The big groups weren't the sellers. They were the buyers. So the CBS, Cox, and Bonneville stations stayed profitable. I'm thinking about the AMs that were bought by Citadel. Those are the ones you're talking about. Low power AMs in small markets.
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Ways to revive talk radio in LA market
- Thread starter xkxrx
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The big groups weren't the sellers. They were the buyers. So the CBS, Cox, and Bonneville stations stayed profitable. I'm thinking about the AMs that were bought by Citadel. Those are the ones you're talking about. Low power AMs in small markets.
I would consider Disney a "big group" even though (just like today) they really didn't buy anything else after they got Capital Cities/ABC. And a good portion of ABC Radio was talk stations that went under significant decline when Phil Boyce oversaw the lion's share of them and tried to make them carbon copies of WABC.
When Disney bought ABC in 1995, one of its first major investments was the launch of Radio Disney in 1996. They started buying AM radio stations to accomplish that goal. They bought AM stations in NY, LA, and Dallas. So while I agree they allowed their (previously successful) talk stations to decline, they put a lot of money and energy into Radio Disney. They also increased their investment in ESPN Radio, which was begun under Cap Cities ownership in 1992.
BTW everyone's beloved KFI can be heard on FM at 103.5 HD-2.
Just a little nitpik: How come I hear/read so many folks say "mediums" when the plural of medium is "media"?
K.M. Richards
Program Director, The Eighties Channel™
According to Merriam-Webster, both are correct.
Definition of MEDIUM
something in a middle position; a middle condition or degree : mean; a means of effecting or conveying something: such as… See the full definition
Here's my take on it: most folks might say mediums versus media. In Houston the word Humble (named after Humber Oil) went from Humber to Umber. I recall having a conversation with a bilingual fellow employee who called me on saying 'San Marcus' versus San Marcos (as in Spanish). I said I pronounced it correctly because it was the way people who live in San Marcos, Texas say it. Today if you pronounce the town Humble, pretend there's no H because the masses dropped it about 20 years ago. It's starting in this area with Herbs. It seems to be about 50% Herbal Tea and 50% Erbal Tea in this area.
According to that dictionary both plural usages are correct depending entirely on what the words are describing, e.g., It's "media" when talking about mass communications (radio, tv, newspapers, internet, etc.) and "mediums" when you're talking about the sizes of pieces of clothing, etc. Clairvoyants, psychics, and the like might also be referred to as "mediums".According to Merriam-Webster, both are correct.
Definition of MEDIUM
something in a middle position; a middle condition or degree : mean; a means of effecting or conveying something: such as… See the full definitionwww.merriam-webster.com
Interestingly, here in SoCal the San Diego County City of San Marcos is only pronounced "San Marcos", never "San Marcus".
By contrast up in the Bay Area the City of San Pablo is never pronounced "Pah-blo" it's always Paa-blo" !
K.M. Richards
Program Director, The Eighties Channel™
IMNSHO, there are times when the "wrong" plural works better in context. In the case of "mediums" vs. "media" the latter has come to mean (in general usage) various types of news platforms more than types of distribution methods for communication.
Going by that, I can see where many would be more comfortable using the word "mediums" for the latter.
In Spanish, the letter “H” is almost always silent.
(Written from Italy, where their alphabet does not even have a letter “H”, resulting in six weeks of “Allo, Mister Agerty.”)
Californians have inconsistently anglicized Spanish names. Los Angeles. El Segundo. San Luis Obispo. Dozens of ‘em.
Aaaaand I’m wrong. The Italian alphabet has an “h”, but, as in Spanish, it’s usually silent.
(A lifetime eating spaghetti and bruschetta should have told me that.)
There is no J, K, W, X or Y.
K.M. Richards
Program Director, The Eighties Channel™
As a lifelong Californian, what continues to amaze me is that we have yet to take it further by calling those cities "The Angels",
The Second" and "Bishop Saint Louis". 😝
So U.S. call letters would never work in Italy ... 😝 (again)
Indeed, how 'bout San Peedro. Or if you're British Loss Angeleez !
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But, again, those stations ceased to be competitive decades ago because their markets outgrew their signals. In that context, this was more a coverage problem than an AM issue.
And even today, the issue with those AMs that have decent signals is the demographic appeal of the talk programming that is the only alternative for low audio quality stations on that band: younger demos want their talk content in on-demand formats like podcasts.
So the real issue with AM is the ageing out of the sales demos of the viable formats.
The exceptions are AMs that are needed to be able to have a translator and those in religious and non-English language formats.
And Spanish only recently (in terms of centuries, not years) adopted W and K .
And, like most English speaking nations say "Zed" and not "Zee", in Latin America we have some that say "Doble-vay" and some say "Doble-oo". And in Puerto Rico, some legal IDs use one, and others use the other.
My old radio prof, who was Don Ameche's announcer in Hollywood for three years, always pronounced it, "Loss Angle Us". This was obviously at a time when proper local pronunciation would be key to being a good announcer and I'm sure that he was always diligent in being so. I must therefore conclude that preferred local pronunciation has changed since the 1940s.
Interesting points. From your listing, and a glance at NPR listening demographics, however, it looks like Millennials ditched radio altogether when it comes to programming other than music. And, of course, increasing numbers are ditching FM for streaming when it comes to music.
BTW, the Great and Silent Generations did vilify young people all the time.
However, the available media at that time were limited to AM radio, FM radio, OTA TV, newspapers and magazines. If one was exposed to an older demographic media person vilifying younger demos, you just turned the channel. Or you bought alternative press papers and magazines.
What you're describing is the modern, internet equivalent.
You're right that AM Radio is nearing the end of its lifetime. But I can tune into ethnic stations that seem alive and well. They may keep it alive for a few years.
That was the exact pronunciation of the late LA Mayor Sam Yorty ! Although Mayor Sam was so nasal he sounded as though he was pinching his nose shut !
I once had a teacher who was originally from Spain, and was well aware of California history, when driving up the coast at one time, said he was astounded when he saw a new housing developement called "Las Casas de Quesos Verdes" ! There may be an effort to "keep everything Spanish" but this at the level of absurdity!
I should also add that there once was a new development in Lancaster called "Ventanas" This also absurd as virtually all homes have "windows". You may as well name your new development "Los Baňos" !
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