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1050/1040

J

jjschim

Anyone remember what year WHBO switched from 1050 to 1040 and changed city of license from Tampa to Pinellas Park?
 
Can't give you a 100% answer but I was in High School at the time. I know, upon returning to Tampa in 1980, they were still on 1050 with a puny 250-watts from a ramshackle North Florida Avenue studio. So, it would have been 1981 or later... Funny...for awhile the station promoted itself as "AM-105" and every time they'd do remotes, some kid would come along and say on-air they thought it was "Q-105." Amusing.
 
Re: I can give you that answer: 1985 I wish I knew the exact date.

My belief is that it was 1984. I took some time off between jobs to do some home renovation, and my recollection is that it occurred during that period. I could be wrong, but that is my recollection.
 
The year would be 1984... The original WHBO 1050 was acquired by a medical doctor, Gordon Page, and Robert D. Stoehr, a/k/a "Duke Roberts" who served as the station's general manager and program director. The original 1040 power was 5kw-Day and 0.5kw-Night with a DA-2 directional pattern. The COL and TL change were implemented to avoid a short spacing conflict with WCBF-AM 1010 Tampa (now WQYK-AM Seffner). With the frequency move to 1040 this made the two stations only 30khz apart instead of the required minimum 40khz spacing seperation for two or more AM stations licensed to the same community.

Along the same time, WCBF was owned by Woody Sudbrink who wanted to add 5kw night service on WCBF. The only way the FCC would approve the change on AM 1010 was to re-license the station to Seffner as that community's "First Service" which, at the time, since Tampa already had several full-time AM stations, was the only way the FCC would approve a major facility change.

Mark Tillery
General Manager
WELE-AM 1380
Daytona Beach, Florida
[email protected]
 
Wasn't therre also something about Cuba blowing 1050 out of the water just about all the time that also added to the frequency change???
 
flwfg said:
Wasn't therre also something about Cuba blowing 1050 out of the water just about all the time that also added to the frequency change???
Click to expand...

One of the many great Scott Robbins promotions. The Cuban signal would interfere with ours at 1040. Robbins brilliant mind created a promotion. Some of you may remember. Scotty appealed to the love of oldies and patriotism of the listeners and launched an attack on "Russian Radio" including a Clearwater Beach promotion featuring a huge American flag.
 
flwfg said:
Wasn't therre also something about Cuba blowing 1050 out of the water just about all the time that also added to the frequency change???
Click to expand...

Actually, I think the Cubans fired up their transmitters after 1040 went to air. The interference was so strong during daylight hours, to be heard clearly underneath WHBO. I also think the station went silent for short periods (a few minutes) so the FCC Tampa Field Office could take readings and measure the interference. I also think, at about the same time, the Cubans relayed Radio Moscow on 600 kHz (or somewhere near that frequency). It was a bit strange, hearing Radio Moscow on the car radio. There may have been other Bay Area stations suffering interference from the Cubans but I want to think the worst was with 1040. Speaking of promotions...anyone want to talk about WHBO's ads for "Plummet Mall"?
 
In fact, the interference at times was so strong that we could hear the Cubans in our headphones using the air monitor...
 
I recall the Russian Radio days. Scott Robbins sure made lemonade out of that one. WSUN 620 also got a lot of interference from Cuba. It allowed them to get a STA to go to 10KW days 9800 nites. This STA still exists to this day. It has been adjusted higher to allow for 620's new shorter less efficient towers that took the place of those Blaw Knox towers. I think My recollection is that WHBO 1040, went to 24 hr operation when the FCC downgraded the clear channels to 750 mile protection in the mid 80's. This allowed 1040 to go 24 hrs, also in the Tampa market allowed 800/820, 760, and 770 in Ft Myers to go 24 hrs.
 
It's getting off the subject, but I remember 570...still WPLP at the time...enduring all sorts of Cuban interference and even having a fair bit of talk-back on the subject.
 
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