AM Radio Bloodbath Now Hits FM, too: Two large US Radio companies shut down 20 AM & FM stations nationwide

The logo for 'Jack FM', WLXX 101.5, Lexington, Kentucky -- a station shut down during recent budget cuts at one of America's largest radio companies. Lexington is a fairly large city, with about 300K in the metro region. Jack-FM's usually do fairly well in the ratings, as they play a wide range of Classic Hits from the 1980's to the 2000's and early 2010's. But the Jack format didn't save this FM station from being shut down. Radio station shut-downs are now hitting FM as well as AM.

My industry is dying. Radio is dying. The Great Recession kicked it in the guts, the internet economy slammed it in the head, the Pandemic economy cut it off at the legs, and now the industry is starting to fold.

When I hit the internet with my first cup of coffee or tea every day, I usually check the Radio site called _________________. It's a forum of Radio industry insiders, experts, former Radio workers, and Radio hobbyists, and often it's a good source of news on what is happening in the industry.

Earlier this evening I was slammed by a news report on ___ that two of the largest Radio companies in the United States -- Cumulus and Townsquare Media -- are shutting down 20 AM, and FM, radio stations. There are staff cuts, too, but they're not just cutting staff. They're literally shutting down radio stations as well.

Here is a link to the news article posted on ___.:

[Link Removed -- bad site. see the Appendix. -- C.C.]

The stations' programming ranges from Country, to News-Talk (an FM as well as AM's), to Sports-Talk (with both Infinity Sports Network and Fox Spots taking a hit), to "Jack" style 80's-00's Classic Hits, to Classic Country (an FM at that), to 'Lite Rock' (an AM with an FM translator), to an FM Classic Hits station (in Missouri). That's just a sampling from the article linked above, and its source says that there are more station shutdowns to come.

MANY THOUGHT FM RADIO WAS IMMUNE

Up until recently, the revenue issues associated with Radio's new, shaky business model (FM, AM, HD, + online) have only hit the AM band, and staffing. I've reported on these AM stations going off the air over the past several years, since the Pandemic ended. 

The stations that went off the air in this region, since 2019, are fairly numerous -- KNPT Newport OR, KUTI Yakima WA, KMED/KYVL Medford OR, KKPZ Portland OR, KDWN Las Vegas NV, CKMX Calgary AB, CFTE Vancouver BC, CKST Vancouver BC, CHED 630 Edmonton, CKGO 730 Vancouver (the last two were replaced by sister stations that were moved to their frequency) are just a few of the stations in the Western US and Canada that have shut down operations permanently. There have been other stations in the Eastern US and Canada that went off the air, too -- CHML Hamilton ON a classic example.

The most recent shakeup on the West Coast of the US was KGO 810 San Francisco being changed to play KSFO 560's conservative talk programming -- and KSFO 560 was then shut down. It is no longer on the air. 810 now identifies as KSFO. 

Some of these stations that were switched off permanently may still have a small online presence. But most are gone, gone, gone. As you can tell, the stations I just listed above were all AM stations.

But now this trend is shutting down some FM stations as well. FM radio, as a medium, is NOT immune to the difficult economics of Radio these days.

SPORTS TALK TAKES A SMALL HIT

Several of the shut-down stations in the article linked about are Sports talkers. For the past few years, Sports stations have been able to survive on low ratings, because -- the prevailing wisdom states -- Sports talk stations don't need ratings. They have a lock on men. Advertisers that want to reach men will use Sports talk stations, regardless of their ratings.

But it turns out that Sports stations aren't immune to being shut down due to Radio economics. The advertising revenue crunch is hitting Sports radio, too.

IT SUCKS TO SEE IT HAPPEN

It is probably obvious I'm a MW/AM radio fan. I like tuning into the distant stations at night, and I'll listen to the programming -- be it Classic Hits, Classic Country, Sports talk, public radio from OPB (Oregon Public Radio) or the CBC, some religious music and programming, some news-talk, a lot of South Asian music, ranchero, etc.

And for the past several years those of us who are AM radio fans have had to endure the negative comments about AM radio being 'ancient' and needing to go off their air.

But now FM radio is also feeling the pinch. A bunch of the 20 stations owned by Cumulus and Townsquare Media that are being shut down are on the FM band -- the one that the AM decriers always like to say is the only 'Radio' that counts.

NEWS FLASH: FM radio is not sacrosanct. Ever since WPLJ -- once a TOP STATION in America's Market #1, New York City, sold for millions less than it was worth in the 1990's and 2000's, the writing for FM has been on the wall. 

FM Radio is not beyond the reach of cost cutting.

It's sad, because from time to time I have been an avid FM listener, too. FM was where you could hear all sorts of great pop and rock music in the 80's through the 2000's. When I got a Sanyo FM-AM boombox on Christmas 1982, I was glued to it for years until that radio was stolen. I tuned the Rock stations and Pop stations and some R&B stations. And there is no denying that for decades, FM Radio has been a vital part of American music culture.

Now it is fading, along with AM.

My Sangean PR-D14, my last purchase from now-defunct Fry's Electronics. It is my kitchen radio, on 24/7. It will bring in DX, but usually I have it tuned to local talk, NPR, or the local Catholic Station on 1590. When I bought this radio in 2020, there were a lot more radio stations on the air. That number, on both FM and AM, is declining.

GET 'EM WHILE YOU CAN

One of my mantras that I repeat periodically on this blog site is 'Get 'Em While You Can!'

This applies to Shortwave and Medium Wave, two media that are obviously in decline, and it appears with the recent shutdowns, staff cuts, stock price declines, and other Radio economics, the decline of Radio in general is only going to accelerate.

