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WFED 1500 (Hubbard)

R

RF101

Last nught (!1/17) I noticed AM 1500 was carrying WTOP. Audio. (Today it's Navy football as expected.) I wonder if Hubbard is ditching AM 1500 for other programming or will keep Federal News Network on this over-the-air signal. The FNN website makes litlle mention of AM 1500, just in reference to sports.

AM 1500 would work as a Spanish-language powerhouse although the WBQH 1050's 93.5 translator has great coverage. WBQH La Mera Mera has solid daytime coverage at 10kw but at night jruns just 44 watts.

WFED is also relayed on WTOP HD2.
 
RF101 said:
AM 1500 would work as a Spanish-language powerhouse
Click to expand...
Hispanics will not use AM if there is anything on FM or a stream to listen to. AM is nearly dead throughout Latin America.
 
THe relay was either an audio switching issue or FNN was in a maintenance window. On Saturday WFED returned to normal programming.

Several Spanish language stations in the DC area successfully use AM..Let's see: 700, 730, 900, 920, 1030, 1050, 1220, 1480, 1540, 1600. . FM signals are expensive to procure in DC . AM provides an onramp.
 
RF101 said:
THe relay was either an audio switching issue or FNN was in a maintenance window. On Saturday WFED returned to normal programming.

Several Spanish language stations in the DC area successfully use AM..Let's see: 700, 730, 900, 920, 1030, 1050, 1220, 1480, 1540, 1600. . FM signals are expensive to procure in DC . AM provides an onramp.
Click to expand...
I'm not familiar with the DC market, but 10 AM's broadcasting Spanish language programming? Seems like a lot. They can't all be 24/7?
 
Only 1540 is a daytimer Catholic Spanish-language , the rest 24x7.. 730, 920, 1050 and 1220 have some FM translator presence. There is also another HD-fed station 97.7 Reston.
 
RadioGuy1864 said:
I'm not familiar with the DC market, but 10 AM's broadcasting Spanish language programming? Seems like a lot. They can't all be 24/7?
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Several are religious. Many are far suburban stations that only cover a corner of the market
 
RF101 said:
Several Spanish language stations in the DC area successfully use AM..Let's see: 700, 730, 900, 920, 1030, 1050, 1220, 1480, 1540, 1600. . FM signals are expensive to procure in DC . AM provides an onramp.
Click to expand...
700 is not home to the DC metro survey area . 900 is way out in Laurel. 920 is in Quantico. 1030's 10 mV/m does not reach DC as it is way to the Southeast.
RF101 said:
Only 1540 is a daytimer Catholic Spanish-language , the rest 24x7.. 730, 920, 1050 and 1220 have some FM translator presence. There is also another HD-fed station 97.7 Reston.
Click to expand...
Many, such as 1220, are very low power at night and cover nearly nothing with its 48 watts. 1480 is in Dumfries and only covers a bit of Prince Wm. County. 1600 is the old Richard Eaton station, with 1 kw day and 500 night out in Rockville.

Using the 1600 station as an example, it bills less than $10,000 a month. WLZL, the FM, bills about 3 and almost 4 times more money than all those AMs combined.
 
Last edited:
RF101 said:
Last nught (!1/17) I noticed AM 1500 was carrying WTOP. Audio. (Today it's Navy football as expected.) I wonder if Hubbard is ditching AM 1500 for other programming or will keep Federal News Network on this over-the-air signal. The FNN website makes litlle mention of AM 1500, just in reference to sports.

AM 1500 would work as a Spanish-language powerhouse although the WBQH 1050's 93.5 translator has great coverage. WBQH La Mera Mera has solid daytime coverage at 10kw but at night jruns just 44 watts.

WFED is also relayed on WTOP HD2.
Click to expand...
I doubt it because the purpose of WFED is to get issues advertising. What WFED does would work in no market except DC.
 
RoddyFreeman said:
I doubt it because the purpose of WFED is to get issues advertising. What WFED does would work in no market except DC.
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True. In addition, WTOP…er…WFED has always had a pretty iffy signal to the south and west. Combined with the high dial position, 1500 is in reality an “inside the beltway” signal these days. Whatever format is programmed would have to keep that in mind.

Spanish would be a far lesser choice IMHO. Most of the growth of Hispanics in DC area has been in the outer suburbs…less so in Fairfax/Arlington Counties and the District
 
seattlesarchiebunker said:
Spanish would be a far lesser choice IMHO. Most of the growth of Hispanics in DC area has been in the outer suburbs…less so in Fairfax/Arlington Counties and the District
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And as David already pointed out, there are plenty of AM Spanish language stations all around the DMV. Hispanics no longer have to put up with crappy AM quality as their only source of music. Most would rightfully prefer FM, and potentially streaming options.
 
Kelly A said:
And as David already pointed out, there are plenty of AM Spanish language stations all around the DMV. Hispanics no longer have to put up with crappy AM quality as their only source of music. Most would rightfully prefer FM, and potentially streaming options.
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A moment of enlightenment to me occurred about 15 years ago in a one-on-one session (I never used focus groups because they are so "defective") where a woman who was a P1 listener to KLVE said (in Spanish) that "at work, I stream because I carry my phone in my pocket and use earbuds as I move around". She supervised a crew that did hotel room cleaning. She listened to radio in her car and at home, but not at work.

After that revelation, I always asked people about listening locations and devices. The ability to have a phone with many other functions built in vs. a single-purpose and bulky radio was, even more than a decade ago, a deciding factor with Hispanics.

And in most work locations, AM signals are not listenable due to noise from all manner of electronic devices from wall warts on down the list, so crummy facility AMs in Spanish are pretty useless at home and at work.
 
WFED Update: WTOP-on-WFED now appears to be a regular happening on weekends and late-evening/overnight weekday segments. Now , if Hubbard would bring back the classic "sounders" we would have something that woukd make 1500AM seem nostalgic.
 
RF101 said:
WFED Update: WTOP-on-WFED now appears to be a regular happening on weekends and late-evening/overnight weekday segments. Now , if Hubbard would bring back the classic "sounders" we would have something that woukd make 1500AM seem nostalgic.
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Wait, you expect them to simulcast but have special OG sounders for the sake of nostalgia specifically on AM? Good luck with that.
 
Listening to WTOP on 1500 tonight in North Carolina strong signal with a little fading. It's late so I'm not waiting for TOH ID.
 
Plus: Good Karma does not subscribe to Nielsen Audio, thus there'll be nothing to see for 880 ESPN NY,
as has been for 1050 NY, 1000 WMVP Chicago + KSPN L.A. and other properties.

1010 WINS on 92.3 might see a small bump - but not as significant as one might think.
Either: some listeners already shared 880 and 1010 enough
and/or: some listeners decided long ago which approach they liked better and won't go over to 1010/92.3 from 880,
even if it's the lone choice for all-news now.
 
Kelly A said:
Ratings don't matter with sports stations. National ad reps are looking at male demos who fit into the sports fan realm.
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And a lot of money spent on Sports stations does not come from the traditional media budget that goes to all kinds of radio stations and other media outlets as well. "Sports Marketing" budgets are separate sources and are the places where stadium naming rights come from as well as those across the board sponsorships of "all things my team" projects that included sports on the radio, branded merchandise, video streams, podcasts and the like.

I don't understand all the intricacies of this sort-of-promotional-sort-of-advertising-sort-of-imaging packages as I have never worked in that environment, but I've been at enough ad agencies and met enough clients to realize that it is a separate revenue stream that non-sports stations can't generally get a piece of.
 
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