Is it too early to ask for numbers from stations that have recently gotten an fm translator? The one that's got me all worked up right now is the Catholic station in my market has just signed on a new translator at 100.3, taking out the huge signal of a Canadian rock station with a huge signal that was easily audible throughout the north end of the market. The problem I have with this is that I can't think of anyone under 40, and that may be pushing it, maybe even under 50, that listens to Catholic radio regularly. In fact, I only have ever known two listeners to Catholic radio regularly. One has been dead for nearly 10 years, and the other one was certainly over 40 if not 50 when I saw him last, that was 7 years ago. So, what's the benefit of this station having a translator? I'm not quite as angry about the other translator in my market at 94.5, for two reasons:
1. It was an existing translator that had been around for at least 10 years and was on its third input from what I can gather since signing on.
2. The Canadian it takes out is already pretty weak by the time the translator cuts in. No, DXers may not be happy that that translator exists, but the average listener will likely have tuned away long before the translator interference on 94.5, while I heard 100.3 at the ice rink last time I was there, which was just a few months ago. Not only is that signal very usable, I mistook it as a local signal when I first discovered it 12 years ago. In any event, my question is just as, if not more valid with the second translator, because it rebroadcasts an AM that does subscribe to the ratings, with a Conservative Talk format. This arrangement has also been going on for a year and a half now, as opposed to the 100.3 translator, which I just discovered the other night. Even so, I haven't seen any kind of bump in the station's ratings. So, how much are these translators really helping?
1. It was an existing translator that had been around for at least 10 years and was on its third input from what I can gather since signing on.
2. The Canadian it takes out is already pretty weak by the time the translator cuts in. No, DXers may not be happy that that translator exists, but the average listener will likely have tuned away long before the translator interference on 94.5, while I heard 100.3 at the ice rink last time I was there, which was just a few months ago. Not only is that signal very usable, I mistook it as a local signal when I first discovered it 12 years ago. In any event, my question is just as, if not more valid with the second translator, because it rebroadcasts an AM that does subscribe to the ratings, with a Conservative Talk format. This arrangement has also been going on for a year and a half now, as opposed to the 100.3 translator, which I just discovered the other night. Even so, I haven't seen any kind of bump in the station's ratings. So, how much are these translators really helping?