On 23 Dec 2003 19:41:14 GMT, David Eduardo ("David") writes:
David Washington, DC: no AM fully covers metro.

WMAL?

"Sven Franklyn Weil" wrote in message
...
P.S.: Why did Clear Channel flip AM 1260 from CNN-Radio News to Fox
Sports?

Now they have two all-sports statios with the same name: SportsTalk 1260
(WWRC) and SportsTalk 98 (WTEM). Both licenced to the same city and
serving the same market with the same format. Way to dilute your brand
guys!!! Or is there something I'm missing here?


I'm convinced that Clear Channel has no idea what to do with 1260; they
gobbled it up when they bought Chancellor, flipped it from nostalgia to
business, then to CNN and now to Fox Sports.

It's always near the bottom of the heap book after book after book
regardless of the format - although much of that can be attributed to it's
signal. I really think it's just part of the Clear Channel business
philosophy - they don't run formats on their AM stations that serve a
community interest, they run formats that are *easy to sell*. The key word
in that sentence is *easy*. Sports sells (even with big honkin' zero's in
the book) because it's geared to young men. Nostalgia doesn't sell because
it's geared to an older demographic that advertisers just aren't targeting.
Business and CNN were just place holder formats (sports may be as well) to
keep from having a dead carrier.

Clear Channel seems to understand how to invest dollars in the licensing and
infrastructure of it's properties (their recent RDS bonanza as an example),
but they don't seem willing to investing in the content of their properties
(AM's most notably).

If I were a cynical person, thinking from a purely business perspective, I'd
think that they enjoy expending capitol on hardware/infrastructure because
those capitol expenditures can be written off on taxes. Investing in
content is undoubtedly considered by the accountants as an expense, and
therefore ineligible for the tax write-offs. Wouldn't it be sad if the
bean counters were really running the show after all...

Now, excuse me while I go wait for the black helicopters. grin

-Jeremy Powell

"Jeremy Powell" wrote in message
...

"Sven Franklyn Weil" wrote in message
...
P.S.: Why did Clear Channel flip AM 1260 from CNN-Radio News to Fox
Sports?

Now they have two all-sports statios with the same name: SportsTalk
1260
(WWRC) and SportsTalk 98 (WTEM). Both licenced to the same city and
serving the same market with the same format. Way to dilute your brand
guys!!! Or is there something I'm missing here?


I'm convinced that Clear Channel has no idea what to do with 1260; they
gobbled it up when they bought Chancellor, flipped it from nostalgia to
business, then to CNN and now to Fox Sports.

Nobody knows what to do with it. It has miserable coverage. As far back as
1970, the baseball games had to be simulcast on WEZR to cover the VA
suburbs, since e ven daytime, 1260 has no signal out there.

In article , David Eduardo wrote:

Nobody knows what to do with it. It has miserable coverage. As far b

Well you can always cash in by selling it to some leased-access
broadcaster or someone with an agenda (like a church or IDT) thinking
that they're going to get an influential "DC" station.

That's cash in your hand and one less engineering and accounting
headache. That's what I'd do if I were in charge of C.C.

--
Sven Weil
New York City, U.S.A.

Jeremy Powell wrote:

Yeah - WTOP's AM pattern must have kept some engineer awake at night with
worry. I can't recall who they protect to the west (perhaps an Ohio
station, I can' recall), but the western suburbs really suffer. Bonneville
did a good thing by adding WTOP-FM and WXTR to the "network".

But, the AM comes in five over S9 here in Williamsburg. I always tune in
before driving up to DC to check on the traffic... I keep the signal until
north of Richmond for a while, then it picks up about an hour later and
comes in well. It's fine on the eastern side of the beltway, but on the
western side it disappears, and right near the confluence of 95 and 395
there is a Japanese language station on 1480 that causes severe second adjacent
channel interference as you drive by.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

On 24 Dec 2003 21:07:36 GMT, David Eduardo ("David") writes:

David "Jeremy Powell" wrote in message
David ...

"Sven Franklyn Weil" wrote in message
...
P.S.: Why did Clear Channel flip AM 1260 from CNN-Radio News to Fox
Sports?

Now they have two all-sports statios with the same name: SportsTalk
David 1260
(WWRC) and SportsTalk 98 (WTEM). Both licenced to the same city and
serving the same market with the same format. Way to dilute your brand
guys!!! Or is there something I'm missing here?


I'm convinced that Clear Channel has no idea what to do with 1260; they
gobbled it up when they bought Chancellor, flipped it from nostalgia to
business, then to CNN and now to Fox Sports.

David Nobody knows what to do with it. It has miserable coverage. As far back as
David 1970, the baseball games had to be simulcast on WEZR to cover the VA
David suburbs, since e ven daytime, 1260 has no signal out there.


"...Washington, is, someplace special!"

On 24 Dec 2003 22:38:57 GMT, (Sven Franklyn Weil)
wrote:

Well you can always cash in by selling it to some leased-access
broadcaster or someone with an agenda (like a church or IDT) thinking
that they're going to get an influential "DC" station.

IDT already thinks it has a monster signal in the Washington metro. I
look every once in a while to see if the 50kw increase is anywhere
near beginning to happen. They seem to believe the most important part
of their media division is a name change and more American Flags and
liberty bells in the logo. They haven't a clue.

