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WFAS 1230 go all digital

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Apparently an HD AM radio will be needed to receive 'FAS AM. Outside of newer cars, I believe they are quite rare. So while there would be a cleaner sounding signal that can be received from a greater distance, relatively few people have the appropriate receivers.
At this time, the station is apparently off the air. My radio is picking up, in its place, a station from Rhode Island.
Perhaps this conversion to digital is an indication that Cumulus will hold onto it, rather than selling.
 
WFAS AM is streaming via AM 1230 WFAS
(Turn off ad blocker to play pre-roll advertisement, otherwise station stream will not play.)
This option has been eliminated from the current, revised version of the website
(www.am1230digital.com or www.wfasam.com).

Direct streaming URLs to plug in to media players:
>>http://playerservices.streamtheworld.com/api/livestream-redirect/WFASAMAAC.aac<< (copy + paste only)
or >>http://playerservices.streamtheworld.com/api/livestream-redirect/WFASAM.mp3<< (can be opened in a browser window in addition to being copied + pasted)

Programming has shifted from the CBS Sports Radio Network to Conservative Talk via Westwood One.
 
WFAS certainly has nothing to lose here. The have no listeners as it is. Interesting dialog about the technical aspects over on the NYRMB if you're interested.
 
Barry said:
The F.C,C. filing states that the station will operate in "enhanced mode." What does that mean?
Click to expand...
All digital, no analog.
 
luperm said:
WFAS certainly has nothing to lose here. The have no listeners as it is. Interesting dialog about the technical aspects over on the NYRMB if you're interested.
Click to expand...

They have no listeners now and given the announced programming lineup, there's no reason for anyone to listen in the future no matter what the technical aspects are. This is an on-paper clear for Cumulus' Westwood One shows.
 
Barry said:
Apparently an HD AM radio will be needed to receive 'FAS AM. Outside of newer cars, I believe they are quite rare. So while there would be a cleaner sounding signal that can be received from a greater distance, relatively few people have the appropriate receivers.
At this time, the station is apparently off the air. My radio is picking up, in its place, a station from Rhode Island.
Perhaps this conversion to digital is an indication that Cumulus will hold onto it, rather than selling.
Click to expand...
It might not be off the air. Unless you have an HD
Barry said:
Apparently an HD AM radio will be needed to receive 'FAS AM. Outside of newer cars, I believe they are quite rare. So while there would be a cleaner sounding signal that can be received from a greater distance, relatively few people have the appropriate receivers.
At this time, the station is apparently off the air. My radio is picking up, in its place, a station from Rhode Island.
Perhaps this conversion to digital is an indication that Cumulus will hold onto it, rather than selling.
Click to expand...
The station might not be off air (unless you are trying to listen on an HD radio and still hear nothing.)

Also, I'm guessing the digital only will be cheaper to run than a regular transmitter. So they get to keep the license and operate at a lower cost. I guess the license could be worth something someday.
 
AMRocks said:
It might not be off the air. Unless you have an HD

The station might not be off air (unless you are trying to listen on an HD radio and still hear nothing.)

Also, I'm guessing the digital only will be cheaper to run than a regular transmitter. So they get to keep the license and operate at a lower cost. I guess the license could be worth something someday.
Click to expand...
The station was off the air (or running at very low power) when I checked yesterday.
As for the power bill, 1000 watts is 1000 watts.

It's an interesting experiment. Let's see what happens...
 
They're back on the air, still broadcasting CBS Sports Radio. I wonder whether Cumulus may work out an agreement with the licensee to rebuild the translator on 94.3 FM that was attached to its tower, and use it to rebroadcast the station.
 
Last edited:
All-digital WWFD in Frederick, MD is in stereo, though it wasn't when it first went digital-only. My understanding is that whether or not you broadcast MA-3 (the digital-only HD mode) in stereo is usually a bandwidth tradeoff issue between metadata and the data rate at which you choose to transmit your audio.
 
How far should the digital signal travel? I wonder if it will be receivable on the South Shore of Nassau County.
 
djl said:
I wonder if it will be receivable on the South Shore of Nassau County.
Click to expand...

Frank Karkota, who worked as an engineer at a few radio stations, doesn't seem to think so. He wrote,
As you move away from the transmitters, the AM signal will become noisy, but the digital will remain clear. At some point the digital will disappear, but the AM signal will still be usable, albeit noisy.
Click to expand...

www.radioworld.com

No to Digital AM - Radio World

A new complicated format is not needed but digital tools can help improve analog AM
www.radioworld.com www.radioworld.com

So, basically, the digital signal situation of AM is similar to that of FM.
 
Sorry. It's 2021. People are just not going to tolerate noisy AM signals. Maybe one or two might if the programming is compelling and available nowhere else.

Nostalgic stories of AM radio in the 1950s doesn't negate this. Other than a few exceptions (news, live sports) listeners have largely abandoned AM. Analog AM is antiquated technology with lousy sound quality...especially on lower power stations. There are probably lots of young people who don't even consider AM as a programming source.

A clear digital AM signal might have a (slim) chance in areas where it is receivable...otherwise there are superior options like streaming. WFAS has absolutely nothing to lose here...nobody listens to it now.
 
Old school AM comes in handy for information when there's a big disaster and the internet/phones are down.
 
Negin said:
Old school AM comes in handy for information when there's a big disaster and the internet/phones are down.
Click to expand...
Right. So, you think it's practical to keep a bunch of otherwise non-viable AM stations operating and fully staffed "just in case" so that people who are not at all familiar with AM radio can *maybe* find you in the event of an emergency that may happen every couple of years?

It's been a long time since people huddled around their AM radio to listen for news and relevant information on their low powered, hometown AM radio station. I bet that, other than a few old boomboxes and clock radios, there are not too many AM radios in people's homes these days. They're even disappearing from some cars now!
 
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