KSL-FM (102.7) Translators?

[kenglish]

I received a notification from "Down Under" (IC-DX Group), that the ABC radio stations in Perth are looking to sell their AM transmitter site, and go FM.
Perth is in Western Australia, and it seems that the AM would be heard over a wider area than an FM.

That made me wonder....if KSL-1160 were to ever give up on their AM, and just be an FM (102.7), what kind of coverage would they have? Are there any FM Translators carrying KSL-FM at all?

[kenglish]

Another thought...
If you have a new car that doesn't have AM reception any more, do you lose the ability to get KSL Radio once you leave the 102.7 FM coverage area?

[amanuensis]

You could synch your cell phone to your car's speakers and get KSL that way anywhere in the world that has good mobile internet.

[kenglish]

Don't the cars have to be on an account, with internet service?

[fmdj1]

It is pretty interesting to compare the coverage map for the AM with the FM
radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/pat?call=KSL&service=AM
vs
radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/pat?call=KSL&service=FM

There may be some translators carrying them, but I doubt Bonneville is investing in them (and laws around translators outside your primary contour for commercials stations get really tricky really fast). I think a growing number in the industry are starting to follow what amanuensis was saying, if people have Bluetooth with their car radio, all they need to do is connect the phone via Bluetooth (or even an Aux port) and just stream the station's app. Sadly, it seems like too many in radio are forgetting that cell coverage is not as pervasive as radio coverage and data coverage is even worse.

[amanuensis]

Apr 24, 2023 11:28:18 GMT -6 kenglish said:

Don't the cars have to be on an account, with internet service?

No. Just Bluetooth.

www.lifewire.com/pair-bluetooth-cell-phone-with-car-534615

This of course works best with a cell phone account that includes unlimited data.

[CAwasinNJ]

The only place that I know of that maintains a list of translators/simulcasts is Radio Locator and they don't have anything for KSL. The only three choices I know of to hear them are AM 1160, FM 102.7 and streaming. (FM 100 was on an alternative audio feed of KSL 5 last I checked, but that's another topic.)

The people in charge of the big radio companies are terrified of missing out on the Next Big Thing, regardless of whether that Thing makes sense or even works. HD Radio is largely a dud. Streaming is great in theory, but its usage today is tiny and trying to increase that is a huge technological problem, as we've discussed many times.

[oldiesfunhouse]

CA, I'm curious where you're getting your numbers that streaming use is tiny. I'm not saying you're wrong. Not at all. But it seems like nearly all the people in my circles do the majority of their radio listening using streaming whether it be Alexa at home or a smart phone on the road. It may just be the microcosm of people, mostly blind folks in their 40s, 50s, and 60s that I spend most of my time with. And except in super rural or canyon type areas, streaming audio with my iPhone with unlimited data on my account seems pretty reliable to me. Admittedly, you deal much more with facts and numbers and I am coming more from a place of just my own experience. I know we have talked about this before but it feels like, solely based on my own experience, that streaming is the future and the infrastructure seems to handle my use of it just fine in most nonrural or non-mountainous areas. And, you might be right in the thought that the reason it works for me and people like me is because there are so few of us. But, if that is the case, why does nearly every single station stream their audio. I know one of you said they're afraid of missing out on the next big thing, but streaming has been going on for years and it seems like, if there was such a tiny amount of people utilizing it, somehow these companies would have the numbers to back that up and couldn't justify spending the money to keep the streams going. Streaming must be fairly cheap compared to other ways of transmitting audio. Capitol was transmitting dead air on the stream they had for KLO for, I think, almost two years. I just noticed recently it had finally been turned off. In closing, to be fair, streaming is my preferred way to listen to radio and I love the fact I can get stations no matter where they are or where I am so I do have, perhaps, an unfair bias toward that method of listening.    

[CAwasinNJ]

Good questions. I'm using the Edison Research studies. They've been studying these numbers for many years and are the go-to source. Here are a couple of examples.

AM/FM stations received over the air vs received by streaming in Nov 2022: 88% OTA / 12% streaming
www.edisonresearch.com/weekly-insights-11-30-22-am-fm-over-the-air-vs-streaming/

All AM/FM radio (both OTA and streaming) vs all other streaming audio in cars in March 2023: 88% radio / 12% others
news.radio-online.com/cgi-bin/rol.exe/headline_id=b17379

The same all AM/FM vs other streaming but outside the car: 64% radio / 36% others


There's also the Nielsen ratings. The station streams show as separate entries. Most of them don't even show up at all. Those that do are tiny fractions. Anyway, you get the idea. The streaming numbers are not nothing. It makes total sense that stations stream. I don't know how much it costs but I don't think it's that much, especially compared to losing those listeners to the competition that does stream.