AM Radio

[cpzilliacus]

one gets the impression if non-ClearChannel stations start coming to the conclusion that they can keep that elderly audience entertained at a fraction of the cost Limbaugh charges for his show, Limbaugh would be heading to an early retirement.

It's already headed in that direction because Limbaugh is becoming just like the liberals he so despises:  strident, screaming, lecturing and a one-trick pony.  Early on he was an easy listen because he refused to take himself too seriously.  Not anymore.  The classic case of someone who believes his own PR.

Limbaugh has a bigger problem - his audience is dying (and not being replaced by younger listeners), and many advertisers don't see any value in supporting his  broadcasts (even ones that used to run ads on his program).

[Alps]

On my recent trip out Northwest, AM radio was all I could pick up for hundreds of miles at a time in Montana. On the way back, I had 300 km of silence in the Northwest Territories between low-powered FM stations in each settlement. AM radio can cover distances in places that have them. I support its continued existence.

[SidS1045]

He also doesn't do himself any favors when he periodically goes too far and spooks the advertisers.

"Spooks" the advertisers is understating it.  If you could see the long list of advertisers that absolutely refuse to advertise on his show, at both the network and local level, you'd probably be surprised...and every time he opens his mouth and creates even more controversy, the list gets longer.  Those other hosts like Hannity, Savage, Levin, Beck, etc., all have their own advertiser blacklists too.

[agentsteel53]

300 km of silence in the Northwest Territories

the best part of that is that you can hear the aurora crackling and popping over the empty FM stations.

[cpzilliacus]

On my recent trip out Northwest, AM radio was all I could pick up for hundreds of miles at a time in Montana. On the way back, I had 300 km of silence in the Northwest Territories between low-powered FM stations in each settlement. AM radio can cover distances in places that have them. I support its continued existence.

Sounds like a good place to have SiriusXM in the vehicle.

Probably the closest I have come to those conditions is along Corridor H, since so much of it is in the National Radio Quiet Zone, and much of the AM and FM bands are rather quiet as a result.

[Brandon]

Becoming? Ever since I have heard of the man I have associated "strident, screaming, lecturing" with him.

He also doesn't do himself any favors when he periodically goes too far and spooks the advertisers.

He's the low point of the radio broadcasting day, IMHO.  If WLS (AM 890) dropped him and brought on board a local, they'd be the better for it.  To me, he's filler between John Kass (of the Chicago Tribune) & Lauren Cohn, and the Roe & Roeper (of the Chicago Sun-Times) Show.  Kass & Cohn discuss local and state items of interest from Governor Quinn and House Speaker Madigan to Beer Can Chicken.  Roe and Roeper discuss everything under the sun and what movies are playing this weekend.  Richard Roeper basically has taken over from Roger Ebert as the local movie critic on record.

I'd say AM radio is far from dead based on the sports, news, and talk on it locally.  Someone tried an all-news format on FM (killing Q101 in the process pissing off many people, including me), and it failed miserably.  Even WBBM just simulcasts on FM (105.9) what they have on their primary station (AM 780), and they did it more for listeners in the Loop who can't get the AM signal in the skyscrapers there.  As it is, in my town, the AM station (WJOL, AM 1340) is the go to station when a storm strikes.

[cpzilliacus]

Someone tried an all-news format on FM (killing Q101 in the process pissing off many people, including me), and it failed miserably.  Even WBBM just simulcasts on FM (105.9) what they have on their primary station (AM 780), and they did it more for listeners in the Loop who can't get the AM signal in the skyscrapers there.  As it is, in my town, the AM station (WJOL, AM 1340) is the go to station when a storm strikes.

In the Washington, D.C. media market, all-news WTOP (CBS affiliate, though not owned and operated by CBS) went from clear channel (50,000 watts) AM 1500 kHz (now occupied by WFED, a station with content oriented to the federal government) to three FM frequencies (103.5 in and around Washington itself, 107.7 in parts of "outer" Northern Virginia (as far south along I-95 as Richmond) and 103.9 near Frederick, Maryland).

A competing all-news station, WNEW (which is a CBS O&O station, but cannot carry most CBS content) is on 99.1.

[SidS1045]

I'd say AM radio is far from dead based on the sports, news, and talk on it locally.

Sorry to burst your anecdotal bubble, but with less than 15% of the total radio audience and those listeners it does have in the higher age groups, AM is on life support.  Young and middle-aged people have abandoned AM radio almost entirely.  Its economics are not sustainable.

[mgk920]

Becoming? Ever since I have heard of the man I have associated "strident, screaming, lecturing" with him.

He also doesn't do himself any favors when he periodically goes too far and spooks the advertisers.

He's the low point of the radio broadcasting day, IMHO.  If WLS (AM 890) dropped him and brought on board a local, they'd be the better for it.  To me, he's filler between John Kass (of the Chicago Tribune) & Lauren Cohn, and the Roe & Roeper (of the Chicago Sun-Times) Show.  Kass & Cohn discuss local and state items of interest from Governor Quinn and House Speaker Madigan to Beer Can Chicken.  Roe and Roeper discuss everything under the sun and what movies are playing this weekend.  Richard Roeper basically has taken over from Roger Ebert as the local movie critic on record.

