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WAIT AM 850, Not Returning

Posted by Raslin5 on June 14, 2020, 12:01 am

This group may have already discussed this but WAIT AM850 will not return to the airwaves in response to recent email response asking about the station status. According to MARK PINSKI, General Manager
Newsweb Radio Company:

“We sold the equipment and the towers are down. Smaller AM radio stations are struggling now since content is everywhere.”

Thanks,

Mark

Re: WAIT AM 850, Not Returning

Posted by Creative on June 14, 2020, 10:26 am, in reply to "WAIT AM 850, Not Returning"

Content is everywhere, but an owner could still get creative with content and make money.

Re: WAIT AM 850, Not Returning

Posted by WYTZZ95FM on June 14, 2020, 10:49 am, in reply to "Re: WAIT AM 850, Not Returning"

While your statement is true, it is not in economics. Capitalism dictates $$$.

Land value has increased to the point where AM stations that are local daytime only can't afford it. They cash out the land and equipment they own and pocket it.

Salaries have increased for the on air staff. Management. Sales staff. That is before cost of upkeep and expected or earned profit.

The world rolls 24/7 now. No one will endure muddy Mono audio, during daytime hours when people drive home in traffic that didn't exist when the station was thriving.

The world is moving on. When you can get your favorite song in 1 second on your mobile hi fidelity device, for free, outside of device cost and the broadband fee, you will not be going out of your way to tune into a daytime AM again with muddy Mono audio.

Creativity will not solve a hard fact of shifting consumption and capitalism rules.

Part of the fault is the FCC not having a better plan on moving these AM's to FM, part of it is the owners fault not being aggressive in investing on moving to FM and part of it is the radio industries fault staying passive and pretending technology was not changing when it was and people were moving from the radio to instant now consumption.

Z

Re: WAIT AM 850, Not Returning

Posted by WYTZZ95FM on June 14, 2020, 10:53 am, in reply to "WAIT AM 850, Not Returning"

Raslin, if you asked that question, thank you for the update.

From an economics standpoint, this was the only viable path. Too many people can't separate business with their opinion which is guided by heart and mind of the past. Lets be honest, in recent years AM 850 was not a shining trendsetter of programming. It was hopefully pulling in some profit to the owner with what it was doing.

Z

Re: WAIT AM 850, Not Returning

Posted by Creative on June 14, 2020, 1:01 pm, in reply to "Re: WAIT AM 850, Not Returning"

Disagree. With an owner/operator who can do it all, you could get the billing up to about $25k and you’ve got something.

Your solution of moving the stations over to FM is short sided. Know what you’ve got — a daytime only AM stick — and program it from there. Use streaming audio to compliment your AM signal.

Re: WAIT AM 850, Not Returning

Posted by JEFF JAMES on June 14, 2020, 2:18 pm, in reply to "Re: WAIT AM 850, Not Returning"

Yep - last time i drove by there it was real strange having only two of the original towers down. Was a cool sight at night with all 4 lit up. My first official station i worked at when i started back in 1992 when it was a MOR. Miss that format and the auto system they used.

Re: WAIT AM 850, Not Returning

Posted by Jeremy Andrews on June 14, 2020, 2:45 pm, in reply to "Re: WAIT AM 850, Not Returning"

I’m guessing they’ll simply let the license expire unless by some extremely unlikely chance someone wants to buy it.

Newsweb did a lot with that signal despite it’s flaws of being a highly directional daytimer. NextMedia gave up on it. Newsweb tried a mix of Oldies, AAA (World Cafe) and Ethnic at first. They launched WCPT on the signal which grew to what it is today on 820. Last several years they tried mixing English and Spanish religious programming. Brokered programming was (is) profitable but when you start hearing more and more music on these stations, there is a problem. The music is not paying those bills.

Re: WAIT AM 850, Not Returning

Posted by AMOldies294 on June 14, 2020, 7:00 pm, in reply to "Re: WAIT AM 850, Not Returning"

Exactly right. Sadly, it has become a regular over the last 5 years (at least). This also was true of WCEV and a few other stations. The loss of programming HURTS, especially if the former program was there for a LONG TIME. Sometimes, shoes are too big to fill and stations go belly up. Music is not a cure all.

