WABC Owner John Catsimatidis Launches "Save AM Radio" Campaign

[pstokely]

https://talkers.com/2023/04/19/wabc-owner-john-catsimatidis-launches-save-am-radio-campaign/

This new campaign is announced as Red Apple Media CEO John Catsimatidis, owner of WABC-AM, New York; WLIR-FM, Long Island; and the Red Apple Audio Networks, says he’s been reaching out to political contacts and attending meetings in Washington to save AM Radio, “the undisputed most reliable form of communication during emergencies.” At this week’s NAB Show in Las Vegas, Catsimatidis met with members of the FCC and FEMA and, at Catsimatidis’ request, former Vice President Mike Pence voiced a “Save AM Radio” spot for 77 WABC.

[royable]

1. about to lose their primary grooming mechanism? waah-waah! n/a

[gay texan]

2. Republicans ruined AM radio

Mergers, and bullshit programs

[keep_left]

3. Yep. Here's a little bit of history in a related thread from the other day.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=17828247

[msongs]

4. the free market will dictate what kind of radios are in cars. well not really. there's a billion

music cds in this country that cannot be played in newer cars anymore unless u get an aftermarket
player

[pstokely]

5. you cab just rip MP3s off the CDs onto a USB stick or a phone if you have an optical media drive

like this
https://www.bestbuy.com/site/lg-8x-external-usb-double-layer-dvdrw-cd-rw-drive-black/5852919.p?skuId=5852919&extStoreId=277&ref=212&loc=1&&&gclid=CjwKCAjwov6hBhBsEiwAvrvN6EMM5yjA2iltkoWMoYMWgmW7ZStLla5JGl9FilLKctv-O_nROZNQHhoCAYMQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

[electric_blue68]

6. I sometimes listen to (NYC area) 880 WCBS-AM for news or 1010 WINS besides WNYC-AM/FM local & NPR..

news and programing.

But not for "Talk Radio", once Air America went away.

[mwooldri]

7. WCBS for me is a must.

Helps me somewhat with traffic around NYC. Similar with 680 CFTR around Toronto. Rolling headline news, weather and traffic.

[electric_blue68]

10. Since WNYC has programming if some bad or very good stuff is happening I'll check WCBS-AM.

[sprinkleeninow]

11. Was Murray the K and His Swingin' Soiree on 1010 WINS?

[electric_blue68]

12. Yeah, I believe he was. 👍

[sprinkleeninow]

14. Yah, I googled it and he was. We tuned him in from Bridgeport, CT

[electric_blue68]

15. Aha! And there were the WMCA Good Guys, and Cousin Brucie on WABC.

[sprinkleeninow]

16. Cousin Brucie! 😄

[sprinkleeninow]

17. Now Imma nostalgic and verklempt and stuff...

[electric_blue68]

19. Awwww

[DET]

8. Well, That's Interesting

The Catsimatidis name sounded familiar, so I looked him up. Catsimatidis‘s daughter Andrea married Christoper Nixon Cox, son of Tricia Nixon and Ed Cox; their marriage was short lived. Andrea appears to be a real piece of work. The rich and politically connected are not like you and me.

[mwooldri]

9. Sorry but AM radio is close to dead.

Across the world, AM is being turned off. In the longwave band, there are 10 - yes 10 - stations left on the air worldwide. Cars in Europe and Africa haven't had longwave for about a decade now. Locally, AM stations across Europe have been shutting down and handing in their licenses. National services have been shut down on AM - Absolute Radio turned off their 1215 powerhouse, previously home to BBC Radio 3 and earlier Radio 1.

In Norway, AM died quite some time back. Now FM has been switched off. Radio now uses the DAB+ format.

When I visited the UK, my rental cars all had a DAB+ radio in it. Lots of choice. No static. A few blank spots (not unlike satellite radio here in the US) but definitely an improvement.

In my opinion the US needs to either adopt DAB+ in what space it has in-between the TV stations on Hi-VHF, or even use the ATSC 3 standard for radio.

[electric_blue68]

13. What the heck is DAB+ (rhetorical, I'll look it up)

Another darn piece of equipment I will have to buy at some point?

($$ issues)

[royable]

18. Darn Audio Boondoggle? n/t

[NutmegYankee]

20. It's a digital broadcast format instead of analog.

Same frequencies, but the wave would transmit 1s and 0s instead of an analog signal.

[mwooldri]

23. Digital Audio Broadcasting.

Developed in the late 1980s/early 1990s. Revised later with a much better audio codec to allow for better audio and more stations per channel - hence the plus.

I wouldn't worry about DAB or DAB+ coming to the US anytime soon.

[no_hypocrisy]

21. Catsimatidis dropped a Big Dime to buy WABC-AM. He's worried about his

investment.

Right now, programming is mostly local, with Curtis Sliwa, the failed republican candidate for NYC mayor, taking the majority of air time. Catsimatidis has a program featuring himself, calling it a "round table," but in fact is a vehicle for him to pontificate his conservative, sometimes MAGA viewpoints. He also gave a job to Rudy Giuliani with a one-hour program. Bill O'Reilly has a one-hour program as well.

WABC, WWOR, and WNYC are the only talk radio stations on AM in New York City. (WBAI is FM.) There has been no liberal/progressive station since Air America, and earlier, WEVD.

I don't know if Catsimatidis goal is to be seen as the Rupert Murdoch of NYC talk radio or whether this is just a business venture. But he's astute to know that if enough Non-Democrats buy electric vehicles, he's toast.

[no_hypocrisy]

22. Here's an opinion from the New York Radio Message Board about AM-radio:

Here's the dirty little secret about most conservative talk shows (especially those that are syndicated):

They are upper demo appeal shows in and of themselves. They've survived on AM for years because that's the demo that still listens to AM. It's been a mutually compatible situation. Everyone is getting old together. That's the primary reason Hannity (and the rest) have done *nothing* to update themselves in decades.

Should AM radio end so will most of these shows... not because they're conservative but because they have little appeal to younger demos. Moving them to FM won't solve that problem. If AM radio goes down, it will be like a whirlpool sucking all of them down with it.

That is not to say talkradio can't do well on FM. It can and I think there's a future for it there. But it won't be today's current creaky AM shows. Talkradio (conservative or otherwise) has to get younger.

[Demsrule86]

26. I do not think there is a future in talk radio.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

24. What's next?

Bring back eight tracks? 78 rpm singles?

[Demsrule86]

25. No. Save it yourself Republicans.

[ExWhoDoesntCare]

27. Here's an idea for you, moron

Stop pandering to only 25% of the population with your stupid Nazi talk radio vomit. Who would have thought that blowing off 75% of the population would cost you listeners?

You'd think these pro-business yahoos would understand basics like that, but it seems they don't.