If you have a radio, switch it on, listen around -- both FM and AM, and SW too.

The day will come those bands will be all static and hiss, with maybe a couple pirate stations here and there. You never know when your favorite program, or favorite station, is going off the air.

My guess is that at this rate, the AM band has 10 years left. FM maybe 15. SW maybe 5.

DEAR RADIO: 

DON'T EXPECT STREAMING TO SAVE YOUR STATION

At the same time, streaming will not 'save' Radio. There are still roughly 15,000 radio stations in the US. In no way will all 15K stations today be viable internet streaming channels tomorrow.

The competition is just too infinite, and online, visibility is everything.

RADIO DISNEY'S DEMISE WAS A HARBINGER OF THE FUTURE

Remember Radio Disney? They switched off their AM stations and sold them in 2015. At the time they switched off their AM stations, they admitted that 16% of their audience -- mostly teens and younger people -- were still listening to the AM's.

They sold off all their AM radio stations anyway.

They said their audience would automatically go online, to their stream.

Apparently, that didn't happen. Their predictions and prognostications about their new, preferred choice of broadcast medium were wrong.

Streaming was the new business model, they said. Streaming was the future, they said. AM and OTA radio is old school, they said.

For a couple years they were on HD2's (until late 2017) and then just on their own online stream.

Then they shut the entire operation down. The RD page is now a 404.

Streaming did not save them -- and their programming was good, backed by a plethora of Disney media and singing stars. Their DJ's and announcers were very good and engaging. Still, that business model failed.

When one of the largest media companies in the US has no more faith in Radio, in general, it says something. I think the shutdowns and layoffs since the Pandemic are the writing on the wall. 

I hate to make such statements, but one thing I've learned over the years is that you have to be a realist. My former industry -- a dream job, really -- and one of my favorite hobbies, is on borrowed time. That's the reality.

Until next time, my friends,

Peace.

C.C. March 15th, 2025.

August 21, 2025: I edited out the name of a forum I used to go to, but because of their moderation policies, I am not promoting their website, or an associated website, in any way anymore.

One of the US's Biggest Radio Companies lays off 300 people, including Air Staff

Recently, one of the biggest Radio companies in the US has announced a series of layoffs, because of their bankruptcy. Audacy (formerly Entercom -- they have a few stations in my metro region) announced 300 layoffs, including popular, veteran DJ's and other airstaff, along with programmers and other vital positions at their radio stations across the country.

Here is a link to an article that discusses the layoffs.:

https://radioink.com/2025/03/06/audacy-lays-off-hundreds-in-major-post-bankruptcy-move/

Here's another link, continuing the listing of Audacy radio personnel laid off.:

[LINK REMOVED by C.C., August 2025.]

It's a sad day for Radio, really, as these layoffs at larger and smaller Radio companies keep happening. The prevailing mantra is that advertising revenues are in a slump and still declining, because Radio is a 'legacy' media (like TV, Cable, Newspapers, Magazines) and 'legacy' media aren't the place to go to advertise anymore.

There are other issues within the advertising world, of course. Advertising itself is changing, as many online stores do not need to advertise anywhere outside their own website, or they just use placement on a search engine instead. The dominance of the internet has changed not only audio media like Radio -- which depends on advertising -- but also the nature of advertising itself.

That all aside, a lot of people who were laid off at Audacy were popular airstaff, and -- as I've said before, several times on this blog -- they will probably never work in Radio again.

The industry is in decline, and although Radio could possibly do more to promote its medium to the public, the writing is on the wall: everyone is going online for all entertainment and information -- be it news, music, TV shows, books, etc.

THE VOICE OF AMERICA MAY BE SEEING CHANGES

Since the 2024 Presidential election in the US, and the change in administrations, the Voice of America may be seeing some changes as management of the radio service changes.

Some believe that the VOA is past the pull date, and needs to go all online. I've read many comments by people in the Radio business even saying this sort of thing.

It's amazing that people in an industry view their own industry with such distaste. VOA reaches out to poor people in Africa, for example -- a continent which is NOT covered by lots of cellphone service (as any look at cell service maps can show you), and where internet isn't readily available. Over 55% of Africans are impoverished, and live in rural areas away from the big cities where there is cell service, internet, and a lot of FM radio.

VOA was designed to take America's news, opinions, culture, and entertainment to such people.

Yet we may be seeing such services being curtailed or reduced later this year. It's almost as if carrying America's viewpoints to poor, rural people in other areas of the world doesn't count anymore. And surprisingly, a lot of people in the Radio business seem to agree with that idea. It's as if they don't really believe in the power of Radio anymore.

Right now, no one knows exactly how the future of VOA will go.

Rumors are that the BBC may be considering similar moves. The World Service will be online only in many regions.

In many of these regions, China is expanding its influence, both in the media, and economically. Apparently, the Chinese do not share the West's current view of the power of Radio as an information medium.

Timmy the Cat during better days... This pic was from 2015, when I first started this blog.

RIP my little friend.

IN OTHER LIFE....

Last weekend I began to feel soreness in my throat, and a head cold coming on. Throughout the week, I made sure I got extra sleep, and took garlic extract and Eleuthero extract, and it seems to have mostly killed the virus.

My cat Timmy, who I got in 2012, died on me last weekend. He had been ill from a virus or some other ailment, and having no working car, I couldn't take him to the vet. I was giving him kitten formula, and he seemed to be improving, but one afternoon I went to check on him and he was dead.

It really sucks to lose a little pal. Timmy used to be a bit stand-offish at first. I had heard that he originally was a barn kitten, so he always had this independent streak about him. But over the past year he began to meow a lot, wanting to be petted, and rubbing against me. 

