Farewell to All Access and other short takes

No longer accessible: The upcoming demise of All Access is reverberating throughout the radio industry. There are several good sources of information for radio news, including RadioInsight, Radio Ink, Fybush.com, plus the Radio Discussions board. Nonetheless, All Access will be missed not just as a source of breaking news about radio and the record industry.

One of the major services provided by All Access is how they shared the contact info for radio talent who found themselves “on the beach,” a euphemism for being laid off. All Access would provide either the email or phone number (or both) of the individual if anyone was interested in hiring. That being said, Lance Venta, owner and publisher of RadioInsight, noted: “Many people who exit or are laid-off from stations no longer seek publicity since they know their time in the radio industry is over and do not need to make people aware of their departures.”

I looked up the October 5, 2020 final original column Don Barrett published for LARadio.com (which still offers reprints of stories from the past, updated daily – a fun read). It was the end of an era, some of us have tried to fill in the void but never could do as good a job. Since then, AM radio was dropped, then restored in new cars, streaming has offered an even bigger presence as an entertainment choice, and AI may be even more significant to the future of radio than once believed.

We’ll try to let you know what’s going on with stories that (we think) are relevant to the SoCal dial (and also see Richard Wagoner's columns in the Daily News). But do know All Access will be missed. Sending encouraging thoughts and best wishes to the All Access staff with their future ventures.

Here’s the announcement from All Access publisher Joel Denver:

It is with much sadness that we announce that in our 28th year of operation, ALLACCESS.COM will cease publishing at the close of business at 6p (PT), TUESDAY, AUGUST 15th, 2023 due to a marked decrease in revenues that makes moving forward impossible. The site will remain online for an undetermined amount of time. 

This was not a decision that was reached lightly nor without earnest tries to find a path forward. It comes on the heels of major changes in the music industry announced in JANUARY of this year. These strong financial headwinds also extend to our non-music partners as well. Both downturns have greatly affected how ALL ACCESS operates. The dollars are just not there to support our operation and staff any longer. 

ALL ACCESS Founder, President/Publisher JOEL DENVER said, "This is without question the saddest and most heartbreaking moment of my professional life to have to tell you that ALLACCESS.COM will cease publishing and will be going out of business.”  

Joel Denver

DENVER added, "ALL ACCESS began nearly 28 years ago and with the help of an amazing staff of professionals, the best in the business. We've weathered many changes and obstacles in the industry over these years. We’ve carved an incredible path and have taken each part of our operation to amazing levels of success through honesty, hard work, and passion for the radio industry, the music, the artists and our many readers, marketing partners, clients and our many contributing editors. Thank you all so much -- we could not have done any of this without you. 

"The goal of ALL ACCESS has always been to provide cutting edge content for all sectors of our business. We've strived to provide the best and most credible NET NEWS coverage, help people find jobs and stay connected. We have been blessed with wonderful partnerships and have created many valuable services for all parts of the radio and music businesses and have the support of nearly 100,000 active users. 

Nearly Three Decades Of Service

DENVER recalled better times: "Looking back over nearly three decades of service, we have much to be proud of. We’ve created amazing editorial and service products that will be benchmarks of our success like: ALL ACCESS DOWNLOADS, FIRST ALERT, co-creation/presentation of WORLDWIDE RADIO SUMMIT and creation/presentation of the ALL ACCESS AUDIO SUMMIT, among many others along the way.

"Again, I cannot begin to express my sincerest appreciation and thanks to all of our many thousands of readers, our many amazing partners, wonderful clients, and the incredible ALL ACCESS staff for your love and devotion to ALL ACCESS, our mission, and our success for nearly 28 years. I will miss working with all of you.

"Closing ALL ACCESS doesn't mean that I am retiring from the business. I will take a moment to catch my breath and focus on new horizons and opportunities.

“I hope that you will give all of our ALL ACCESS team members a good strong look as well at new opportunities -- they are the best of the best, and I will provide a glowing recommendation for all. There is not one person on the ALL ACCESS team that I wouldn’t hire again. Please reach out to them by visiting our Team Page.

“It has been a true honor to have served the radio and music communities. We have had a blast doing this. We will all miss serving and working with all of you -- our readers and clients. I truly wish everyone much success in the future."

electronicdesign.com

Amplitudes and intelligence: There are two abbreviations that are being heard frequently by those who talk about radio, AM and AI. We’re working on stories about both, but here’s a few aggregated thoughts.

Much was said about Ford Motors first removing, then restoring AM radios to their future models. The FCC has been working on something referred to as “AM Revitalization,” offering rule changes and making it easier for AM broadcasters to offer FM translators to their listeners, while also promoting the concept of all-digital AM.

But who’s listening to AM? Nationally, KFI is offered as an example of how AM can still be successful. It’s consistently one of the top five most listened-to stations in LA. Although KNX now identifies itself as an FM station, it’s estimated 30 to 40 percent of their audience is still listening to the all-news simulcast on AM 1070. The audience skews toward older demographics, but both operations are still quite profitable.

Some believe the slow death of AM will limit the availability of outlets for talk programming, particularly conservative perspectives. Though many stations are simulcast on FM, these stations tend to be limited in range and / or are HD2 offerings – are most listeners aware of what is HD radio?

AI Ashley, AI generated personality, KBFF-Portland

Then there’s AI. One of the reasons SAG-AFTRA is now on strike is because actors are concerned their images can be downloaded and manipulated in different ways so that an actor’s image can be used forever without compensation. There is already a radio personality whose shift includes hours completely generated by ChatGPT. Another concern is whether a particular voice from the past can be engineered to offer “new” content, again with little or no compensation.

As I said, we’re working on these stories. And as always, stay tuned.

Instant news: Speaking of the SAG-AFTRA strike, KNX offered an “instant special” via their “In Depth” program about the first joint SAG-AFTRA and Writers’ Guild strike in 60 years. The podcast is now available as the program explores the issues and the implications of the dispute.

Tim Conway Jr., Doug McIntyre, Fred Roggin

Keeping the Conway seat warm: We mentioned a couple of weeks ago Doug McIntyre sat in for Tim Conway Jr. while the latter has been on vacation from his KFI afternoon show. Another guest host took a stroll down the iHeart hallway. Fred Roggin, who hosts middays at sister station KLAC, also got to sit in. Roggin is known as “The Dean” of local sports, but he also hosted “The Filter” on KNBC-TV, discussing current events from 2009 – 2013.

Tina Delgado is alive (sort of) – in Oregon!: I’ve mentioned previously my son is at Oregon State University. When I visiting during Thanksgiving break (it was cheaper for me to visit than to fly him to LA), I was scanning the dial in my rental. Imagine my surprise when I heard a jingle for KHJ, followed by the voice of Dave Sebatian. Turns out there’s a low-power FM in Albany, OR called KHJ-FM, where several veteran personalities voice-track their daily programming, plus Robert W. Morgan highlights every Saturday morning and The Real Don Steele hosting “Live from the 60s.” The playlist is largely from the 60s and 70s, though there’s a surprise now and then, plus a drop from Gary Owens featured through the hour.

There’s not a lot more I know about the station other than it doesn’t stream their programming, but the website itself is quite nostalgic, you can take a look at KHJFM.com. I’m going to see if I can get more info about the station, it was a pleasant surprise during my several trips to Corvallis (go Beavers!).

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