dropped playing Disney-related songs years ago.
Oh yeah, I definitely heard it (about 1730 EST yesterday). But again, it's radio talking about radio, so you can't trust it.
I'll never forget how WDTW AM, in its last days, still had ads for buying time on the station, knowing it was going silent (Yes, Trupiano told his audience about the pending shutdown weeks earlier, but he said it on his show, WDTW itself never said it).
Meanwhile, the thread above implies the bumper may just be fluff.
About Radio Disney's use of AM stations. One of the "theories" Radio Disney was operating under was that, whilst baby boomers were biased against AM stations, which where associated with conservative music, conservative news, and the "piggie establishment", while FM radio was associated with "freedom", album rock, marijuana and rejection of their parents' values, the children of the 1990's would not hold such a bias against the AM band.
I'll never forget how WDTW AM, in its last days, still had ads for buying time on the station, knowing it was going silent (Yes, Trupiano told his audience about the pending shutdown weeks earlier, but he said it on his show, WDTW itself never said it).
Meanwhile, the thread above implies the bumper may just be fluff.
About Radio Disney's use of AM stations. One of the "theories" Radio Disney was operating under was that, whilst baby boomers were biased against AM stations, which where associated with conservative music, conservative news, and the "piggie establishment", while FM radio was associated with "freedom", album rock, marijuana and rejection of their parents' values, the children of the 1990's would not hold such a bias against the AM band.
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All News Radio has somewhat different listeners than Conservative Talk Radio. People start listening to All News Radio when they have families and homes and advanced responsibilities at work. Millennials generally are not there yet. Years ago, I had a college computer programming instructor that told us if we wanted to get ahead, we need to learn more that how to write code. We should "Listen to WWJ AM95 to learn what's going on in the world. Turn it on when you are driving around and make wasted time into productive time."
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