I read on this site about so many AM talk stations that are simulcasting on FM. Just today, a station in Orlando has started doing it. And the list includes 50,000 watt stations like WSB and WWL. Will WHAS ever add an FM simulcast?
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Will WHAS 840 ever simulcast on FM ?
- Thread starter radiofan502
- Start date
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I believe it will happen at some point. Clear Channel has been behind Cox and Entercom when it comes to moving successful AM brands to FM. Their logic....while risky....makes sense. Upper management feels that it will quickly kill the dying AM band. The problem now is that you can make the argument that FM could be slowly dying and news/talk, unlike music formats, is the one format that is hard to duplicate with "new media"
All Atlanta AM stations are cursed with poor soil conductivity. WSB's signal is poor the farther north you go into the hills and mountains of North Ga. WSBB 95.5 (WSB's FM) was a struggling Dance / CHR / Urban hybrid. 95.5's tower is on the North(east) side (the most conservative side of Atlanta). IIRC if WSB only had to raise their rates $10 per commercial, and they more than made up for the lost revenue of 95.5 The Beat. CC use to have WGST 640AM on FM 105.7 (Northside signal) too. 105.7 went to music and 640 WGST suffered. If Merlin can cause havoc in NYC or Chicago the there will be more simulcasting. There was a FM talker that "died" in San Antonio last week:radiofan502 said:
http://boards.radio-info.com/smf/index.php?topic=196020.0
Being on FM does not make up for content.
If Louisville ever gets ppm I believe whas will fall in the ratings and eventually simulcast on 100.5.
105.1 fm talk isn't a success and needs to hire a local host.
105.1 fm talk isn't a success and needs to hire a local host.
radioville said:
Speaking of PPM, how is WHAS' cume? Of course posting those details without violating any policy.
Putting WHAS on 93.1 may be an option. That way, the advantage of the huge AM signal is maintained while giving WHAS exposure on FM locally. WGY-FM in the Albany NY market has their FM simulcast on a class A.
Only if the goal is to infuriate and drive away a larger audience. I had to drive through Louisville on Monday afternoon, and the PM Drive show on WHAS, was, well... awful. I finally lost my cookies when the unfunny, corn-pone host began reading bizarro news story snippets, while playing "Calling all Angels" by Train...
yuck.
yuck.
I see that CC is starting another FM simulcast with KFBK in Sacramento. CC is doing this in a lot of markets. Is WHAS 100.5 on the way?
The Sacramento AM is on 1530. 840 is a much better frequency, so the need for FM isn't nearly as urgent. The myth that placing "uniblab' AM programming on FM brings a younger audience, is just that... a myth. Or to put it another way, "rearranging the deck chairs on the titantic."
WHAS is god-awful, and needs a complete overhaul. As a former major market N/T PD, I can assure you, that crap-tastic afternoon show would be the first to go. WHAS is a perfect example of what's wrong with radio. I wouldn't even listen to it, let alone "depend on it" :
WHAS is god-awful, and needs a complete overhaul. As a former major market N/T PD, I can assure you, that crap-tastic afternoon show would be the first to go. WHAS is a perfect example of what's wrong with radio. I wouldn't even listen to it, let alone "depend on it" :
It is a math thing. In Atlanta Cox blew up 95.5 for WSB. Now 95.5 is WSBB only heard during legal ID. It was said by a pretty reliable source that if Cox could get 10 or 11 dollars more per 30 commercial then the flip was successful. There are a lot more available commercials in news talk than most music formats. Plus you get rid of an air staff and pay no music fees. In market # 9 (seven at the time) going from third or fourth to #1 (Nov. 6+) should allow you to raise the rates more than $11 on average. CC has put WGST 640AM on an translator and the ratings have gone the other way (6+)
http://www.radio-info.com/stations/wgst-am
Another issue is ground conductivity. Ground conductivity in Northen GA. is just about the worst East of the Mississippi really messing with all of the AM signals in the urban sprawl that is the Atlanta market. I live about 50 miles from the 750 transmitter site (a shopping center parking lot!) and WSB 750 has signal issues up here.
http://www.radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/pat?call=WHAS&service=AM&status=L&hours=U
http://www.radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/pat?call=WSB&service=AM&status=L&hours=U
You will notice the difference in the scale of the map WSB is in 60 mile units while WHAS is in 90 mile units on the coverage map.
IMHO WHAS will get an FM signal only when the revenue "math" works out in CC's favor.
http://www.radio-info.com/stations/wgst-am
Another issue is ground conductivity. Ground conductivity in Northen GA. is just about the worst East of the Mississippi really messing with all of the AM signals in the urban sprawl that is the Atlanta market. I live about 50 miles from the 750 transmitter site (a shopping center parking lot!) and WSB 750 has signal issues up here.
http://www.radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/pat?call=WHAS&service=AM&status=L&hours=U
http://www.radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/pat?call=WSB&service=AM&status=L&hours=U
You will notice the difference in the scale of the map WSB is in 60 mile units while WHAS is in 90 mile units on the coverage map.
IMHO WHAS will get an FM signal only when the revenue "math" works out in CC's favor.
secondchoice said:
Perfectly said.
stereolane said:WHAS is god-awful, and needs a complete overhaul. As a former major market N/T PD, I can assure you, that crap-tastic afternoon show would be the first to go. WHAS is a perfect example of what's wrong with radio. I wouldn't even listen to it, let alone "depend on it" :
I couldn't have said it better. I haven't listened to WHAS in years and see no need to do so any time soon.
Which stations do you listen to as an alternative? I need a good weekend news source and WHAS isn't cutting it. After Ron and Mel's show on Saturday morning, I avoid it until the Strader show.storrs19 said:stereolane said:WHAS is god-awful, and needs a complete overhaul. As a former major market N/T PD, I can assure you, that crap-tastic afternoon show would be the first to go. WHAS is a perfect example of what's wrong with radio. I wouldn't even listen to it, let alone "depend on it" :
I couldn't have said it better. I haven't listened to WHAS in years and see no need to do so any time soon.
I lived in Columbus Indiana and listened daily to WHAS. Wayne Perky, Wildcats Basketball, news, etc. It was topical, fun, and better than anything else local.
The progression of junk on 84 has moved it out of most people's minds and ears.
The progression of junk on 84 has moved it out of most people's minds and ears.
ChiefEngineer said:
Really? Have you seen 84's ratings?
Since it effectively died to many that listened previously I haven't even listened again in years. The audience is nopthing of what it was years ago.
And when you consider "ratings" you are probably looking at the small picture as in Louisville. For years many of the clear stations had listeners in multiple states. This isn't the case anymore.
And when you consider "ratings" you are probably looking at the small picture as in Louisville. For years many of the clear stations had listeners in multiple states. This isn't the case anymore.
stereolane said:
This has nothing to do with it. 1530 is a blowtorch, and more than covers the Sacramento market (and the entire Sacramento Valley). It is directional north-south, as is the 1530 much closer to Louisville, but KFBK does not try to serve the Bay Area market (west) or Reno-Tahoe (east) at all.
It is not any signal deficiency that drove CC to simulcast KFBK on FM. You can argue about transplanting big existing AM talkers to FM to young up the audience, but that's what CC is trying to do with moves like this.
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