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Changes coming to Springfield's WSPR 1270/WACM 1490

MarcB

MarcB

Changes are coming to Springfield's WSPR AM 1270 and WACM AM 1490. For one month from April 1st until May 1st the KOOL Radio Classic Hits format currently on WACM AM 1490 will be unavailable. During that time WACM will simulcast the Spanish Programming currently being heard on WSPR AM 1270 while the stations undergo upgrades of their transmitter and studio equipment.

On May 1st the KOOL Radio Classic Hits format will return to the airwaves in Springfield on a new frequency that is 5X more powerful than their current signal. KOOL Radio will be taking over the 1270 AM dial position! The Spanish programming currently heard on AM 1270 will slide over to AM 1490 and a new FM translator.

Depending on what type of radio you have obviously in some parts of the area you'll be able to pick up KOOL Radio via their Connecticut affiliate WNTY AM 990 and of course it will still be available online. http://tunein.com/radio/Kool-1180-990-s68957/

Note: My aunt lives in the Feeding Hills section of Agawam and I have had no problem picking up WNTY AM 990 on both a Walkman and the car radio.
 
BOTH stations could probably use a tech update. A couple of Nautels would work wonders. I remember the 1490 equipment was inside a camper shell on a pile of rocks on an island in the Westfield river, and the 1270 stuff was in a beat up house in a junkyard. Sure hope they fix that. Looks like they squeezed the FM translator for 1490 on 104.5 on a cell site by 391. Is there any translator or plans for one for 1270?

Also remember: "Springfield starts with S-P-R!"
 
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VoiceofWayne said:
Looks like they squeezed the FM translator for 1490 on 104.5 on a cell site by 391. Is there any translator or plans for one for 1270?
Click to expand...

According to Ray Mills who hosts the Saturday Night All-Request Show on KOOL Radio - no. He says 1270 has a much bigger signal area than 1490 and the new translator combined. (I'm not sure what else he does at the station but when The Oldies format took over 1490 and 990 he told me to contact him if I noticed any problems with 990). Redwolf dumped WSPR's heritage "POWER 1270" branding in favor of their own BOMBA 1270 branding when they took over ownership of the station earlier this year, so it matches their Connecticut stations. With the new 1490 translator being in 104.5 it will be the 3rd BOMBA translator on 104.5 FM. The other 2 being in Bridgeport and New London Connecticut. (They're also on translators on 97.1 in Hartford (COL Bolton), 99.5 in Waterbury (COL Clinton), and 98.5 in Meriden).
 
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Too bad, then, that the folks in the Springfield market won't have an FM option for oldies. WSPR has a bigger signal than any translator would, but how many potential close-in listeners will Red Wolf be losing by keeping WACM on low-fidelity AM? If it's fewer than the Spanish-language format will gain by simulcasting on FM, that would make sense. But a translator will only deliver Bomba to places that will lose AM reception after sunset with the move to 1490 -- listeners the station already had.
 
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As of April 12th 1270AM is now WACM and 1490 AM is now WSPR. KOOL 1270 is launching either April 30th or May 1st.

Note: BOMBA-FM in Connecticut is still mentioning WSPR 1270 in the TOP of the hour ID. his is despite BOMBA 1270 never airing the same BOMBA programming as BOMBA-FM in CT and despite the fact 1270 has been redirecting listeners to 104.5 FM and 1490 AM since at least April 4th,.
 
By the way, once the switch and after the full redirect, WACM 1270 will be Kool Radio again.
 
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CTListener said:
Too bad, then, that the folks in the Springfield market won't have an FM option for oldies. WSPR has a bigger signal than any translator would, but how many potential close-in listeners will Red Wolf be losing by keeping WACM on low-fidelity AM? If it's fewer than the Spanish-language format will gain by simulcasting on FM, that would make sense. But a translator will only deliver Bomba to places that will lose AM reception after sunset with the move to 1490 -- listeners the station already had.
Click to expand...

Agreed - The 1270 facility is a Class B station. They will be eligible next year to file for an FM translator in a new window. Even though 1270 at 5kW is a far superior signal to the 1490, it is still AM. The way of the world nowadays is listeners will not be attracted to a music format that's not on FM.
 
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