Welll ... that didn't last long

DJBigOne · Dec 8, 2011

RadioStarOne said:
There you go again David got to have the last word about everything, Well David I suggest you have a chat with the ATA they will straighten you out on the facts. Or perhaps the CHP can give you a clue as to just how many truckers are out there anytime of the day on average! Do the research and then comment because you're way off base on this one!

Truckers do listen to the radio. You would be surprised who does listen. Here are a few experiences:

I did nights on an Eastern Sierra station. CalTrans and local snow plow operators would call in. They liked our Classic Rock station a lot while plowing all night long. I would send them shout-outs, knowing they were plowing when the weather was bad. It was a trip to report chain conditions, and road closures.

Another station in the midwest had many listening while harvesting wheat and corn. Imagine someone spending hour after hour in a field, but still listening to your station on the radio. Kind of important to listen when there were tornado warnings/watches.

Yet another station in Alaska had fishermen, and residents of remote islands, listening to your reports on weather, sea conditions, and tides. We had an Alaska Marine Highway Ferry run aground while I was there.

DavidKaye · Dec 9, 2011

DJBigOne said:
I did nights on an Eastern Sierra station. CalTrans and local snow plow operators would call in. They liked our Classic Rock station a lot while plowing all night long. I would send them shout-outs, knowing they were plowing when the weather was bad. It was a trip to report chain conditions, and road closures.

Rock. Midnight does country, not classic rock, and they do little "inspirational" Jesus-type messages (or at least they used to). That will play in WBAP country, but it's not going to play in WABC, KABC, or KGO country.

Another station in the midwest had many listening while harvesting wheat and corn. Imagine someone spending hour after hour in a field, but still listening to your station on the radio. Kind of important to listen when there were tornado warnings/watches.

I never said that Midnight wouldn't get an audience. Obviously they do. I'm saying that the program won't cut it on the 3 stations I mentioned. However, having listened a bit to the program last night, I did notice that Midnight has a fairly full national spot inventory, but Red Eye Radio does not. The national spots on Red Eye run just after :15 and just after :45, and the slots are often PSAs.

michael hagerty · Dec 9, 2011

DavidKaye said:
DJBigOne said:

I did nights on an Eastern Sierra station. CalTrans and local snow plow operators would call in. They liked our Classic Rock station a lot while plowing all night long. I would send them shout-outs, knowing they were plowing when the weather was bad. It was a trip to report chain conditions, and road closures.

Click to expand...

Rock. Midnight does country, not classic rock, and they do little "inspirational" Jesus-type messages (or at least they used to). That will play in WBAP country, but it's not going to play in WABC, KABC, or KGO country.

Sounds like DJ BigOne is from where I started....Bishop (or Mammoth).

But David, remember...it doesn't have to play in metro NY, LA or SF. There are no overnight ratings anyway. Between midnight and five, "WABC country" is 38 states...including West Virginia and the south. KGO's got Bakersfield, Lodi and Red Bluff locked down.

KABC.....

Hmmm......

Been a while...are there still trailer parks in Sylmar?

DJBigOne · Dec 9, 2011

michael hagerty said:
Sounds like DJ BigOne is from where I started....Bishop (or Mammoth).

You are correct sir. This new station, which will remain un-named, was the only classic rock station in the area. I built the studio, programmed the music, fired up the transmitter (including climbing the tower to install ice covers on antenna elements), and replaced the transmitter the following Summer before leaving. I hauled up the new/old transmitter to their other station's tower. It was a great experience! Building a new station was a great opportunity. Why'd I leave? Tired of starving in an expensive resort area.

michael hagerty · Dec 9, 2011

DJBigOne said:
michael hagerty said:

Sounds like DJ BigOne is from where I started....Bishop (or Mammoth).

Click to expand...

You are correct sir. This new station, which will remain un-named, was the only classic rock station in the area. I built the studio, programmed the music, fired up the transmitter (including climbing the tower to install ice covers on antenna elements), and replaced the transmitter the following Summer before leaving. I hauled up the new/old transmitter to their other station's tower. It was a great experience! Building a new station was a great opportunity. Why'd I leave? Tired of starving in an expensive resort area.

I grew up in Bishop from age 9, got my first job at 15 on what was then the only station in town (and for 120 miles in any direction), KIBS (now KBOV). I helped build the first FM, KIOQ (now KIBS) three years later.

It's beautiful country, but there's just not an ad base that can support many livable wages in media. I'm amazed to see that there are now five commercial stations (4 FMs and an AM) competing in the sparsely-inhabited 100 mile strip from Lone Pine to Mammoth (and some brave soul has a CP for another AM).

DavidKaye · Dec 9, 2011

michael hagerty said:
But David, remember...it doesn't have to play in metro NY, LA or SF. There are no overnight ratings anyway. Between midnight and five, "WABC country" is 38 states...including West Virginia and the south. KGO's got Bakersfield, Lodi and Red Bluff locked down.

