[Sean MartinMember]

This message has just appeared on their website.

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

Solid Gold Gem Am will cease broadcasting at
Midnight Sunday November 30th, 2014

We would like to thank you all for your support
over the past two great years.

[ratnobMember]

That’s sudden and sad.

[professor1036]

From one internet broadcaster to another…this is very sad news.

I hope Solid Gold Gem returns one day…

[simon_t123Member]

That’s VERY sad

I hope it’s not another case of a really good internet radio station being a victim of it’s own success ? I’m talking in terms of the almost extortionate rates charged by the UK music royalty collectors … I once ran 4 stations simultaneously and struck listener gold with one of them playing a mix of disco, funk, soul and great jingles from iJingles/TM Studios of course but as it became more & more listened to around the world it quickly exceeded the small webcasters TLH limits with PPL & PRS, you’d fly through your maximum performances in no time and being non-commercial when you added up what it would then cost to run the station legally but non-commercially it was looking like several thousands of pounds … I can’t speak for GEM but I know the rules & fees here in the UK are awful compared to the fully covered web-casting fees from the US, I even thought of going via the US but the dialogue with PPL (I believe) forbid the station then from being available to the UK gutted was an understatement … I’ve long had an idea for a really micro kind of local radio delivered via the web, again commercial free but worked out that to have decent listenership but stay within the small web-casters maximum song performances I could only schedule 3 or 4 recordings per hour !

Similarly I’m gutted to hear about GEM & their announcement for whatever reason that has been brought about …

[simon_t123Member]

… of course personal cuts have no lease period so … we hope for GEM that when the time is right …

[mjb1124Member]

Very sorry to hear. Definitely will give one last listen to GEM alongside all the other internet options I mentioned in another thread. Guess it’s quite a crowded field out there… hats off to Len and the others for giving it their best over 2 years. At least the jingles will live on…

[JohnL]

Okay, now for the obvious question. WHY? Is this strictly due to the licensing cost that are set insanely high, or other reasons. I for one, will greatly miss the wonderful mix of presenters who provided a good range of music I appreciated. Sad news for those of us who found it to be a true viable alternative to OTA radio, which for the most part, stopped serving my needs and that of many of you no doubt, decades ago! As I too, am an Internet broadcaster, I know the work that goes into what you do, and for no financial gain. I salute you & hope you find your way back somehow in some form.

[ratnobMember]

I’m sure Len will surface to say more about circumstances. He tells me the closure wasn’t for financial reasons.

The enthusiasm of the presenters, the huge mix of music, and jingles-to-die-for all made the station a very easy and entertaining listen.

Sad. And such a waste of so many great jingles!

[jonnoMember]

Such a shame. Solid Gold Gem AM is a regular listen for me first thing in the mornings and I was about to suggest to my mum that she give it a listen via her iPad.

[IainJohnston]

I dip-in occasionally, so much saddened to hear this.

I’m sure that all will be no doubt explained after the closedown date, but hats off to all of the people that made SGGAM sound so good.

(The domain name is still valid until August 2016 so whatever the reason(s) its not that).

[bossjockMember]

What sad news. I’ve very much enjoyed listening to the station – and its jingles(!!) – over the last two years – much better than most of the alternatives. Thanks to Len and his team for a great two years > > >

[IanF]

Some of the Radio Today trolls will be loving this Personally I’m gutted. It was a great station and an alternative to Global’s empire, etc. I hope they come back at some stage. As stated earlier, very curious to find out why though

[LenGroat]

Many thanks for all the comments – I honestly am moved.

As you might gather from the number of jingles we’ve been fortunate to buy ( ! ) money has not been the problem at any time – and we had a queue of talented people wanting to join us, but we already had 20 dj’s – rather more than ‘Gold’

I think the station MAY return in the future, a little more ‘focussed’. At present that’s all I can really say as the whole team is upset by the closing. I’m doing my last ‘1960s Cafe’ at noon on Friday and the least I can do during it is to pay tribute to our jingle-makers. Ironically our ‘first 3rd year jingle’ was to be a Christmas one, and it’s already sung, so won’t be ‘aired’, except here on JingleMad.

Oh, don’t worry about ‘radio trolls’ the reason they do it is they’ve never been able to get IN to Radio..

