>>A big problem for these stations is the way stations are counted for ratings and for disbursing ad dollars. The ad agencies don't think of Salem as Salem, or McMinnville as McMinnville, etc. They're considered part of the Portland ADI "Area Of Dominant Influence," which is true in a way, but for ratings and ad buys, they're lumped in with the Portland stations as if they're part of Portland. But of course Portland residents don't listen to McMinnville stations as much as they listen to Portland stations, so that methodology stacks the deck against the little guys. They could have _never_ competed on that level, even in their heyday. That change signed their death warrant, and it's amazing how long they've been able to survive under the circumstances. It should have never happened that way.<<
Rick, Yes, I think that is what he was explaining back over 40 years ago. But there were a lot less stations in those days and AM was still king, so there was more ad money to go around even if the "metro" stations still did not get high ratings. If you have a market of 30 stations in 1970 and today that market is 60 stations, there just isn't much left over once you get near the bottom of the list. Plus the cost of running a station today, like everything else, is higher. I think that is why so many stations run satellite programming. At least the station can stay on the air with only a few ads, as the overhead is much lower. But is that radio? To me, working in broadcasting for a number of years, radio is connecting to your community. Often a satellite driven station has little or no connection with the community. If the person likes the programming, fine, but that station could be any station out of hundreds out there. Personality is what kept listeners. The contests, remotes, local news, etc. The person felt that was "their" station. even if you did not like the format, the station still served that community and during an emergency it was there for that town. At the local coffee shop, you would often run in to the local DJ, Salesman, PD, etc and talk about local issues, as they were apart of the community. You had kids in the same schools as the station employees. That is radio to me. I used to love driving around on trips listening to all of the different stations. Often I would stop in and say hi. Those were great days. KLYC will be missed. 73, Patrick Patrick Martin Seaside OR KGED QSL Manager _______________________________________________ IRCA mailing list IRCA@hard-core-dx.com http://montreal.kotalampi.com/mailman/listinfo/irca Opinions expressed in messages on this mailing list are those of the original contributors and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the IRCA, its editors, publishing staff, or officers For more information: http://www.ircaonline.org To Post a message: irca@hard-core-dx.com
