AM Frequency of the Week: 1520

[cyberdad]

40 miles northwest of downtown Chicago....

Days: 1520 is a weak WLUV from Loves Park (Rockford), Illinois. 500 watts non-directional from about 40 miles to my west. Recently flipped from oldies to religion.

Nights: KOKC fights it out with KRHW (Sikeston, MO) in a battle of weak signals. Both are fade prone at my location, so it often comes down to one being in during fades from the other one. In any event, splatter from WLAC (1510) and WCKY (1530) is usually an issue. Meanwhile, WLUV is missing after powering down to 12 watts.

Retro: At my home location during the late 1960s, KOMA was my late night go-to on Sunday nights. No splatter after WCKY and WLAC signed off. and KMPL (predecessor of KRHW) was lower power than it is now, if they were even on at all. Result: KOMA in the clear and rockin'. (Usually with PD Dale Weeba).

Other Location: During my college days in Iowa, KOMA was reliable nightly signal. Strong enough to overcome whatever splatter was left from WLAC and WCKY. Also in those days, KOLM from Rochester, MN was a 10kw daytimer runniung a top-40 format. It would sometimes boom in before sunset, and on more than a few occasions what I at first though was KOMA turned out to be KOLM. Then there was WKBW. Also a legendary top 40 powerhouse, that on clear winter nights would turn up under KOMA. Once or twice playing the same song! What was surprising was that I never had heard WKBW in the Chicago area.

 

[ZantennaG1]

From Cheyenne, WY:
Daytime: Nothing much
Evening: Occasional splatter from 1510 KPLS.
Nighttime: I too get KOKC (they are probably 450 miles away from me), generally alone and at moderate strength, and varies from weak to fairly decent. Of course, WWKB would be just about impossible here, but never say never. KOKC is one of the last remaining nighttime affiliates of the Ben Shapiro show.

 

[tvnut]

From the southwest suburbs of Chicago:

No daytime regulars here on what isn't all that clear a clear channel.

Nights: WKBW Buffalo was the first logging back in the early 1970s. I don't know if they need not change patterns until Oklahoma City sunset, but I recall hearing a couple of Bills broadcasts late on Sunday afternoons. Still comes in occasionally as WWKB. KOMA/KOKC is the more usual suspect, and hangs in for more than a bit after Chicago sunrise.

Others: KPML/KHRW Sikeston, Mo., is an occasional visitor. Two new ones last fall: 10 kW KOLM Rochester, Minn., at 6 p.m. on Oct. 31, and 5 kW WHOW Clinton, Ill. in the car near home (close enough to log) midmorning on Nov. 12.

Still eluding me: WKVI Knox, Ind. The day power of 1,800 watts should allow a hint of a signal here, but I got nothin'.

 

[radioman148]

In the near north Chicago suburbs: daytime basically nothing--maybe a whiff of WKVI a few times. At night mostly KOKC and KRHW alternating with fading.
Retro: KOMA was on top most of the time with some fading, but usually a good signal. I tried for WKBW during their Top 40 days in the 60s, but at best I could only hear a very weak signal a few times. It was mostly KOMA back in those days.

 

[Steve Green NEPA]

In the more 'recent' days of the Lafayette HA-600 usage here, 1520 used to be a daytime mess because of daytimer WMBT Shenandoah, about 5 miles north. Fine station, by the way ; in later years satellite Oldies with a live show middays from Frank Jordan. He was the sax player for Frackville PA's Jordan Brothers.
WWKBW at night.
(One late SSS while painting a house in St. Clair -- some 5 miles south of me -- I'd actually thought that Pottsville PA had a brand new station past the two locals on 1360 and 1450 ; 'KB was that loud.)

One day, Jan 6 1996, that week's Blizzard of the Century buried us. Among the us was WMBT's satellite dish and station building on their big hill in Shenandoah Heights. In came a weak but readable daytime 1520 signal from WTRI Brunswick MD. Their ID was taped here.
Eight or so years later, before 'KB began doing it's thing serving 11 states and 38 provinces, I nailed ID's each from daytimers WCHE West Chester PA and WTHE Mineola on Long Island.

