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AM Frequency of the Week: 630

cyberdad

cyberdad

Far northwest suburbs of Chicago.....

Days: Splatter from WTMJ (620). Before WTMJ turned on their iboc, I could sometimes catch snatches of KXOK.

Nights: CFCO has become a reliable regular. Usually on top and frequently with KYFI (ex-KXOK) underneath. WLAP sneaks in from time to time. I've also heard KHOW a couple of times....perhaps on day pattern.

Retro/Other Locations: Before CFCO increased night power to 5kw (and changed to their current night pattern), St. Louis, as KXOK, dominated 630 at night around here. I also used to hear CKRC from Winnipeg once in a while before they left the AM band in 1996.

As for KXOK, They were a daytime top-40 "go to" for me during my college days in southeast Iowa. Signal was weak, but on a good radio, it sounded just fine. Completely disappeared at night, however. Fairly deep null to the northwest, presumably to protect CKRC and perhaps also KHOW.
 
From the near north suburbs of Chicago, daytime all WTMJ slop. At night CFCO most often pops up along with WLAP.

Retro: Way back during the day if I turned the radio one way I heard CFCO. When I turned it the other way KXOK. Both were weak, but there.
 
From 25 miles SW of downtown Kansas City:

Day: A very weak KYFI. Not truly listenable.

Critical Hours: Same as above.

Night: Same as above or CFCO.

Retro: Growing up in Peoria, IL, KXOK was my favorite Top 40 station [along with WLS]. During the day, their signal in Peoria was listenable on an RCA tabletop radio in my bedroom and in my car, a 1964 Chevrolet Impala. I preferred KXOK because they had a broader playlist than either WLS or WCFL and a better on air presence than my hometown Top 40 outlet, WIRL. Additionally, KXOK often played hits that did not chart as well in other markets. But one example was "Walk Tall" by 2 of Clubs from 1967.

Since my father was a Broadcast Engineer and had engineering friends in Saint Louis, I had the good fortune to visit KXOK and their studios, Radio Park in the summer of 1966. Their equipment was mostly older, well maintained tube-based equipement. When you listened to KXOK as a local grade signal they had a big, warm sound. KXOK ran EMT plate reverb on all programming. Great memories!

Bob
 
Here in Wood Dale, IL in the near NW suburb of Chicago:

Daytime: these days just WTMJ splatter
Nightime: CFCO or KYFI (ex-KXOK) the dominant ones

DX/RETRO: prior to WTMJ IBOC, KXOK and few times CFCO were heard during daytime. DX wise WLAP (Lexington, KY) and KHOW (Denver, CO) were common. Also heard WMAL (DC), WVVW (S. Mary's, WV), WBMQ (Savannah, GA), CHLT (Sherbrooke, PQ). Foreign catches include the pesky Cubans and Radio America, Honduras.
 
East Tennessee: Knoxville/Sevierville: Mostly splatter from WRJZ-620. I heard WMAL (now WSBN) several years ago in Sevierville.
Retro/other: I grew up on the WLAP/CFCO line, in West Central Ohio. Turn the radio one way, it was WLAP, the other, CFCO. Drive north to Lima and it was all CFCO.




CADXER said:
Here in Wood Dale, IL in the near NW suburb of Chicago:

Daytime: these days just WTMJ splatter
Nightime: CFCO or KYFI (ex-KXOK) the dominant ones

DX/RETRO: prior to WTMJ IBOC, KXOK and few times CFCO were heard during daytime. DX wise WLAP (Lexington, KY) and KHOW (Denver, CO) were common. Also heard WMAL (DC), WVVW (S. Mary's, WV), WBMQ (Savannah, GA), CHLT (Sherbrooke, PQ). Foreign catches include the pesky Cubans and Radio America, Honduras.
Click to expand...
 
radioman148 said:
From the near north suburbs of Chicago, daytime all WTMJ slop. At night CFCO most often pops up along with WLAP.

Retro: Way back during the day if I turned the radio one way I heard CFCO. When I turned it the other way KXOK. Both were weak, but there.
Click to expand...

I've never heard CFCO at my location during daytime. I'm guessing I might if I ever catch WTMJ off....especially now that they're at 10kw. In my travels, I usually lose CFCO to WTMJ slop between South Bend and Chicago on the Indiana toll road. On I-94 in Michigan, I can usually get it until that stretch that runs along the shore of Lake Michigan.

@DXBob....Good stuff about your experiences with KXOK, Yes, I thought they definitely had more "energy" than WLS and WCFL. At least until the last year or two of the decade. You could say that about any Storz station, which is why I also liked the two other I could hear regularly. WHB (day) and KOMA (night). I also thought WIRL did a good job for the most part.

"Walk Tall" by 2 of Clubs? Regular rotation on my iphone and computer. I heard it a few times on WLS, but I don't remember it on WCFL. WOKY from Milwaukee was another story. As was KIOA from Des Moines, and of course, KXOK. It did quite well on all three, IIRC. We got a fairly good number of requests for it on our campus radio station.
 
This one is an odd one. Local KCIS Edmonds/ Seattle. Days one tower at 5K almost due west of me, roughly 12 miles. Nights 3 towers 2.5K to my NNW, about 7 miles away. The two arrays are in two different counties- don't see that all the time!
 
cyberdad said:
I've never heard CFCO at my location during daytime. I'm guessing I might if I ever catch WTMJ off....especially now that they're at 10kw. In my travels, I usually lose CFCO to WTMJ slop between South Bend and Chicago on the Indiana toll road. On I-94 in Michigan, I can usually get it until that stretch that runs along the shore of Lake Michigan.
Click to expand...

