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Dxing Opportunities with Disney Stations going dark at least temporarily
- Thread starter BruceNYC
- Start date
Don't the Disney stations simply run the national format 24/7? What expenses would they be saving that requires them to turn off the transmitters till new owners take over?
The original story said apx. 8 people in each market will be laid off. Huh? What were these people doing for a station that airs network programming around the clock? Doesn't Disney have a deal with Cumulus to co-house the Disney stations from the days when Disney and ABC Radio were co-owned? I believe that in NYC, Cumulus' production staff and scheduling staff handle WQEW's spots and inventory, which probably wasn't very much. But again, if you're selling the stations, you're not selling spots or scheduling commercials anymore. So why not just run the network feed till the new owners LMA the station as they await the transfer of the license?
The original story said apx. 8 people in each market will be laid off. Huh? What were these people doing for a station that airs network programming around the clock? Doesn't Disney have a deal with Cumulus to co-house the Disney stations from the days when Disney and ABC Radio were co-owned? I believe that in NYC, Cumulus' production staff and scheduling staff handle WQEW's spots and inventory, which probably wasn't very much. But again, if you're selling the stations, you're not selling spots or scheduling commercials anymore. So why not just run the network feed till the new owners LMA the station as they await the transfer of the license?
I noticed the other day that the former Disney channel in Milwaukee....1640....was running some sort of talk program. I didn't hang around to find out what type, political or otherwise, whether or not from the bird, etc. I was a little surprised, because I had expected the channel to just go dark.
You want a list? Rent, electric, other utilities, staff to man the building as required by law, and insurance. What were the people doing? Running the place. As far as Cumulus and Disney, things haven't been too friendly lately.
All markets except LA are being dropped.
Radio Disney does not and did not target teens, ever. The target is 6-11.
I think there's a spanish station under KIID 1470 in Sacramento and KMKY 1310 Oakland ..Have to see what happens to 1470 & 1310
Relevant Radio (a Catholic talk radio network from Wisconsin) bought the station recently.
You are correct in that it's 'pre teen', not teen. My bad. I should have remembered that.
However, the children I know even in the 4-6 range don't listen to the radio and get their music from videos on TV.
And for those in the 6-11 age group, I can maybe see them listening to the radio but not AM, being as how they were raised in this modern electronic age we live in.
I listened to AM radio at that age but that was over 40 years ago when AM was the place to hear popular music. But popular music on AM has long since become a thing of the past with a few rare exceptions.
That's how I see it, anyway
People ages 13 and below...sorry more like 20 and below, mainly get their music off a well-known Apple device called an iPod. With those little white things called earbuds.
Wish that those elementary kids would learn about the good old days of AM radio - and with all the Radio Disney's leaving except for one (KDIS 1110) it's going to be hard to get them hooked on AM radio - they'll be bored as heck with news-talk, Catholic hymns and (Insert Name Here) Sports networks.
-crainbebo
Wish that those elementary kids would learn about the good old days of AM radio - and with all the Radio Disney's leaving except for one (KDIS 1110) it's going to be hard to get them hooked on AM radio - they'll be bored as heck with news-talk, Catholic hymns and (Insert Name Here) Sports networks.
-crainbebo
I listen to it
Only for the music I like
Only for the music I like
One of the reasons people aren't listening to AM is that they don't know it exists. If you buy a new radio and turn it on, (no matter whether it's one that comes witha new car or one you buy for home) they automatically default to 87.7 FM. It's been that way for years. If a radio were to be turned on and went to AM...they might dial around a bit to see what's on.
MarioMania, I suspect your spanish station under 1470 should be XERCN from Tijuana, BCN. As for 1310, I'm not quite as sure, as XEC only runs 1 kW to XERCN'S 10 kW.
For me, I wonder what else I'll hear on 1580 when/if KMIK shuts off their transmitter. KMIK has a powerful signal here at night, but underneath I hear KBLA - what could be there with them? I heard sports one afternoon under them once but could never ID it.
When they come back on, I hope I don't hear "Dios te salve, María, llena eres de gracia, el Señor es contigo. Bendita eres tu entre mujeres, y bendita es la fruta de tu vientre, Jesús. Santa María, madre de Dios, ruega por nosotros pecadores, ahora y en la hora de nuestra muerte. Amén."
DavidEduardo, speaking of people (not) listening outside local markets / the 10-15 mV/m contour, do you think it's remotely possible that I could be the ONLY regular listener to KDIS (1110) outside L.A. or Orange counties? (I'm in San Diego county - east Mt Helix area surrounded by El Cajon, La Mesa & Rancho San Diego, about 111.4 miles, 146.7° from their transmitter.)
Crainbebo, your "wish those elementary school kids could learn about AM radio" reminded me of a scenario I wish could have happened. Have a teacher take a bunch of school kids (with a couple parents tagging along too of course) on a cross-country multi-day road trip on a bus (not a school bus, but something like a tour bus, or a bus that's been converted into an RV or something like that), starting somewhere in the northeast and ending somewhere on the west coast. The bus should be equipped with an outstanding radio & antenna - something that would make Bruce Carter's Supertuner 3D and 5-foot box loops beg for mercy.