But then I lost him. Sucks, but that's life.

My cat Racofrats, when a kitten. He is doing well.

I still have other articles to finish. I'll probably post the Solar Cycle article next, as I am thoroughly convinced that compared to previous ones, this one is a poor performer.

Then I will post others.

Stay tuned.

C.C., March 8th, 2024

Canadian media company fires Radio airstaff; FM station north of Toronto near shutdown

It's a sad time for Radio in my other mother country, Canada.

At least a couple times last year I posted articles about Radio companies in Canada either taking stations off the air, or laying off airstaff. Three FM's near Ottawa almost went off the air -- a new buyer showed up at the last minute for at least two of them. CHML 900 in Hamilton was shut down abruptly, leaving its airstaff and listeners in the lurch.

CHML 900, the News and News-Talk station in Hamilton, Ontario -- Canada's #9 city -- was shut down abruptly one day last year, with the programming halted and replaced with a tone, and then all the staffers were laid off. Unfortunately, abrupt firing of staff is a long time Radio practice. One day I showed up to work to find that 7 or 8 people in my building were gone. They had been given their notice as soon as they entered the door to go to work. Now that Radio is experiencing revenue issues industry-wide, these sorts of layoffs are becoming more and more commonplace.

Like a recent Canadian station in Markham, York Region, Ontario, that is experiencing revenue problems and may go off the air -- CHML was 'live and local'. A lot of folks in Radio think 'live and local' is the answer to Radio's woes. The example of CHML and other stations show that 'live and local' doesn't seem to make a difference. Either  the ad money's there, or it isn't.

Bell Media got rid of several stations, and in 2023 several AM'ers across Canada were shut down completely. Some radio stations in Western Canada also combined operations with other stations last year, reducing airstaff in the process (news stations in CKWX Vancouver and CFFR Calgary did this). 

Also in Vancouver and Edmonton, news-talkers CHED 630 and CKNW 980 moved their signals to different frequencies, with the stations on those new frequencies basically going off the air, and the airstaff on those stations (880 CHQT and 730 CKGO) being let go.

Obviously, Radio is in flux in Canada, and it's not just hitting the AM band.

Now Corus Media, one of Canada's larger media companies, has laid off airstaff, including some airstaff at a station I hear at night, CFFR 660 Calgary. The company says it saw a 14% dive in ad revenue over 2024. They also saw an 11% cut in ad revenue for their TV stations.

https://broadcastdialogue.com/more-staffing-cuts-confirmed-across-global-news-corus-radio/

Another recent news item showed that an FM station in the highly populated York Region of Ontario, Canada -- CFMS 105.9 'The Region', located in Markham, a city just north of Toronto with over 300K people (the surrounding York Region metro area has over a million) -- is about to go off the air because of declining revenue. Markham itself is the 16th largest city in Canada.

https://www.barrietoday.com/local-news/radio-station-nearing-shutdown-pleads-for-municipal-support-10248009

CFMS is a news and multicultural variety station that also plays Adult Contemporary music. The fact that it is an FM station in a metro area of over a million (York Region) shows that even FM stations in populated areas can have financial issues. 

Declining ad revenues are a really big problem in Radio these days. When Newport, Oregon's news-talker KNPT 1310 went off the air in early 2024, their owner said that their ad revenues dropped by over 50% since the Pandemic hit, and revenues never went back upwards. That took several stations -- AM, FM, and streams -- off the air permanently, leaving coastal Lincoln County devoid of news-oriented radio stations except for an Oregon Public Radio FM station, KOGL, 89.3.

Now we are seeing further cutbacks in the radio industry as Radio companies -- both in the US and Canada -- are feeling the economic pinch. Legacy media -- be it Radio, TV, Cable TV, or newspapers and magazines -- are all being hit with drops in advertising revenues.

Even Public Radio is seeing budget problems as increases in costs are often greater than increases in funding. Here in the US, our conservative government is trying to cut Public Radio funding from the government completely -- leaving all funding to underwriting and donations. Many stations and Public Radio networks may survive Federal government cuts, but others may see stations go off the airwaves.

This could include AM as well as FM public radio stations.

One excuse for government officials to cut Public Radio funding is the same one used by people in the Radio business whenever you talk about AM radio and Shortwave radio: 'everybody's got internet... They've got their cell phone, that's where they get their news and information.'

Sounds terrific. But if a government official like FCC's Brendan Carr says basically the same thing concerning NPR and Public Radio in the US, all of a sudden people in the Radio business don't like hearing that mantra.

The problem is that few in Radio are truly defending Radio. Because Radio is in financial dire straits when compared to previous decades, it seems that the movers and shakers in the industry are at a loss when it comes to keeping the medium, the platform alive.

They often say "we're building our digital platform" as a solution. But any content creator can tell you that online is not a panacea for media. Once you're online, you're competing with millions of other content sites and creators.

Recently, a bipartisan bill introduced in the US Congress, to keep AM radio in vehicles, got pushback from RADIO PEOPLE. I frequent several Radio forums and subreddits, and it's amazing how many Radio industry people are fine with AM being allowed to be removed from car radios and soundsystems.

When Radio people are against a Radio platform, it's no wonder that attacks on the industry by government and corporate interests are succeeding.

Who is speaking out for Radio?

IN OTHER LIFE

As I stated in an earlier article/post here, I took a respite from writing my blog. The weather got cold, I had a property issue to deal with (basically pouring water on a 'fire' that other people were pouring gas on, while lighting matches -- it all had to do with a remote piece of property where we have a dispute with neighbors). My car is still not dependable, and I have an ailing cat, Timmy, who seems to have gotten a bug and is getting better. 

