Category: Commentaries
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Fresh Listen, KKKJ Klamath Falls
When I reposted my review of stations I had previously set but had long since abandoned when I first started this site, one of the stations I brought up was Jammin’ 105.5 KKKJ/Klamath Falls, Oregon. I did not return to the station for another year or so, until one Saturday evening last March. You will…
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Nearly a year later, where does AI on the radio stand?
In November 2022, CHATGPT burst onto the scene, fundamentally changing the national conversation around AI. Just three months later, Futuri launched a radio specific AI, RADIOGPT, later revamped as AudioAI. It was a year ago this month that Alpha Media made headlines when it launched an AI version of Live 95.5 KBFF/Portland midday host, Ashley…
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Comparison, WRKU and WJZQ
Interestingly, the column from Shawn Ross is about the throwback format in bigger markets this week, as he profiles Chicago’s WSHE and Miami’s WPOW. I’ve been planning to profile WJZQ/Traverse City, MI and WRKU/Door County, WI for a couple months now. I finally did the comparison listen last week. WJZQ transitioned from CHR last October…
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What needs to be fixed about spot load
One of the things that industry writer Shawn Ross talks about a lot when he writes about how to keep radio relevant today is radio’s spot load and how it needs to be fixed. I was talking with my friend about something else that Shawn Ross talks about a lot, and that is the streaming…
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Is it possible for free automation to sound good?
In the past few years, I’ve become more interested in the technical side of radio. No, I don’t want to be an engineer, but I’ve become interested in how radio automation systems work, and from a listener’s standpoint, what’s necessary or not. I’ll be comparing two systems today, both of which can be downloaded free…
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Station comparison, KBSO VS. WISH
When Reina Broadcasting launched Classic Hits Retro 104.1 on 1150 KCCT and a 104.1 translator in Corpus Christie in 2019, I didn’t think much of it. The format gained attention by industry writer Shawn Ross earlier this year when it moved from that pair of frequencies to 94.7 KBSO. It is the columns written by…
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Why the Cumulus EMF deal of a few years ago doesn’t make sense
Before I start this commentary, I will announce that as of a few minutes ago, The Radio Crytic has officially been shut down, marking a significant evolution in my WordPress journey. That site had existed in some for or another for nearly 14 years, but now all my energy is going into this site. Now,…
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Is radio in a better position today than it was in the past?
This post appears to have been written in early November of 2018 for the Radio crytic, but never got posted up there. It seems to have held up well in the subsequent five and a half years, so with a few corrections, here it is. Also of note, there may only be one more post…
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Questions I have surrounding the future of radio formats
We’re actually already getting down to the end of the posts I want to keep from the Radio Crytic. Part of the reason this post is late is because I didn’t really have a plan as to what I wanted to post today, so this evening I sat down to take a look at what…
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Seattle’s recent changes
Unlike my commentaries up until now, this one isn’t one that was planned in advance as a move from the Radio crytic, but a commentary on recent developments in the market I called home for 26 and a half years. Last week, Hubbard brought back country to their struggling AAA 98.9 KPNW, which had been…