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Author Topic: What does AM have to lose?  (Read 2608 times)

Offline atrainradio

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What does AM have to lose?
« on: October 10, 2016, 2257 UTC »
http://www.dailynews.com/arts-and-entertainment/20161008/radio-what-do-am-stations-have-to-lose-but-go-back-to-music-formats

As a longtime cheerleader of AM radio, much as I hate to say it, AM is dead.

It’s not even on life support here in Los Angeles any more, it’s dead.

In the most recent monthly ratings released in mid-September by Nielsen, only nine AM stations made the list out of 41 stations total, accounting for 10.1 percent of the listening audience. The highest-rated AM station, KNX (1070 AM), earned a 2.9 percent share of the audience aged 6 and over; KNX and KFI (640 AM) account for over half of the listenership of the entire AM band with a total of 5.5.

By comparison, the top-two FM stations, KOST (103.5 FM) and KIIS-FM (102.7) earned a combined 10.5 share, meaning that two FM stations beat out the entire AM band’s ratings. That’s sad.

Obviously current programming is not attracting an audience. Not young, not old. Not at all.

Reliance on political talk, infomercials and sports just doesn’t cut it when it comes to attracting listeners. For AM to become relevant — suggesting it should “stay” relevant would mean it “is” relevant, and it most certainly is not — it needs to reinvent itself once more. Or perhaps, more accurately, look to formats that would attract an audience if they were offered.

Industry observers and insiders don’t like to admit this, since the sorry state of radio in general and AM radio in particular is their fault, but many of the stations that lack ratings once did. At least they did when they played music, such as 570, 690, 930, 1110, 1150, 1190 and 1580. All had good, or at least acceptable ratings, until they lost focus and either programmed canned junk or dropped music altogether. Even KFI, the second-highest-rated AM station in town, had similar and often higher ratings as a Top-40 station than it does now.

My opinion is that AM can still compete as long as stations offer a format that either can’t be found elsewhere or is just done better. What formats? Glad you asked.

The following are just a few that could help revitalize America’s first broadcast band.

Heavy metal: Pure Rock KNAC (now KBUA, 105.5 FM) proved not only that there is a substantial audience for metal, but that they are among the most dedicated (read: rabid) listeners anywhere. And our area has numerous talented up-and-coming metal or related bands that could use the airplay; indeed, such bands as Odyssey Dawn, Divine Intervention, Soulera and reggae/punk band LAW all play to packed venues throughout the South Bay, Long Beach and Hollywood. Play these and classic metal and you’d bring listeners to the AM band who never even knew there even was an AM band.


Fifties oldies: A format that can’t be found anywhere. Once a mainstay of oldies stations — some purists feel that the ’50s are the only real oldies — the format done right can attract an audience spanning generations. Art Laboe has known that for years.

Sixties oldies: Another format that does not exist here. Much of the material that was played on stations such as KHJ (930 AM) from 1965-1970 hasn’t ridden the airwaves since then. You’d be surprised how many old airchecks feature songs you may not remember; give them a place and you again will find listeners.

Seventies oldies: See a trend here? Since KRTH (101.1 FM) and KOLA (99.9 FM) abandoned most music prior to 1980, there is a huge void waiting to be filled. And numerous programmers and DJs willing to play those hits. Get a station that plays the best of all the rock decades with a focus on Doo-Wop and the East Los Angeles music scene (think War, El Chicano, Tierra, and more) that propelled the original KRLA (now KDIS, 1110 AM) to the top of the oldies list years ago, and I guarantee a winner.

Rap: Real rap, such as heard when played by such DJs as JJ Johnson on the original late, great KDAY (now KBLA, 1580 AM). Most rap on the radio now is whitewashed; KDAY was real. Bring it back.

Big band: MIA since the old KGRB (now KALI, 900 AM) left the air 20 years ago. Yes it skews old, but not as old as you might think. Besides, old is better than nothing. And believe it or not, “seasoned citizens” listen to ads and buy things.

Adult Top 40: Music that appeals to the over-25 crowd but consists of current bands seasoned with oldies and classic rock. With a high-energy, fun but uncluttered presentation that rivals that of the best Top-40 stations of the past. Think KHJ, Ten-Q or KFI all grown up.

Would these stations dominate? No. But they would be a force to be reckoned with and would accomplish two things: bring new and old listeners back to a band that programmers long ago abandoned and keep the FMs an their toes in much the same way that early FM formats made AM stronger, for a while at least. Besides, as with early FM when AM dominated, today’s AM stations truly have nothing to lose.

Then perhaps some of the AM stations in Los Angeles would have something to show for themselves.

Richard Wagoner is a San Pedro freelance columnist covering radio in Southern California. Send him email at rwagoner@cox.net.
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Offline BoomboxDX

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Re: What does AM have to lose?
« Reply #1 on: October 14, 2016, 0828 UTC »
Some AM stations in LA and Chicago are very high billing. I.e., they make a significant amount of money, even though the ratings aren't spectacular. KNX is high billing, so is KFI. WGN in Chicago is a high revenue station. So some AMers do well even though their ratings aren't huge.