The teacher has taught the kids about the higher power a station is, the farther it goes, and also the lower its frequency, the farther it goes, at least on groundwave. (S/he has NOT yet told them about ground conductivity, but has started to teach a few things about antenna efficiency.) They'll take a cross country road trip (for another purpose too), and while they're at it, check the range of a couple Radio Disney stations along the way.
The trip starts somewhere in/near New England (where the ground conductivity is less than "1"), as they pull out of the school parking lot at mid-morning. As they're pulling out & turning onto the road, they drive by the half-wave tower of the local 50kW non-directional (daytime) RD affiliate somewhere in the upper 600s to low 700s. (Btw I'm making up the affiliate tech specs - I don't remember if RD ever actually had stations that matched the specs I'm saying.)
About 50-70 miles from the tower while on the interstate, the signal fades below the noise to the point where even a DXer couldn't ID it, although you might still get a wispy trace of a heterodyne carrier by using SSB mode and detuning. So, supposedly the kids "think" that 50kW on 700 with a good antenna goes about 50 miles.
A couple days later, after an early morning breakfast somewhere in the midwest (where the conductivity is "30" or better), as they're heading back to the interstate they drive by a 5 kW affiliate somewhere in 1300s or so, whose tower is just short enough so it doesn't require paint and lights. The kids would be checking how far the station goes, but quickly get distracted playing games with one another, probably on their ipads.
About 350-360 miles or so from the tower, they ask about stopping for lunch, then realize they're still hearing the station. (!) It's not down in the noise, either, it's strong enough so the road noise completely masks any noise on the radio, even though the radio's volume is set to the level that the music would be in the front row of a RD-sponsored concert. The teacher then explains to the amazed kids about ground conductivity, then tells them they ain't heard nothin' yet.
When they arrive to the west coast, they stop at the spot (Rockwork 4 NW of Manzanita, OR, where Gary Debock does some of his DXpeditions - or maybe not because of the 400-foot cliff). The teacher/driver turns off the engine, turns on the radio, tunes in a station in the 1600s (but not 1640) ... and RD is coming through loud and clear, with NO noise at all. (Even with the volume set as loud as the previous example, if you switch off the radio during an unmodulated segment, the others wouldn't even hear the difference in volume between the radio noise and silence.) Then, they pull up a video feed - which shows preschool children on a beach in northeast Australia playing on one of those jungle jym things that has slides, poles, etc - and one of the poles is the antenna for the station - running low enough power so it's not a hazard when you touch it, and a short enough antenna so they won't get hurt if they jump off the top.
(Somehow I doubt that saltwater can carry a station THAT far, though, even with an excellent receive antenna - just a few watts with maybe a few-foot antenna across several thousand miles of ocean in the upper end of the AM band.)
With all but one of the RD stations being sold, that eliminates the chances of that happening, though. :/
I also posted a reply on a similar thread on another board, listing the Disney stations I've heard, plus a couple other things.
http://radioinsight.com/community/topic/disney-sale-to-bring-dx-opportunities/page/2/#post-119053
I won't repeat the list here, but I've heard at least 10 RD stations from my house. I wonder who else has heard that many or more from where they live?
For me, I wonder what else I'll hear on 1580 when/if KMIK shuts off their transmitter. KMIK has a powerful signal here at night, but underneath I hear KBLA - what could be there with them? I heard sports one afternoon under them once but could never ID it.
When they come back on, I hope I don't hear "Dios te salve, María, llena eres de gracia, el Señor es contigo. Bendita eres tu entre mujeres, y bendita es la fruta de tu vientre, Jesús. Santa María, madre de Dios, ruega por nosotros pecadores, ahora y en la hora de nuestra muerte. Amén."
DavidEduardo, speaking of people (not) listening outside local markets / the 10-15 mV/m contour, do you think it's remotely possible that I could be the ONLY regular listener to KDIS (1110) outside L.A. or Orange counties? (I'm in San Diego county - east Mt Helix area surrounded by El Cajon, La Mesa & Rancho San Diego, about 111.4 miles, 146.7° from their transmitter.)
Crainbebo, your "wish those elementary school kids could learn about AM radio" reminded me of a scenario I wish could have happened. Have a teacher take a bunch of school kids (with a couple parents tagging along too of course) on a cross-country multi-day road trip on a bus (not a school bus, but something like a tour bus, or a bus that's been converted into an RV or something like that), starting somewhere in the northeast and ending somewhere on the west coast. The bus should be equipped with an outstanding radio & antenna - something that would make Bruce Carter's Supertuner 3D and 5-foot box loops beg for mercy.
The teacher has taught the kids about the higher power a station is, the farther it goes, and also the lower its frequency, the farther it goes, at least on groundwave. (S/he has NOT yet told them about ground conductivity, but has started to teach a few things about antenna efficiency.) They'll take a cross country road trip (for another purpose too), and while they're at it, check the range of a couple Radio Disney stations along the way.
