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98 SURF FM / Destin-FWB

R

RadioGeek06

Guest
Anyone have any airchecks from that TOP 40 monster WWSF-98 SURF FM...this would have been the mid 80s some time? ? ? ? ? ? ?

Looking for anything from the station?

And why can't someone be smart enough to bring this baby back to the Emerald Coast?
 
I used to work at 98-Surf FM back in that era. I don't have any air-checks, but I do have a few recording of old production elements (sweepers, stagers, etc.)
Let me know if you're still interested and I'll upload them somewhere and get you the links.
 
98Surf has several lives, but the signal issues were it's biggest problem back in the 80's and well into the late 1990's or early 2000's. The signal was originally licensed Andalusia, AL and the 100kw signal was broadcast from one hell of a tower about 45 minutes north (NW?) of FWB. Problem was the signal kicked a$$ everywhere that had no listeners and it cost a fortune to play to cows, plus technology was primitive and there were several STLs that also hampered the signal, along with a ton of real thick pine trees in the Black Forest. By the time the signal reached the beach it was tired and hard to pick up. Eventually, the FCC changed some rules (I guess) and the tower is now in FWB and covers the 98 corridor (and a lot of water very well.) My main history with it was as 98one Classic Rock. It ranked behind 99Rock in FWB and did surprisingly well given the signal issues, but advertising was tough and limited at the time, since the area was a fraction of the size it is now. Halon, would love to hear what you have. I probably have some old 98Surf swag somewhere around packed up and unseen for decades. CCENG may be able to give some better details. Search "baby that wasn't supposed to be born 98 Surf" on a google search and see if it brings up some old conversations from this site a decade or so ago.
FWIW, the FM dial back in the mid 80's was insane along the Panhandle. While stations are now often mere shells of their former glory years, the dial still has some decent stations.
 
I was quite familiar with this station, because I owned adjacent-channel WDLT 98.3 (Chickasaw-Mobile) from 1986-92, during which time the Andalusia station (previously WCTA, then WKYD), was trying to move toward the coast. We got a lot of interference from them during tropo ducting. At the time, FCC rules made it extremely difficult/unlikely you could change your city of license (COL). The move to the south could go no farther than a tower which would still put a 3.16 mv/m signal over Andalusia. Result: the city grade contour to the south fell short of FWB/Destin ... didn't even city-grade Valpariso/Niceville. The station, now WWSF, was listenable on the Emerald Coast, but the less-than-ideal RF level did not penetrate the concrete & steel condos. So the 1000 ft tower mostly covered jackrabbits and pine trees.

Later, however, the FCC rules about allocation to COL were eased up ... it became possible to re-allot to a community which did not have any other assignment. They chose HOLT, FLA. Then, it was possible to forget delivering a signal to Andalusia...go on a shorter tower, in FWB proper, city-grade Holt, and all was OK.

I recall WWSF 98.1 using the liner "Surf FM - reaches the beaches, shakes the lakes, and rocks the rocks, with 100,000 watts."

Andalusia hasn't done too well with its radio stations: WCTA/WKYD 920 was DA-N, but became a daytimer after highway construction eliminated the night towers...then moved to another community ... Then there was 1400 and 1530 AM ... both seem to be silent now.... then its Class C/C1 FM flew the coop.
 
J Alex Bowab said:
I was quite familiar with this station, because I owned adjacent-channel WDLT 98.3 (Chickasaw-Mobile) from 1986-92, during which time the Andalusia station (previously WCTA, then WKYD), was trying to move toward the coast. We got a lot of interference from them during tropo ducting. At the time, FCC rules made it extremely difficult/unlikely you could change your city of license (COL). The move to the south could go no farther than a tower which would still put a 3.16 mv/m signal over Andalusia. Result: the city grade contour to the south fell short of FWB/Destin ... didn't even city-grade Valpariso/Niceville. The station, now WWSF, was listenable on the Emerald Coast, but the less-than-ideal RF level did not penetrate the concrete & steel condos. So the 1000 ft tower mostly covered jackrabbits and pine trees.

Later, however, the FCC rules about allocation to COL were eased up ... it became possible to re-allot to a community which did not have any other assignment. They chose HOLT, FLA. Then, it was possible to forget delivering a signal to Andalusia...go on a shorter tower, in FWB proper, city-grade Holt, and all was OK.

I recall WWSF 98.1 using the liner "Surf FM - reaches the beaches, shakes the lakes, and rocks the rocks, with 100,000 watts."

Andalusia hasn't done too well with its radio stations: WCTA/WKYD 920 was DA-N, but became a daytimer after highway construction eliminated the night towers...then moved to another community ... Then there was 1400 and 1530 AM ... both seem to be silent now.... then its Class C/C1 FM flew the coop.
Click to expand...

One minor typo on my foregoing post ... "rocks the DOCKS..."
 
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