Posted on 01/13/2023 2:38:49 PM PST by WXRGina
It is a dangerous time for AMs. Electric rates are at their highest point in decades and advertising is soft in some markets as clients take a wait-and-see approach to the 2023 economy where talk of a potential recession continues. The result is Townsquare Media has powered down a trio of its AM stations.
“Due to economic conditions in the market, the licensee was forced to take the station off the air temporarily,” Townsquare says in each of its filings with the FCC. It is not, however, turning in the license, leaving the door open to be back on the air at some point. “The licensee will promptly notify the Commission when it is able to resume station operations,” Townsquare said.
In the Danbury, CT market, Townsquare has silenced WINE (940). The station has been airing a country music format as it simulcast country sister “105.5 The Wolf” WDBY. Townsquare also owns rock “I-95” WRKI in the Danbury market.
In Maine, the company has also powered down adult standards “Kool 1490” WTVL Waterville, ME. Townsquare has operated the station from its Augusta-Waterville, ME cluster where it owns country “B-95” WEBB, CHR “92 Moose” WMME, and alternative WJZN (1400) – with a simulcast on the Augusta, ME-licensed translator W240DH at 95.9 FM.
As Inside Radio reported earlier, WYOS (1360) in the Binghamton, NY market has gone dark as well. The station had been airing sports programming from CBS Sports Radio. General Manager Mary Beth Walsh told WIVT-TV that the format was not supported by local advertisers, questioning its return to the same format if and when the company can solve its technical issues. In the STA filing, Townsquare Media says the station has been off the air since Dec. 28, 2022, due to an auxiliary transmitter failure.
Even with the ability to pair an FM translator with an AM station, the number of AMs continues to slide. The FCC reported this week that its tally of AMs fell to another new low not seen in decades at the end of December. The Media Bureau says there were 4,509 licensed AMs at the end of last month, a drop of one percent from a year earlier.
Do new cars even have AM radio on their systems any more?
What a great idea to get rid of the last sector of the culture dominated by conservatives!
When did “AM” come to mean “AM radio station”?
Think of it as the precursor of Facebook and Twitter canceling conservatives from using their infrastructure to spread the conservative agenda.
-PJ
I hope our AM's are kept safe from harm in these trying times.
These times, so trying. The times. Trying and such. Yep.
This report is from a radio trade publication, normally read by radio people rather than the general public. That's how we radio people speak--AMs and FMs.
It took me a minute to get your post and why you tagged the mods. I was a little slow on the uptake.
OK, thanks. I’ve just encountered too many new acronyms lately.
I am not in the radio business but I know some people who are.
They’ve been telling me for the past few years listenership is way down , and as a result, advertising income is way down as well.
One reason many AM stations have infomercials on the weekends , is because they’re selling airtime for those program length infomercials. It is an additional source of income.
After some of the AMs PM’d?
I wasn’t sure what the AMs going dark meant, but I figured it had to be about the new “female” M&Ms. Or maybe M&Ms going POC.
“Do new cars even have AM radio on their systems any more?”
Yes, but my new one came with a Hot Spot, so I use an older iPhone to bluetooth internet radio stations to the vehicle speakers.
There are some spots where I drive that the phone system doesn’t cover where some AM stations still exhibit good signal strength.
HAHAHAHAHA!!!
I’ve noticed the infomercials. Maybe I’m dating myself as an old Rush listener.
Since I have little interest in current cars I haven’t looked at new cars for 3 or 4 years, but when I did it was almost impossible to find one with a CD player. Never even thought to check AM availability, but certainly would not be surprised if it was deleted from some cars and replaced with an unneeded or unwanted feature like touch screens, which are an absolute dealbreaker for me. Love my i pad and that’s where touch screens belong, not on a cars dash.
I’m afraid the FCC is going to use stats like this to justify the forcing of AM to go digital. Which won’t solve any problem the industry has, and will only make it worse. I’d rather see them force FM to go digital which would double or triple the program content and leave AM alone. Relax regulations to make it more feasible for community groups and small companies to buy the licenses and run even lower power if they want to, where’s the harm? If an AM broadcaster has a good business model and is making money - leave them alone! If big companies think they can make more $ on FM, so be it. I’d hate to see the end of the 50KW signals but that’s where you run into real operating costs.
1010 WINS. You give us 22 minutes, we’ll turn off our transmitter.
I’m not an AM, I’m an SSB, LSB mostly.
“I’d hate to see the end of the 50KW signals but that’s where you run into real operating costs.”
There ain’t one 50 kilowatter going silent.
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