WDIS/1170

[N1WVQ]

I haven't heard them on in about a month & have instead heard a very faint WFPB on the frequency, even by 495 & 95.  Can anyone verify if WDIS is broadcasting?

[JIBGUY]

It's not on.  And apparently it's for sale, without any transmitter site. Towers will be taken down.

[raccoonradio]

Webcasting though at their site.
Supp. they're supposed to be running Dennis Miller now (?!?) acc to the site but there's a show on the WEB right now talking about business and the Net (facebook)/Social media.
http://radio.securenetsystems.net/radio_player_large.cfm?stationCallSign=WDIS

maybe it's The Big Biz Show which is supposed to start at 1.
Anyway I guess they're doing the webcast but no broadcast.

[spt87]

The coverage map on Radio Locator looks a lot better than the reality over the past few years.  I assume from looking at the rusting transmitter site that lack of maintenance was a problem.

It would have to go pretty cheap for just the license.

[DanStrassberg]

The coverage map on Radio Locator looks a lot better than the reality over the past few years.  I assume from looking at the rusting transmitter site that lack of maintenance was a problem.

The story I heard was that many years ago (15 years?... 20?) the towers were converted from conventional series fed to skirt fed (Folded Unipoles) to simplify the installation of communications antennas. The rent from those antennas covered the radio station's expenses. Problem was, the skirts were made of steel wire, which has too much resistance for the AM application. Copper-plated steel wire (it has a trade name that I can't recall) would have been OK had the plating been of the proper thickness. Solid copper wire would not have been strong enough and would also have been unnecessary because the skin effect (which confines the RF energy to the area near the outer surface of the wire) permits the use of plated steel wire. Anyhow, the result of using wire with excessive resistance was a significant loss in coverage. Al Grady (the owner) would not pay for replacing the steel wire with copper-plated steel wire. The station never should have been built in the first place. I wonder whether its demise will enable the co-channel station on Cape Cod to go ND.

[NHRadio]

If nothing else, I know a large media company that might want to pay him to change the calls. 

[Joseph_Gallant]

If nothing else, I know a large media company that might want to pay him to change the calls. 

And I know where the "WDIS" calls would go............to AM 1560 in New York! 

[WLYNgm]

For those prone to howl for a legitimate station to go Urban, THIS would be
the station to do it. Begin saving your pennies, now...

[raccoonradio]

http://radio-locator.com/pats/WDIS_AM_LD.gif

WDIS: Interesting signal pattern. They're a daytimer though.
WCAS used to run funny little tapes when they'd sign off.
(and is it 1560 you mean should go urban...?)

And in Nahant (across the water) I used to pick up WJTO 730 who'd have a recording
saying they were going off, but tune to their sister station "Y-106" (WIGY-FM, now
religious?) for more music. When up in Maine some months ago I was driving around
and Mr Bittner came on explaining that JTO had to really cut its power as it was sunset,
and "for those who can't pick us up after the switchover, we invited you to tune in
tomorrow".

[NHRadio]

For those prone to howl for a legitimate station to go Urban, THIS would be
the station to do it. Begin saving your pennies, now...

Jeff, that station would fail with Urban...or anything else. There are relatively few Black people in 1170's coverage area, and it doesn't come close to reaching Boston.
I don't think anything would be a success on that stick. It's a standalone AM with a weak day signal, no night authority, no audience, and a neglected physical plant. It's a dog. Jesus could do AM drive and no one would care. Kill it. No one will notice.