Re: WAIT AM 850, Not Returning

Posted by JJSPC on June 15, 2020, 4:14 pm, in reply to "Re: WAIT AM 850, Not Returning"

The silent STA expires on August 27th, so that may be the end of it unless they file an extension, but why bother.

Re: WAIT AM 850, Not Returning

Posted by WYTZZ95FM on June 15, 2020, 4:45 pm, in reply to "Re: WAIT AM 850, Not Returning"

Disagree. With an owner/operator who can do it all, you could get the billing up to about $25k and you’ve got something.

"Do it all". Yeah. This is not 1965 sir. No one can "do it all" today. If you have engineer or IT training you will be 6 figures a year with full bennies, not running a Daytimer only AM making 25k billing before expenses! Even so, you have to hire a few people to work for you. Then you figure in benefits, health insurance on top of all the other insurance and fees for the facilities. This is really a pipe dream. It is not personal against you, it just does not add up in a business plan. If I was CLEARING 25k after expenses having others run it for me, yes, then it is lucrative.

Your solution of moving the stations over to FM is short sided.

You mean "short sighted". Again you are wrong. I recently was involved in research which I can't divulge specifics to the public. I can tell you, people < 25, 90% had no idea what "AM radio" was. The ones that did, either listened to ethnic brokered or Sports. Asking them where they got their Sports fix, majority said online. 26 - 35 72% had no idea what AM radio meant. Only 50+ group, majority said they still listened to AM radio, at least once a week. FM is the place, today and that will be in AM radios position in the next 10 - 15 years.

Know what you’ve got — a daytime only AM stick — and program it from there.

Which no one listens to and the land value under it is worth more and and and..... that is where the FM translator kicks in and can run 24 hours, which your daytimer can't. It is high fidelity, stereo. Something your AM Daytimer can't do which limits your format offerings.

Use streaming audio to compliment your AM signal.

Of course. It is also not free. Harder to listen to mobile. Where FM wins.

The AM daytimers are once more, dead. AM850 and other daytimers thrive on local merchants and communities. Your WalMart and big boxes will laugh at you when you approach them to advertise. The sales dollars go to Social Media ads, where people can check in and out of places. That is positive publicity today. The mother which was home in the 60s, 70s and even 80s is now in the work field. Very few prepare food. Very few families have dinner together. I am not supporting it, just the facts. That mother mentioned has a smartphone in her face not an AM radio. You can see that driving down the street as people walk by. Times have changed, this is why AM Daytimers are falling everywhere.

If you disagree and are that owner/operator that can "do it all", better be calling Newsweb to snatch up AM850. I will be your first and loudest fan that you can make it happen.

Z

Re: WAIT AM 850, Not Returning

Posted by Standing Ovation on June 16, 2020, 4:44 am, in reply to "Re: WAIT AM 850, Not Returning"

25,000 to do it all? Not creative just insane. That is less than working at WalMart. Z once again amazing!

Re: WAIT AM 850, Not Returning

Posted by Curious Georgette on June 17, 2020, 1:02 pm, in reply to "Re: WAIT AM 850, Not Returning"

So what will happen to all those radio signals that will not longer be used by "AM daytimers?" What new technology will they be assigned for?

Re: WAIT AM 850, Not Returning

Posted by PhilJSmith67 on June 20, 2020, 11:28 pm, in reply to "Re: WAIT AM 850, Not Returning"

I will be surprised if they ever get utilized for their daytime-only capability. The demands and expectations of the world have changed since the glory days of AM broadcasting, when people understood why many stations had to sign off at sunset, Nothing has to disappear for 10 to 14 hours everyday on the Internet, FM, or Sirius/XM. This signals will remain empty during the day. 10 kHz wide AM signals are too narrow to carry any truly useful, alternative service that disappears outside of daytime hours.

Re: WAIT AM 850, Not Returning

Posted by Stever on July 17, 2020, 7:06 pm, in reply to "Re: WAIT AM 850, Not Returning"

License has been surrendered and officially deleted from FCC database as of July 15.

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