The trip starts somewhere in/near New England (where the ground conductivity is less than "1"), as they pull out of the school parking lot at mid-morning. As they're pulling out & turning onto the road, they drive by the half-wave tower of the local 50kW non-directional (daytime) RD affiliate somewhere in the upper 600s to low 700s. (Btw I'm making up the affiliate tech specs - I don't remember if RD ever actually had stations that matched the specs I'm saying.)
About 50-70 miles from the tower while on the interstate, the signal fades below the noise to the point where even a DXer couldn't ID it, although you might still get a wispy trace of a heterodyne carrier by using SSB mode and detuning. So, supposedly the kids "think" that 50kW on 700 with a good antenna goes about 50 miles.
A couple days later, after an early morning breakfast somewhere in the midwest (where the conductivity is "30" or better), as they're heading back to the interstate they drive by a 5 kW affiliate somewhere in 1300s or so, whose tower is just short enough so it doesn't require paint and lights. The kids would be checking how far the station goes, but quickly get distracted playing games with one another, probably on their ipads.
About 350-360 miles or so from the tower, they ask about stopping for lunch, then realize they're still hearing the station. (!) It's not down in the noise, either, it's strong enough so the road noise completely masks any noise on the radio, even though the radio's volume is set to the level that the music would be in the front row of a RD-sponsored concert. The teacher then explains to the amazed kids about ground conductivity, then tells them they ain't heard nothin' yet.
When they arrive to the west coast, they stop at the spot (Rockwork 4 NW of Manzanita, OR, where Gary Debock does some of his DXpeditions - or maybe not because of the 400-foot cliff). The teacher/driver turns off the engine, turns on the radio, tunes in a station in the 1600s (but not 1640) ... and RD is coming through loud and clear, with NO noise at all. (Even with the volume set as loud as the previous example, if you switch off the radio during an unmodulated segment, the others wouldn't even hear the difference in volume between the radio noise and silence.) Then, they pull up a video feed - which shows preschool children on a beach in northeast Australia playing on one of those jungle jym things that has slides, poles, etc - and one of the poles is the antenna for the station - running low enough power so it's not a hazard when you touch it, and a short enough antenna so they won't get hurt if they jump off the top.
(Somehow I doubt that saltwater can carry a station THAT far, though, even with an excellent receive antenna - just a few watts with maybe a few-foot antenna across several thousand miles of ocean in the upper end of the AM band.)
With all but one of the RD stations being sold, that eliminates the chances of that happening, though. :/
I also posted a reply on a similar thread on another board, listing the Disney stations I've heard, plus a couple other things.
http://radioinsight.com/community/topic/disney-sale-to-bring-dx-opportunities/page/2/#post-119053
I won't repeat the list here, but I've heard at least 10 RD stations from my house. I wonder who else has heard that many or more from where they live?
Pianoplayer, you may have a shot for at least 3, maybe 4 new ones to try for on 1580. KGAL Lebanon, OR is "Smart Talk 1580" and does well throughout the Northwest at night but maybe it can make it south into the US-Mexican border.
KREL is probably your sports station. That's ESPN for Colorado Springs. Have heard them here a few times especially winter sunsets.
And speaking of sunset/sunrise, KKTS Evansville, WY is another great one to try for. They have a satellite-fed Hot AC format. Have heard them on the day power and on 230 watts at night.
Finally, XEDM Hermosillo, Sonora. Heard good things about their signal as well.
-crainbebo
KREL is probably your sports station. That's ESPN for Colorado Springs. Have heard them here a few times especially winter sunsets.
And speaking of sunset/sunrise, KKTS Evansville, WY is another great one to try for. They have a satellite-fed Hot AC format. Have heard them on the day power and on 230 watts at night.
Finally, XEDM Hermosillo, Sonora. Heard good things about their signal as well.
-crainbebo
one of the weird advantages to disney AM's was using it as a reference point to ID a station. If you're on a frequency receiving two stations and they are both talk, it takes some time to ID. However if one station is playing Demi Lovato then you knew which was which.
I wonder how this will play out with 1560 in NYC. Its a 50kw blowtorch that blankets the northeast very well.
I wonder how this will play out with 1560 in NYC. Its a 50kw blowtorch that blankets the northeast very well.
The only thing it really blankets really well is New York Harbor. But there's a very sharp null to the north and east.
I actually got tricked once in a situation like that.
One evening a year or so ago, I was listening to 640, and under KFI (I'm 99 miles SE of them) I heard Disney-like music. (I forget who, now, but I think it may have been Cher Lloyd or Katy Perry.) I flipped over to the 2 nearby Disney outlets (1110 LA and 1580 Phoenix) and they were playing the same song. I thought I had the 640 Disney station from Philly - right in KFI's back yard!
Well, a while later, I heard the same song again at the same strength, and thought WHAAAAT?! So, back to check Disney, and they were playing a different song. Upon closer scrutiny of 640, I think I also started noticing some Spanish in there, or I may have checked the suspect station's stream via Tune-In on my phone.
Turns out it was a relog of 640 XEJUA from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.
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