While I agree with the writer's overall opinion -- I wish that there was more width in music formats -- the fact is that AM radio still provides quite a bit of variety if you consider the ethnic programming: Korean, Hindustani, Iranian (in California), Regional Mexican and Romantica,Classic Hits (in some areas of the US), Public Radio (Oregon and Washington), Russian programming, Viet programming, etc. There is variety there, It's just not the variety we are used to.

I think AM radio will continue to gradually decline in listenership until it goes all digital, which could happen in the future, and may save the band eventually, because with all-digital the sound quality would improve for people who don't like the present sound of AM.

HD radio is not going to go away. Although IBOC isn't popular on the AM band, the fact remains that all HD FM radios decode HD AM, and the present radios will decode full digital as well as IBOC on AM. So, providing the radios are available, AM will still have a fighting chance for music. But it may take a while.

And those of us who DX the AM band will be DXing HD. It probably won't be as productive or fun, but it will be better than nothing. :-)
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Offline Zazzle

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Re: What does AM have to lose?
« Reply #2 on: October 20, 2016, 0142 UTC »
Hey there,

contrary to my own feeling: AM has nothing to lose or gain. It's not about the programm. It's about technology.

As soon as people learn that someone's doing fancy stuff on AM that attracts listeners (customers) they'll try it on other stations as well. And I can't deny that other ways of broadcasting are more welcome. FM doesn't have static noise, like from my neighbour running his vacuum cleaner, or fading. Internet radio works in my pocket even in the subway. Buffering doesn't care about some connection interruptions and I can hear my favorite radio station even when I'm somewhere else in the world. I don't net to bug about antennas and such. Oh. And I don't need to wait for the weather forcast. The App tells me while listening to the station.

AM is for those to love the romantic touch of days gone by. Which isn't a bad thing - don't get me wrong. I love listening to AM. But only when I want to listen to AM. When I want music while working, AM annoys the f* out of me.

FM (analog) will die in a time not long ahead. Where I live they turned off analog TV broadcasting four years ago. Analog FM shutdown is scheduled for 2024 (but I think that'll take somewhat longer). DAB V2 is running since years in parallel.

Content doesn't matter. What matters is circumstances. Even with AM being the most energy inefficient way to broadcast, receivers are easy to build and even the oldest radio can receive AM. AM Radio is highly used in third world countries. Transmitters are cheap to build and radios are cheap to get. Easy to reach the people. Those countries have no interest in new technologies. Transmitters may be within the budget frame but the audience doesn't have the money nor intereste to buy new radios.

The last struggle to make AM bands attractive again was with the introduction of DRM. But no one cared. I loved DRM for the features it offered. But it was not usable for mainstream people. The first contact I made with a DIY IF mixer and a professional communications receiver AND an big antenna. I got curious and brought a DRM capable Radio for (!!!!) EUR 200,00. I was disappointed. Fancy looking, bad to work with (the menue was a pain) and the reception was horrible. I read reports about other models (there were 2 more on the market in 2003). None was rated better. Maybe they should have had local stations TXing in DRM in each city to get people used to it but, eh, people don't care about what a radio station xyz has to say in Sri Lanka in the english tongue.

It's with CB radio. In 1990 you were cool when you had a CB Radio. And you were the king of the gang when you had Packet Radio. Today... the CB-Bands are dead. Internet replaced it.

Maybe they'll make use of the AM Band for some digital services in future. But with fading and all that stuff I don't think AM is of interest at all.

People want it easy. And they want it in a way they're used to. Sorry to be that hard about. :/

Kind greetings,
Zazzle
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Offline BoomboxDX

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Re: What does AM have to lose?
« Reply #3 on: October 21, 2016, 0528 UTC »
MW is being used for DRM in India, where they are building a nationwide network.

Whether the receivers are readily available, I don't know. But the Indian radio authorities chose MW and DRM because of the vast coverage on AM compared to FM and DAB.

I know DAB works decently in some European countries that have invested in it. Norway seems to have their entire country covered. Not sure about the UK, but I know it has decent listenership there, also.

Here in the US DAB was never an option because there were too many stations that would have been left out of the loop. That is one reason they went with HD FM and HD AM.

Internet streaming radio is cool until you're out of the area where your favorite station broadcasts. Here in the US increasing numbers of stations geo-block, because of expensive royalty costs. For a while I had fun "DXing" distant stations by listening to their digital steams, but more and more of them geo-block, and I haven't used TuneIn in several months because of it.

I sometimes tune into overseas government radio services like NRK and SverigesRadio, who thankfully still run their streams for overseas listeners.
An AM radio Boombox DXer.
+ GE SRIII, PR-D5 & TRF on MW.
The usual Realistic culprits on SW (and a Panasonic).