I'd say AM radio is far from dead based on the sports, news, and talk on it locally.  Someone tried an all-news format on FM (killing Q101 in the process pissing off many people, including me), and it failed miserably.  Even WBBM just simulcasts on FM (105.9) what they have on their primary station (AM 780), and they did it more for listeners in the Loop who can't get the AM signal in the skyscrapers there.  As it is, in my town, the AM station (WJOL, AM 1340) is the go to station when a storm strikes.

IMHO, the big weakness of FM is its very limited range - there are parts of the Chicagoland metro area that are out of reception range of the Chicago FMs, while WBBM, WGN and so forth on AM are still loud and clear.  Even with the interference issues, I can still tune in Chicago AMs here in Appleton and I normally listen to a couple of Milwaukee AMs during the day (FM music is a total wasteland these days).

The local 'go to' AM here in Appleton (WHBY - 1150 AM) has very popular drive time shows.

Mike

[PHLBOS]

Actually, FM talk radio stations have since been forming to either compete with or replace existing AM talk-radio stations.

In the Philly area, many of the local and syndicated conservative talk show hosts (including Beck, Hannity, Levin, Limbaugh & Savage) are now on an recently-created FM station, WWIQ FM 106.9.

http://articles.philly.com/2012-06-13/entertainment/32195969_1_spoken-word-tv-station-fm

Article excerpts:

Earlier this spring, WWIQ-FM, a/k/a IQ 106.9, went on the air with a single mission: To pry listeners and ad revenue from two AM radio stations that have dominated the nonsports "spoken word" realm in the Philadelphia market for decades: all-news behemoth KYW (1060) and talk outlet WPHT (1210), both owned and operated by CBS media.
...
WWIQ's corporate parent, Chicago-based Merlin Media LLC, purchased the station – known for decades as Camden-licensed WKDN-FM – last December from evangelical broadcaster Harold Camping, who famously predicted the end of the world would occur May 21, 2011.

Camping's unscriptural debacle was probably the main reason why the Family Radio affiliate went down in flames.

[SteveG1988]

Actually, FM talk radio stations have since been forming to either compete with or replace existing AM talk-radio stations.

In the Philly area, many of the local and syndicated conservative talk show hosts (including Beck, Hannity, Levin, Limbaugh & Savage) are now on an recently-created FM station, WWIQ FM 106.9.

http://articles.philly.com/2012-06-13/entertainment/32195969_1_spoken-word-tv-station-fm

Article excerpts:

Earlier this spring, WWIQ-FM, a/k/a IQ 106.9, went on the air with a single mission: To pry listeners and ad revenue from two AM radio stations that have dominated the nonsports "spoken word" realm in the Philadelphia market for decades: all-news behemoth KYW (1060) and talk outlet WPHT (1210), both owned and operated by CBS media.
...
WWIQ's corporate parent, Chicago-based Merlin Media LLC, purchased the station – known for decades as Camden-licensed WKDN-FM – last December from evangelical broadcaster Harold Camping, who famously predicted the end of the world would occur May 21, 2011.

Camping's unscriptural debacle was probably the main reason why the Family Radio affiliate went down in flames.

The station has been sold back to a religious company, they will be keeping the IQ106.9 format, but without any local input.

http://www.allaccess.com/net-news/archive/story/121083/confirmed-merlin-sells-iq-106-9-philadelphia-to-em

I listen to the station overnight due to the radio i have in the truck i use at work (1990 freightliner fuel truck with a late 90s sony AM/FM/CD/Tape portable radio in it due to the dashboard radio being broken) being iffy for signals due to a broken antenna, 106.9 comes in clear as possible, and i like their overnight programming of red eye radio, i take whatever they say with a grain of salt, deciding for myself on how true or not their opinions are towards the president, congress, or current events.

I only listen to two talk radio stations, NJ 101.5 when i am out and about in my car (which also switches to a rather awesome oldies block on the weekend) and 106.9, i use 1060AM for traffic and other philadelphia updates when i am heading into the city

[mapman1071]

local news, sports, conservative talk and religious broadcasters

quite possibly my four least favorite things to listen to.  throw in modern country music, commercials, and station identification and we've got the seven plagues.

In the Colorado/4-Corners area, you can throw in many many Spanish stations, including the 100,000+ watt blowtorches from South of the Border as well.  There is one AM in particular that comes in at night from Arizona (?), 660 AM on the dial.  The station is predominantly country, but every 3rd song or so is Native-American music/chants.  Most of the commercials are in English, yet most of the announcing is done in native tongue (not sure what tribe, though).

660 AM "Clear Channel" KTNN Window Rock, Navajo Nation
Country Music, In English & Navajo

I hear this station in Phoenix at night except when the Phoenix Sun's or Diamondbacks are playing on KTAR 620am (The sports programming signal extends from 590am to 670am).