Radio is slowly dying

[Lancer]

Yeah because radio is SO much better now than it was. Not.

 

[grantchester]

The difference between then and now is, back in 'The Day', radio airtime was in short supply, and was, as a result, more valuable. Now there is a surplus of airtime, especially on AM stations. Profit was made by owning 'The Stick". Now profit comes from owning an audience.
The new model is to create your interest group, and lease the airtime.
DFW already has some successful car shows and garden shows. We have financial adviser shows and outdoors shows. The challenge for the aspiring broadcaster is to find a group that is under served, find ways to serve them, tap into the financial base of their economy (sponsors), and promote the heck out of it.
Or we can keep on dreaming about some station owner making us a star and paying us a living wage...

 

[TheBigA]

Yeah because radio is SO much better now than it was. Not.

The present is never as good as our memory of the past, and the reality of the past is never as good as our memory.

 

[dfaulkner]

An important point that's been mentioned or alluded to several times in this thread... Every Station Should Be Required To Always Have At Least One Person On Duty Who Can Go On The Air Immediately In The Event Of A Local Emergency.

....One of the main reasons stations started broadcasting after 11 PM or Midnight was to insure that the transmitter was on at the start of morning drive. And anyone who did engineering in the 50's and 60's remembers being called by an impatient GM because the transmitter did not turn on... the solution was not to turn it off......

A question that came to mind, (not trying to sound smart.)....How did that help stations (such as KLIF) that use different transmitters for day & night ?

 

[Goat Rodeo Cowboy]

A question that came to mind, (not trying to sound smart.)....How did that help stations (such as KLIF) that use different transmitters for day & night ?

I think I hear two different thoughts in this thread about being on over night.

The first one was gathering audience during the early hours so that when "drive time" came you didn't have to "build audience" from zero at sign on. Some of the overnight crowd was already in the room. (That part worked for stations like KLIF with two different transmitter sites.)

Then I read where David Eduardo chimed in with a second benefit for the traditional single-site transmitter operation: We knew the transmitter would be working when the critical drive-time began.

Transmitters and airplanes have that in common. If a transmitter is on the verge of failing, it will probably fall-off-the-cliff some morning when you throw the high voltage to a cold box. (Some stations used to leave the filaments on all night on the old tube-type transmitters.)

From a pilots point of view, taking off is about as easy pie. But it is the time in every flight when I am most tense with parts of my anatomy puckered. If the engine is going to fail there is a high probability it will happen when you are at throttle-to-the-wall full-horsepower during take-off. When it does, you gotta' think fast.

 

[davideduardo]

....One of the main reasons stations started broadcasting after 11 PM or Midnight was to insure that the transmitter was on at the start of morning drive. And anyone who did engineering in the 50's and 60's remembers being called by an impatient GM because the transmitter did not turn on... the solution was not to turn it off......

A question that came to mind, (not trying to sound smart.)....How did that help stations (such as KLIF) that use different transmitters for day & night ?

As far as I know, there are less than 10 such operations in the entire US. Maybe less than 4 or 5 (not counting daytimers that have a very low wattage night power that they run from the studios).

 

[dfaulkner]

A question that came to mind, (not trying to sound smart.)....How did that help stations (such as KLIF) that use different transmitters for day & night ?

I think I hear two different thoughts in this thread about being on over night.

The first one was gathering audience during the early hours so that when "drive time" came you didn't have to "build audience" from zero at sign on. Some of the overnight crowd was already in the room. (That part worked for stations like KLIF with two different transmitter sites.)

Then I read where David Eduardo chimed in with a second benefit for the traditional single-site transmitter operation: We knew the transmitter would be working when the critical drive-time began.

Transmitters and airplanes have that in common. If a transmitter is on the verge of failing, it will probably fall-off-the-cliff some morning when you throw the high voltage to a cold box. (Some stations used to leave the filaments on all night on the old tube-type transmitters.)

From a pilots point of view, taking off is about as easy pie. But it is the time in every flight when I am most tense with parts of my anatomy puckered. If the engine is going to fail there is a high probability it will happen when you are at throttle-to-the-wall full-horsepower during take-off. When it does, you gotta' think fast.

I remember our engineer at KTNS telling me that anything electronic (particularly large equipment) lasted longer in continuous operation, that starting up was the hardest thing on it. At the time I
was working there he said that the big stereo receiver that we used as an on-air monitor in the studio had been on for about 5 years. That in the case of a transmitter this theory would be much more applicable.

 

[LibertyNT]

....One of the main reasons stations started broadcasting after 11 PM or Midnight was to insure that the transmitter was on at the start of morning drive. And anyone who did engineering in the 50's and 60's remembers being called by an impatient GM because the transmitter did not turn on... the solution was not to turn it off......

A question that came to mind, (not trying to sound smart.)....How did that help stations (such as KLIF) that use different transmitters for day & night ?

As far as I know, there are less than 10 such operations in the entire US. Maybe less than 4 or 5 (not counting daytimers that have a very low wattage night power that they run from the studios).

I think there has to be more than 4 or 5 stations that use more than 1 transmitter.
Thats 5 right there off the top of my head. They all have 2 sites two different transmitters. But could be That I misunderstood your answer.
KKLF (1700)
KVNS (1700)
KAAM (770)
KHSE (700)
KFXR (1190)

 

[dfaulkner]

I didn't realize that KAAM had two sites. I know of the one near Wylie. Where's the other ?

