WABC starts petition to save AM radio

[davideduardo]

But Loverofradio says his company has been doing so for 10 years. I can only assume it is with programming that uses absolutely no music, not even as bumpers or beds. Otherwise... COULD ... YOU ... BE ... WRONG!?!?!?

The fees for artist/label rights on digital streams when added together just don't create a cost basis that pure ad supported radio can make a profit on. If there were any cases, I'm rather sure we'd all be emulating them.

 

[gr8oldies]

And how long ago was that Rubber Duck?

Mid-late 70s.

 

[Mike Sheridan]

I guess you weren’t a fan of Candid Camera.

Not so Candid Camera was a practical joke, not ridicule. There is a difference. You can fool someone without insulting them.

 

[dcowboy7]

Back to Morgan Wallen, he strikes me as completely out of step with a pop audience! Even Cash's pop hits didn't seem as Country as Wallen.

Wallen does have "last night" the #16 song this wk on the mediabase top 40 airplay chart & its the biggest spin gainer in the 11-23 range.

 

[semoochie]

Wallen does have "last night" the #16 song this wk on the mediabase top 40 airplay chart & its the biggest spin gainer in the 11-23 range.

The song is again #1 on the Hot 100! It's certainly a big hit. I just don't see how it fits a typical CHR or Hot AC playlist. I think it's even too "Country" for AC!

 

[CTListener]

The song is again #1 on the Hot 100! It's certainly a big hit. I just don't see how it fits a typical CHR or Hot AC playlist. I think it's even too "Country" for AC!

It seems to be the preferred track in country airplay as well, despite "One Thing at a Time" getting the bigger country push from the label. Personally, I've come to rather like "Last Night," while "One Thing" has been "meh" from the first time I heard it. The weird thing about Wallen's "snap tracks" is that there's always a lot more going on lyric-wise than there is in most similar songs done by pop or R&B artists. I've seen his co-writes criticized for trying to jam too many words and ideas into too little time. Would that work against "Last Night" getting significant pop airplay? There's definitely a huge amount of buzz around this guy, and he's more than a dilettante in the pop and R&B genres. Yes, that accent is going to be a problem outside country radio, but "Wasted on You" got his foot in the CHR/AC door, so maybe "Last Night" can do at least that well.

 

[dcowboy7]

Wallen does have "last night" the #16 song this wk on the mediabase top 40 airplay chart & its the biggest spin gainer in the 11-23 range.

Looks like "last night" hit #10 on billboard pop airplay....country in the top 10 ?? its like the 80s again.

 

[Least]

Is there any steam on discussions of expanding the FM Dial? If so, the added frequencies can be places for current AM stations. Honestly, as AM Stereo faded, the sound became inferior to that of FM and HD.

 

[CTListener]

Is there any steam on discussions of expanding the FM Dial? If so, the added frequencies can be places for current AM stations. Honestly, as AM Stereo faded, the sound became inferior to that of FM and HD.

Been discussed here numerous times. Consensus is no chance. The FCC isn't going to reallocate frequencies in that part of the spectrum, and no one is going to take the chance on manufacturing millions of receivers that few people will want to buy and few stores will want to stock. AM broadcasters whose stations are sentenced to this FM gulag will just go broke even faster.

 

[JackindaBox]

Why are they removing AM radio from cars when there is an option to use it on HD radio with a far better signal?

 

[dcowboy7]

Looks like "last night" hit #10 on billboard pop airplay....country in the top 10 ?? its like the 80s again.

Yep #10 this wk.
I still say with the lower amount of pop content available nowadays if this song can top 10 then theres a bunch of other country songs they could be mining also.
Even Z100 had Jelly Roll on an interview who had a big country hit this yr & has another on the chart now.

 

[Hyrum]

Why are they removing AM radio from cars when there is an option to use it on HD radio with a far better signal?

My guess is that they figured the fourteen people who listen to the 18 stations still broadcasting AM HD will not be buying new cars this year. Whereas I loved AM radio when I could still hear it, it is unlistenable today. If we continue to want it for nostalgia, we're wasting a lot of electricity for very little return. Let the local broadcasters turn off the unlistenable AM signals and continue to program on their current translators and no one will even notice. The stations themselves will save electric costs and the whack job environment hysterical crowd can cheer the carbon savings. That is the legislation the government should work on. Allow the translators to continue with the cancellation of the AM license. The market place should determine which types of radio are in cars. And let's be realistic about the "emergency" need for AM. It simply is not necessary in today's environment.

 

[TheBigA]

The market place should determine which types of radio are in cars.

If the marketplace determined the things available in cars, seatbelts would be the first thing to go.

 

[MarkW]

An AM/FM radio is not a safety device, as much as the NAB propagandists want us to think otherwise.

A NOAA alert radio, on the other hand, *is* a safety device. The NAB seemingly has zero interest in requiring that feature in automobiles. Gee, I wonder why? (sarcasm)

The national seat belt usage rate is nearly 92 percent, btw.

 

[TheBigA]

A radio is not a safety device,

Correct. It's merely a medium between DHS and the public. It provides safety information as legally required by and from the government.

BTW I wasn't equating AM to seat belts. Just observing that the reason they exist is because they're required by law, not because of market forces. It's nice that usage rates are high. But there's also the threat of a fine for not wearing them.

 

[MarkW]

Other than remote mountainous areas that are likely inaccessible by automobile, I am hard pressed to think of any area where multiple FM signals are not readily receivable.

If automakers were removing *both* AM and FM, the "safety / emergency communication" argument being put forth by the NAB would be somewhat more legitimate, in my opinion.

 

[TheBigA]

If automakers were removing *both* AM and FM, the "safety" argument being put forth by the NAB would be somewhat more legitimate, in my opinion.

The safety argument is comes from DHS, that requires these stations to be on the air in the event of an emergency, so that information can be conveyed to the public. DHS doesn't distinguish between AM, FM or TV in its rules. They apply equally. DHS is responsible for the safety of all people, regardless of their choice of device or their geography. It gets that authority from the preamble to the constitution.

 

[SomeRadioGuy]

Other than remote mountainous areas that are likely inaccessible by automobile, I am hard pressed to think of any area where multiple FM signals are not readily receivable.

If automakers were removing *both* AM and FM, the "safety / emergency communication" argument being put forth by the NAB would be somewhat more legitimate, in my opinion.

raises hand.. hi there.. welcome to my world.

2 FM signals can be heard here. No AMs.

some villages have only 1 signal they can hear.. sometimes a rebroadcast station (KNIB, KMGS) or an AM from Nome or Bethel or Barrow

 

[MarkW]

The NAB's true underlying concern is the eventual removal of *all* over the air radio from OEM equipment installed in new cars in favor of streaming and satellite services, which would further impinge financial viability of AM/FM broadcasters and would give automakers much greater control over audio content access (read: $$$).

This "slippery slope" risk is a legitimate concern.

The risk of people not receiving emergency alerts simply because their new EV lacks AM radio, on the other hand, is not a legitimate concern.

 

[TheBigA]

The NAB's true concern is the eventual removal of all over the air radio from cars in favor of streaming and satellite services,

Why this obsession with the NAB? Don't you understand their role? They are a lobbying organization. That's their job.

However, the intent of the proposed law is to carry out the mission of the DHS, not the NAB.

Broadcasters are well aware of the device situation, which is why they're converting their users to streaming services.