Okay, 38 states may work for the network portion of the show (4 minutes per hour), but there are also local spots to fill, 7 minutes per hour. Advertisers on local stations want local audiences. If they advertise on KGO they want SF, Oakland, Berkeley, but not Arbuckle, Alturas, or Arvin.

DJBigOne · Dec 9, 2011

michael hagerty said:
I grew up in Bishop from age 9, got my first job at 15 on what was then the only station in town (and for 120 miles in any direction), KIBS (now KBOV). I helped build the first FM, KIOQ (now KIBS) three years later.

It's beautiful country, but there's just not an ad base that can support many livable wages in media. I'm amazed to see that there are now five commercial stations (4 FMs and an AM) competing in the sparsely-inhabited 100 mile strip from Lone Pine to Mammoth (and some brave soul has a CP for another AM).

It is beautiful country. KIBS was a decent station. It was bought by Steve Miller. Yes. He looked like Steve Miller, but would have to be his son. KIBS' transmitter was in the same little building as ours on Silver Peak. The old owner was quite the character. I don't remember his name (John something sounds right). He still owned a little motel in town.

There were three radio groups when I was there. You are right about limited revenue. The station I worked for did little to bring in sales dollars. At least I made their stations sound good...

...I guess we're off topic again...

michael hagerty · Dec 9, 2011

DavidKaye said:
michael hagerty said:

But David, remember...it doesn't have to play in metro NY, LA or SF. There are no overnight ratings anyway. Between midnight and five, "WABC country" is 38 states...including West Virginia and the south. KGO's got Bakersfield, Lodi and Red Bluff locked down.

Click to expand...

Okay, 38 states may work for the network portion of the show (4 minutes per hour), but there are also local spots to fill, 7 minutes per hour. Advertisers on local stations want local audiences. If they advertise on KGO they want SF, Oakland, Berkeley, but not Arbuckle, Alturas, or Arvin.

It's meant to be a time-filler, not a money-maker, David. I mean, if some KGO rep wants to schlep down to Santa Nella to sell the truck stop and diner some spots at $25 a pop, I'm sure they'll let him. Best guess, the National Sales Manager calls the bottom-feeders who weren't able to get on before with "such a deal I've got for you."

DavidKaye · Dec 9, 2011

michael hagerty said:
It's meant to be a time-filler, not a money-maker, David. I mean, if some KGO rep wants to schlep down to Santa Nella to sell the truck stop and diner some spots at $25 a pop, I'm sure they'll let him. Best guess, the National Sales Manager calls the bottom-feeders who weren't able to get on before with "such a deal I've got for you."

KGO runs ROS ads during the overnight, which is fine as long as the advertisers like what they get for their ROS charges. If a daypart differs significantly from others the advertisers will balk at advertising, even for lower ROS rates. It is not cost-effective for clear channel stations to sell outside their main market. The only exception is C Crane, but that's been largely because Bob Crane approached stations he's wanted to use, not the other way around.

It's becoming a moot point anyway. Turns out that Doug McIntyre will be producing the Midnight truckers' program and reshaping it as Red Eye Radio. He may take a local KABC talkshow for himself. Apparently, Cumulus loves him and doesn't want to see him go elsewhere.

So, the trucker show goes urban. Good move for Cumulus.

michael hagerty · Dec 9, 2011

John Young. Bought KIBS after I left town in '76. Really re-built the station. It had been run as a tax loss since '69. He got it on its feet and eventually bought KIOQ, then moved the formats and call letters. KMMT in Mammoth signed on in '73, but back then, you couldn't hear them in Bishop or the Bishop stations in Mammoth. That all came later.

If you could get $10 for a 60-second spot, it was huge. Most sold for $2...meaning the stations were grossing $36 an hour in the absolute best case, maybe 12 hours a day, 5 days a week.
Figure in slow times, and you were lucky if the station grossed $100,000 a year.

So you could barely make a good living if you were the owner.

michael hagerty · Dec 9, 2011

DavidKaye said:
It's becoming a moot point anyway. Turns out that Doug McIntyre will be producing the Midnight truckers' program and reshaping it as Red Eye Radio. He may take a local KABC talkshow for himself. Apparently, Cumulus loves him and doesn't want to see him go elsewhere.

So, the trucker show goes urban. Good move for Cumulus.

Agreed.

DJBigOne · Dec 9, 2011

DavidKaye said:
It's becoming a moot point anyway. Turns out that Doug McIntyre will be producing the Midnight truckers' program and reshaping it as Red Eye Radio. He may take a local KABC talkshow for himself. Apparently, Cumulus loves him and doesn't want to see him go elsewhere.

On the L.A. board, it's rumored Terri-Rae Elmer left KFI to do a morning show with Doug McIntyre on KABC.