As former AM power houses like WSB Atlanta start losing their core audience to age they find it increasingly likely to join a growing movement toward simulcasting their AM format on FM. Faced with the alternatives of selling WSB, changing it's news/talk format or simulcasting, Cox radio decided on the latter. WSB had seen listener numbers drop by more than 25% among all listeners and 54% among 25-54's, the key demographic for advertisers. This is not the first Cox news/talk station to decide to simulcast. The Cox number one rated news/talker in Jacksonville (FL) pulled the trigger earlier and sister stations in Dayton and Tulsa have joined the movement. Non-Cox stations in Seattle and San Francisco also decided to simulcast and WTOP, #1 Washington, D.C. news/talker followed suit...
Dan Kearney, Vice President of Cox Media Group's Atlanta operations told Radio Business Report "WSB 750 AM has one of the strongest signals in the country powering its awards-winning news, weather, traffic and talk format. We are anticipating significant ratings growth by simulcasting WSB on FM. Previous simulcasts of this nature across the country have lead to 15 - 200% increases." ...
Simulcasting AM on FM was a common practise prior to the FCC decree in the 60s that AM/FM radio stations must program separately at least 50% of the time. The solution to that edict was to simulcast your highly rated format during the day and run separate programming overnight. We did that in Boston with WRKO AM/FM until the overnight format became the dominant station and replaced the AM format with it. We would build a new compatible sister station for overnights. That's not what WSB or other AM stations are simulcasting for. They're simulcasting to increase their AM base and hope that the younger demos who listened to the previous FM format find news/talk interesting enough to listen to. It seems to be working in other markets - why not???
Timeline Memories:
1.1958] Teenage Disc Jockey: WINS Program Director Mel Leeds hires 16-year old Mitch Lebe, "The Teenage Disc Jockey." Mitch will move from DJ to news and spend over 50 years as a newsman in New York on such stations as WINS, WCBS and WBBR...
2.1965] Confirmation day: Thurgood Marshall is confirmed by the Senate as the 1st black Supreme Court Justice...
3.1976] Debut day: Tom Brokaw joins the "Today Show" as news anchor. Brokaw interviews Marshall McLuhan in this clip...
4.1984] SOLD to the highest bidder: An auction of Beatles memorabilia in London, including Ringo Starr's snare drum and an unpublished John Lennon book fetches $270,000 (USD)...
5.1988] "D-I-V-O-R-C-E": Julianne Phillips files for divorce from Bruce Springsteen. Bruce gave love a bad name...
6.1989] Queen of Mean guilt: A federal jury in New York finds Leona Helmsley guilty of income tax evasion but acquits her of extortion. Upon her death the 'Queen' left $12 million to her dog (The New York Post had a picture of Leona holding the pooch with the headline: The Rich Bitch, one of the Post's classic headlines)...
7.1992] An Emmy for the moose: "Northern Exposure" wins an Emmy for "Outstanding Series"...
8.1993] Dave TV: David Letterman begins his "Late Show with David Letterman" on CBS-TV...
9.2005] Katrina II: A day after Hurricane Katrina hit, floodwaters cover 80% of New Orleans, looting spreads and rescuers in helicopters and boats pick up hundreds of stranded people...
10.2006] "Happy Trails": Following a series of strokes, veteran actor Glenn Ford passes away at 90 (remember "Blackboard Jungle"?)...
Music Memories:
•1961] #1 on this date: 1961] "Michael" - Highwaymen...1965] "Help!" - Beatles...
•1964] A Beatles sighting: The Beatles draw 18,000 to the Atlantic City Convention Hall. This was a great year, I was a jock at WMID and my daughter Lynn had been born at AC Hospital in January. The Democrats held their National Convention where the Beatles played that summer also...
•1970] Paint it Wight: Jimi Hendrix, the Doors, the Who, Joni Mitchell, Jethro Tull, the Moody Blues and more, appear at the 'Isle of Wight Pop Festival'...
•1981] Released on this date: "Tatoo You" (LP) - Rolling Stones...
Commentary...
The annual Giants of Broadcasting library fundraising event will be held in New York in October with 11 new Giants joining the 105 "giants" previously named. In alphabetical order, the new "giants": Dick Clark, Norman Corwin, Sam Donaldson, Edward O. Fritts, Hal Jackson, Art Linkletter, Rue McClanahan, Agnes Nixon, Daniel Schorr, Lesley Stahl and David Wolper. Congratulations to the new "giants"...
"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":
Andy Roddick (28), Cameron Diaz (38), Gordon (WRKO) Brown (39), Michael Chiklis (47), Robert "The Chief" Parish (57), Timothy Bottoms (59), Lewis Black (62), Peggy Lipton (64), Elizabeth Ashley (71), Warren Buffett (80), and the "Queen of Country Music" Kitty Wells (91)...
Timeline Countdown: 3 days until the college football season begins, 7 days until Labor Day, 10 days until the NFL opener (Minn. @ New Orleans) & 24 days until autumn arrives...