For a couple days he didn't show up at my front door, or kitchen window, as per usual. Finally, I looked around, and he had been hiding out -- sleeping in my living room, behind a chair on a cat bed. I had thought he'd gone outside, but he hadn't. He wasn't feeling well. Finally, I got him to eat some canned cat food with cod liver oil sprinkled on it -- he ate a little off a spoon, then would stop. Then a few hours later I got him to eat again. I placed a heating pad in the cat bed, too. Now he's up and around maybe once a day. After losing a cat just five months ago, it's heartening to see one of my cats get better for a change.

HEARING MALI ON SHORTWAVE!!

I've been DXing every night and/or morning, and although some MW stations have re-appeared from the ether that were missing since 2014, many have never reappeared on any of my radios. 

The re-appearing stations? KEJB Eureka, 1480, with oldies. Eureka is a city on the far northern coast of California. KEJB plays a cool mix of oldies. I hadn't heard them in at least 10 years and they began showing up again.

KDUN, Reedsport, Oregon 1030 is another reappearance. They used to be a nightly listen in 2012-2013, then they went off the air. When they came back on the air, I never heard them until a couple months ago. They play an interesting mix of Classic Hits.

Another reappearing station is KSWB, Seaside, Oregon -- also on the Coast. They were a nightly listen in 2012-2014 or so, then disappeared for 10 years. Now they are back. They aren't as strong as they were in 2013, but it's cool hearing them. Co-channel Classic Hits station KKNX Eugene OR hasn't returned yet, though. I used to hear both of them, playing their mixes of Classic Hits. When the Solar Minimum kicked in, they both disappeared.

Which leads to my opinion about the Solar Cycle: This cycle is a DUD. I should be hearing a lot more than I'm hearing on both MW and SW. Back in 2012 I used to hear KVNS, Brownsville, Texas on 1700, nearly every night, just using a Sony SRF-42 and a small loop. I haven't heard them in well over 10 years. 

I know that some out there think the Solar Cycle Peak is awesome. Sure, it's awesome when compared to a minimum. But it's a mediocre, crap Cycle we're in. Anyone who has logbooks going back several decades (as I do) can tell you that.

But you get what you get.

This isn't to say it's all been bad on SW and MW. Just three hours before posting this article I heard MALI on Shortwave! It was on 5995 kHz, after 0600 UTC (after 10 p.m. Pacific time).

I heard it on my new XHDATA D109WB radio, which I had my indoor 25 ft. / 8 meter wire clipped to. I have heard Mali maybe once or twice before, a year or more ago, on a different radio (probably my Panasonic RF-B45 and indoor wire). RTV Mali broadcasts 50KW from Bamako, the capital. The signal was not readable, but I could tell it wasn't English, some of the speech sounded similar to African accented French, and the music I could hear definitely sounded African.

RTV Mali also came in on my Tecsun PL-398, although the bass response on the XHDATA is greater, making it easier to follow the music. It came in on my Panasonic somewhere in between the XHDATA and Tecsun, with the main differences being the sound or fidelity.

I unclipped the indoor wire and my XHDATA was even bringing in the station off the whip. It wasn't readable, but it was still barely there. 

The XHDATA D109 is a great little radio. I got it just before the tariffs hit on February 4th. I will have an article worked up on it that I hope to publish in a month or so, after I have plenty of time to run it through its paces.

So, even though I still think this Solar Cycle is a dud, it's much better now than it was during the Solar minimum, and I will take whatever I can get. If Mali comes in now and then -- awesome.

Until next time, when I post some of the articles I've been working on,

Peace.

C.C. February 22nd, 2025

(Washington's Birthday)

Taking A Break, But All's OK

It's already been a new year for over a month and a half, and it's been almost two months since I last posted an article here, and although I've had several articles in the works, I haven't felt the impetus to publish them lately. 

The reasons are varied.... I had a property issue I had to take care of, some financial issues to deal with -- and then we had a two week cold snap (where the temperatures got down as low as 18F / -10C, and it was cold in the house. I simply didn't feel like writing much. I have an ailing cat, and a car that needs to be fixed... Life simply got in the way of posting articles here.

The articles I still have to finish are varied -- a couple have a few DX sound files, which take years to load on Blogger, so I've put off posting them.

One is an article on the current, crap Solar Cycle -- an article I've been working on for a year. I kept thinking 'I'm sure the DX conditions will get as good as they were in 2012 so I will be proved wrong', but that's never happened. DX conditions on MW as well as SW have been poor compared to 11-12 years ago. The Solar Cycle article, admittedly, is a bit lengthy.

I've thought of cutting that one down but it's a chore, because it basically says that the latest Solar Cycle is a dud, and that idea is fairly controversial. Consequently, one needs to prove what they say, because there are still a lot of DX'ers and SWL's who think that Solar Cycle 25 is the best thing to happen since peanut butter and jelly appeared in the same jar.

And proving what you say means you include a LOT of info, including charts and graphs from NASA and the like.

All this said, I've taken a respite from posting, and I'll be back here in a week or two.

I have a couple articles on two different XHDATA radios I purchased since Halloween. I've become a fan of XHDATA, because they really have good radios for the price. I'm really enjoying using them in the DX hobby. It's just too bad the crap ionospheric conditions don't really show everything these little marvels can do. :-)

Anyway, I'll be back. Here's hoping you all are doing OK, and if you're in the Northern Hemisphere, you are staying warm.

Peace.

C.C. February 20th, 2025.

A Mouse of Christmas Past: Hum-A-Tune the House Mouse

Recently I was rearranging some books in my small bedroom book library. As I do most of my reading there, that's where I have a lot of my books. As I pulled some books out to move them to a better shelf, I saw him: Hum-a-tune, my wind up 'house mouse'.

