-
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
They are moving the transmitter to become a Tucson rimshot, covering about a third of that market with a 60 dbu signal.
I have been told that the antenna isn't really an issue in FM skip.
WCKY had a pretty good nighttime signal in the Caribbean. I picked them up in both Jamaica and Curacao. I was also able to hear WSM Nashville and WGBS Miami.
And now on Saturday night When Local Oldies WKFB signs off we listen to Cousin Brucie on WABC
WABC Revamps Daily Lineup - RadioInsight A revamp is up on WABC-AM.
'Seconded' on those GE Superadio II's. The one a couple of pals got me for my 46th birthday is still up-and-at-em, out this way, about 150 miles W of where I was originally born in Brooklyn. (I'll have to get out the calcualtor to determine the approximate year for the gift). The best catch on it came one night when I was trying for semi-local WFBS Berwick PA. Usually, WADO NYC buries them after sundown when for when former daytimer Oldies WFBS drops to like 30 watts.
But atop 1280 for nearly a half an hour was WFYC from Alma Michigan. It HAD to be a Friday night, because they were running a HS football game, and, I guess, traditionally didn;t drop their own omni day signal to whatever pittance they'd been licensed. 25 watts, maybe?
Beer buddy across the street at the former house occasionally would get chased out by his missus for drinking too much beer in front of the kids while some must-see Phiilies game was on TV. So he's walk over to our place with a 36-pack of Miller High Life and ask me to get the Phillies game on the radio. John became a DXer in just a short while.
Crack of a bat : 'Oh, THAT's gone!' And it was -- a Scott Rolen home run. John was hogging the radio, turning it and tilting it so that he could hear WPHT 1210, his ears wide; his empty Miller cans eventually missing our wastebasket altogether (and often missing the room where the wastebasket was), and WPHT's phase-cancellation signal. John was a pi$$er. Imagine someone who looks like Jay Ferguson of the song 'Thunder Island' turning into a rapt DXer for a few hours instead of an alike. After a while we'd only answer the door when his Phillies were playing my Mets, lol.
The radio was -- what else -- that same GE Superadio II.
On WABC : They come in here a touch noisy in the day, but easily separable on the GE SR2 from the much louder WAEB 790 Allentown. At night WABC is a ton of brix. The time is long gone from their glory, back when the station used to have a huge listenership from several states at night. I like the idea of M'sieu Cats giving people out this way music at night -- on an AM station -- as he lets the demographics and the local response situate themselves, plus those of us in places like Northern Exposure PA. It's his toy trainset.
Perhaps some others, heirs of George Steinbrenner and Bill Drake plus Bruce Springsteen can reach into their car seats and come up with enough funding to buy a 50KW clear and call it Boss Radio?
* * * * * * *
For history's deflating sake, I once asked several co-workers my age what stations they used to enjoy on their transistors at night back around 1963. A quite unofficial Steve Greensen Audio survey I conducted ...
Survey SAID:
#3 was WABC
#2 was local WISL 1480 Shamokin, now dark
#1 (drum roll ....) WKBW.
But atop 1280 for nearly a half an hour was WFYC from Alma Michigan. It HAD to be a Friday night, because they were running a HS football game, and, I guess, traditionally didn;t drop their own omni day signal to whatever pittance they'd been licensed. 25 watts, maybe?
Beer buddy across the street at the former house occasionally would get chased out by his missus for drinking too much beer in front of the kids while some must-see Phiilies game was on TV. So he's walk over to our place with a 36-pack of Miller High Life and ask me to get the Phillies game on the radio. John became a DXer in just a short while.
Crack of a bat : 'Oh, THAT's gone!' And it was -- a Scott Rolen home run. John was hogging the radio, turning it and tilting it so that he could hear WPHT 1210, his ears wide; his empty Miller cans eventually missing our wastebasket altogether (and often missing the room where the wastebasket was), and WPHT's phase-cancellation signal. John was a pi$$er. Imagine someone who looks like Jay Ferguson of the song 'Thunder Island' turning into a rapt DXer for a few hours instead of an alike. After a while we'd only answer the door when his Phillies were playing my Mets, lol.
