• Get involved.
    We want your input!
    Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.

    After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
    If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.

    After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
    https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/

    Thanks in advance and have fun!
    RadioDiscussions Administrators

AM Frequency of the Week: 1190

cyberdad

cyberdad

As the new year moves into its first full work week, we move up two places on the dial to 1190. The year is new, but the question still as a familiar ring....what are you guys hearing on 1190.

Daytime here in Chicago's far northwest suburbs for years, 1190 during the day usually meant a weak but reliable signal from WOWO. That changed quite a few years back when semi-locals came on at 1180 ajd 1200 respectively. So now the splatter from WSQR and and WRTO efectively obliterates the channel.

At night those two power down (WSQR goes to ONE watt), splatter ceases to be an issue, and what emerges is KQQZ from the Saint Louis area. Given thst WOWO had famously reduced power to protect a co-owned station on Long Island, there is practically nothing on the channel to block other stations, so KQQZ now rules 1190 here at night. This had been cause for confusion for quite some time, given that R-L had KQQZ at very low power (26 watts IIRC). But now R-L is showing KQQZ at 650 watts nighttime, which seems plausible given the strength of the signal here. Fair but reliable, and strong enough to blow out whatever might still be left of WOWO. Actually, WOWO at night was problematic here at night, even durig their "glory days". Other than Dallas a few times around sunset (but not recently), I have no memory of any other critical hours catches.
 
In the near north Chicago burbs I can still hear WOWO during the day if I null WRTO's splatter, but it's much tougher these days. Waaay back WOWO was a go to station for me with their pop music format.
These days I have a very tough time hearing them at night as KQQZ fights with them, but neither station is very listenable for me when it's dark.
 
Warminster PA(Philly 'burbs):

Daytime: either WLIB NYC or WANN Annapolis MD, depending on the situation.
Night: always WOWO.
 
radioman148 said:
In the near north Chicago burbs I can still hear WOWO during the day if I null WRTO's splatter, but it's much tougher these days. Waaay back WOWO was a go to station for me with their pop music format.
These days I have a very tough time hearing them at night as KQQZ fights with them, but neither station is very listenable for me when it's dark.
Click to expand...

The difference 30 or so miles makes.

WRTO and WSQR daytime signals here are roughly equal in strength. Having splatter on both adjacents and additional distance for the signal to travel all adds up to WOWO not being listenable at all on any of my radios during the daytime. Then at night, at least according to R-L, KQQZ's pattern seems like it would probably be more favorable for me than you. If I'm reading it correctly, It looks I'm just on the eastern edge of one of their main lobes, while you're probably just outside of that. Anyway for my location, the result is that the fight between KQQZ and WOWO turns out to be not much of a contest. KQQZ is comfortably on top of the channel most of the time.
 
Nowadays in central Ohio, it's a weak WOWO daytime, just like always. Signal is considerably better in the northwest part of the metro than here on the east side.
Nighttime, WOWO might sneak through, but if it does it's probably no stronger than 3 on a 1-to-10 scale. Most of the time, it is considerably less than that. Even back in the 50K days when it blanketed the eastern part of the U.S., it wasn't always a powerhouse night signal here (we're about 160 miles ESE of Fort Wayne) because we were too close to get great skywave and too far for solid groundwave. As close as 50 miles northwest around Bellefontaine, Ohio, the groundwave kicked in and in my mom's hometown of St. Marys, Ohio, a straight 60-mile shot southeast of Fort Wayne on U.S. 33, WOWO is one of the two or three strongest AM signals at all hours. She's told me it was *the* station she listened to growing up there in the 1960s, and in fact its Komets broadcasts from the late Bob Chase taught her what she knows about hockey.
I do remember in the early 90s visiting relatives in Naperville, Illinois, WOWO was barely there at night if at all. Never understood why until I learned years later about directional patterns.
 
cyberdad said:
The difference 30 or so miles makes.

WRTO and WSQR daytime signals here are roughly equal in strength. Having splatter on both adjacents and additional distance for the signal to travel all adds up to WOWO not being listenable at all on any of my radios during the daytime. Then at night, at least according to R-L, KQQZ's pattern seems like it would probably be more favorable for me than you. If I'm reading it correctly, It looks I'm just on the eastern edge of one of their main lobes, while you're probably just outside of that. Anyway for my location, the result is that the fight between KQQZ and WOWO turns out to be not much of a contest. KQQZ is comfortably on top of the channel most of the time.
Click to expand...

You're alot closer to WSQR, although they are weaker here I can hear them during the day. At night 1190 is usually a battle between at least two weak station at my location. Even before WOWO was neutered they were weak here at night.
 
When I first moved here to NE PA for the more cynical stage of my so-called DXing 'career' -- I started over with the log totals at 000. The Lafayette HA-600 somewhat easily brought in 'Bay Country' WANN Annapolis MD. One of their three propeller-pronged lobes sent stuff this way.

WOWO Ft. Wayne was always there at night. Easy snatch off the car radio. WOWO played pop music between 7-Midnight well into the Nineties.