I had placed him there several years ago, just temporarily, to keep him safe -- so he wouldn't be knocked down by my cat. The fact he survived all these years is remarkable. 

I got him in Christmas when I was maybe 5 or 6. When I was a kid, we always had two Christmas trees -- there would be the big one downstairs in the living room, and then there was a smaller one that was either in my bedroom, or in the upstairs hallway. Both would have lights. The big tree downstairs had the larger, 'C4', incandescent, multicolored Christmas lights, and lots of glass ornaments -- most of which I still have.

The smaller tree in my room had twinklies, and there would be a few presents under it as well. I don't know why my parents did that, but my Dad did love Christmas.

This one year, I can't remember which one exactly, I got up on Christmas morning to see a few wrapped presents under my little tree (probably books), and there was something stuck inside the tree, in the branches. It was a grey, stuffed mouse, with red ears and a happy face.

When I pulled him out of the tree, I could see he had a key on his back -- he was a music box mouse!

There was a card next to him, stuck in the tree. My father wrote in the card: 

This is Hum-A-Tune, the House Mouse. 

Whenever you're feeling sad, just turn the key on his back, and Hum-A-Tune will hum you a tune, and make you happy!

I knew it was from Dad, because I could recognise his writing. And my Dad was a sentimental sort of person. He worked in a factory, had served in the Army Air Forces in World War II (as a B-29 Gunnery trainer), his father died when he was in high school, and just a year or two previous to the year I got Hum-A-Tune -- right around Christmas -- we had lost his brother, my Uncle Bill, so Dad knew that life could send you some hard knocks.

But Dad also liked the kinder things in life -- things like Hum-A-Tune, for example -- and I think it was because such things reminded him of those better, happier things in life. There are enough things that will hurt you. Sometimes a stuffed animal or simple wind-up toy or music box can make you smile for a moment.

A pic of Hum-A-Tune's back, where you can see the music box key. He is a Knickerbocker toy. Knickerbocker Toys, based out of New York, went out of business in the 1980's. 

Anyway, after I pulled Hum-A-Tune out of the tree, I wound him up, and he did play a happy tune! For years he was in my bedroom, on top of a shelf. Then, when my parents repainted the interior of the house, he got moved to a box, and when I got older, he ended up in the basement, in my old box of toys.

About 8 or 9 years ago, I went down into the basement, looking for the last of the old glass ornaments for my Christmas tree. There were still signs that the basement had flooded (about 2-3 feet worth of water, at least twice since 1991), and it was still a mess.

On the way to the corner where the old ornaments were still kept, I happened to look in the back of my old toy box, which was nearby. The basement had just recently flooded that November -- my house is in a river valley and basements can be dicey because of the water table. My parents had a basement put in knowing that risk. I think the basement has had 5 or 6 floods over the years the house has been here. We've gone through 5 or 6 sump pumps. They end up burning out because they can't handle the water when it happens.

Anyway, I looked in my toy box. And there he was -- my old mouse! I had completely forgotten he'd existed. I picked him up, and remembered -- he had been in my Christmas tree when I was a little kid! It was then that the card, and the words that my Dad wrote, came to mind. I had long lost the card, but I still remembered the words that Dad wrote.

I immediately took Hum-A-Tune upstairs, awestruck that he managed to keep from being damaged in the flooding. He apparently was high enough up in the old toy box that the water never got to him. Unfortunately, his music box no longer works. Sitting in the basement for so many years apparently ran its toll. 

I put him in my bookshelf in my bedroom upstairs. Then, of course, life intervened. I had to take care of my ailing mother for a couple years, and you forget about things... For a couple years I really didn't get any sleep.

But just over two weeks ago, like I said, I found him behind the books. Now I have him near a couple other old stuffed animals from years ago, next to my radios on the headstead of my bed.  

The stuffed animals may look odd there, but they remind me of a time when my Father and Mother were still alive, and life was a lot better, and life was still full of wonder. As I live alone, there is no one to criticise any of them being there, so they stay where they are.

My Sakai guitar. My godfather, my Uncle Calvin (who served on ballistic submarines) got it for my Uncle Dale, maybe 1972 or '73. Uncle Dale was a country guitar player and singer. He always played and sang at family get-togethers, like Christmas. The two uncles had a falling out, and Uncle Dale left it on Uncle Calvin's front porch. In the Summer of 1976 Uncle Calvin invited us up for a barbecue, and he sold the guitar to my Dad, so I could have it. The guitar and small amp together cost $40. So I play a guitar that's been in three separate hands in the family.

When I was a kid, I never thought that life would be so rough, with long stretches of dark times. In many respects, I am probably better off than a lot of people, but it still isn't easy, especially during holidays. And at times like Christmas I really miss my folks, as well as grandparents, aunts, uncles, and some cousins who have all passed on. My #1 electric guitar (my Sakai Japanese Jag copy) used to belong to my Uncle Dale, who was quite the country and folk music entertainer.  He would always play and sing 'Randolph The Bow Legged Cowboy' during Christmases. He died in the early 2000's. Unexpectedly. A lot of the family are gone. It sucks.

It's a real tough time.

Hum-A-Tune reminds me of Dad. And every time I look at Hum-A-Tune the House Mouse, I think of what my Father wrote, and how much thought he put into writing those words. He really wanted to make his son happy. He put so much thought into placing the music box mouse in my tree, and writing the card. I treasure the fact that he really loved me enough to try to make sure I felt loved and cared for, and he always tried to make sure I was always happy. 

Dad left us in 1984, but there still is some of him around. My first guitar, my telescope, my DX-160 SW radio, my old boombox, my bagpipes -- they all remind me of Dad. And now so does this stuffed, music box mouse. 

It's hard to find people like my Father was. Having people like that in your life, frankly, is a rarity. I was lucky, my parents both made me feel that way, especially at Christmas. My Mother and Father had their rough spots. But they never made me feel unloved or unsupported. Every Christmas I miss them.

Now, Christmas is just another day out of 365 days in the year.

My Christmas lights this year, the only decorations I put up.

These Gingerbread men I keep up year 'round on my mantlepiece. Just because.

GOD LILLE JULAFTON!

Right now it's the 23rd of December. The Scandinavians call it Lille Julafton, 'little Christmas Eve'. When I was a kid the night of the 23rd was usually when my folks finished putting up Christmas decorations and getting ready for Christmas time. It was a night that really felt Christmas cheer. It really was like a 'little Christmas Eve'.

I presently have no idea what I'll do this Christmas. I will probably DX a bit, pet my cats, and maybe go out on a night time bike ride. I may work on some old-time banjo tunes on my banjo -- something I've been trying to relearn.

I'll probably read Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. My extended family may or may not have a get-together for Christmas. If they do, I'll probably go and play my bagpipes.

But it simply won't be the same as it was years ago.

Here's hoping that all of you out there have a good holiday. If you have someone, give them a hug. If you have a cat or a dog, pet them, hold them close, and tell them how much they mean to you. Life is short. 

Hum-A-Tune says Merry Christmas.

Peace, and Merry Christmas.

C.C.

December 23rd, 2024.

Auroral DX on the MW/AM band! OCTOBER 14th & 15th, 2024

My Realistic DX-350A, which for a few years in the 2010's was my mainstay MW DX radio, in front of my Crate loop I made in 2011. I still DX with the DX-350A maybe once or twice a month.... Radios are meant to be played.

Dear Readers: Here is a blog article I'd forgotten about -- I wrote it after a flurry of MW Auroral DX, where the ionosphere makes MW distance listening interesting by boosting signals from Southern US regions. Sorry for the delay, but here 'tis. 

Recently, as even non-radio hobbyists know, we've had a flurry of Auroral activity in the Northern Hemisphere (where there was any in the Southern Hemisphere I don't know -- it obviously didn't make the news here).

When there is Auroral activity, sometimes the Northern Lights show up as far south as the northern tier of US states. And the Shortwave and Mediumwave radio bands are affected as well. The extra solar radiation zaps the ionosphere and makes it absorb radio signals instead of reflect them back to Earth.

The overall effects of an Aurora can vary -- usually there are 'radio blackouts' (as just described). You'll hear distant signals on the SW or MW bands get weaker and weaker as the Aurora hits -- or you'll turn on your radio one night and there's nothing but grainy sounding static.

This happened recently. About three nights ago I turned on my Realistic DX-394 and tuned the SW ham bands. There was very low activity, and as I was tuning through the 40 Meter ham band, any and all signals just faded down to nothing. It was the same thing with the 30M ham band, and the 20M ham band.

The Shortwave broadcast bands were mostly dead. 49 Meters had non-existent audio for WRMI, WWCR, and Radio Marti was barely audible in the grainy static. A couple other stations that are usually on during the evening -- Radio Educacion on 6185 kHz, and Nikkei 1 and 2 on 6055 and 6115, were extremely weak carriers that even the BFO barely made audible -- you had to listen for them.

MW was like a poor summer night.

Then, after a day or so, the Aurora dissipated. When that happens, often it's a fun time to DX the AM band, because here in the PNW US that means that California, Nevada, and sometimes Mexican radio stations will show up!

On the night of the 14th, it was exactly that way. Some Northwest mainstays like KOAC 550 (Corvallis Oregon), KXTG 750 (Portland, Oregon), CBK 540 (Saskatchewan), KONA 610 (Pasco, Washington), and other regional stations were completely gone, replaced by other weaker signals from further south, or just static.

KXTG 750 was missing -- 750 kHz was just static. KOAC 550 (normally always dominant on 550) was gone, replaced by a very weak KARI Blaine WA (about 150 miles north of me), and 

The next night, the AM band returned at least partly to normal. KOAC 550 was in with Oregon Public Radio news, but conditions overall were a little different from normal. Some regular stations weren't in well, and I heard a few California stations much, much better than normally!

On 1270 kHz, I heard KXBX Lakeport, California with Classic Hits, and I also heard KBZZ Reno with Classic Rock and a full, "92.5 The Hawk!" ID! (Actually, they're called "The Hog"). I haven't heard KBZZ since it was a sports station back in the early 2010's! I also heard KEAR 610, a religious station out of San Francisco that plays soft music and hymns at night, and KLBS Los Banos, California, was in on 1270 also! They have Portuguese language talk and music, serving the Portuguese speaking people in the San Joaquin Valley of Central California.

A pic of my Sangean PR-D5 during better days, when I was Solar Eclipse DXing in August, 2017.

MORE ADVENTURES WITH MY SANGEAN PR-D5

As many of you may know, I have one of these Sangean radios that are known for being really good on MW/AM. Sangean PR-D5's are like mini-boomboxes, which also have an AUX IN so you can plug your phone or tablet into the jack and listen to streaming in stereo. I used to listen to Norway's NRK Norske Folkemusikk channel all the time on my PR-D5 that way.

I also discovered a button pressing glitch that seemed to occur on my PR-D5 after the radio had been powered up for several months. It seemed that the constant powering of the radio -- which kept the microprocessor working in the background, waiting for the Power button to be pressed -- would cause the microprocessor's firmware to read the buttons oddly. 

