Wasted 50 kw AM signals

[davideduardo]

I am interested in your nominations for wasted 50 kw signals on AM for anywhere in the USA.........................

I'll start with two...........WCBM Baltimore and WWKB Buffalo.................

Family radio AM 610 San Francisco........

5 kw day and night.

 

[klutch00]

My list:

WBBR New York - This station is nothing more than a mouthpiece for Mike Bloomberg et al.
WTWP Washington - "Commercialized" NPR
WWKB Buffalo - They never gave the oldies format a shot IMO.
CKLW Detroit/Windsor - It makes you wonder why the hell they swapped frequencies with 580? The ratings were/are so much better!
WWVA Wheeling - Nighttime in this case - Why not offer traditional Country programming at least on Friday nights as well as Saturday anyway?
WHKW Cleveland - Syndicated religion on a clear channel station? Give me a break! They could at least program music during the evenings. The "inspirational rock" program on Saturday night could also be broadcast on Friday night as well.
KFAX San Francisco - see above
WQEW New York - Once again, why syndicated pre-teen programming?

The bottom line: I think that clear channel stations should concentrate on programming material that's relevant not only for their local area, but for the region which they cover, especially at night. They should consider relying on national advertisers for their revenues during that period.

 

[davideduardo]

The bottom line: I think that clear channel stations should concentrate on programming material that's relevant not only for their local area, but for the region which they cover, especially at night. They should consider relying on national advertisers for their revenues during that period.

National advertisers who buy AM radio buy 6 AM to 7PM almost exclusively. AM radio has about 20% of the audience daytime, but less than 15% of it at nigvht. The night audience for AM is about 1/7th that of daytime levels... in other workds, very few people listen to radio at night compared to daytime,a nd even fewer listen to AM.

Radio advertising is bought by the local market, and since essentially no station shows up outside its groundwave comerage area in ratings, there is no way to sell night coverage.

 

[KTN Corp]

...keep that radio tuned right there.

Funny you mentioned that. KTRH, according to the announcers, stands for "Keep Tuned Right Here." (I can't listen anymore. ) It is just a waste of Houston's only 50 kw station. It is essentialy a clone of KPRC (talk-radio) and KBME (sports station). It barely has any news except for headlines at the hour and half-hour or breaking news and it is mostly talk that dominates the schedule. Recently they cemented KTRH's talk radio status by moving Rush from KPRC to midday on KTRH. All they need to do now is to move Sean back to KTRH with all three hours of his show and they've done it. They still can legitimately call themselves NewsRadio since this is the only radio station in town that has anchors or reporters.

 

[jd]

...keep that radio tuned right there.

Funny you mentioned that. KTRH, according to the announcers, stands for "Keep Tuned Right Here." (I can't listen anymore. ) It is just a waste of Houston's only 50 kw station.

It depends on who you ask. That slogan isn't the most popular with many of KTRH's ex-employees; to them it's "Keep That Resumé Handy."

You're right about KTRH. Clear Channel has sucked the life out of this once legendary powerhouse, and the situation is unlikely to change.

 

[Snafu]

WWVA Wheeling, WV. Once one of America's great country stations it has now become just another CC garbage can. You once you you made it if you worked for the place or your record made it to their turntables. Not any more.

KDKA Pittsburgh. Once one of the great radio stations of America. Back in the day of clear channels (not Clear Channel) the signal covered most of the US and its format was unique to the Pittsburgh area. "Somplace Special" they called themselves. Now they are just someplace else beginning a quick decline in ratings and revenues right to the bottom of the heap. A disgrace.

 

[davideduardo]

WWVA Wheeling, WV. Once one of America's great country stations it has now become just another CC garbage can. You once you you made it if you worked for the place or your record made it to their turntables. Not any more.

But the reason for the change of WWVA into a local talker is the virtual disappearance of nightime long-distance listening to the AM band. People do not turn to AM for music, and very few listen to AM at all any more. WWVA simply has adapted to the reality of radio. Of course, none of this change is Clear Channel's fault...

KDKA Pittsburgh. Once one of the great radio stations of America. Back in the day of clear channels (not Clear Channel) the signal covered most of the US and its format was unique to the Pittsburgh area. "Somplace Special" they called themselves. Now they are just someplace else beginning a quick decline in ratings and revenues right to the bottom of the heap. A disgrace.

