1260, a Mickey Mouse operation (RD to end in Prov)

[raccoonradio]

Fybush reports WDDZ 550 in Prov to shut off Sep 30 pending sale. Bye to Radio Disney (not sure what will replace it). What are odds of same thing happening to Boston's 1260?

 

[robotique]

hmmmm interesing

 

[raccoonradio]

Let the rumors fly--sale? format change? Probably nothing but who knows. They are "turning off"
4 RD stations incl. Prov. and also in CT; maybe are just doing this to medium markets.

Fybush said on Facebook that at midnight on 9/30 the coach turns back into a pumpkin and
the horses back into mice (well, at least that's how _I_ put it! Cinderella...) WDDZ 550 in Prov,
WDZK in CT (Hartford market? 1550), and also stations in KY and FL. "Radio Disney to silence 4 more AMs pending sale"

Don't know what will become of 550 in Prov but what if they did (what IF) same in Boston?
If so, ESPN? ESPN Deportes? Ethnic? Standards?...?

but who knows.

 

[fybush]

Don't know what will become of 550 in Prov but what if they did (what IF) same in Boston?
If so, ESPN? ESPN Deportes? Ethnic? Standards?...?

but who knows.

This is the second round of Disney's selloff of medium-market signals. Last time out (January) it was Albuquerque, Norfolk, Fort Myers, Greensboro and Tulsa. No indication - yet - that the larger-market stations are on the chopping block.

What comes next? That all depends on who comes forward with cash in hand. The stations will stay dark until they're sold, so not a lot of point in speculating on new formats until we know who's buying.

 

[DanStrassberg]

Don't know what will become of 550 in Prov but what if they did (what IF) same in Boston?
If so, ESPN? ESPN Deportes? Ethnic? Standards?...? but who knows.

550 is licensed to Pawtucket. Is any other station licensed to Pawtucket? If yes, or if another station could be moved to Pawtucket, 550 might be moved to someplace more lucrative--assuming there is someplace potentially more lucrative.

 

[Don Juannn]

Don't know what will become of 550 in Prov but what if they did (what IF) same in Boston?
If so, ESPN? ESPN Deportes? Ethnic? Standards?...? but who knows.

550 is licensed to Pawtucket. Is any other station licensed to Pawtucket? If yes, or if another station could be moved to Pawtucket, 550 might be moved to someplace more lucrative--assuming there is someplace potentially more lucrative.

Pawtucket is virtually next door. I'm not sure how much more "lucrative" a move to Providence could be.

Not a bad signal on 550AM during the day...

http://radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/pat?call=WDDZ&service=AM&status=L&hours=D

And at night it seems to cover all the essential territory without any sharp nulls...

http://radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/pat?call=WDDZ&service=AM&status=L&hours=N

How about Business Radio?

How about Standards?

How about ESPN550AM?

 

[joshzz]

I wonder if Disney is moving to FM. They certainly can afford it. 8)

 

[N1WVQ]

Don't know what will become of 550 in Prov but what if they did (what IF) same in Boston?
If so, ESPN? ESPN Deportes? Ethnic? Standards?...? but who knows.

550 is licensed to Pawtucket. Is any other station licensed to Pawtucket? If yes, or if another station could be moved to Pawtucket, 550 might be moved to someplace more lucrative--assuming there is someplace potentially more lucrative.

Pawtucket is virtually next door. I'm not sure how much more "lucrative" a move to Providence could be.

Not a bad signal on 550AM during the day...

http://radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/pat?call=WDDZ&service=AM&status=L&hours=D

And at night it seems to cover all the essential territory without any sharp nulls...

http://radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/pat?call=WDDZ&service=AM&status=L&hours=N

How about Business Radio?

How about Standards?

How about ESPN550AM?

I assume you're kidding. Biz (snooze) radio is already on 790, Standards had been on 1450 & ESPN IS on 1450 & had been on 790. There aren't any other stations licensed to Pawtucket (WFCI went dark before this station even came on). XMTR. site is in Cumberland.

 

[N1WVQ]

I wonder if Disney is moving to FM. They certainly can afford it. 8)

More like exiting altogether. The only F.M.s with a decent signal are 92.3, 93.3*, 94.1, 95.5, 101.5, 103.7 * 105.1. We don't have a lot of signals available to us on F.M. in R.I. with a wide reach.
*=93.3 is actually licensed to Taunton, Massachusetts.

 

[Don Juannn]

I assume you're kidding. Biz (snooze) radio is already on 790, Standards had been on 1450 & ESPN IS on 1450 & had been on 790.

Well, I'm out of the market, so I'm not on top of things.

So "standards" is currently not being aired....might be time for a return.

.....and 1450 is out of W. Warwick....which doesn't have as good a signal as 550AM.

http://radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/pat?call=WLKW&service=AM&status=L&hours=D

...at night it's not reliably listenable in Providence

I would think ESPN and standards would have an easier time on 550AM than on the nifty 1450.

 

[N1WVQ]

I assume you're kidding. Biz (snooze) radio is already on 790, Standards had been on 1450 & ESPN IS on 1450 & had been on 790.

Well, I'm out of the market, so I'm not on top of things.