[GrahamCollins]

As one of the most recent recruits to the station I am particularly saddened to lose my little claim to ‘work in radio’. Terrific fun to do and be part of. Thank you Len for steering and encouraging me along the way. My final show will go out tomorrow on the American feed at 10AM, with a slightly different flavour and poignant last song…..

[scotronMember]

Hi Len, Just caught this thread late. So sorry to hear that Solid Gold Gem AM is closing.
I know you will have your reasons for this sudden news, but I hope you and the rest of team will be back very soon. All the very best to you and everyone involved.

[IainJohnston]

Rumours have been circulating in “other places” for a couple of days, now reported on JM-associated radio industry website Radio Today…so it must be for real…

http://radiotoday.co.uk/2014/12/online-oldies-station-solid-gold-gem-am-returns/

One post “elsewhere” suggests the “test transmission” on December 15th is to be carried on what appears to be the USA “time-delayed” outlet URL/IP address, but I’d rather wait for a “proper announcement” by a definite “name” that we can trust.

So hopefully we’ll get to hear that “Christmas Cut” Len mentioned in proper “on-air” context after all?

PS – slight “irony” in the on-screen tag-line “The NEW…Solid Gold GEM AM” – the “The New” I seem to recall was a very much hated phrase introduced into the names of many a “traditional ILR” after being swallowed-up by the dreaded GWR PLC – so I’m sure Len will NOT be commissioning any Greg Marsden sweepers…

#96445

[IainJohnston]

Quick update – “test transmission” feed now indeed back on – back-to-back oldies and of course the jingles

http://www.solidgoldgem.am/

OK – the 50s / very early 60s stuff leaves me a bit blank, but I’ve just heard several “records” I’ve “not heard on the radio for ages” as well as “sideways” 60s & 70s ones that certainly are far too “interesting” for any “33-year-old Debbie focus group” to appreciate.

And the JAM Best Show “Lights on the Tree” Christmas cut in “do-nut” form just played

[Good Time Oldie]

It’s like buying a work colleague a leaving card and present only for them to announce they are staying on – a Juicy publicity stunt anyone?

[IainJohnston]

Perhaps more a case of gentlemanly amicable COMPROMISE than “handbags at dawn”?

Whatever, lets hope that the situation has been resolved to everyone’s satisfaction.
(And their “audio quality” remains as high as ever!)

[simon_t123Member]

The Radio Today comments hint at a gentlemanly amicable COMPROMISE … perhaps the difference between creative minds musically who knows, but … there’s plenty of room for plenty of flavours and the formation of ‘Serendade Radio’ would seem to make a sensible music split, it’s very hard to be all things musical to everyone but keep everyone listening along the way … one solution is to do as I did, create a station per genre, that seems to keep the majority happy, plus you get to see what niche really works on the internet radio platform As this is of course a jingle site I hope all the GEM jingles continue to air between the hits, between that & Rockin’ Ron’s ‘Fun Tower Radio’ there’s such a great mix of music & imaging …

[gameswizardMember]

a Juicy publicity stunt anyone?

I was thinking a similar thing.

[Butler Henderson]

Would suggest it would be a daft publicity stunt, as many will have deleted any presets on their digital radio/ deleted the tablet/phone players etc . Seems to have been a genuine disagreement over the music played, presumably over the really old stuff, with the result that the resolution is two different stations which will to me make GEM more listenable and whats on Serendade definitely not.

[LenGroat]

I really wish it had been “a Juicy publicity stunt” GoodTimeOldie – I would not to have had to do 40 emails a day for the last week, or neglected JingleMad!

Suffice to say the JAM Christmas jingles WILL now be aired, (they had already been sung but not mixed) but as Jon could confirm I actually cancelled the rest of the package, so YES we did ‘close’. There will be more on this week’s ‘Radio Today’ podcast with Trevor Dann.

Yes we’ll have lost a few people who deleted us on their pre-sets BUT the choice of 2 stations will bring them back. And we are NOT worried about audience size, only the Digital Spy lot are. We will be having too much fun just playing 17-20 songs an hour (about 7-10 more than most Radio 2 shows) and even more great US jingles in 2015.

Sorry for the confusion, and when I get the Christmas jingles YOU will be the first to hear them!

Len

[LenGroat]

Okay time to open your jingle ‘present’ from Solid Gold GEM AM! You are FIRST to hear it as we are not back until Monday.

As a ‘wise man’ on here did a while ago, let’s rebuild backwards from the ‘bits’ to the full cuts!

[Tazman1966]

Very nice Len.

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