A latter SSS session off the GE SR 2 gave me WARR Warrenton NC, sort of a gospel / community service outlet. I sent them a nice reception report ; no reply. Maybe they were were still on their 5000 omni day power instead of the 1000 watt CH megaphone, and decided that discretion was the better part of discretion.

 

[gr8oldies]

East Tennessee: Daytime-nothing.
Night: KOKC and KRHW fighting it out.
Retro/other: Dayton, Ohio area: Not much, really. Ohio is the home of 4 tightly-spaced, weird patterned stations though one is gone, and I'm not sure about one of the others. The 4 were in Canton, Ohio; Kent, Ohio; Toledo and Bryan, Ohio. It continueed West, and I heard WKVI, Knox, Indiana during some winter daytime skip.

WHOW in Clinton, IL was almost dead at one point, but rebuilt and is a successful ag-oriented station today (a mini-KRVN). Listening on the Edinburgh, IN receiver, while it's local WSVL, Shelbyville IN was off the air or super low power was off the air, WHOW was in daily. Before the owner of the Tustin (near Cadillac) MI SDR disabled medium-wave reception, I caught WHOW at around high noon.

@cyberdad I don't remember much of KOMA's top 40 format, but years later I learned that Dale Wehba was later known as Johnny Morgan on CKLW. He was canned and replaced with Mike Rivers (Ralph W. White) who apparently also worked at KOMA

 

[cyberdad]

@cyberdad I don't remember much of KOMA's top 40 format, but years later I learned that Dale Wehba was later known as Johnny Morgan on CKLW. He was canned and replaced with Mike Rivers (Ralph W. White) who apparently also worked at KOMA

KOMA had some excellent talent. I could have sworn Larry Lujack made a brief stop there. But I can't find any record of that, so I'm probably mistaken. I do, however recall listening to Charlie Tuna on KOMA before he went on to greater fame on the west coast.

 

[CADXER]

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

Daytime: Very weak WLUV (Loves Park, IL) on few occasions way back in the 80's, but not since. These days it's usually splash from nearby WCKG on 1530 kHz.
Nightime: KOKC or WWKB

DX/RETRO: Some catches in the past include KWHW (Sikeston, MO), KOLM (Rochester, MN), WHOW (Clinton, IL), WCHE (West Chester, PA), WHIC (Hardinsburg, KY), WSVl (Shelbyville, IN), WIDD (Elizabethton, TN). My most recent catches on this frequency are KYND (Cypress, TX), WMLM (St. Louis, MI) and WKVI (Knox, IN). WKVI was heard at high noon in March of last year and that was one and only time I logged the station. Foreign catches include Radio Minuto, Barranquilla, Colombia and the clandestine station Radio Liberacion which was rumored to be from El Salvador.

For years a het was present on 1521 kHz, presumably from Saudi Arabia here in the Chicago area, but was never able to pull audio to get an ID it. Back in 2005 while visiting Boston I was able to listen to a good signal from Saudi Arabia on the car radio even though the radio could only tune to 1520 kHz.

 

[radioman148]

KOMA had some excellent talent. I could have sworn Larry Lujack made a brief stop there. But I can't find any record of that, so I'm probably mistaken. I do, however recall listening to Charlie Tuna on KOMA before he went on to greater fame on the west coast.

Lujack didn't work at KOMA, but in his book "Superjock" he mentioned when he was driving across country from Seattle to Boston he was listening to KOMA and thought Charlie Tuna sounded great. Lujack was heading to WMEX and recommended Tuna for a spot there.
Neither one of them were in Boston very long as they didn't like the station owner.

 

[radioman148]

For years a het was present on 1521 kHz, presumably from Saudi Arabia here in the Chicago area, but was never able to pull audio to get an ID it. Back in 2005 while visiting Boston I was able to listen to a good signal from Saudi Arabia on the car radio even though the radio could only tune to 1520 kHz.