So "standards" is currently not being aired....might be time for a return.

.....and 1450 is out of W. Warwick....which doesn't have as good a signal as 550AM.

http://radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/pat?call=WLKW&service=AM&status=L&hours=D

...at night it's not reliably listenable in Providence

I would think ESPN and standards would have an easier time on 550AM than on the nifty 1450.

1. Fair enough about being out of market.
2. Standards: PRO: R.I. is the 2nd-oldest population (only behind Florida). CON: that population may be well in to their 80s.
3. ESPN: Personally, I find it a boring network. Plus it's got WEEI-FM to overcome.
4. I think there are other overlooked formats which would work. Not talk though. WPRO is too strong & WHJJ has the Premiere lineup.

 

[WLYNWAZNgm]

Lithuaninan marching music is not
being done. Yessssssssssss!

 

[N1WVQ]

Lithuaninan marching music is not
being done. Yessssssssssss!

Nor is Alaskan Reggae, mon! Mon, it freezin' out here! Jah love, Nanook!

 

[DanStrassberg]

Pawtucket is virtually next door. I'm not sure how much more "lucrative" a move to Providence could be.

Who (other than you) said anything about moving to Providence? I was thinking about a Boston suburb--Needham, maybe. Unfortunately, a diplex with WEEI, which might otherwise work technically (could protect WHYN quite nicely), falls apart because the towers are on close to an east-west line and there is a dark 550 in NB that requires protection. I think the 540 in NH is a dead issue, but WLIE could be another problem.

 

[Don Juannn]

Pawtucket is virtually next door. I'm not sure how much more "lucrative" a move to Providence could be.

Who (other than you) said anything about moving to Providence? I was thinking about a Boston suburb--Needham, maybe.

Considering it is the only station licensed to Pawtucket....it's a moot point.

 

[CTListener]

I assume you're kidding. Biz (snooze) radio is already on 790, Standards had been on 1450 & ESPN IS on 1450 & had been on 790.

Well, I'm out of the market, so I'm not on top of things.

So "standards" is currently not being aired....might be time for a return.

.....and 1450 is out of W. Warwick....which doesn't have as good a signal as 550AM.

http://radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/pat?call=WLKW&service=AM&status=L&hours=D

...at night it's not reliably listenable in Providence

I would think ESPN and standards would have an easier time on 550AM than on the nifty 1450.

1. Fair enough about being out of market.
2. Standards: PRO: R.I. is the 2nd-oldest population (only behind Florida). CON: that population may be well in to their 80s.
3. ESPN: Personally, I find it a boring network. Plus it's got WEEI-FM to overcome.
4. I think there are other overlooked formats which would work. Not talk though. WPRO is too strong & WHJJ has the Premiere lineup.

Music formats? Name one that will interest advertisers and/or listeners under 60. Remember, we're talking about someone coming in and buying an AM station. There's got to be at least the hope of a return on investment, and that means selling listeners in a sellable demographic on your station.

 

[raccoonradio]

Headlines here on radio-info saying in Pitt. a lease for 540 is expiring and they'll be moving Radio
Disney to 1250 there and taking off ESPN. Preferring Jonas Bros to sports talk?

 

[DanStrassberg]

Considering it is the only station licensed to Pawtucket....it's a moot point.

The point may be moot, but not because 550 is the only station licensed to Pawtucket. For an appropriate sum, one of the stations licensed to Providence could change its CoL to Pawtucket. What makes the point moot is that the only suitable tower site in the Boston market appears to be the WEEI site and that site really isn't suitable because of CFNB, which dark for however many decades or not, must still be protected. An out might exist if Disney could demonstrate that a low-on-the-dial 50-kW AM could be built on some frequency other than 550 in Frederickton. That frequency would have to be one that Canada is not already sitting on because it had been occupied by another deleted Canadian AM in the same general area. The overlap with WLIE might or might not be an issue. If a pattern could be worked out that would place all of the normally prohibited overlap on the east side of Naragansett Bay, the WLIE problem would most likely disappear. The FCC acknowledges that overlap between New York and New England stations on the east side of Naragansett Bay is a consequence of the long salt water path along Long Island Sound and is therefore exempt from the overlap rules.

Hmmm--I wonder if there isn't another AM site in the Boston area that might work. I should not reject the WRKO site out of hand. Woburn could work as the CoL. From the Burlington site, it might even be possible to adequately protect CFNB and WLIE. The 550 to 680 frequency spacing is adequate for a diplex. Interesting! OTOH, Burlington is a lot closer to WDEV than Needham is.

 

[Don Juannn]

Considering it is the only station licensed to Pawtucket....it's a moot point.

The point may be moot, but not because 550 is the only station licensed to Pawtucket. For an appropriate sum, one of the stations licensed to Providence could change its CoL to Pawtucket.

I hope it won't be a surprise to tell you that ain't happening.

 

[MickeyD]

Fybush reports WDDZ 550 in Prov to shut off Sep 30 pending sale. Bye to Radio Disney (not sure what will replace it). What are odds of same thing happening to Boston's 1260?

Way back in the day when Disney decided to get into radio I never quite understood why they tried to target younger kids with AM to begin with.