The radio was -- what else -- that same GE Superadio II.
On WABC : They come in here a touch noisy in the day, but easily separable on the GE SR2 from the much louder WAEB 790 Allentown. At night WABC is a ton of brix. The time is long gone from their glory, back when the station used to have a huge listenership from several states at night. I like the idea of M'sieu Cats giving people out this way music at night -- on an AM station -- as he lets the demographics and the local response situate themselves, plus those of us in places like Northern Exposure PA. It's his toy trainset.
Perhaps some others, heirs of George Steinbrenner and Bill Drake plus Bruce Springsteen can reach into their car seats and come up with enough funding to buy a 50KW clear and call it Boss Radio?
* * * * * * *
For history's deflating sake, I once asked several co-workers my age what stations they used to enjoy on their transistors at night back around 1963. A quite unofficial Steve Greensen Audio survey I conducted ...
Survey SAID:
#3 was WABC
#2 was local WISL 1480 Shamokin, now dark
#1 (drum roll ....) WKBW.
NY Times had this article about WABC:
www.nytimes.com
Where Giuliani Still Routinely Offers False Claims of Election Fraud (Published 2021)
A popular radio station in Manhattan has become a haven where conservative hosts like Rudolph Giuliani can defend Donald Trump.
Good article except for the attempted comic relief...
Last time I checked he's still running .
WABC needs a strong drive time host to take over from 3-6 pm. They were running syndicated Shapiro for a while on and off, but now apparently he's off for good (I assume for the $$ he cost for that slot they were still getting creamed by Hannity on WOR).
Hannity is so stale and repetitive I think WABC could do well with a strong local drive time show from 3-6.
Hannity is so stale and repetitive I think WABC could do well with a strong local drive time show from 3-6.
They're running a series of local 1-hour shows at that time, including the 5 to 6 hour hosted by the owner.
But yes, block programming isn't as strong as one solid host to cover the whole drive home.
Since Catsmitidas bought the station last year, it's been very "choppy" other than Sid & Bernie in the morning in Imus's old slot.
(I've recently been won over by them after formerly listening to Len & Michael on WOR for years, which IMO has just gotten too bland and boring. Len doesn't know much of anything outside of sports, and Riedel is sort of an snob who reminds me of Niles Crane from the Frasier sitcom.) That WOR morning show was much better when Todd Schnitt was Len's co-host, but I think he wanted huge $$$ and it was also pretty obvious that he and Len personally disliked each other.
At WABC, I like Curtis but they've kind of over-used him, he is sort of the Steve Somers of WABC in that he apparently lives in the studio 24/7 and can be woken up to cover any and all shifts on a moment's notice. If he actually becomes mayor, they should poach Mark Simone from WOR and give him the 12-3 block. Since Simone is a local NY guy, he'd be a great fit for WABC, which seems to not want to spend the $$$ for national syndicated shows (except Levin which isn't even a show anymore but just a couple seconds here and there between commercials, that show's commerical load could choke a horse).
I do think they are missing a golden drive time opportunity, esp. with the sorry state of politics in NYC and the tri-state area currently. An angry Bob Grant type host who took tons of local calls would be great, esp. since the competition (Hannity) is so bland and repetitive as to be unlistenable. With some tinkering WABC could really be a powerhouse again in NYC.
Keep in mind that syndicated shows don't cost actual money. They require stations to run a certain number of commercials.
On the other hand, it would cost actual dollars to steal Simone from WOR.
I think Simone would be a great addition, bottom line is Catsmatidis is going to have to spend some $$$ if he wants to compete. He bought the station just as Covid was starting so it's rough, but like buying a sports team, you gotta spend on some big name free agents to get the fans to turn out.
Lee very well put I completely agree with your post that was a big mistake in selling WABC to Castimatides I see nothing but a failure for this station
- Status