1 of 1- RadioActive
- Moderator
Offline 
What Would You Do If Santa Gave You An AM Station For Christmas?
A fun little article with a serious purpose from Barrett Media, in which the author asks the question: if Santa were to bring you an AM station for Christmas, what would you do with such a present?
"The value of radio stations has declined greatly over the decades. If someone offered you an AM standalone today, pretty much anywhere, would you want it? Do you think you could make a go of it?"
Probably not, but it sure would be fun to try before the money ran out!
The Christmas Test for Radio: Would You Want a Station Today?
- RadioAaron
- Member
Offline
Re: What Would You Do If Santa Gave You An AM Station For Christmas?
In a healthy smaller town with an older population, I’d try to make a go of it, so long as I’m not depending on it for my income.
- Aytononline
- Member
Offline
Re: What Would You Do If Santa Gave You An AM Station For Christmas?
If you remove the money end and CRTC rules. I would do a WKRP type of station where the host programs there own music, with a focus on live in-studio as music as possible. I am not sure the newsroom would have a Les Nessman, but it sure would be fun to have daily hog reports in downtown Toronto.
- RadioActive
- Moderator
Offline
Re: What Would You Do If Santa Gave You An AM Station For Christmas?
Aytononline wrote:
It sure would be fun to have daily hog reports in downtown Toronto.
Well, it was once known as "Hogtown!"
- •
Thread Starter- Shorty Wave
- Member
Offline
Re: What Would You Do If Santa Gave You An AM Station For Christmas?
I have pondered this before! I don’t think I could make a go of it in Toronto but I do think that there’s a type of music that doesn’t get airplay, not quite alternative but along those lines. The type of stuff MuchMusic played in the 80s/90s with bands like Prefab Sprout, Kissing the Pink, Everything but the Girl, Portishead etc. sort of what came out of New Wave for lack of a category. I know, you’re thinking I’d be the only one listening, but it’s my pipe dream!
- paterson1
- Member
Offline
Re: What Would You Do If Santa Gave You An AM Station For Christmas?
I have pondered this before! I don’t think I could make a go of it in Toronto but I do think that there’s a type of music that doesn’t get airplay, not quite alternative but along those lines. The type of stuff MuchMusic played in the 80s/90s with bands like Prefab Sprout, Kissing the Pink, Everything but the Girl, Portishead etc. sort of what came out of New Wave for lack of a category. I know, you’re thinking I’d be the only one listening, but it’s my pipe dream!
Funny you should mention that format Shorty Wave. CJOY in Guelph was fairly close to that about five or six years ago. They mixed in a new wave primarily 80's format on air for a couple of years. Most of the music that CFNY/MuchMusic and CHUM AM played in that era. They would also throw in the odd live cut of certain songs. I wasn't in the habit of listening to CJOY or AM much back then but it was interesting while it lasted.
- RadioActive
- Moderator
Offline
Re: What Would You Do If Santa Gave You An AM Station For Christmas?
I think, since an older generation is more likely to listen to music on AM, I might try to recreate the WNBC Time Machine. In case you're not familiar with it, in the 80s, WNBC P.D. Dale Parsons came up with the concept of essentially remaking the old 60s-era WABC Music Radio overnights, when that station was getting unheard of ratings. (There's the famous story of how one jock went on the air and lamented how they were only #4 in the ratings - in Pittsburgh!)
In came the resung PAMS jingles, chime time, the old reverb behind the jock's voice and the music from the 60s and 70s. There's no memory of WABC here, of course, but if you could even approximate the old formats of CHUM or CKFH, I, for one, would listen just to hear that.
It was great personality radio, something that's in mighty short supply these days.
- •
Thread Starter