The signal is the same as it always was, but man made interference and the move of over 80% of the daytime and 85% of the night listening to FM has changed the demographics of AM. KDKA, like all news/talk AMs, is mostly over 55 in audience age, and advertisers do not want that group. Again, not the owner's fault. (KDKA's slippage in ratings is mostly due to the fact that there is a traditional news talk FM in the market now, and most of the under-55 n/t listeners are over there)

 

[klutch00]

National advertisers who buy AM radio buy 6 AM to 7PM almost exclusively. AM radio has about 20% of the audience daytime, but less than 15% of it at night. The night audience for AM is about 1/7th that of daytime levels... in other words, very few people listen to radio at night compared to daytime, and even fewer listen to AM.

In this case, Account Executives can use lower rates to lure merchants to buy during these periods. They can also sell these merchants on the fact that many nighttime listeners to these stations are travelers. Over-the-Road truckers make up for a significant number of these listeners. WLW has a truckers' show during the overnight hours.

Radio advertising is bought by the local market, and since essentially no station shows up outside its groundwave coverage area in ratings, there is no way to sell night coverage.

Just because these stations don't show up in ratings doesn't mean that the listeners are not there! If you'll listen to some of the clears at night-at least those with local programming, some of the callers into the shows are from outside the primary service area. Some stations like CHWO proudly proclaim their nighttime coverage areas.

 

[nhradiochild]

It is a San Diego station, and only a misanthrope would say otherwise.

You know, I have seen this word crop up before and it dawned on me that I truly did not know what it meant.

Well, I went to this site: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/misanthrope and found that the majority of definitions for misanthrope is a hater of humankind.

I'm missing how hating humankind directly relates to someone who believes a station's transmitter is located across the border and therefore views its COL to not be akin to its revenue-bearing listening area.

I realize this post was made a long time ago, but maybe someone can clue me in on this.

 

[semoochie]

The big clears may still be putting out the same signal but since they aren't protected to anywhere near the level they used to be, in most cases, coverage has noticeably diminished. Example: In Portland, 50kw limited time KXL was not allowed to run any power at night to avoid interfering with WSB Atlanta's 0.1mv/m contour over Texas! KXL now broadcasts with 20kw nighttime and is one of two traditionally successful Portland AMs.

 

[Snafu]

KDKA's average listener is actually a 64 year old white female. They've chased a good bit of the core audience away in the last 18 months with a revolving door of mediocre syndicated programming (sorry for the oxymoron) and losing Pirate baseball. The only thing falling faster than their ratings is their revenue which has offiically tanked.

The signal is still a work in progress. Their attempt to upgrade to HD was supposed to cost $100,000. In the end it was closer to $1,000,000 by the time they replaced everything except the stick. All of that work and expense and they are getting killed by side channel splatter from about Altoona east.

But you are correct, AM is a dying animal. Wonder how long it will be before the FCC moves everyone off and sells the spectrum to Nextel?

 

[njdave9]

IS WNTP NEWS TALK 990 MAKING ANY MONEY FOR SALEM ?

 

[DougBroda]

Here's one I haven't seen mentioned... CHMJ 730, Vancouver BC; http://www.am730traffic.com/.

Yup. This sister station to CHNW, once a Top 40 winner, having tried all news, guy talk and sports in recent years, is now "all traffic, all the time."

Oddly admirable stations? Besides KTNN, the Navajo station mentioned before, there's KRVN 880, Lincoln NE, owned by the Nebraska Rural Radio Association, a cooperative of farmers and ranchers, with lots of farm news, info, etc.

There are by my quick count 139 stations in North America that are 50kw day and night. Over and over in looking at the station I saw talkers with Rush, Hannity etc. and Clear Channel ownership. I only counted 6 Christian stations (CJCA Edmonton, KFAX San Francisco, WYLL Chicago, WDCD Albany, KBLA Santa Monica/LA, KAAY Little Rock). There are more stations primarily playing music than that, which are by my count WSM, CHWO, CFCW, CIGM, CHQT, CFBC, CJYQ, KWRU, CFAC, KTNQ, KCKN, CHUM, CKMX, KWKH, CKOC, CIWW, WQEW and KMIK.

 

[newhampshiredude]

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned 1510 WWZN in Boston, Mass. It just airs Sporting News Radio, and has now been sold to a company that specializes in ethnic brokered programs.