For example, I'd have to press the Power button several times to get the radio to recognise that I was pressing it. Sometimes I'd press a button and an entirely different function would occur (like I would press a memory channel button and the PR-D5 would switch from AM to FM instead).

I discovered the fix out of frustration. I pulled the batteries, and pulled the plug from the AC wall adaptor, and reset the radio that way.

The re-set worked. The radio's buttons started working normally. A few years later, sometimes the re-set wouldn't completely work. I found that pressing the Power button after de-powering the radio did the trick.

I wrote an article about this button issue in 2017 or so. Here is a link to that article, where I go into more detail about it. Other PR-D5 owners who had the issue also found that the re-set fixed their radios.:

Interrock Nation: How to quickly fix a SANGEAN PR-D5 Power Button malfunction -- and other easy fixes

Recently, that hasn't been working 100%. I finally resorted to spraying contact cleaner down the side of all the buttons a couple times, working them after each spray. I wiped the excess off the front of the radio with a paper towel.

Presto! The radio acts like new again.

It appears that if your PR-D5 has been sitting, unused, for several months (I hadn't used my radio in probably a year, using my Superadios in my writing Den instead), the buttons can either oxidise, or they need to otherwise be exercised to work properly again.

NOW, these fixes may work on many of the Sangean AM-FM only radios. I have experienced these button glitches with my PR-D5, PR-D14, PR-D18, and a couple times my PR-D4W even acted up. It's obvious that something in their firmware can develop these button glitches over time. 

The buttons are fine, the radio circuits and 'brain' are all fine, it's just that the firmware will act up if it sees continuous power for too long.

And the buttons themselves either need exercising (i.e., actual use) or they may need a shot of contact cleaner down the side of the buttons now and then. And periodically re-setting your radio (depowering it completely, letting it sit for 15 seconds or so, and maybe pressing the power button to clear the residual charge in the microprocessor) is probably a good idea, too.

This was another article sitting dormant, that I had forgotten I had written. So here it is, nearly two months late. Better late than never.

I still am finishing the article on the mediocre Solar Cycle 25. I have been sitting on that one for almost a year. Here it is, December, during a 'peak year', and the SW DX conditions are mostly crap and MW DX conditions aren't anything like they were in 2011-2014.

So, it's time to publish that article, being that my assessments of Solar Cycle 25 turned out to be very accurate.

I shall get that article out within the week. 

Peace,

C.C. 12-18-2024

DX Conditions = Abysmal; But MADAGASCAR Gets Through Anyway!

The antenna farm in Madagascar for MWV New Life Station, whose Russian broadcasts to Eastern Europe make it all the way to my location near Seattle -- even when the rest of the SW bands are dead, or mostly dead.

(photo courtesy Russian MWV website)

DEAR READERS: I'd forgotten I had this article written up. Here 'tis, over two months late. That said, DX conditions have still been poor over the past two months, so much of what I say here still applies. Plus, the new battery issue I encountered is probably informative -- batteries can be bad out of the box! Ya learn something new every day.

Peace, C.C.

I am still in a funk over losing my cat, and dealing with a bunch of different stuff here at home, but I have managed to tune the Shortwave bands -- usually in the morning hours, when Asia comes in -- and the MW band at night when I'm in my writing Den, or later at night when I am ready to hit the hay.

I am also working on finishing an article on the latest Solar Cycle, and how mediocre it is -- something I've held off on publishing for several months, in the event that the Solar Cycle somehow begins delivering the DX that it's supposed to be delivering (hint: so far, it really hasn't). There have been a few bright spots where there have been mornings and afternoons with some DX on the SW, and MW at night has picked up slightly, but it's also had swaths of 3-4 days where there are mediocre conditions, too.

That article will be posted by mid-October.

That said, the past few days here in mid-September SW and MW have been mediocre at best, abysmal at worst. I tune my DX-394 + wire antenna during the mornings and often during the evenings, and I use my Superadios, Sangean PR-D5, or Sangean PR-D4W for MW DXing at night (and -- on rare occasions, my trusty Panasonic RF-B45), all with a milk crate loop.

The last couple weeks have been pretty mediocre on both the SW bands and the MW band. Sometimes the most interesting catch I've had is the Desert Whooper on 4096 kHz, a small, low power beacon transmitting 'whoop' noises and some CW out of an undisclosed location in Desert California.

This particular morning (the 17th of September) was an example. As I was sipping my coffee, waking up, and tuning my DX-394, I heard mostly static. The 30 Meter Ham Band was dead, no Pinneberg military RTTY on 10100 kHz, no NAU USN RTTY at 10153, no CW and not even any FT8. WWVH on 10000 kHz was in the mud, and WWV was non-existent. The 20 Meter Ham band was dead except for very weak FT8 noises around 14075-14075, and the 40 Meter Ham band was nothing but static, except for a local (WA-OR-BC) net high up in the band, and even then I could only hear the two strongest stations.

The 31 Meter Band, which is a good SW broadcast band for Asia during the mornings, was nothing but static.

Except for Madagascar.

Lo and behold, 9885 kHz had not just a carrier, but audio! Pop music! The signal was weak, but quite audible in the static, and fairly readable. Then I heard some talk by a woman in Russian, and then a man talking in Russian, ID'ing the station as 'KNLS', which is a Christian station that operates out of Anchor Point, Alaska, usually beaming programs in Russian to Siberia and Chinese and English to Asia.

But KNLS also has a station in the Southern Hemisphere, that broadcasts to Russia and other regions of Western Eurasia from Madagascar.

This is the station I was listening to: the MWV New Life Station being transmitted from Mahajanga, a small city in NW Madagascar, not too far from the Indian Ocean coast!