A more recent sunset catch was a (?) WSNL Friedensburg. I have no idea what state. I won't 'count' them on my vast list of 110 Northeast PA catches until I unearth more research and look into heraldry.

NYC's WLIB became a nighttime regular (as in 'pest') reception once they bought WOWO.
 
Here, 1190 AM is St. Mary's GA, which is a Christian station. It comes it weak during the daytime, but as a 1,800 watt daytimer, it carries a long way since their transmitter is a couple miles from the FL line, several miles from the ocean. For a while a few years back, they were owned by Georgia Public Radio and relayed their Savannah signal, giving the NE FL Nassau County beaches a reliable public radio AM signal.

At night, 1190 is a mix. A weak WOWO usually, but sometimes a foreign signal or WLIB. WOWO was one of the last major AMs to play music. It wasn't until about 1995 or 1996 before they dropped oldies at night and weekends. WHAS was probably the last clear to drop music, when Joe Donovan's show went away in August of '97.
 
charlestondxman said:
WHAS was probably the last clear to drop music, when Joe Donovan's show went away in August of '97.
Click to expand...

There's still WSM and CFZM. CJBC plays occasional music at night, and I believe KMOX also has some music programming on Saturday nights. As for Joe Donovan, IMHO his overnight show was as good as it gets.
 
Last edited:
Eastern Iowa: Daytime, a weak KDAO from Marshalltown, IA. Nighttime, KQQZ St. Louis. Either way, not a very interesting frequency around here.
 
Steve Green NEPA said:
When I first moved here to NE PA for the more cynical stage of my so-called DXing 'career' -- I started over with the log totals at 000. The Lafayette HA-600 somewhat easily brought in 'Bay Country' WANN Annapolis MD. One of their three propeller-pronged lobes sent stuff this way.

WOWO Ft. Wayne was always there at night. Easy snatch off the car radio. WOWO played pop music between 7-Midnight well into the Nineties.

A more recent sunset catch was a (?) WSNL Friedensburg. I have no idea what state. I won't 'count' them on my vast list of 110 Northeast PA catches until I unearth more research and look into heraldry.

NYC's WLIB became a nighttime regular (as in 'pest') reception once they bought WOWO.
Click to expand...

I want to say it was around 1992 when WOWO went beyond oldies at night and added some then-current music into its library. A quick check of Wikipedia backs that up, but I swear WOWO still played some oldies instead of going full-on AC.
 
Last edited:
@ Schmave: There could only have been a few things better in life than driving around at night .... the radio set to WOWO .... and hearing 'Money For Nothing' by Dire Straits choogling and thumping out the speakers.

I guess that in 1993 when I heard it, the song would not have been a current or even a re-current. But it certainly wasn't 'Earth Angel' or 'There's a Moon Out Tonight', either.

* * * * * * *

Through Radio-Locator, the only COL phonetically close to my unID 'WSNL Freidensburg' is 'Leesburg', in VA. The calls are now listed as WCRW, with an Asian format. Would anyone here know if they ever had calls somewhat similar-sounding to WSNL back in late 1994?
 
In 1994 There was no 1190 in Leesburg, VA. It was WAGE on 1200 with 5 kw ND day and 1kw night from a two tower array west of Leesburg. 1190 WANN in Annapolis, MD was taken silent to make way for the frequency change to 1190 and day power increase to 50kw day for Leesburg. The transmitter site was relocated east of Leesburg to rimshot DC. The station uses a 3 tower array with the main lobe toward DC. This was in 2011 of thereabout.
 
1190 here is a faint KEX by day, much stronger at night. Usually mixes with CFSL Weyburn, SK (Country).
XEWK Guadalajara can be heard during Au, but it's rare. KDYA Vallejo (Gospel) is even rarer, only heard once when they forgot to shut off at sunset.

On the want list: KVCU Boulder. Why this one hasn't made it, but KPOF and others 5KW or less from Denver have, I will never know. KGBN Anaheim with Korean programming also on the list, along with both KNUV AZ and KXKS NM (both SS Rel). Doubt I will hear KFXR Dallas anytime soon, but if they leave the 50KW day pattern on, it might be possible under Portland.
 
Because of the legendary WOWO, and interesting frequency.
In East Tennessee, really nothing during the day even when our local 1180 was off the air. Atlanta a time or two.
Early mornings and nights, WOWO with some WLIB at times.
I grew up not far from where Schmave did, and WOWO was the strongest signal on the dial. Still mostly is even with the power cut. When I lived in the Lafayette, Indiana area we went from a strong signal to no signal at pattern change--that 50k went all directions but west. Out in Quincy, IL the only way you were hearing WOWO was just after sunrise and just before sunset. I even heard WOWO in Minneapolis., and listened from Florida (nothing like it being 70 degrees with a breeze blowing in while WOWO is announcing 10 degrees.
Any WOWO fan from back in the day will want to listen to their 90th anniversary special. http://www.wowo.com/podcasts/wowo-anniversary-special/ and visit www.historyofowowo.com.
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom