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AM frequency of the week - 940khz

cyberdad

cyberdad

To use the old classifications....a "clear" channel in the midst of some "regionals". So what are you guys hearing these days on 940?

Here in the far northwest suburbs of Chicago days it's WFAW from Fort Atkinson, WI. 500 watts...aimed away from me and tucked between semi-locals on 930 and 950. Its also about 55 miles away, but still listenable...albeit weak.

At night, longtime dominant CBM is long gone, as are a couple of short-lived replacements (although a return for one of those is in the works). So what this means is that for now, WFAW is usually comfortably on top....with one lobe of its highly directional night pattern aimed right at me. For some reason, WFAW adds 50 more watts at night.

Sunrise/sunset often produces either WMIX from Mount Vernon, IL and/or WCPC from Houston, MS. Less frequently, it's KPSZ from Des Moines. In its former life as KIOA, the "KIOA good guys" would very occasionally be audible under CBM.
 
I haven't listened lately, but in the past at my location in the near north Chicago suburbs it was usually a solid CBM with occasional Des Moines underneath.
 
WCPC was always an intriguing example. In the 70s, I checked out a copy of the WRTH from the University of Iowa library, or I should say my sister the UI student did. It is simply amazing, looking back, how hard it was to obtain information we take for granted today.

Looking up KIOA's co-channel neighbors, as KIOA was the top-40 choice in my part of Iowa, I came across WCPC. 50,000 watts daytime, the maximum allowed by law, and 250 watts at night, the lowest power allowed by law, back then anyway. Today, those 250 watts are more trouble then they're worth, with WCPC now with a CP to go to 31,000 watts day, 7 watts night from a simpler 2 tower DA. Suppose it beats maintaining 4 towers...or did they lose their lease, perhaps?
 
In Knoxville it's WECO, Wartburg TN. I've recieved WCPC i think everywhere I've lived. Also Macon just after sunrise, here and in Ohio.

joebtsflk1 said:
WCPC was always an intriguing example. In the 70s, I checked out a copy of the WRTH from the University of Iowa library, or I should say my sister the UI student did. It is simply amazing, looking back, how hard it was to obtain information we take for granted today.

Looking up KIOA's co-channel neighbors, as KIOA was the top-40 choice in my part of Iowa, I came across WCPC. 50,000 watts daytime, the maximum allowed by law, and 250 watts at night, the lowest power allowed by law, back then anyway. Today, those 250 watts are more trouble then they're worth, with WCPC now with a CP to go to 31,000 watts day, 7 watts night from a simpler 2 tower DA. Suppose it beats maintaining 4 towers...or did they lose their lease, perhaps?
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Nights I get KFIG, Fresno with ESPN, and often KWBY, Woodburn OR with ranchero / norteno music. On rare occasions I get CJGX, Yorkton SK. Once during SRS I received KICE, Bend OR.

I always like hearing KFIG. The audio just sounds like it's coming from California, for some reason.
 
Warminster PA(Philadelphia area):

Daytime: zippo(maybe splatter from local 950 WKDN)
Night: Montreal(was CBM, don't know what it is now)
 
Daytime in eastern Iowa, it's always KPSZ Des Moines, the former KIOA. The signal seems weaker than it used to be.

Nighttimes, I used to hear a KPSZ with CBM occasionally, as well. Now, CBM is gone and KPSZ sounds very weak or is absent much of the time. I have heard CJGX Yorkton, SK fairly often. Lately, I have heard a sports station that I haven't managed to ID. I'm wondering what it could be? WINZ Miami seems a bit far and far-fetched. Ditto KFIG Fresno. This spot on the dial seems like a bit of a vacuum at night.
 
Downstate 1000-watt omni WADV is loud enough here in the day to classify as a semi-local, louder than its 930 neighbor, the closer WHLM Bloomsburg.

Sunset I've caught WKGM from suburban Norfolk VA. I no longer see them listed anywhere. Maybe the tape I have of them from 2-27-95 will be worth something one day, hi.

A nighttime catch in 1994 was WMIX, in southern Illinois. A re-check now of Radio-Locator does show that they send about half their night signal this way.

CBM is/was usually the onliest occupant of 940 here.

Buddy of mine back in Queens NYC once got a verie from WCPC, received at sunset. The CE told my pal that he undoubtedly heard WCPC at the time when 'we had on the big b@stard' , meaning the 50,000 watt day signal.
 
icybluelake said:
Daytime in eastern Iowa, it's always KPSZ Des Moines, the former KIOA. The signal seems weaker than it used to be.

Nighttimes, I used to hear a KPSZ with CBM occasionally, as well. Now, CBM is gone and KPSZ sounds very weak or is absent much of the time. I have heard CJGX Yorkton, SK fairly often. Lately, I have heard a sports station that I haven't managed to ID. I'm wondering what it could be? WINZ Miami seems a bit far and far-fetched. Ditto KFIG Fresno. This spot on the dial seems like a bit of a vacuum at night.
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When I've been in Iowa recently, I've noticed that KPSZ is weaker than the signal was in its days as KIOA. I'm not sure if that's the nature of today's AM band, or if they're truly not getting out as well as they used to. The fact that the signal still makes it to Cedar Rapids despite the null to the northeast suggests the former.

Where I was in college, 70-odd miles south of you, KIOA was fairly good day and night (I almost said 24/7, but they were actually off between 2 and 5 am). During the daytime, WTAD (930, Quincy, IL) was a pest. You couldn't null WTAD because it was on a straight in the opposite direction from KIOA. At night, WTAD was still audible, but less of a problem. KIOA did fairly well nights because it sent a thin secondary lobe right in my direction to the east-southeast. KIOA didn't exactly blast in, but it was comfortably listenable, and strong enough to take care of whatever was left of both WTAD and CBM.
 
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KIOA did lower it's power in the early 90's so no 940 doesn't get out like it used to, but still gets out quite far. 940 is also not as worth listening to in Iowa as it used to be.
 
No, KPSZ 940 is still licensed as 10 kW day 5 kW night, same as it always has been. I believe they had a CP to do 50 kW day back in the 80s (as KIOA), but I don't think it was ever built out. These days, suspect Saga is happy to cash those checks as a Rent-A-Godcaster and as long as it runs, it's all good. No extra maintenance I'm guessing.

In my neck of SE Iowa (north of Ottumwa) KIOA almost disappeared at night, and CBM generally fought with KIOA or covered it over. We were just a little too far north of that ESE secondary lobe. Around in the summer of 1974, KIOA was doing some work at the transmitter site, what I don't know, but during the overnight hours the engineers must have had it on the day pattern, cause it was strong as could be. But, that only lasted a couple of nights, so it was back to WLS and KAAY.
 
joebtsflk1 said:
No, KPSZ 940 is still licensed as 10 kW day 5 kW night, same as it always has been. I believe they had a CP to do 50 kW day back in the 80s (as KIOA), but I don't think it was ever built out. These days, suspect Saga is happy to cash those checks as a Rent-A-Godcaster and as long as it runs, it's all good. No extra maintenance I'm guessing.

In my neck of SE Iowa (north of Ottumwa) KIOA almost disappeared at night, and CBM generally fought with KIOA or covered it over. We were just a little too far north of that ESE secondary lobe. Around in the summer of 1974, KIOA was doing some work at the transmitter site, what I don't know, but during the overnight hours the engineers must have had it on the day pattern, cause it was strong as could be. But, that only lasted a couple of nights, so it was back to WLS and KAAY.
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KPSZ is indeed 10kw/5kw DA-2. Presumably also with the same pattern as when it was KIOA. I was talking to one of the jocks somewhere around 1988, and he told me they had plans to go 50kw day. But I'm all but certain that never happened.

As it is, the day signal is plenty good already. Even if, in fact, it isn't quite what it once was. It's perfectly listenable on a good car radio all around Kansas City. To the east....even with the null...it makes it to a good stretch of the Mississippi River, if only barely. To the north, it gets into a little bit of south central Minnesota. To the west, the signal is downright awesome. I used to have a major customer located 92 miles west of Omaha. As KIOA, I would regularly listen all the way....over 200 miles...day or night. NO problems.
 
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I used to get KIOA all the way to Macomb Illinois quite well on my car radio in the late 90's. They really were the best oldies station ever.
 
mimo said:
I used to get KIOA all the way to Macomb Illinois quite well on my car radio in the late 90's. They really were the best oldies station ever.
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One of the best, anyway. Most of my time spent with KIOA was as a top 40 powerhouse in the late '60s...headed up by Dic Youngs. "The Old Youngster" who was a fixture at KIOA for 41 years. Maybe a record for a top 40 (and later oldies) jock.
 
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