Good catch from a car radio with WWKB and WMEX nearby.

 

[dlf1]

It’s KOKC at night here in Canyon Lake, TX. I have heard them until 10:30 in the morning during the winter.

Back in the 90’s, I was in Ohio and then Oldies KOMA was playing “I Fought the Law”: they went to their night directional pattern and the pattern won.

 

[schmave]

From Pickerington, Ohio, pretty much nothing day or night. None of those Ohio stations reach anywhere close to me daytime, and at night I don't recall ever hearing KOKC or WWKB. Like 1110 at night between WTAM and KMOX, 1520 is the quiet stop between WLAC and WCKY.
I'm not sure I've ever heard WWKB day or night at my in-laws in Conneaut, Ohio, roughly 100 miles southwest of Buffalo. I'll try to remember and check the next time we visit.

 

[Steve Green NEPA]

@ tvnut : As far back as I can recall, 'KB Buffalo has had the same directional pattern day and night. At one time there were a half-dozen stations in Ohio and Indiana on 1520. All were daytime only, and some of them were omni.
Perhaps someone here knows if WKBW ever was omni-day or had any other need to adjust their pattern vis-a-vis KOMA

 

[radioman148]

@ tvnut : As far back as I can recall, 'KB Buffalo has had the same directional pattern day and night. At one time there were a half-dozen stations in Ohio and Indiana on 1520. All were daytime only, and some of them were omni.
Perhaps someone here knows if WKBW ever was omni-day or had any other need to adjust their pattern vis-a-vis KOMA

As far as I know KB has always had the same pattern. Of course I stand to be corrected.

 

[gr8oldies]

I didn't mention above, but the only time I got WWKB in Ohio was when it was playo\ing oldies on Saturday night, next door to then-WSAI, also playing oldies.

 

[TXPH97]

From northern DFW suburbs:

Daytime: Weak KOKC
Sunset: KYND Cypress, TX in Spanish mixing with KOKC.
Night: KOKC dominant with KRHW Sikeston, MO sometimes heard if KOKC nulled.

 

[tvnut]

@ tvnut : As far back as I can recall, 'KB Buffalo has had the same directional pattern day and night. At one time there were a half-dozen stations in Ohio and Indiana on 1520. All were daytime only, and some of them were omni.
Perhaps someone here knows if WKBW ever was omni-day or had any other need to adjust their pattern vis-a-vis KOMA

Interesting. I know it bombed in here at times and at others was a rumor. Radio Locator shows it as one pattern favoring ENE. The vagaries of radio, I guess.

 

[cyberdad]

As far as I know KB has always had the same pattern. Of course I stand to be corrected.

I was flat out astonished to hear WKBW under KOMA in Iowa during my college days. Not just once, but multiple times, albeit never on top. Especially with no memory of ever hearing it at home in the Chicago area. Fast forward a few decades, and I was making the run between Cleveland and Buffalo 2-3 times a year on biz trips. Not all that long of a drive. But going west on I-90 (daytime). you encounter another 1520 before you even get to the outer reaches of the Cleveland suburbs. The WKBW/WWKB pattern is pretty tight.

 

[dxsphere]

Moses Lake, WA
KXAA Snohomish/Everett and KQRR Oregon City/Portland, with KXAA being the dominant.

 

[radioman148]

I was flat out astonished to hear WKBW under KOMA in Iowa during my college days. Not just once, but multiple times, albeit never on top. Especially with no memory of ever hearing it at home in the Chicago area. Fast forward a few decades, and I was making the run between Cleveland and Buffalo 2-3 times a year on biz trips. Not all that long of a drive. But going west on I-90 (daytime). you encounter another 1520 before you even get to the outer reaches of the Cleveland suburbs. The WKBW/WWKB pattern is pretty tight.

It was always difficult for me to hear "KB" in the Chicago area, almost never when I tried to and the few times I did hear it
it was very faint under then KOMA.