Before WTMJ raised power and turned on their IBOC I could null them and hear CFCO during the day. It was faint, but there.

Also, "Walk Tall" by 2 of Clubs reached #14 on WLS in early April of 67.
 
630 is about to fall silent in the UK.

For years 630 was the AM frequency of BBC Three Counties Radio, but that's now gone off air and is currently just broadcasting a loop advising listeners to retune to FM.

Even though it's supposed to cover Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Bucks, 3 Counties signal actually covered about 12 counties on AM, so out of area listeners will have to use internet streaming.
 
cyberdad said:
@DXBob....Good stuff about your experiences with KXOK, Yes, I thought they definitely had more "energy" than WLS and WCFL. At least until the last year or two of the decade. You could say that about any Storz station, which is why I also liked the two other I could hear regularly. WHB (day) and KOMA (night). I also thought WIRL did a good job for the most part.

"Walk Tall" by 2 of Clubs? Regular rotation on my iphone and computer. I heard it a few times on WLS, but I don't remember it on WCFL. WOKY from Milwaukee was another story. As was KIOA from Des Moines, and of course, KXOK. It did quite well on all three, IIRC. We got a fairly good number of requests for it on our campus radio station.
Click to expand...

Here is yet another track that was a big hit on KXOK and as I recall, was never played on either WLS or WCFL: "Any Way That You Want Me" - Liverpool Five. Reached #5 in Saint Louis in 1967. Another single that was a bigger hit on KXOK than in Chicago, "All Strung Out" by Nino Tempo and April Stevens. There are others...

Bob
 
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West Central Georgia:

Days: Nothing

Nights: Most common visitor is WLAP Lexington KY 5000/1000 news/talk; also hear KSLR San Antonio TX 5000/4300 religious and WBMQ Savannah Ga 4800/47 news/talk from time to time

Mornings: WBMQ sends a nice signal here most mornings for a few hours
 
DXBob said:
Here is yet another track that was a big hit on KXOK and as I recall, was never played on either WLS or WCFL: "Any Way That You Want Me" - Liverpool Five. Reached #5 in Saint Louis in 1967. Another single that was a bigger hit on KXOK than in Chicago, "All Strung Out" by Nino Tempo and April Stevens. There are others...

Bob
Click to expand...

I don't remember the one by "The Liverpool Five" and "All Strung Out" was barely played in Chicago.
 
radioman148 said:
I don't remember the one by "The Liverpool Five" and "All Strung Out" was barely played in Chicago.
Click to expand...

Check out "Any Way That You Want Me" by the Liverpool Five on YouTube. I believe you will like it. One of my favorites of 1967. Another track by this group that charted highly on KXOK in 1966 was "New Directions."

Bob
 
A lot of the DX on the lower AM band has been off a barefoot GE SR 2 in St. Clair.
About 5 miles south of me here, 'Santa Clara' is the scene of many paint jobs, ceiling jobs, fence jobs, hauling jobs, etc.
So most of the work, being daytime, means AM daytime DX.

630 depends on which way the radio is tilted. A faint but steady WMAL / WSBN Washington is a noon catch in that quiet place. Underneath them, and IDable in the semi-null, is WEJL Scranton.

https://radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/pat?call=WEJL&service=AM&h=D

1/4 inch north of Pottsville on that map is where St. Clair is.

One would think that WEJL would be the one on top, but it's just the opposite.

* * * * * * *

Nighttime: Nothing logged here yet.
 
DXBob said:
Check out "Any Way That You Want Me" by the Liverpool Five on YouTube. I believe you will like it. One of my favorites of 1967. Another track by this group that charted highly on KXOK in 1966 was "New Directions."

Bob
Click to expand...

You're right it's a pretty good song. I enjoy listening to some of these regional records that were hits in one particular area, but pretty much unheard elsewhere.
 
From SE AZ:

KSLR San Antonio TX Talk
KHOW Denver CO Talk, iHeart
KPLY Reno NV Fox Sports
KSLR San Antonio TX Religious
WLAP Lexington KY News Radio 630

WLAP popped up with "News Radio 630" one night, and they're the only station using that ID.

Jim
 
DXBob said:
Check out "Any Way That You Want Me" by the Liverpool Five on YouTube. I believe you will like it. One of my favorites of 1967. Another track by this group that charted highly on KXOK in 1966 was "New Directions."

Bob
Click to expand...
I don't remember that version of "Any Way That You Want Me" but I do remember an excellent version by Evie Sands. "All Strung Out" is a different story. I think I have that one on a 45 (or LP) somewhere. Finally, I drew a complete blank on "New Directions", but if it was on KXOK before Mid September '66, I would have missed it. Good example of "early underground" stuff.
 
In Reynoldsburg, Ohio, it's a weak WLAP by day and nothing but mush at night. When WTVN ran IBOC many years back, WLAP was not audible in this area.
I've never heard CFCO in Columbus but I remember it always having a very good signal daytime in Toledo. I don't remember hearing it much at night. That's not to say it was never there, but I didn't hear it. It was oldies when I was in college and country today.
 
From NW San Antonio:

Daytime: local Christian talker KSLR.

Sunset: In a tiny partial null of KSLR I can hear KYFI as well as XEFB in Monterrey to a lesser extent.

Night: In the null, XEFB is stronger and KHOW comes up and mixes in. KYFI is heard less often.

Sunrise: Similar to nighttime but with XEPBGJ (formerly XEJB) in Guadalajara mixing in.
 
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