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Tell a non-radio type why Music Won't work on AM if an FM runs the same format

Re: Tell a non-radio type why Music Won't work on AM if an FM runs the same form

Block programming! That's what it was called in the 40s, 50s, and 60s. Stations served many masters. Along came the late 60s, 70s, and 80s and stations started to specialize. Consultants talked of the radio dial as "the mall" with full service ANCHOR stations and more specialized BOUTIQUE stations. Today, there is no such thing as a full service station except those few that remain in very small towns.

The concept of block programming was adopted by television and continues to this day in the over-the-air television stations. The have become, if you will, the anchors - while cable channels that specialize in home improvement, comedy, movies, different types of music, etc. - are the boutiques.

It could certainly work again for radio. The secret to this type of radio (and some internet radio) is localism - provide programming and information that the nationwide satellite channels can't offer.
 
There's a lot of info available to broadcasters on the web such as Census bureau data that can break down the demographics of an audience. Kenhawk, if it worked before, it probably wasn't a fluke. If you took a small AM w/ a very limited market share, what do they have to lose by trying to target different segments at times of the day when they are most available and likely to listen?
 
Re: Tell a non-radio type why Music Won't work on AM if an FM runs the same form

Key is promotion - if they don't know about you, they won't tune in! Promotion doesn't mean millions of dollars, particularly in smaller towns. Stations can trade with the local paper, maybe even do a service exchange with the paper for some advertising and cross promotion. A vehicle with the station's logo - kept moving.

There's a station in our town that has an old step van with the logo as big as it can get on all sides. I am not even sure it runs (may trade with a wrecker service) but it always parked in some highly visible location - mall parking lot, cafeteria or popular restaurant, church parking lot - whereever he can get permission. All it does is draw attention to the fact that the station exists!
 
Kenhawk, if it worked before, it probably wasn't a fluke. If you took a small AM w/ a very limited market share, what do they have to lose by trying to target different segments at times of the day when they are most available and likely to listen?

It all comes down as to what the owner/operator is willing to invest. When we did AC day and country night at this station, we had it staffed with live jocks. Satellite was something fairly new, and we wouldn't go down that road for another 6 years yet. What inspired us to do it there was the fact that an advertiser said they'd love to hear a country music show on the station. They were asked if they'd support it by advertising, and they said yes. They kept their promise and the format was received very well, and we picked up additional sponsorships as well.

What kept this going was that we played not just the hits, but the classics as well. We took requests and dedications, played them over the air sometimes, (depending on how well they sounded on the air) and the jock who did the show was a young woman in her late 20's who was married with two small boys at home. Total sweetheart...no ego problems, very likeable and relatable. A lot of people identified with her, and after they cut her down to part time, she auditioned for the same shift on a middle-market FM station with a contemporary country format. They immediately hired her. So the key is, if you can get a quality talent to do the show, do what you have to in order to keep them if they're bringing in the bucks. After she left, that show was never the same again.
 
Just curious to know where this format (AC and Country) existed? Also agree with previous posts that it takes a very creative station owner to bring attention to their station. Bring it on! There was an owner of the Chicago White Sox, Bill Veeck who was so creative, he was pretty much drummed out of baseball. (The owners of major league baseball just oozed the status quo in the 50's.) But he published a book, "Veeck as in wreck" that should be required reading for any radio station owner who wanted to better promote their station(s).
 
Re: Tell a non-radio type why Music Won't work on AM if an FM runs the same form

Aside from the importance of promotion, is consideration of what else is available in the market. If there is a full time country station, forget the combination format. AM radio, in particular, must provide something that is not already available in the listening area.

Sometimes, that means more than music - nothing wrong with a station that caters to a small portion of a metro. Do a swap shop in Saturday morning, and a local "gossip" show occasionally. Do a community bulletin board - pick a type of music that is underserved and mix it in with the local content.

If people want to just listen to wall to wall music, AM has little chance. Offer some material - local artists, commuity news, even a community issues talk show. Provide news, and weather, and high school football. Do things satellite can't do .. and bigger stations won't do.
 
My sentiments exactly- why not target a very small segment that is under or unserved for a small amount of time each week. If a station was combining hot AC and country, why not a 2 hr block of playing classic rock, particularly long cuts that never seem to air on FM? And if they had a small ethnic population, why not polka or something like that for an hour or two on weekend mornings?
 
If a station was combining hot AC and country, why not a 2 hr block of playing classic rock, particularly long cuts that never seem to air on FM? And if they had a small ethnic population, why not polka or something like that for an hour or two on weekend mornings?

This is the kind of thinking that is keeping small market radio alive, and this was how it was done for years. We've lost sight of that and we need to get it back if it's to survive, let alone prosper.
 
I deliberately did not get satelite radio although I drive a lot because I like a certain amount of small town AM programming, it enables one to be aware of your surroundings when you're on the road. For example I listened to a several farm stations in the midwest and gleaned enough info so that I could talk w/ area people, mostly farmers and ranchers w/o feeling completely like an alien from another planet (massachusetts)
Thinking more about the programming aspect of music on AM, sice we are a melting pot, one could have a number of ethnic (including native Am) programs over the course of an hour or two on Saturdays. On saturday nights they could play oldies and encourage the 55 and up year old group make fools of themselves by cruising Main Street! And some people who are not of one ethnic group would probably enjoy music from another ethnic group. Then a station could sponsor (maybe once a year) an ethnic music festival that would bring the entire community (and tourists) together. And with the improved sound of radios (home and car) it could just work in some market(s).
"To win is to be in as in innovator."--Marketing 101-the business equivalent of kindergarden but w/o the naps.
 
Re: Tell a non-radio type why Music Won't work on AM if an FM runs the same form

Block programming can work in small markets and in situations where there is no concern for ratings, this is particularly true for small stations without full metro coverage. Ratings for stations with full coverage pretty much control the revenue and the revenue controls the format.

Small stations can speciaize in an area rather than a format. There are lots of potential advertisers who can't afford (and don't need) full market coverage. It takes work to find them, and convince them the first time, but if they get results, they will come back.

It is about reveue! Forget the ratings and the signal issues - if a station can find enough small aadvertisers, the station can make a nice living for it's owner and a couple of staffers. It is happening in hundreds of small towns in large metros across America.
 
Like many people, I'd given up looking for music on AM as there is a multitude of stations in New England. I took a drive today and found 2 AM stations in Massachusetts that have a music format. The first is AM 940 out of Webster, MA WGFP?. They were playing country. Also found/listened to WARE- Ware MA (1250). The music sounded reasonably well in the car.
In both cases Webster, MA and Ware, MA, population around 10-15,000, are situated in valleys, reception of the Boston and Providence country FM's are both spotty w/ regard to Webster. Ware is located about 50-60 mi from the Hartford oldies FM WDRC, and the same distance or more to Boston and Providence. So yes, there are 3 competitive FM's in the case of Ware but an external house antenna would be needed in downtown Ware (or an unusually sensitive car radio). If one goes 1-2 mi E or W of town on Rt 9 from Ware reception dramatically improves but most of Ware's population is in the valley. So WARE and WGFP has carved out a nitch. And they were playing music that the other 3 stations don't play regularly. I don't know if they have any other programming at other times but the stations were identified as Country 940 and oldies 1250.
So there is room in some instances for an AM station to carve out a niche with the same format of competing FM's.
 
So there is room in some instances for an AM station to carve out a niche with the same format of competing FM's.

And the key is, local, local, local! If those towns can count on those stations to bring them major news when it breaks, then they'll both survive and prosper. AM Radio is dead? I think not.

Here's a good example of how effective radio can be. We have a police scanner in our newsroom. Once we hear vehicle accident, we get the information down and have it on the air within five minutes or less. Our listeners call us if there's a traffic snarl, but most of the time we have that information on the air before they're even aware of it.
 
Re: Tell a non-radio type why Music Won't work on AM if an FM runs the same form

And you know what, it isn't that expensive to operate. I know, nobody makes big bucks, and everybody works real hard. It can work! And kenhawk is right - local is the key!

I also think promotion is the key - and as I had mentioned before, that doesn't always mean spending lots of money - just being creative and using the resources you have!
 