MWV New Life Station seems to be the KNLS service to Western Russia, while KNLS proper serves Siberia. Both stations play a lot of pop music that ranges from 80's pop to 2010's pop. This morning I heard a pop-R&B track sung by a young woman I had never heard before, and then Harry Styles' 2017 hit Sign Of The Times.

After some more talk in Russian, they played some choral music, which was quite good.

I was able to record some of the Harry Styles' track and the choral music on my phone.

It was very odd hearing Madagascar on my DX-394 -- a very capable radio -- and not hearing anything else except very weak carriers with no audio, or static. But it is what it is: that station in Madagascar truly gets out!

What is really cool, at least for me, is that Madagascar is the closest large, populated land mass to the Antipodes of my home region -- it's on the opposite side of the world from here.

The real Antipodes of Seattle, of course, is near Kerguelen Island in the Southern Indian Ocean, but there are no radio stations on Kerguelen (aside from possibly a local, low power FM for the French scientific and military station there). Madagascar, maybe 1800 miles to the north of Kerguelen, shall suffice. :-)

Like I've said before, both here and elsewhere, when concerning the somewhat disappointing Solar Cycle, there are always some surprises, and this was one of them. To not hear much of anything slamming my radio out of Asia, and no Morse Code or sideband on an early Fall morning when the SW bands should be hopping with signals, only to hear Madagascar beaming a broadcast to European Russia, is just proof that even when conditions are down sometimes you get surprises.

FIRING UP MY REALISTIC DX-398 -- and a new BATTERY ISSUE

With a SIMPLE, EASY Fix!

Just this week -- Monday, to be exact -- I decided to fire up my trusty DX-398, which is probably the best radio I have for SSB and Morse Code reception. My DX-394 comes close, as does my Panasonic RF-B45, but the DX-398 pulls in Sideband signals just a hair better than both of them.

That is, when the signal levels across the band aren't cutting down a couple decibels, only to come back up 10-15 seconds later, as happened to me recently....

I had this happen Monday morning. It was odd -- nothing I'd heard before. Strange dipping and increasing of all noises -- both signals and static. It was like someone was messing around with an RF Gain or Volume control.

At first I thought it was the radio. My antenna is pretty solid -- being indoor, there is no corrosion. And I'd never heard signal levels, across an entire ham band, dip 2-3 db and then go back up maybe 2-3 db just 10-15 seconds later.

For a second I thought it might be the battery connection -- I'd just put in new batteries (Walgreen Alkalines I probably got in the 2010's some time, so they were 'new old-stock' batteries), and maybe I'd not put them in right. I double checked the way the batteries were inserted. They were firmly in place, with no corrosion to be seen anywhere.

Now, I'd had two separate issues with my DX-398 dealing with batteries in the past. One was in 2012 or so when the negative terminal spring weakened where it was soldered to the main PCB board. A good dollop of new solder fixed that. Then last year or so there was a time when the DX-398 would turn itself off after a minute of working, on brand new batteries. That was a bit of corrosion on the positive battery terminal plate -- something that was hard to see, but definitely there. Once I cleaned it, the 398 worked like a charm until the batteries were spent maybe a month or two later.

So this time, when the signal levels on the 10 Meter and 20 Meter bands were wigging like someone was messing with my RF Gain or Volume, I at first thought it was the radio. 

At the same time, I realised that it COULD have been propagation -- although that sort of band-wide dipping and increasing of all signals (and static) levels was something I'd never before encountered in all my years of DXing. I'd seen dips and returns in signals, but not the entire band -- static and all. 

This was something new. Something was awry.

I rechecked the antenna clip and connector. All was fine.

I took the new, old-stock batteries out of my DX-398 and put them in my trusty Radio Shack 200629 (the batteries in that radio were next to dead). I fired it up. It worked great, until the same thing started happening. Dips in both signals and static. It was almost like what I experienced when my antenna terminal was wonky, though I knew it was 100% secure -- and the DX-398's antenna terminal has always been 100%. And instead of cutting volume and then cutting it back up, like someone hit a switch, in this case it was like someone quickly turning an RF Gain or Volume control.

Same problem, both radios. That meant the problem was external to the radios. Meaning it was the antenna -- or the batteries.

I switched off the 200629 and DX'ed with my DX-394 (which works on AC power), deciding to let the problem sit for a while.

Later that day, the thought occurred to me that maybe the problem was indeed the actual batteries. Maybe they had gone bad in the package, even though they looked clean and normal. I'd heard of such things happening before.

After all, if a battery lowers in juice, all the circuits of a radio will decrease in volume and gain. Usually you don't notice this when your batteries weaken because it's gradual. But if batteries dive for some reason, you'll hear it. And when batteries are old or bad, they might put out 6 Volts for a while and then dip to 4 or 5 Volts, before surging back up to 6 Volts again. And your radio's circuits will be affected. A voltage regulator (in most radios) can only do so much -- it can't create power that isn't there.

Of course, this sort of issue hadn't happened to me before. But it was worth investigating.

So I went to my battery box and pulled out another set of new AA's, this time they were Energizers I probably bought before the Pandemic hit. Maybe they were 5-6 years old, but they were alkaline, so they should still be good.

I popped them into my Radio Shack 200629, Tuesday morning. I DX'ed the bands for over an hour with no glitching, no bizarre dipping of signals whatsoever.

The problem was the batteries. They were old, yes, but they were still in their case. But obviously, they were weak enough to where they were varying in output, and it was messing with the gain and the RF, IF and AF circuits of the radios.

You learn something new every day.

So remember kids, sometimes the issue you may be having with your radio just might be the batteries.