Wired officially a Pop Station

I don't question the current value of KYW. But I do question whether putting on FM will provide some monumental change that would outweigh the potential of two revenue streams. Is there some vast resivoir of 30 year olds who are yearning for audio news and would suddenly start listening if it was on FM? I mean, sure, the ticker might sound great in stereo, but will that do the trick?

They could conceivably study that for a while with nothing to lose, and experiment to see if tapping into their Amp brand could work. Unseat Q? Maybe not. But they may not need to unseat Q to make a decent profit.

Certainly a fair point that the lifespan of CHR may also be in question. But I think that one has a bit of a longer lifespan, but like just about any business it needs to adapt to economic realities.

Finally, sure, they could sell off 1060 in time to whatever brokered operator would still be in the market. But without the format, what is the value of the facility when the time comes? If anything, grabbing a few bucks for the facility while it could still generate some cash would be a point in the "move KYW" column," if that cash is more than they think they can get from having both news and a CHR to sell to advertisers.

I think we are agreeing more than we are disagreeing. The big difference is I think being the only News format in town will offer more longevity than being the also-ran Top 40. CBS has flipped plenty of CHR's in their time but I really don't believe they'd keep the one in Philly at the expense of watching five-decades-old KYW shrivel up and blow away.

Nah, they're not going to see it blow away without a good, long look at all options. But what's interesting is to see how it rebounded from the time the doomsday predictions had Wired unplugging the moment CBS took over. Or then the moment the first snow fell.

The data I think would be fascinating to see would ask the present--and short-term future--audience whether the frequency was an impediment and/or the format was still appealing. If I saw an overwhelming number of people at the younger end telling me news on the radio simply wasn't relevant no matter what the frequency, I'd have to give that some real thought. Music can be done dirt cheap...news, not so much. And what does an audio news source offer that can't be accessed elsewhere? Traffic--I'll take my apps anyday, rather than waiting and wondering if they'll touch on my route (assuming it's not 95 or 76). Weather--ditto. Click of a button and I have it. Stocks...same. News headlines...same. And where KYW once had lots of times of day when it was the only live news game in town, the TV stations now have news from, what, 4 am to 10 am, 11-1, 4-6:30 and 10-11:30 in some combination.

Perhaps that leaves commuters, but is that enough to sustain the costs five, ten or fifteen years from now? That's what I wonder about...and FM or AM seems like a somewhat minor distinction in that context.

Good thoughts.

I also think they'll do what they need to do to keep KYW alive but, come to think of it, the station hasn't sounded great for quite a while. It sounds so cheap compared to when I was younger and was listening during the '80s and '90s. And yes, the ratings rebound is super-interesting. I can't make heads-or-tails of it since most of our snow was a no-go this winter. If it holds up, after months hanging around in the 4-shares, ya really gotta wonder.

I'm not sure that anyone is thinks people in their teens and 20's will ever become serious Newsradio listeners. Hell, the ones in their teens probably won't become radio listeners AT ALL. In my thinking, CBS doesn't think putting KYW on FM is going to return it to its former glory. That sort of glory is a think of lore. Radio has so drastically changed. I just think they need to decide what they think will be a better revenue-driver over the long haul. If they're going to keep on with the cheap product, maybe commuters and the oldest end of the radio listener demo will be enough to sustain them for a while.

I do want to say that I think AM vs FM is a bigger factor than some might realize. Even when I was younger, there were plenty of times that I turned off KYW because of interference. Interference has only grown worse since those days.

Most Important!! If KYW switches to FM (or simulcasts) they will not be able to use their jingles anymore. "K-Y-W....Newsradio...one oh one point one." not exactly a ring to that.

And why in the hell would CBS simulcast KYW on 101.1? 96.5 would be the logical candidate, if any.

Yeah, the jingles. Mmmmm....I don't think that will sway them.

But the cheap comments are interesting. I'm not sure I perceive such a difference from the old days. To me it largely sounds the same as when it was incessantly on in my grandmother's house, and that alone means the sound is older, though not necessarily cheaper. Or maybe it's just that dang teletype.

If anything, I think they pepped it up a bit, and the reality of some additional commercialization is what it has to be to pay the bills. There's only so much you can do with audio. The TV stations can build razzle dazzle sets and eye-catching graphics (to put the positive spin on them). You can certainly do interesting things with sound, but it has its limits when it's the human voice.

One thing I wonder about is whether the news wheel should essentially be the same all day. Look at any TV station's morning news vs. afternoon news vs. traditional "6 & 11" news. The building blocks are arranged differently, paced differently. Sports has a dedicated segment in the evening; in the morning, there's no anchor, and sometimes no sports at all if there's nothing major breaking. Weather in the morning is more frequent. Could that translate to radio? Or is the "give us 22 minutes" thing more important in the audio space? I couldn't guess how people would react, but it would be interesting to see what they say at least--and then what they do if it actually happened.

What else could KYW (and newsradio in general) do? The packages seem about as short as they can be to convey information now. Or do you buck the trend and go longer? I may be the only person, but I like the "reporters' roundup" segments as a break from the routine, however small a break it is.

Several posters here are absolutely correct in that there is an clear need for an FM version of KYW, and that AM v. FM is a big factor here. I do a lot of traveling, and traffic reports, weather, and, to a lesser extent, news, are absolutely vital. KYW in an AM format is pretty much worthless. There's basically zero coverage here in Bucks County. I start to get signal on the turnpike after I get on in Bensalem...when it's generally too late to plan an alternate route, and what signal I get is usually staticy and faded. This on a good day, mind you. Throw a cloud or a couple drops of rain and you can forget it. At least on 96.5, the service area and the reception should be rock-solid.

I've largely written off KYW as it stands, and I know I'm not the only one. Perhaps KYW would do better if it wasn't running on such a terrible technology.

Oh, and just to touch on the Top-40 issue, I could do without hearing the same songs every hour or so. Of course, I'm not 15 anymore, but, if they're gonna do that kind of stuff, can't any of these Top-40s at least have good Friday and Saturday night party mixes, like Q102 did back in the early/mid 90's. I don't mean the same Top-40 songs they played 15 times earlier in the day slightly remixed, but real dance/club kind of stuff.

Pretty sure I've posted this somewhere before, but, once more......CBS bought the stations they did in Philly and Miami to concentrate their music FM's in the largest markets. They got out of Tampa altogether, and don't be surprised if market-size wise, the stations below Pittsburgh, go on the market sooner than later.

It looks like "Wired" is about to get "AMP"-ed soon....

No KYW on FM? (At least not in the near term.)

So much for the "bank on it" type statements.