Spring Arbs Shockers - Now the Future of AM (Charlie Profit)

[markwa1ion@aol.com]

>From Charlie Profit
<<
If someone leaves your niche format, it's usually because you are not 
serving them well
enough, or they get new interests, not because of new gadgetry. The 
gadgetry
is working against us for the younger demos...not the older demos 
familiar
with AM.
>>

>From Steve West
<<
I have a theory... that no matter how optimistic people are about it, 
once
the audience leaves an AM station, for any reason, they DON'T COME BACK.
Ever.  The reason:  thanks to all our electronic gadgetry today, the AM 
band
is almost unlistenable
>>

I think we're working two different points re "gadgetry".

The first has to do with devices that have come on the scene to compete 
with traditional broadcasting:  XM/Sirius, webcasts, iPod, etc.

The second point deals with the radio frequency interference (RFI) from 
a myriad of newly-introduced devices having digital or switching power 
supply circuitry.  Anything from PC's to toasters.  These create an 
environment hostile to AM listening especially, and to some extent FM 
as well.  I can get WEEI-850 and most other Boston AM's better, day and 
night, from Portugal Cove South, Newfoundland (using a good receiver 
and longwire antenna near the beach) than I could ever hope to hear it 
in my office in Wilmington, MA.  Better reception at 900 miles than 15 
miles.  At work, even very few Boston FM's make it through the 
comb-like spectrum of "buzzies" from computers and other equipment.  My 
entertainment listening at work is 99% CD's or MP3's.

A great format is only worthwhile if you can hear the signal to start 
with.

Mark Connelly - Billerica, MA