A lot of New England towns are located in holes (oops valleys) and the ones that are 40-60 mi away from FM stations w/ the same format are probably at an advantage. In fact there is a 970 AM that broadcasts country located less than 10 mi away from Webster. And it has it's own market so to speak. Southbridge is also in a valley. Webster's (940AM) signal is a paltry 4 watts at night(1000 day). FM stations w/ the same format are from 43-57 mi away.

WARE (broadcasting oldies) is 5000 watts day, 2500 watts night and promotes itself as having coverage from the Conn River Valley to Worcester County or about 25 mi in all directions. At night the signal is severely nulled to the west. They can and do have advertisers from about 15 mi away. All of the FM's that compete w/ Ware are 52-57 mi away.

It must be more of a challenge (although very very possible) to do this on the Great Plains where AM stations travel much further due to ground conductivity. and FM stations definitely carry further due to more power. But there are many areas where FM just does not penetrate very well and even if it does, a very creative AM radio manager/owner can run rings around the competition. At worst, carve out a nice niche. It's good to "know your audience but census bureau data may help . Nice post as it gets the creative juices flowing!
 
Re: Tell a non-radio type why Music Won't work on AM if an FM runs the same form

So, tell us the WDIA secret? Is it local, what kind of music, what service elements!
 
Re: Tell a non-radio type why Music Won't work on AM if an FM runs the same form

XTalker said:
So, tell us the WDIA secret? Is it local, what kind of music, what service elements!
Click to expand...

They're urban AC, very local and in touch with the Memphis black community, and they have 60 years of heritage serving that community.

To duplicate WDIA, you'd need a time machine.
 
I'm a non radio type myself-it seems like they are using a lot of common sense, intelligence and the ability to empower their personel. That can work elsewhere no matter the format there is 24 hrs a day; you can run 3-4 different segments within that format to audiences targeted for the time frame. It seems that a lot of formats are trying to target a general audience, without success, rather than targeting a number of segmented audiences within the same format.
AMusic on AM can and will work if station management can outsmart the competiton.
 
Re: Tell a non-radio type why Music Won't work on AM if an FM runs the same form

Duplicating a station's success is certainly not easy, but it can be done. Requires paying attention to the things that make the station a success. You can't duplicate the heritage, but you can apply many other elements to a new station.

Those who want to try to make an AM successful need to look at stations like WDIA around the country. And learn from their success. Heritage does help, but it is more of "what have you done for me lately" that really makes the success.

I do believe if you take an AM station with a good signal (must cover the market completely), research the market carefully, super serve a segment of the population not being served well, and market it, an AM can make it with a music format!
 
Re: Tell a non-radio type why Music Won't work on AM if an FM runs the same form

XTalker said:
Duplicating a station's success is certainly not easy, but it can be done. Requires paying attention to the things that make the station a success. You can't duplicate the heritage, but you can apply many other elements to a new station.

Those who want to try to make an AM successful need to look at stations like WDIA around the country. And learn from their success. Heritage does help, but it is more of "what have you done for me lately" that really makes the success.

I do believe if you take an AM station with a good signal (must cover the market completely), research the market carefully, super serve a segment of the population not being served well, and market it, an AM can make it with a music format!
Click to expand...

The real key is what you say about "cover(ing) the marekt completely."

So many markets have only a couple of stations that do that, so the potential is limited and the obvious choices of talk and sports are on most of them.

Look at DC... not one station fully covers the market. Or Miami, where one and maybe two do it. Or San Diego, where only one (US licencesd one) does fully. Riverside / San Bernardino has one. Albuquerque has one. Dallas has 3. Houston has, maybe, one. New Orleans has one. Atlanta has one. Cleveland has one, and one marginal "near full" signal. Milwaukee has one and a marginal one. St. Louis has one. And so on.

There just are not any signals that can compete that are not in high-billing news and sports formats, with maybe the exception of LA, Chicago, NY. In the rest of the top 10 markets, all these have limited good signals: Dallas, Houston, Philadelphia, San Francisco, DC, Detroit, Atlanta. It gets worse as you leave the top 10, too.

One thing to factor in is that it takes more signal to get listening today than 20 years ago, due to higer levels of interference such as computers and other electrical devices, as well as the almost total disregard for power line radiation in recent years.
 
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