The network is running dull, drab ex politicians and sqeaky voiced
commentators who echo the top honcho's political views.

Rich

We bought a dozen or so average consumer radios, from a walkman to a boom
box to a clock radio, and whatever is in between. On every one, the music in
analog sounds as good as it did before, and switching the IBOC on and off
produced during several days of testing no significant differences on
average radios.

Try it on a GE Superadio III. It's an "average" radio that you can
buy for $49 at Sears. If you can't hear the difference in quality
with the IBOC on, then a hearing check is in order.

Mark my words... IBOC on AM will be a flop. In addition to the
horrendous interference, degraded analog audio, and artifact-laden
digital audio, who would spend $500+ for an "HD Radio" setup, just to
hear the same local stations, when XM or Sirius costs less than half
as much and delivers 100 channels of new, exciting, and often
commercial-free programming? And when the radio stations realize that
consumers aren't going for it, who would spend the $75,000 - $100,000
per station to convert to IBOC?

Arthur Liu's Multicultural Broadcasting tried IBOC on 930 WPAT and
1480 WZRC in the NYC area. But they gave up on it after only a few
weeks on the air, because of the degradation of audio and signal
quality, and because none of these stations' listeners would ever care
to own an IBOC receiver, even *if* they were available in stores. But
it's funny -- you never hear about these kinds of negative experiences
in Radio World or other publications that are rabidly pro-IBOC. And I
know things are really strange when even _David Eduardo_ is speaking
favorably of IBOC. What is the world coming to?

"WBRW" wrote in message
...
We bought a dozen or so average consumer radios, from a walkman to a
boom
box to a clock radio, and whatever is in between. On every one, the
music in
analog sounds as good as it did before, and switching the IBOC on and
off
produced during several days of testing no significant differences on
average radios.

Try it on a GE Superadio III. It's an "average" radio that you can
buy for $49 at Sears. If you can't hear the difference in quality
with the IBOC on, then a hearing check is in order.

The number of such radios pales when comparred to the number represented by
more typical devices. I'll bet that in LA, the case in point, there are less
than 2,000 of those radios. Who would buy a very expensive portable radio
that promotes high AM quality as its selling point? Answer: talk show
addicts who have a hard time hearing a local station.

Mark my words... IBOC on AM will be a flop. In addition to the
horrendous interference, degraded analog audio, and artifact-laden
digital audio, who would spend $500+ for an "HD Radio" setup, just to
hear the same local stations,

The receivers will be below $100 within 12 months, if not sooner. the prices
will track CD players and DVD players in price declines.

The fact that most radio listening is to local stations answers that
question.

And I have heard AM IBOC and it sounds better than many highly compressed
FMs I A/B'd with. The new algorithm is excellent.

On 99% of AM receivers, there is no analog degradation because the receivers
are not wide enough to detect the difference.

when XM or Sirius costs less than half
as much and delivers 100 channels of new, exciting, and often
commercial-free programming?

You forget that a full installation is not just the radio, but the
installation and antenna. And then there is $10 to $13 a month in user fees,
plus tax.

And when the radio stations realize that
consumers aren't going for it, who would spend the $75,000 - $100,000
per station to convert to IBOC?

You are letting the cart get ahead of the horse. The CES is going to be
filled with IBOC equipment, and I believe some at much more affordable
prices.


Arthur Liu's Multicultural Broadcasting tried IBOC on 930 WPAT and
1480 WZRC in the NYC area. But they gave up on it after only a few
weeks on the air, because of the degradation of audio and signal
quality, and because none of these stations' listeners would ever care
to own an IBOC receiver, even *if* they were available in stores. But
it's funny -- you never hear about these kinds of negative experiences
in Radio World or other publications that are rabidly pro-IBOC. And I
know things are really strange when even _David Eduardo_ is speaking
favorably of IBOC. What is the world coming to?

1480 and even 930 are miserable signals. Both also roabably have high-Q
antennas. On a good system, IBOC sounds good, and the analgo audio is
indistinguishable from the "way it was before."

Many stations, especially those doing block, brokered programming, will not
gain initially from IBOC. those with decent signals can gain a lot.

In article , David Eduardo wrote:
than 2,000 of those radios. Who would buy a very expensive portable radio

Most of the AM radios I encounter are 10 dollar no-brand (or one shot
brand) portables that you're lucky if they can pick up three of the
stronger stations in your market all across the dial. Hell, I saw one
in a store that was only able to pick up one station no matter how
much I turned the tuning dial -- it was AM 66 WFAN all the way from
5.4 to 16 and nothing else.

Yes I hear the hiss and crap on my Superadio and on a lot of other
hi-fi radios I have in the house... but let's get real...who aside
from us radio geeks listens to AM on something like that? Most people
are just using a cheapie clock radio for news in the morning (if that)
-- car radio for news on the commute and maybe the odd ball game.

And before you think I like IBOC, I am actually gunning for its
failure. I hate it. It makes my radios sound like garbage during the
day.

But if doesn't fail (and it won't)...hey guess what...that's why I
have a little 100 milliwatt part 15 rig set up to re-lay the Music
Choice channels on my cable TV for my apartment.

--
Sven Weil
New York City, U.S.A.