 

[Lancer]

Yeah because radio is SO much better now than it was. Not.

The present is never as good as our memory of the past, and the reality of the past is never as good as our memory.

And somebody's idea of the future rarely is as good or better than it will be.

 

[Sgt. Hans G. Schultz]

....One of the main reasons stations started broadcasting after 11 PM or Midnight was to insure that the transmitter was on at the start of morning drive. And anyone who did engineering in the 50's and 60's remembers being called by an impatient GM because the transmitter did not turn on... the solution was not to turn it off......

A question that came to mind, (not trying to sound smart.)....How did that help stations (such as KLIF) that use different transmitters for day & night ?

As far as I know, there are less than 10 such operations in the entire US. Maybe less than 4 or 5 (not counting daytimers that have a very low wattage night power that they run from the studios).

I think there has to be more than 4 or 5 stations that use more than 1 transmitter.
Thats 5 right there off the top of my head. They all have 2 sites two different transmitters. But could be That I misunderstood your answer.
KKLF (1700)
KVNS (1700)
KAAM (770)
KHSE (700)
KFXR (1190)

KVCE (1160)

 

[gr8oldies]

I understand the sentiments expressed by Mr. Wells, and agree with many of them, but at the end of the day it still sounds like "let's go back to doing radio in 1975". Even if you brought back 24/7 live jocks talking up intros and telling jokes between songs, I'm not convinced you have an audience today that wants to sit still for DJ chatter outside of morning drive (if then). If they are indeed leaving radio (I think the case is being far overstated here) for other devices because there are not personality DJs mixed with music; I'd think some enterprising website would produce that programming. Even back in the good old days, there was a substantial audience that couldn't have cared less about anything a DJ had to say. Indeed, some of the top 40 audience escaped to Progressive Rock, first and foremost for the music, but also to get away from screaming top 40 DJs, which many of us, including me loved, but a lot of people didn't.

I don't see anything about radio's digital future, getting programming on other platforms in the piece...just the hope that old-line personality DJs will get those who have left back, and I have to say I have my doubts.

 

[Sgt. Hans G. Schultz]

I didn't realize that KAAM had two sites. I know of the one near Wylie. Where's the other ?

Ya, KAAM... not so much. Only von transsmitten location.

 

[onmic]

Seems that there has always been a trend toward getting the number of people involved down in radio. Early days of commercial you had the personality and an FCC licensed engineer on site during all operating hours. There were large casts putting on shows, sound effect specialists making noises on set, etc. It was a well funded operation and the only game in town.

TV helped usher out most of the cast shows, but eventually station owners decided that they should require all hosts to be FCC licensed and kill the on site engineering gig. Then as things shifted and there was a way to automate it started in the smaller markets and the overnight guy was gone, then weekenders. Soon, whole stations automated, then syndication and even more hosts out the door.

Eventually station ownership has decided that Jacks, Bobs, Bettys and whoever else would sound just fine with no hosts, not even in major market mornings and the thing is that they can stand their own. They may not be top 5 in a major or anything, but cruch the numbers vs. overhead and take the number 7 or 10 spot with limited programming payroll. Small market local appeal with strong personality presence in the community still has its nitch, but it seems to be tighting IMO.

I'm not in the industry anymore, but I do have fond memories of when I was. I wonder if I would think as fondly of it had I stayed in.

 

[LibertyNT]

Take KHSE Off Too. Only One Site as well.
Doesnt KAAM And KHSE use the Same Tower?

So its
KVNS 1700 KGOW 1560
KKLF 1700
KFXR 1190
KVCE 1160

I didn't realize that KAAM had two sites. I know of the one near Wylie. Where's the other ?

Ya, KAAM... not so much. Only von transsmitten location.

 

[Sgt. Hans G. Schultz]

Take KHSE Off Too. Only One Site as well.
Doesnt KAAM And KHSE use the Same Tower?

Nein. You can't do dat vit AM towers und transsmittens. Only der FM.

 

[TheBigA]

And somebody's idea of the future rarely is as good or better than it will be.

That's life. Things change.

 

[davideduardo]

Take KHSE Off Too. Only One Site as well.
Doesnt KAAM And KHSE use the Same Tower?

Nein. You can't do dat vit AM towers und transsmittens. Only der FM.

Actually, AM diplexing is very common. WFAN and WCBS is a good example, and on Oahu, there are 3 and even 4 AMs on individual towers given the scarcity of land.

In LA, 1150 and 1020 share a 5-tower directional.

 

[davideduardo]

Eventually station ownership has decided that Jacks, Bobs, Bettys and whoever else would sound just fine with no hosts, not even in major market mornings and the thing is that they can stand their own. They may not be top 5 in a major or anything, but cruch the numbers vs. overhead and take the number 7 or 10 spot with limited programming payroll.

Jack in LA is currently #3 25-54 overall, and is anywhere from 5th in AM drive to 2nd in middays.

This type of format is not a reaction to costs, but to the rejection by some listeners of DJs and talk. In the case of KCBS FM, a very good production pro is in studio at all time and all the listener drops (which substitute for the jock) are produced and edited instantly and not reused...

 

[Sgt. Hans G. Schultz]

Actually, AM diplexing is very common. WFAN and WCBS is a good example, and on Oahu, there are 3 and even 4 AMs on individual towers given the scarcity of land.
In LA, 1150 and 1020 share a 5-tower directional.

Vell den, dis ist der miracles of der modern science, ya?