Ratings 3/31 to 4/27

[Terry]

Talk radio up. KNRS and. KSL gain. I wish KKAT were on FM.
Bob is up. Go figure. Kool FM is dead.

[David]

I really wonder how much of the ratings jump for Bob FM is new listeners who couldn't get the station before Broadway simulcast 100.7 on 105.5, and how much is attributable to former KOOL FM listeners who didn't bother to change stations. Strangely enough, the increase in KYMV's ranking is almost the same as the final rating for "KOOL 105.5" during March 2022.

[CAwasinNJ]

This is the second month in a row that KNRS has set a station record. KUER took a sharp decline but is still doing well. News/Talk doesn't look like it's going to slow down any time soon. Terry, what about KKAT doesn't work for you on AM?

I wondered the same thing as David about Bob's ratings, but I don't think that's it. Their ratings have been pretty volatile since late last year and this month is almost the same as where they were in November. The big thing that 105.5 gives that 100.7 doesn't is coverage in Tooele. Not to slight anyone who lives or works out there, but that difference is relatively minor.

FM 100.3 recovered from 2 months of ridiculously low (for them) numbers.

KSOP-FM continues down while K-Bull continues up. There's still a sizeable gap but it's narrowing.

Recent bumps in ZHT and Power disappeared.

The meteoric rise of Classical 89 has now evaporated. It's still doing OK and I'm glad for that. I would hate to see something that cultural disappear.

[amanuensis]

105.5 sounds slightly better on my car radio in West Jordan (where I live) than does 100.7.

[CAwasinNJ]

May 19, 2022 13:26:50 GMT -6 amanuensis said:

105.5 sounds slightly better on my car radio in West Jordan (where I live) than does 100.7.

In what way? Stronger signal? The tonal quality of the sound itself? Something else?

[amanuensis]

I think both of the above. I don't have any elaborate equipment to quantify it. I just went with my ear when it came time to decide which preset on my car radio (100.7 or 105.5) to replace with a different station.

[Terry]

Why would I like KKAT to be on FM? Better fidelity, easier to understand. If you’ve ever tried to listen to Ben Shapiro you know that anything that aids your ability to follow his dialogue may in fact save your sanity. Think Donald Duck on speed, but brilliant.

Plus 860 is a little weak at night..

[CAwasinNJ]

Interesting on both.

When I compare 100.7 (from the Bountiful booster) and 105.5, they sound identical. I wonder if West Jordan is shadowed a little from the 100.7 Salt Lake booster and your radio is blending the stereo signal to compensate.

[oldiesfunhouse]

Cumulus runs I think 98.7 and 101.1 in HD but they have never had HD subchannels. I've always wondered about that. Of course, iHeart is doing the same thing.

I mention it because, if someone had an HD Radio, Cumulus could put KKAT on an HD2 of 98.7 or 101.1. But, unfortunately, if they were going to do that, they probably would have done it by now. Maybe 94.9 but someone here said that 94.9 definitely gets into places that 101.9 doesn't so the Power combo isn't a waste of a frequency.    

[Terry]

I think iBiquity charges an additional fee to run an HD2 channel.

FWIW, KBER 101.1 is not in HD now.

[David]

According to this article, iBiquity's HD license fee allows stations to have HD2, HD3, and HD4 channels for no additional charge. If that's the case, it makes me wonder why more HD stations don't have more than one or two HD channels, unless it's due to increased hardware costs.
recnet.com/faq-hd-radio-license-fee-for-lpfm

[CAwasinNJ]

May 23, 2022 10:31:09 GMT -6 oldiesfunhouse said:

Maybe 94.9 but someone here said that 94.9 definitely gets into places that 101.9 doesn't so the Power combo isn't a waste of a frequency.

Yes, 94.9 gets much further into central Utah than 101.9 does. The Farnsworth stations have a theoretical good quality signal down to about 20 miles south of Provo. 94.9 goes about 40 miles further south than that.

The question of whether 94.9 and 101.9 should simulcast is an interesting one (I think they shouldn't), but that's irrelevant to the KKAT question. If either 101.9 or 94.9 were to drop the Power format I can't see either simulcasting KKAT. KKAT's ratings are just too low to justify an additional signal that could do better with something else. The only realistic chance I see of KKAT being on FM would be on an HD subchannel or maybe a translator if one could be acquired.

David, that page you referenced is only about non-commercial stations.

[oldiesfunhouse]

When did KBER stop broadcasting in HD? That had to have been fairly recently because I know it hasn't been that long ago that in one of my dial surfings in the car, KBER was still in HD. If you're wondering since I'm blind how I can tell, I can hear the transition from analog to HD. Sometimes I wonder if they make the analog signals not as good, either the radio manufacturer or the station, so that HD sounds that much better when the radio switches to it. KRCL is one that I think hasn't been in HD for a while. I've sent us off topic again, haven't I? sorry guys!

[Terry]

I don’t know when KBER 101.1 stopped broadcasting HD. I think I noticed it a couple of weeks ago.

Yuh, KRCL 90.9 dropped their HD. I miss their HD2 “World Radio Network”

To your point about HD sounding better than analog stereo FM, there seems to be some difference of opinion on this board. In my experience, every HD signal (including HD2, HD3, HD4) sounds better than the analog.

[oldiesfunhouse]

I checked yesterday evening and neither KBER nor KBEE seemed to be broadcasting in HD. Ironically, I happened to tune in just as KBEE was giving their legal ID at 6 PM and she said KBEE and HD1 which makes me wonder if turning off the HD was intentional or a glitch.