Next, 830 WCRN in Worcester, Mass. airs identical programming from 3PM-1AM weekdays to Boston-based 680 WRKO, another 50 kw station. And WCRN wonders why it is close to the bottom of the Worcester arbitron book.

WQEW in New York is even worse. I don't even think that station has showed up in any arbitron book, despite it being a clear channel.

1500 WTWP is another waste of a 50 kw signal. I don' think its currret format will last much longer, though.

Here's one I haven't seen mentioned... CHMJ 730, Vancouver BC; http://www.am730traffic.com/.

Yup. This sister station to CHNW, once a Top 40 winner, having tried all news, guy talk and sports in recent years, is now "all traffic, all the time."


Now that beats all the rest of mine.

 

[ratingsgeek]

Oddly admirable stations? Besides KTNN, the Navajo station mentioned before, there's KRVN 880, Lincoln NE, owned by the Nebraska Rural Radio Association, a cooperative of farmers and ranchers, with lots of farm news, info, etc.

As a native Nebraskan, let me provide a cordial correction. 880/KRVN is licensed to Lexington, Nebraska--not Lincoln, a city about 150 miles "back east" (damn-near to Omaha)! Granted, Lincoln looks just like Lexington except 50 times larger (motto: The World's Biggest Very Small Town) and with a state capital/capitol & university.

With a good radio, you can take KRVN's daytime signal basically from Des Moines to Denver... or from Sioux Falls to Stillwater. And, yes, they provide great service to thousands of farm families throughout the Great Plains. This definitely isn't a wasted one.

 

[MediaBoy4Radio]

In just about a month this topic will have been on this board for one year.

Thanks for keeping it going.

mediaboy4radio

 

[Rusty Muck]

WHKW Cleveland - Syndicated religion on a clear channel station? Give me a break! They could at least program music during the evenings. The "inspirational rock" program on Saturday night could also be broadcast on Friday night as well.

It's a shame of what Salem did to the 1220-Cleveland signal, now WHKW. It used to be sports/talk WKNR (which moved to 850 in 2001) and before that, WGAR-AM. Besides non-direct WTAM/1100, 1220 is one of the best night signals in the market. It isn't a "clear channel," as it went to 50 d/n only in the late 1940s.

They also own WHK/1420, which even though 5 kW d/n, carries the standard lock-key Salem conservatalk format. A waste anyway. (Note: 1420-Cleveland was ceded by Salem in a complex ownership purchase/trade in 2001 - which led to the WHK calls and religious format moving to 1220 - but was bought back by Salem in 2004, and became WHK again.)

But regardless of the ratings for their programming... Salem usually profits from it anyway. In WNTP's case, for example, all hosts excluding Laura Ingraham (TRN) and Dennis Miller (WW1) are produced in house. Low cost and overhead, especially if there is no local personalities of any sort (typically the case with these stations), and they get easy money.

It's similar to when Salem almost rode WKNR (yes, Salem owned a sports station!) to the ground. Which, while not 50 kW d/n, was a waste anyway.

To them, WKNR was easy money, and they ran it just like they do with WNTP, with low cost and overhead. Mercifully, Salem finally bailed out last year, selling it off to Craig Karmazin (Mel's son). Craig sinced rebranded it with the ESPN name and affil... but to his credit, WKNR has also done two things - an emphasis on strong local programming and PBP. It's been remarkable as to how much positive changes have came over there in the past year...

- nate81

 

[flytrap]

WSJC 810 AM Magee Mississippi. Can be heard in both Hattisburg and Jackson, MS. Small town huge station. They run Seventh Day Adventist religon. The problem is that there are hardly any Seventh Day Adventists in Magee, MS. No commercials for local businesses. One of the biggest AM signals in the state. The other problem is that they have a 50 thousand watt signal, but the audio is usually so low you've got to turn the volume all the way up to hear it. No compression. Ocassionally some one will talk loud or music will play and it will blow out your speakers. they carry the Family Talk radio network.

 

[Dighton Rockhead]

Although I respect and sympathize with the views and opinions of those who have issues with the programming or ownership of the other nominees......to me, the issue is a bit more basic. To me, there is no greater "waste" of a signal than one which isn't even on the air.

Since 990 WALE, Greenville (Providence) RI, has been silent since sometime around Valentines Day, without much hope of making it back to the air anytime soon (if ever).

I therefore declare 990 WALE the "winner"......(or is it "loser")?

 

[newhampshiredude]

Salem's 50 kw KKOL is Seattle is also a waste.